History Main / LopsidedDichotomy

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'': "Did that just say 'Grand Central Station', or 'my aunt's constipation'?"

Sometimes, as a means of humour, or simply to argue for one possibility through ridicule of all possible alternatives, someone will frame a description or explanation as "either it was X highly unlikely set of circumstances, or it was Y straightforward apparent conclusion." (However, the X and Y can be reversed.)

* ''Series/That70sShow'': In "Kitty's Birthday (That's Today?!)", [[ForgottenBirthday Red and Eric forget Kitty's birthday]], then try to pretend it's a NotSoForgottenBirthday, buying her a few balloons and a funnel from the gas station at 11:40 P.M. However, she sees through it.

Most often [[OccamsRazor "Y straightforward apparent conclusion" is obviously the truth]] and the dichotomy is employed as means of snark or lampshading. However 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.

[[quoteright:225:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lopsideeddichotomy.png]]]]

-->[[http://secotm.tumblr.com/post/23671041718/agoodcartoon-the-conservative-vote-is-a-blunt Shouldn’t there be a comma in that dialogue? Or is Gay Marriage Obama a new action figure?]]

* Subverted in a strip from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', when Roy (as a spirit in the AfterlifeAntechamber) attempts one after his father hands him copies of ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', ''Literature/IRobot'', ''TabletopGame/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]]".

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

* In ''WesternAnimation/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 ''Series/{{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.]]"

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine:'' Dax does this to Sisko when translating some ancient Bajoran.
-->'''Dax:''' During The Reckoning, the Bajorans will either suffer horribly or eat fruit.\\
'''Sisko:''' Eat fruit?\\
'''Dax:''' Given the tone of the rest of the inscription, I would bet on the horrible suffering.

* In ''VideoGame/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]]."

-->"More dazed soldiers staggering around in their skivvies. Either we're on the right track or [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar we missed the best party ever]]."

-->'''Groucho:''' Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

--->'''Groucho:''' Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped.

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

-->Either that costs more than 25 bucks, or I'm seriously starting to doubt Steve Jobs' business strategy.

-->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.]]''

* From ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer]]", when Homer stands in front of a lighthouse, [[BatSignal causing his silhouette to be projected onto the clouds]]... [[note]](this is entirely accidental on Homer's part.)[[/note]]

-->''"Either you're babbling, or you just said in Cherokee that my scrotum is many colored."''

-->''Either Pakistan is home to possessed stoves which burn only young housewives, and are particularly fond of genitalia, or (...) there is a grim pattern that these women are victims of deliberate murder.''

* In ''TheUnbreakableKimmySchmidt'', Kimmy describes the family she's working for.
-->'''Kimmy:''' The son is a monster, probably because he never sees his father, the daughter is running around doing drugs and sexing, the mom is in the middle of some kind of nervous breakdown...
-->'''Titus:''' It sounds like these people either have no money, or ''way'' too much money.

* Parodied in ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' -- a scientist tells a reporter "Either we had a slight measuring error, or all of science is wrong." Again, she says this to a ''reporter'', a profession notorious for misleading attention-grabbing science headlines. [[http://smbc-comics.com/index.php?id=3732 You can probably guess the result]].

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

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', [[AlienAmongUs 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 [[CommonTongue Galard]], but this morph's hearing is very uncertain."

* From ''Series/{{House}}'', where House talks about the [=iPhone=][[note]]Which he received in a "secret santa" exchange with a $25 limit[[/note]]:

* From ''Series/{{House}}'', where House talks about the [=iPhone=]:

* In ''New in Town'', Creator/JohnMulaney uses this to illustrate the kind of thing he sees in New York City that make him regret quitting drinking:

--> ''I saw a red giraffe who had a short neck, that was sad! ...Or a deer.''

* In ''New in Town'', Creator/JohnMulaney uses this to illustrate the kind of thing he sees in New York City that makes him regret quitting drinking:

* 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]]."

EitherWorldDominationOrSomethingAboutBananas is a subtrope.

[[quoteright:150:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lopsideeddichotomy.png]]]]

[[quoteright:150:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tracer1_8963.png]]]]

Sometimes, as a means of humour, or simply to argue for one possibility through ridicule of all possible alternatives, someone will frame a description or explanation as "either it was X highly unlikely set of circumstances, or it was Y straightforward apparent conclusion." (The X and Y can be reversed instead.)

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', [[AlienAmongUs 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."