History Main / InsultBackFire

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* [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Damien]] does this against Über-Caleb in the ''Series/FlandersCompany'' season 4 finale:

'''Damian:''' (''[[PsychoticSmirk grinning]]'') Flatteries will get you nowhere...

* In ''{{VR Troopers}}'', JB is battling Spikebot who mentions transforming into a more uncomfortable form and being dressed for the occasion. JB tells him that he's just as ugly either way, Spikebot replies "flattery will get you nowhere". The battle afterwards is brief and anticlimactic (although Spikebot did not die as easily as most bots).

* In ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'', Asuka says to Randoll about his [[{{Jerkass}} arrogance]] and him putting down on Cyber Formula, but Randoll, unfazed by this, instead ''falls in love'' with her because of that.

* [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Damian]] does this against Über-Caleb in the FlandersCompany season 4 finale:
--->'''Über-Caleb:''' You bastard!
--->'''Damian''' ([[PsychoticSmirk grinning]]): Flatteries will get you nowhere...

* And from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
-->(Frodo's aunt Lobelia:) '''"You don't belong here; you're no Baggins-you-you're a Brandybuck!"

--> "It was a compliment," said Merry Brandybuck, "and so, of course, not true."'''

--> Wayne: "Bachelor no. 1?"\\
Brad: (as a puritan witch hunter) "Yes, ''harlot''?"\\
Wayne: (beat) "Now how'd you know my middle name?"

--> Brad Sherwood: (doing a strip-tease) "Hi, I'm Colin Mochrie."\\
Colin Mochrie: (as the guy watching the strip-tease) "Hi, I'm Brad Sherwood!"

--->'''Lister''': "...you're a total scum-sucking, two-faced, weaselly weasel!"
--->'''Rimmer''': "Ah, my entry in "Who's Who."" [Walks out]

--->'''Lister''': "You really are gullible."
--->'''The Cat''': "Thanks!"

* Historically, new but unpopular mathematical ideas were given pejorative names by the people intent on adhering to the ''status quo'', and then happily adopted by the people proposing the new idea. Math terms most of us have heard in school came about that way: irrational numbers, imaginary/complex numbers, pathological cases. This has been going on long enough to makes this trope OlderThanRadio at least.

* Diogenes was told he lived like a dog. Apparently, it appealed to him enough for his entire school to be called "dog-like" (cynics). Making this OlderThanFeudalism...

* Invoked in ''TheFountainhead'' by Dominique. She writes what looks like savage criticism of Howard Roark, but she intends that Roark get the hidden meaning that his buildings are too good for the city.

* On several occasions, Simon Cowell has referred to contestants' singing in ''[[AmericanIdol Idol]]'' tryouts as horrific. Not knowing the word, some of them took this as a compliment until they were very quickly corrected.

** After which he begins a paint fight between the two wizards, marking the first time he backs up his words; any other time it was just an empty threat, if a threat at all, which is why it belongs under this page. The end result of the aforementioned fight is all of the deflected paint being splattered on Mr. Laritate, who subsequently praises Alex for her passion and promises to find a new art teacher, and promotes her to Teacher's Deputy. She then walks over to T.J.

** To make it worse, Spidey comments that Tombston's grip is "Cold as ice... Hard as marble!" Tombstone actually thinks that sounds kind of catchy, and thanks the hero for thinking of it.

** OlderThanTheyThink for Democrats and donkeys. During the Jackson administration, Jackson's opponents used the donkey to portray the Democrats. The problem: in the cities, a donkey is a figure of fun (as in, making a jackass of yourself); in the country, however, donkeys were hardworking, reliable, essential animals. Cue a rise in support for the Democrats among farmers (at the time, a majority of Americans). It should be noted that the modern Democratic Party is NOT related to the Democratic-Republican Party Jackson was a part of. Or rather, no more related to it than is the modern Republican Party, since both (eventually) trace their roots to Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party.

[-[[caption-width-right:300:[ "What is that splattered all over the drawing?"\\

* The Joker in ''{{Batman}}'' is always some combination of a [[TheMadHatter Mad Hatter]] and a CardCarryingVillain, so he gets to do this a '''lot'''. For example, in ''Arkham Asylum''

** ''{{Batman}}: TheLongHalloween''

** An early version of this (at least for the Joker), from Comicbook/{{Batman}} #321.

[-[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Squick}} "What is that splattered all over the drawing?"]]\\

** On the November 21, 2011 edition of ''WWERaw'', he turns around Miz and Truth's HannibalLecture and turns it into a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that's so powerful, the two end up ''fighting each other''.

* ''ToKillAMockingbird'' applies this when Atticus is called a "nigger-lover."

* Another one involving Churchill (let's be honest, he was [[DeadpanSnarker ''really'' good at this)]]:

--'''Tombstone:''' I'm ''better''.

-->''(Spidey punches him, but only gets a SadisticSmile from the villain.)''

[[caption-width-right:300:[-[[{{Squick}} "What is that splattered all over the drawing?"]]-]\\
[[SymbolicBlood "Chunky spaghetti sauce!"]]]]

** Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} 2011-present, is openly gay. He spontaneously came out in 1996 when, while a junior minister in Wallonia, he was being hounded by journalists in the street. When he heard one of them yelling "People are saying you're homosexual!", he turned on his heels and snapped "Yes, so what?" Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

** Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} 2011-present, who is openly gay, spontaneously came out in 1996 when, while a junior minister in Wallonia, he was being hounded by journalists in the street. When he heard one of them yelling "People are saying you're homosexual!", he turned on his heels and snapped "Yes, so what?" Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

** Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister of UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} 2012-present, who is openly gay, spontaneously came out in 1996 when, while a junior minister in Wallonia, he was being hounded by journalists in the street. When he heard one of them yelling "People are saying you're homosexual!", he turned on his heels and snapped "Yes, so what?" Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

** Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister of Belgium 2012-present, who is openly gay, spontaneously came out in 1996 when, while a junior minister in Wallonia, he was being hounded by journalists in the street. When he heard one of them yelling "People are saying you're homosexual!", he turned on his heels and snapped "Yes, so what?" Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

** Current Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who is openly gay, spontaneously came out in 1996 when he was being hounded by journalists in the street. When he heard one of them yelling "People are saying you're homosexual!", he turned on his heels and snapped "Yes, so what?" Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.