History Main / HumansKillWantOnly

Often a form of BrokenAesop meant to imply that HumansAreBastards and/or HumansAreTheRealMonsters. Also often a reason you CantArgueWithElves. See also ApeShallNeverKillApe where the monsters are better because they ''don't'' kill even if they ''do'' have human motives.

If it is only claimed that the humans are just as bad (rather than worse), because ''both'' the humans and nonhumans kill wantonly, that is not this trope but may fall under NotSoDifferent.

* Ripley's famous quote above from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', said after [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Burke's attempt to have Ripley and Newt parasitized by captured facehuggers falls through and that the colony's takeover by the xenomorphs was set in motion by Burke]].

* Ax from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' becomes disgusted with humans during ''Megamorphs #3'', when he sees the nature of human wars. He claims that though the Andalites had their own wars, they were never as pointless or sadistic as human wars were. He also claims that Andalites never deliberately killed children or committed genocide to other Andalites.

->''"You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage."''
-->-- '''Ripley''', ''Film/{{Aliens}}''

** The dragon's justification in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards''. Dragons kill because they're ''supposed'' to, humans kill for a variety of flimsy reasons, or sometimes just for the hell of it.

** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', the [[MurderInc Assassin's Guild]] says that killing for money is the only sincere reason to kill, unlike killing "for honor" or "for love". Since they value life, they only kill for a lot of money. They also only kill people capable of defending themselves (skilled fighters or those rich enough to hire their own assassins) and have a list of rules of how a person can be killed, such as not killing bystanders.[[note]]Although, as Teatime learnt, that one's more of a guideline -- then again, there's a ''reason'' (well, several actually, but that's definitely a big one) the Assassins' Guild dislikes Teatime.[[/note]]

* The Imperium of Man in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. Then again, [[BlackAndBlackMorality so does every other race]] (except the Tau, ''some''times).

Often a form of BrokenAesop meant to imply that HumansAreTheRealMonsters. Also often a reason you CantArgueWithElves. See also ApeShallNeverKillApe where the monsters are better because they ''don't'' kill even if they ''do'' have human motives.

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* In the live-action adaption of ''Film/TheJungleBook'', Mowgli explains that animals only kill to eat or to keep from being eaten. He doesn't understand the concept of killing out of hatred or sport and gets pissed when one of the hunters tries to explain it to him.

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-->''We never tortured and killed each other and called it '''morality'''.''
** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', the [[MurderInc Assassin's Guild]] says that killing for money is the only sincere reason to kill, unlike killing "for honor" or "for love". Since they value life, they only kill for a lot of money. They also only kill people capable of defending themselves (skilled fighters or those rich enough to hire their own assassins) and have a list of rules of how a person can be killed, such as not killing bystanders.[[note]]Although, as Teatime learnt, that one's more of a guideline--then again, there's a ''reason'' (well, several actually, but that's definitely a big one) the Assassins' Guild dislikes Teatime.[[/note]]
* In ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'', the Race, who has just invaded the Earth and killed lots of people is shocked to see that humans not only kill each other, but mistreat their prisoners and like to cause suffering.
** The Race is shown to be applying plenty of double standards to humans. They consider human religious beliefs to be primitive and ridiculous, but don't try to say anything bad about their emperors, whom they revere as gods (of course, this can be said about most religious people). They claim that humans are reckless in detonating nukes to try to stop the Race invasion, after nuking Berlin and Washington for no good reason and then retaliating to humans using nukes with their own nukes. And along the lines of mistreating prisoners, they also captured two humans and forced them to have sex with each other, simply because they were fascinated by the concept of an intelligent species that didn't go into heat at specific times of the year.

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* Averted in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "A Christmas Carol". Kazran states that he wanted to see a fish, not kill one. The Doctor points out that [[spoiler: the shark]] was trying to eat Kazran, getting the response, "He was ''hungry.''"
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode, "A Taste of Armageddon," this trope is the rationale for the insane computer war two worlds are fighting. To oppose that, Kirk has to tell them that they of course are capable of self-control like any rational being.
** Kirk also says effectively, "Darn right humans kill wantonly. But when they kill [[HumansAreWarriors they do it]] [[CombatPragmatist with real war]] not just with a [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen rule-bound computer game]]. And thus you're best not [[GunboatDiplomacy making us mad]].

