History Main / LopsidedDichotomy

* From ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when Homer stands in front of a lighthouse, [[BatSignal causing his silhouette to be projected onto the clouds]]... [[hottip:*:(although this is entirely accidental on Homer's part.)]]

* ''PennAndTellerBullshit'' used this in the college episode in response to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESc0z1Tbwfk a college rally organizer who told a counter-protestor to move away from the crowd.]]

* In {{Animorphs}}, Aximili ("Ax") says one time, while in flea morph, "He's welcoming the Visser back aboard the Blade ship. Or he may be telling him his brother is a meteor fragment. I understand [[AlienLanguage Galard]], but this morph's hearing is very uncertain."

* Groucho Marx in ''ADayAtTheRaces'': Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

* Groucho Marx in ''MonkeyBusiness'': Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

->"''Either that kid [[DontTryThisAtHome has a lightbulb up his butt]], or [[IdeaBulb his colon has a great idea]].''"

-->'''Roy''': Either you're trying to tell me that my body was used to make a golem, or ... actually, I can't think of any other possible interpretation.

* In ''FindingNemo'', when Dory is translating whale speech: "Okay, he either said, 'move to the back of the throat,' or he 'wants a root beer float'."

* Subverted in an ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]'' strip, when Roy (as a spirit in the AfterlifeAntechamber) attempts one after his father hands him copies of ''{{Frankenstein}}'', ''IRobot'', ''PrometheanTheCreated'' and ''Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Dead Body Being Used To Make A Bone Golem (But Were Afraid To Ask)'' to "help [him] come to terms with the [[GoodNewsBadNews bad news]]".

* The page quotation from ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', of course.

* Subverted in an ''OrderOfTheStick'' strip, when Roy (as a spirit in the AfterlifeAntechamber) attempts one after his father hands him copies of ''{{Frankenstein}}'', ''IRobot'', ''PrometheanTheCreated'' and ''Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Dead Body Being Used To Make A Bone Golem (But Were Afraid To Ask)'' to "help [him] come to terms with the [[GoodNewsBadNews bad news]]".

* ''{{Garfield And Friends}}'' episode, "Wonderful World":
-->'''Garfield''': Either Jon's home or somebody put a VCR in the garbage disposal.

On occasion, this trope will be subverted to comic effect when [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike the more bizarre conclusion turns out to be precisely correct instead]], perhaps sometimes as AnAesop about not being too sure of yourself about what is possible and what is not.

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-->-- '''Dr. Cox''' from ''{{Scrubs}}'', on [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qEJKIRxIrk an x-ray showing a lightbulb in a patient.]]

* The page quotation from {{Scrubs}}, of course.
* Apart from the CalvinAndHobbes page image, another CalvinAndHobbes example would be Calvin saying "either mom's cooking dinner or someone got sick in the furnace duct."
* In {{Angel}}, with Lorne translating for some demons...
-->''"Either they're going to talk to their prince, [[EitherWorldDominationOrSomethingAboutBananas or they're going to go and eat a cheesemonkey.]]"''
* In FindingNemo, when Dory is translating whale speech: "Okay, he either said, 'move to the back of the throat,' or he 'wants a root beer float'."
* In ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', if you ask HK-47 for help understanding a Jawa, he says, "Translation: 98% probability that members of the miniature organic's tribe are being held by Sand People, master. Doubtless he wishes assistance." When asked about the other two percent, he adds, "Translation: 2% probability that the miniature organic is simply looking for trouble and needs to be blasted. [[RoboticPsychopath That may be wishful thinking on my part, master]]."
* At the end of ''QuestForGlory IV'', the hero is surrounded by the thankful people of the land after (like the past three games) completing yet another heroic quest. Cue [[CloudCuckooLander Erasmus]] and [[TalkingAnimal Fenrus]] taking that moment to scry on the hero, with Fenrus commenting that "It's either an award ceremony or a [[TorchesAndPitchforks lynch mob]]."

* In "The {{Dilbert}} Principle", Scott Adams describes the two possible results of a career in engineering:

* From HouseMD, where House talks about the [=iPhone=]:
-->Either that costs more than 25 bucks, or I'm seriously starting to doubt Steve Jobs' business strategy.
* David Ramirez's prize-winning short comic, "My little Tomoka", is protagonized by a girl who was, accidentally, named Noo. So, when her mother calls her yelling...

* ''PhineasAndFerb'':
** "Ask A Foolish Question":
-->'''Major Monogram:''' Good morning, Agent P. The entire Tri-State Area is becoming riddled with holes. Also, numerous light beams have been shot from Doofenshmirtz's building. Either he's having some sort of a rave, or he's the one behind all those holes.
** "Meatloaf Surprise":
-->'''Major Monogram:''' Morning, Agent P. We've recently found surveillance footage of Doofenshmirtz buying fresh produce. We've concluded that there are two possibilities: either he's up to something sinister that is food-related, or he's cooking dinner because he's got a beautiful woman coming over and he wants to imp... Never mind, it's obviously the first thing.
* {{Garfield And Friends}} episode, "Wonderful World":
-->'''Garfield''': Either Jon's home or somebody put a VCR in the garbage disposal.
* From ''TheSimpsons'', when Homer stands in front of a lighthouse, [[BatSignal causing his silhouette to be projected onto the clouds]]... [[hottip:*:(although this is entirely accidental on Homer's part.)]]
-->'''Bart:''' Hey look! Is that Dad?
-->'''Lisa:''' Either that or Batman's really let himself go.
* Subverted in an ''OrderOfTheStick'' strip, when Roy (as a spirit in the AfterlifeAntechamber) attempts one after his father hands him copies of ''{{Frankenstein}}'', ''IRobot'', ''PrometheanTheCreated'' and ''Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Dead Body Being Used To Make A Bone Golem (But Were Afraid To Ask)'' to "help [him] come to terms with the [[GoodNewsBadNews bad news]]".
-->'''Roy''': Either you're trying to tell me that my body was used to make a golem, or ... actually, I can't think of any other possible interpretation.

-->There's 300 of them, and 1 of us, and he's worried about ''their'' safety? He's either a pussy, or he thinks he recognizes Erin from ''[[Film/DrunkenMaster Drunken Master 2.]]''

Sometimes also overlaps with FalseDichotomy, when the ludicrous explanation isn't really the only alternative to the implied one.

-->''"Either they're going to talk to their prince, or they're going to go and eat a cheesemonkey."''

* Groucho Marx in ''MonkeyBusiness'': Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

* ''GrouchoMarx'' in ''MonkeyBusiness'': Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

* ''Groucho Marx'' in ''Monkey Business'': Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

-->'''Roy''': Either you're trying to tell me that my body was used to make a golem, or ... actually, I can't think of any other possible interpretation.

* Subverted in an ''OrderOfTheStick'' strip, when Roy (as a spirit) attempts one after his father hands him copies of ''{{Frankenstein}}, ''IRobot'', ''PrometheusTheCreated'' and ''Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Dead Body Being Used To Make A Bone Golem (But Were Afraid To Ask)'' to "help [him] come to terms with the [[GoodNewsBadNews bad news]]".

-->'''Lisa:''' Either that or Batman's really let himself go.