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* The Imperium of Man in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. Then again, [[BlackAndBlackMorality so does every other race]] (except the Tau, ''some''times).

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A very bad source for InternetBackdraft and not ''everyone'' does that, so Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease

A very bad source for InternetBackdraft and not ''everyone'' does that, so NoRealLifeExamplesPlease

** Kirk also says effectively, "Darn right HumansKillWantonly. But when they kill [[HumansAreWarriors they do it]] [[CombatPragmatist with real war]] not just with a [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen rule-bound computer game]]. And thus you're best not [[GunboatDiplomacy making us mad]].

* The Professor's opening monologue on the TurboGrafx16 CD game ''VideoGame/ItCameFromTheDesert'' contrasts us with ants, shortly before the town is overrun by giant mutant ants:

At times the same kind of motive can count either way depending on how it's presented. It's better to kill for money -- after all, it's NothingPersonal, assassination [[PunchClockVillain is just a job]] and hey, everyone needs to eat; it's not like you're killing someone out of jealousy. Yet it's also worse to kill for money -- Aliens kill because they're aliens, but only human beings kill each other for cold cash.

* The dragon's justification in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards''. Dragons kill because they're ''supposed'' to, humans kill for a variety of flimsy reasons, or sometimes just for the hell of it.

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* Shauna of ''Webcomic/BadMachinery'' seems convinced that this trope is the moral she's meant to be taking away from [[http://scarygoround.com/?date=20111019 this story]], told to her by an alien stranded on Earth after first contact went rather badly. [[SubvertedTrope However, the facts keep getting in the way]].

* In ''{{Worldwar}}'', the Race, who has just invaded the Earth and killed lots of people is shocked to see that humans not only kill each other, but mistreat their prisoners and like to cause suffering.

* In ''CodeBreaker'', the [[{{Hypocrite}} Angels]] believe this about (non-powered) humans, and made a game where the students of the school agree or disagree to having serial killers murdered on live video. Despite so far all of them saying yes, it is subverted by the fact A. All the kids believe this to just be a joke, and B. the fact that these are very evil people that will be executed, so it is not like they are agreeing for some random innocent civilian to be killed.

* Ripley's famous quote above from ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.

* Touched on in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' a little. Six claims murder is humanity's one true art. They also mention Cylons don't torture or try to inflict suffering when they kill. It turns out that she's completely full of shit, but in her defense, she didn't know it at the time.

* ''CriminalMinds'' there was a young serial killer who studies other serial killers and copies their MO, to him killing was natural to him like eating and sleeping. He even comments on it to Rossi, saying he wonders why all people don't feel this way, and asks if Rossi will be able to tell him why he is this way.

** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', the [[MurderInc Assassin's Guild]] says that killing for money is the only sincere reason to kill, unlike killing "for honor" or "for love". Since they value life, they only kill for a lot of money. They also only kill people capable of defending themselves (skilled fighters or those rich enough to hire their own assassins) and have a list of rules of how a person can be killed, such as not killing bystanders.[[note]]although, as Teatime learnt, that one's more of a guideline[[/note]]

Often a form of BrokenAesop meant to imply that HumansAreTheRealMonsters. See also ApeShallNeverKillApe where the monsters are better because they ''don't'' kill even if they ''do'' have human motives.

* In TheUnderlandChronicles, the giant, intelligent rats are [[CallARabbitASmeerp called "Gnawers"]], bats are "Flyers", mice are "Nibblers", etc. Humans are "[[spoiler: Killers]]", a moniker they picked up after they [[spoiler: nearly drove a population of moles to extinction in order to take their land.]] Not that anyone would call them that to their faces, of course.

** The Race is shown to be applying plenty of double standards to humans. They consider human religious beliefs to be primitive and ridiculous, but don't try to say anything bad about their emperors, whom they revere as gods (of course, this can be said about most religious people). They claim that humans are reckless in detonating nukes to try to stop the Race invasion, after nuking Berlin and Washington for no good reason and then retaliating to humans using nukes with their own nukes.

* The Professor's opening monologue on the TurboGrafx16 CD game ''ItCameFromTheDesert'' contrasts us with ants, shortly before the town is overrun by giant mutant ants: