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* The Pharisees tried this trick several times to try and turn Jesus' popularity against him. In [[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12:13-17&version=NIV one example]], they asked whether the Jews should pay the oppressive taxes imposed on them by their Caesar. If he said yes then he was acknowledging that Caesar ruled over the Jews. If he said no, he was guilty of treason. [[TakeAThirdOption He didn't let this trip him up]], giving us the awesome phrase "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."[[hottip:*:As an added bit of cleverness, the full quote is, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and ''unto God what is God's''." So essentially, [[StealthInsult Stealth Treason]] via ExactWords.]]
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* The Pharisees tried this trick several times to try and turn Jesus' popularity against him. In [[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12:13-17&version=NIV one example]], they asked whether the Jews should pay the oppressive taxes imposed on them by their Caesar. If he said yes yes, then he was acknowledging that Caesar ruled over the Jews. If he said no, he was guilty of treason. [[TakeAThirdOption He didn't let this trip him up]], giving us the awesome up]]. The phrase "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."[[hottip:*:As an added bit of cleverness, the full quote is, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and ''unto unto God what is God's''." So essentially, [[StealthInsult Stealth Treason]] via ExactWords.]]God's" is familiar enough, but the subtext isn't quite obvious: apparently, when the Pharisees showed him the coin with Caesar's image, they must have realised they were dealing with the (obviously forbidden) image of a false god, and for that reason were ready to stop arguing about matters of impiety.
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not a new example, doesn\'t get its own bullet point
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* In the ending of ''GrandTheftAutoIV'', whether you choose to take the money or kill [[spoiler: Dimitri]] in the penultimate mission, someone you like will die. If you take the money, [[spoiler: Dimitri]] decides to [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray you]] [[ForTheEvulz for no reason]] and has an assassin kill [[spoiler: Roman]] in a botched attempt on your life. If you kill the trecherous bastard, the mob boss you were working for gets pissed at you for souring the deal and kills [[spoiler: Kate]] in a drive-by shooting.
** The "take the money" ending is more of a downer ending, though, because [[spoiler: Kate]] will call you out on abandoning your morals and taking the money from Dimitri, and will leave you.
** The "take the money" ending is more of a downer ending, though, because [[spoiler: Kate]] will call you out on abandoning your morals and taking the money from Dimitri, and will leave you.
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* In the ending of ''GrandTheftAutoIV'', whether you choose to take the money or kill [[spoiler: Dimitri]] in the penultimate mission, someone you like will die. If you take the money, [[spoiler: Dimitri]] decides to [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray you]] [[ForTheEvulz for no reason]] and has an assassin kill [[spoiler: Roman]] in a botched attempt on your life. If you kill the trecherous treacherous bastard, the mob boss you were working for gets pissed at you for souring the deal and kills [[spoiler: Kate]] in a drive-by shooting.
**shooting.\\
\\
The "take the money" ending is more of a downer ending, though, because [[spoiler: Kate]] will call you out on abandoning your morals and taking the money from Dimitri, and will leave you.
**
\\
The "take the money" ending is more of a downer ending, though, because [[spoiler: Kate]] will call you out on abandoning your morals and taking the money from Dimitri, and will leave you.
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** The "take the money" ending is more of a downer ending, though, because [[spoiler: Kate]] will call you out on abandoning your morals and taking the money from Dimitri, and will leave you.
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** Which, of course, ignores the RealLife fourth option - surrender the bribe to the school administration and explain the situation. Of course, there are a few reasons why in this situation this isn't an option.
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*** Which, of course, ignores the RealLife fourth option - surrender the bribe to the school administration and explain the situation. Of course, there are a few reasons why in this situation this isn't an option.
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*** Which, of course, ignores the RealLife fourth option - surrender the bribe to the school administration and explain the situation.
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*** Which, of course, ignores the RealLife fourth option - surrender the bribe to the school administration and explain the situation. Of course, there are a few reasons why in this situation this isn't an option.
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*** Which, of course, ignores the RealLife fourth option - surrender the bribe to the school administration and explain the situation.
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* There is a legend that says one of the Han Emperors of China one day met a Silver Lightning Snake. The snake said: If you cut my head off, I will destroy you, if you cut my tail off, I will destroy your empire. The emperor cut her split in half. From the snake remains sprang Wang Mang, the guy who split the Han-Dynasty in half and was later overthrown by Han Guangwu, who founded the Later Han.
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* There is a legend that says one of the Han Emperors of China one day met a Silver Lightning Snake. The snake said: If you cut my head off, I will destroy you, if you cut my tail off, I will destroy your empire. The emperor cut her split in half. From the snake remains sprang Wang Mang, the guy who split the Han-Dynasty in half and was later overthrown by Han Guangwu, who founded the Later Han.
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*** She's not. Is there a woman alive who doesn't know which door she directed him to?
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* In ''ASeriousMan'', a student who failed the exam leaves an envelop with money in Larry Gopnik's office to try and bribe him. Larry then talks it over with the student's father, which leaves him with three options:
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* In ''ASeriousMan'', a student who failed the exam leaves an envelop envelope with money in Larry Gopnik's office to try and bribe him. Larry then talks it over with the student's father, which leaves him with three options:
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* In ''ASeriousMan'', a student who failed the exam leaves an envelop with money in Larry Gopnik's office to try and bribe him. Larry then talks it over with the student's father, which leaves him with three options:
** Accept the bribe.
** Give the money back to the student, in which case the father will sue Larry for slander (for accusing the student and his family of bribery).
** Keep the money and fail the student anyway, in which case the father will report him for theft.
** Accept the bribe.
** Give the money back to the student, in which case the father will sue Larry for slander (for accusing the student and his family of bribery).
** Keep the money and fail the student anyway, in which case the father will report him for theft.
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* Usually invoked OnceAnEpisode on ''AlloAllo'', where René is constantly put in a position where he can help the resistance and be shot by the Nazis, or collaborate with the Nazis and get shot by the resistance. RuleOfFunny keeps him alive.
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* Usually invoked OnceAnEpisode on ''AlloAllo'', ''Series/AlloAllo'', where René is constantly put in a position where he can help the resistance and be shot by the Nazis, or collaborate with the Nazis and get shot by the resistance. RuleOfFunny keeps him alive.
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**** A variation on "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?"
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*** She's not. Is there a woman alive who doesn't know which door she directed him to?
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* The famous question "Are you still beating your wife?"
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* ''[[MythAdventures Myth Conceptions]]'': The king of Possiltum hires Skeeve as court magician to defeat an invading army. The fact that the army is apparently unstoppable and Skeeve and Aahz are likely to die in the attempt isn't the biggest problem; the problem is that it's now a matter of principle that the kingdom is choosing to rely on magic for its defenses rather than the military. If they lose, or take the money and run, the reputation of magicians everywhere suffers; if they win, they'll be assassinated on the way back, on the orders of the general who's pissed that the king hired a magician instead of using the army.
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** ... so we shot his corpse.
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* In the semifinal of UFC 6, Oleg Taktarov faced Anthony Macias, who entered as an alternate after Patrick Smith pulled out. The same man promoted both combatants, and he told Macias to throw the fight so that Taktarov would be fresh for the final against a ferocious David "Tank" Abbott. Macias' options: 1. Agree to throw the fight (ruining his professional reputation). 2. Fight Taktarov honestly and lose (burning a bridge for nothing). 3. Fight Taktarov honestly and win, then get stomped into paste by Abbott (ditto). Granted, he wasn't that good a fighter and would've been a footnote to MMA history regardless, but that's a tough situation for any young, budding fighter to find himself in. (He chose #1, BTW.)
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* In the semifinal of UFC 6, Oleg Taktarov faced Anthony Macias, who entered as an alternate after Patrick Smith pulled out. The same man promoted both combatants, and he told Macias to throw the fight so that Taktarov would be fresh for the final against a ferocious David "Tank" Abbott. Macias' options: 1. Agree to throw the fight (ruining his professional reputation). 2. Fight Taktarov honestly and lose (burning a bridge for and gaining nothing). 3. Fight Taktarov honestly and win, then get stomped into paste by Abbott (ditto). Granted, he wasn't that good a fighter and would've been a footnote to MMA history regardless, but that's a tough situation for any young, budding fighter to find himself in. (He chose #1, BTW.)
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* In the "Dong Zhuo in Luo Yang" scenario in Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires, you get the option of participating in the Alliance Against Dong Zhuo after the first turn. If you take part and win, Dong Zhuo dies and his kingdom collapses. If you lose or don't take part, about a couple turns later Lu Bu kills Dong Zhuo and takes over his kingdom. [[CompleteMonster No doubt a lot of DW5E players approved.]]
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* In the semifinal of UFC 6, Oleg Taktarov faced Anthony Macias, who entered as an alternate after Patrick Smith pulled out. The same man promoted both combatants, and he told Macias to throw the fight so that Taktarov would be fresh for the final against a ferocious David "Tank" Abbott. Macias' options: 1. Agree to throw the fight (ruining his professional reputation). 2. Fight Taktarov honestly and lose (burning a bridge for nothing). 3. Fight Taktarov honestly and win, then get stomped into paste by Abbott (ditto). Granted, he wasn't that good a fighter and would've been a footnote to MMA history regardless, but that's a tough situation for any young, budding fighter to find himself in. (He chose #1, BTW.)
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** [[FridgeLogic If what happens on page 72 is that he explains why he believes in predestination]], that actually makes perfect sense, since of course he's going to do that regardless of what you believe.
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* ''AloneInTheDark'' (2008): Let Sarah live, and she becomes a TragicMonster. Kill her, and [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie ''you'' become the monster]].
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* ''AloneInTheDark'' (2008): Let Sarah live, and she becomes a TragicMonster. Kill her, and [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie ''you'' you become the monster]].
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* ''AloneInTheDark'' (2008): Let Sarah live, and she becomes a TragicMonster. Kill her, and [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie you become the monster]].
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* ''AloneInTheDark'' (2008): Let Sarah live, and she becomes a TragicMonster. Kill her, and [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie you ''you'' become the monster]].
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* In the ''{{Saw}}'' series, traps set by Amanda were inescapable, leaving victims the choice of dying horribly from the trap or killing themselves horribly while trying to escape the trap.
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* In While in the ''{{Saw}}'' series, most of the traps essentially did this, traps set by Amanda were inescapable, leaving inescapable. This left victims the choice of dying horribly from the trap or killing themselves horribly while trying to escape the trap.trap with no option to survive.
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Amanda\'s traps were inescapable. Hoffman followed the rules unless he was trying to kill someone specific.
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* In the ''{{Saw}}'' series, traps set by Hoffman were inescapable, leaving victims the choice of dying horribly from the trap or killing themselves horribly while trying to escape the trap.
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* In the ''{{Saw}}'' series, traps set by Hoffman Amanda were inescapable, leaving victims the choice of dying horribly from the trap or killing themselves horribly while trying to escape the trap.
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* In the {{Dragonlance}} novel ''Dragons of Autumn Twilight'', Raistlin refers to this as "the Ogre's Choice - 'die fast or die slow.'" The choice at this point being either entering a forest no one has ever come out of alive, or turning back into the pack of draconians hunting them.
** The novel The Siege of Mount Nevermind offers another fork: leaders of the enemies of the dark knights are offered the chance to defect after being defeated. If they don't take the offer, they are summarily executed; if they do take the offer they are executed since the knights wouldn't trust someone willing to turn traitor.
** The novel The Siege of Mount Nevermind offers another fork: leaders of the enemies of the dark knights are offered the chance to defect after being defeated. If they don't take the offer, they are summarily executed; if they do take the offer they are executed since the knights wouldn't trust someone willing to turn traitor.
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* {{Dragonlance}}:
** In the{{Dragonlance}} novel ''Dragons of Autumn Twilight'', Raistlin refers to this as "the Ogre's Choice - 'die fast or die slow.'" The choice at this point being either entering a forest no one has ever come out of alive, or turning back into the pack of draconians hunting them.
** The novelThe ''The Siege of Mount Nevermind Nevermind'' offers another fork: leaders of the enemies of the dark knights are offered the chance to defect after being defeated. If they don't take the offer, they are summarily executed; if they do take the offer they are executed since the knights wouldn't trust someone willing to turn traitor.
** In the
** The novel
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** The novel The Siege of Mount Nevermind offers another fork: leaders of the enemies of the dark knights are offered the chance to defect after being defeated. If they don't take the offer, they are summarily executed; if they do take the offer they are executed since the knights wouldn't trust someone willing to turn traitor.
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** Still true in any society that uses torture or abuse to get confessions. If you're accused of a crime (whether you're guilty or not) you can confess and be punished for the crime, or you can refuse to confess and they'll torture you until you do.
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->'''Narrator:''' The king is [[ParentalIncest having sex with his daughter]], and to keep suitors from marrying her, he asks them to [[EngagementChallenge solve a riddle]]. If they don't solve it, he kills them. If they do solve it, [[HeKnowsTooMuch he also kills them, since the answer is "the king is having sex with his daughter."]]
-->-- "Pericles, Prince of Tired Plots", [[http://www.yarnivore.com/francis/archives/000405.html Francis Heaney]]
-->-- "Pericles, Prince of Tired Plots", [[http://www.yarnivore.com/francis/archives/000405.html Francis Heaney]]
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-->--
-->--'''Narrator''', "Pericles, Prince of Tired
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[[redirect:{{ptitlelewwvnvy}}]]
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-->-- "Pericles, Prince of Tired Plots", [[http://www.yarnivore.com/francis/archives/000405.html Francis Heaney]]
A character is presented two alternatives, A and B. If the character chooses A, then something bad happens. If he or she chooses B, a similar or identical bad thing happens -- but for a different reason.
The name comes from the tax-collecting practices of Henry VII's chancellor, John Morton. He reasoned that anyone who was living extravagantly was rich, and so could afford high taxes, while anyone who was living frugally had saved a lot, and so could afford high taxes. Bear in mind before you get ''too'' crazy is that this was typically used to keep people well-known to be well-off anyway from trying to weasel their way into not paying; he wasn't exactly trying to collect from peasants in hovels.
This is often confused with "Hobson's choice." [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobson Thomas Hobson]] leased horses, and in order to make sure all got used and exercised, he had customers automatically assigned the one nearest the door rather than let them pick which one they wanted; the customer's "choice" was "Take the horse assigned, or don't get any horse." A Hobson's choice is a false choice because although there are two results, one is so empty [[ButThouMust you must take the other]]. A Morton's Fork is a false choice because there is only one result to take.
Compare XanatosGambit, where this happens because of some character's long-term [[TheChessmaster Chessmastering]]. See also SadisticChoice, which similarly forces characters to choose between two untenable choices. Characters often attempt to respond by TakingAThirdOption, with varying degrees of success. They may instead pick one to GetItOverWith. If they get sick of being cheated, see BallisticDiscount. If the fork is deliberately placed into a test, this is UnwinnableTrainingSimulation.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Utilized to epic proportions in the manga version of the final battle against Chaos in ''SailorMoon'', in which the main character has the choice of either destroying Chaos utterly and the Cauldron with it, thus dooming their galaxy to a slow extinction as no new lives will be created from it or just possibly ''momentarily'' delaying the Ultimate Evil's return resulting in a massive intergalatic war...in which hundreds of billions of people may die anyway but would still end up being reborn because the Cauldron is still there. Guess which option she chooses?
* During the fight with Dynamis in ''MahouSenseiNegima'' [[spoiler:Dynamis fakes being downed then launches an attack that Negi can make go through him. If he does, his students will be hit and killed. If he doesn't, he takes a huge sword to the stomach, but can heal it off. Not stated but quite probable is that either choice will also probably cause him to go berserk, either due to having to use Magic Erebea for a healing factor or rage at what happened to his students.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* There's a Chuck Dixon arc wherein Two-Face kidnaps Robin and forces him to choose between hanging Batman and District Attorney Meany. Robin attempts to TakeAThirdOption and reminds Two-Face of his schtick, Two-Face flips his coin, and Meany's number is up. The trapdoor drops, Meany starts to hang, and Robin, still thinking outside the box, throws a batarang to severe the rope -- which causes Meany to drop into the water below, and drown. Two-Face then tries to kill Batman, with predictable results. MortonsFork applies because not only was Two-Face clearly planning on killing both men no matter who Robin chose, but he also managed to plan for the third option.
* At one point in ''ExMachina'', Mayor Hundred is on a talk-radio show and has been asked if he, in the eventuality that Osama bin Laden was captured and put on trial in the US, would support or oppose his execution. Answering yes goes against his own political statements as a firmly anti-death-penalty politician, but answering no makes him sound like he is sympathetic to bin Laden. [[TakeAThirdOption He instead calls the interviewer a "motherfucker" and walks out]], pointing out to his staff that there is absolutely no correct answer to that question.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* In the ''{{Saw}}'' series, traps set by Hoffman were inescapable, leaving victims the choice of dying horribly from the trap or killing themselves horribly while trying to escape the trap.
* In ''LifeOfBrian'', Brian doesn't want to be the Messiah. Unfortunately:
-->'''Brian''': I'm not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand? Honestly!\\
'''Girl''': Only the true Messiah denies His divinity. \\
'''Brian''': What? Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah!\\
'''Followers''': He is! He is the Messiah!
* In ''MysticRiver'', [[spoiler:Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) confronts Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) about the murder of Markum's daughter. Markum is wrongfully convinced that Boyle killed her, so he tells him to, "Admit it and I'll let you live." Boyle confesses to save his life, so Markum kills him.]] In the book this is made a little clearer, and (slightly) justified. [[spoiler:Jimmy needs to know WHY his daughter was killed, and he's demanding an honest answer. When Dave answers, Jimmy can tell that he's lying, and kills him for lying about the reason.]]
* In ''{{Jaws}} 2'', the helicopter pilot that tries to rescue the teens and has his helicopter capsized by the shark has two choices: stay in the helicopter wreck and drown, or escape the wreck and be eaten by the waiting shark. We never see which choice he made, but he doesn't survive.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* Probably the most famous example amongst modern literature is ''{{Catch-22}}''. There are several instances of this used during the story, the most notable being the reason for why pilots had to fly missions: pilots would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if they didn't, but if they were sane they had to fly them. If they flew them they were crazy and didn't have to; but if they didn't want to they were sane and had to.
** This example is so famous that this dilemma is frequently ''called'' a Catch-22 in common usage.
* ''The Lady or the Tiger'', by Frank R. Stockton. A young man and a barbarian princess, the only daughter of the king, fall in love. Since this is StarCrossedLovers, specifically Forbidden Love, the young man is condemned to the possibility of gruesome death in the arena: He must choose between two doors. Behind one is a hungry tiger, and behind the other is a beautiful woman whom he must marry. When he looks to the barbarian princess for a hint, she faces a Morton's Fork, since whether her lover is killed or given to a hated rival, either way she will lose him.
** And he's facing one too. Whether he lives or dies, he loses the woman he loves, but he's got the added problem of not knowing which door she's pointing him to. What if he'd rather die than live without her, but she [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy wants him to live even if it's with someone else]]? What if she thinks he'd rather die, but he has other ideas? It's a SadisticChoice for both of them, but he's flying blind.
* In ''Chalice'' by Robin [=McKinley=], one of the main characters is a former priest of fire and has to concentrate before touching anyone to avoid magically burning them. In order to manufacture a grievance against him, his feudal lord deliberately trips in front of him. If he catches his lord, he'll burn him, which is an insult; if he doesn't, he's letting him fall, which is also an insult.
* ''The Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy'' by Robert Anton Wilson contains a somewhat fictionalized description of the British [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Cross_System Double Cross System]] during the Second World War, which puts it explicitly in these terms. It's described as feeding "Strange Loops" to German intelligence--that is, bits of information which if believed lead to one false conclusion, and if disbelieved lead to a different false conclusion. The prototypical Strange Loop is said to be, "Most of your agents are working for us, and are feeding you Strange Loops."
* In DanAbnett's ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Brothers of the Snake'', Khiron asks to be exposed to the sea serpents of their home world: if they eat him, he is acquitted and [[DueToTheDead will be mourned]], and if they refuse, his fellow Space Marines will know he is tainted and execute him. He wants to GetItOverWith, as the evidence against him is very strong. Fortunately, new evidence turns up in time to rescue him.\\
\\
This is only Morton's Fork due to ValuesDissonance. To the reader, the outcome is equally bad either way (death). The Adeptus Astartes, however, are '''extremely''' honor-conscious; a fatal acquittal is a FAR better fate in their eyes than being seen as tainted.
* In the classic of Story of Robin Hood, Robin is given the choice of hunting the Prince's deer and being arrested for destruction of royal property, and going against a bet, with the penalty being his execution. Robin chooses to hunt the deer to prove his skill and [[TakeAThirdOption runs away before he can be executed]].
* ''TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has the protagonists given the choice of dying in the vacuum of space for refusing to say something nice about [[GiftedlyBad Vogon Poetry]] or finding something nice to say about Vogon Poetry... and then dying in the vacuum of space. However, the Vogon Captain only reveals this additional clause to Option B after they've already tried to say something nice, so it's not clear whether he was going to do that all along or just felt offended by their pitiful attempt to compliment his work.
** Given the way Vogons are portrayed throughout the series, "was going to do that all along" sounds far more plausible.
-->'''Jeltz:''' "Counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor..." Death's too good for them.
* In ''[[{{Gor}} Players of Gor]]'' Tarl Cabot is given one of these: he is about to have a hunting sleen (think man-eating tiger, only Gorean and therefore worse) set upon him from a hundred yards away, and he can either stand his ground and be killed by it quickly, or panic and run into a pack of urts (think giant rats, only... etc) where he will die from being eaten alive in hundreds of much smaller bites. His gleeful enemy informs him that many men think they will wait for the sleen, only for their nerve to fail them at the last moment and die of urt bites instead.
* {{Candide}} was given by the Bulgars the choice between being beaten 36 times in succession by 2,000 soldiers or having 20 bullets put into his brain. His wish to TakeAThirdOption being impossible, he chose to run the gauntlet, but soon realized the second option was more merciful.
* In the {{Dragonlance}} novel ''Dragons of Autumn Twilight'', Raistlin refers to this as "the Ogre's Choice - 'die fast or die slow.'" The choice at this point being either entering a forest no one has ever come out of alive, or turning back into the pack of draconians hunting them.
* Soviet-era Lithuanian literature was quite fond of this. E.g., one well-known short story is about an old man who is brutally beaten and dragged away (possibly to be murdered) by the Nazis for speaking Lithuanian, which was prohibited during their occupation. Consequently, his daughter stops speaking Lithuanian and does whatever she can to please the occupiers-[[InsaneTrollLogic so they brutally rape her]]. In other words, whether or not you collaborate with the enemy, you're in for mind-shatteringly terrible physical violence!
* A "Murphy's Laws of Parenting" book (don't remember the exact title) had a classic example, how to deal with the baby crying through the night. The wrong way is to comfort the baby every time he/she cries, which will reinforce the behavior, resulting in both parents getting little or no sleep. The right way is to ignore the crying until the baby stops on his/her own...resulting in both parents getting little or no sleep. (As most parents eventually learn, this sort of situation comes up very, ''very'' often.)
* In ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', the orphans encounter at least one of them while going through the rules of [[FunWithAcronyms Village of]] [[ArcWords Fowl Devotees]]. According to one rule, all pens must be made from feathers from a crow. However, another rule bans using crow feathers for any purposes. Which means that all pens are banned -but then what kind of pen did they use to write the rules?
* In ''BlackStarRising'' by FrederikPohl, aliens visit Earth and demand to speak to the President of the United States. The problem is, The United States doesn't exist anymore (The USA and USSR destroyed each other, China and India took over whatever was left of them), so the Chinese government has to quickly throw together an "American" government, complete with president. They hastily hold an election where people were given the choice of voting for the only candidate, or being jailed for not properly following instructions.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In one episode of ''ImportantThingsWithDemetriMartin'', a sketch has him choosing whether to sit next to a beautiful young woman or an old man at a wedding reception. Both scenarios end with the same savage beating by the same group of thugs.
* On ''{{Angel}}'' during one of his more ...[[AxCrazy troubled]] periods Connor interrogated a man with "Tell me and I'll crush your windpipe.". His response is to try and clarify that he meant "or" right?
* In the final episode of ''{{Blackadder}} II'', Blackadder is given a choice: admit to being in love with Satan and get his testicles chopped off, or don't admit it and be held upside down in a vat of warm marmalade...''and'' get his testicles chopped off. Naturally he chooses the former, but is "rescued" before the threat can be carried out.
* In the penultimate episode of ''PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'', the senshi find themselves facing down [[spoiler:Mamoru, who's been possessed and corrupted by Metallia]]. If they lose the battle, the world will be destroyed, but the only way to win the battle will ''also'' trigger the end of the world. [[spoiler:They win the battle and the world does end, though a HeroicSacrifice helps it get better.]]
* Usually invoked OnceAnEpisode on ''AlloAllo'', where René is constantly put in a position where he can help the resistance and be shot by the Nazis, or collaborate with the Nazis and get shot by the resistance. RuleOfFunny keeps him alive.
* In ''HowIMetYourMother'', Lily and Marshal have a bet to see who can collect 5 people's phone numbers first. If Marshall wins, they have sex in the bathroom. If Lily wins, they have sex in the bathroom. Lily comments that this is their standard wager.
* In an episode of ''StargateAtlantis'', after everything goes predictably wrong, Rodney is asked what options they have. His response?
--> '''Rodney''': Let me see, we've got quick death, slow death, painful death, cold, lonely death...
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* Cuchulain in Irish myth would lose his strength if he refused a meal, or consumed dogflesh. [[WeaksauceWeakness His enemies learned this and promptly invited him to dine on dogflesh, meaning he'd lose his powers either way.]]
* The Pharisees tried this trick several times to try and turn Jesus' popularity against him. In [[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12:13-17&version=NIV one example]], they asked whether the Jews should pay the oppressive taxes imposed on them by their Caesar. If he said yes then he was acknowledging that Caesar ruled over the Jews. If he said no, he was guilty of treason. [[TakeAThirdOption He didn't let this trip him up]], giving us the awesome phrase "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."[[hottip:*:As an added bit of cleverness, the full quote is, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and ''unto God what is God's''." So essentially, [[StealthInsult Stealth Treason]] via ExactWords.]]
* [[http://www.nasruddin.org/ Nasruddin Hodja]] acted as a [[TricksterArchetype Trickster]], especially when people pestered him for a piece of wisdom. Once when he had to preach but wasn't in a mood for this, he talked his way out of it... three times in a row:
--> '''Nasruddin''': O people of Akshahir! Do you know and understand what I am about to say to you?\\
'''The people''': No, we don't.\\
'''Nasruddin''': What?! How can I speak to such ignorant people! ''(leaves)''\\
'''Nasruddin''' ''(one week later)'': O people of Akshahir! Do you know and understand what I am about to say to you?\\
'''The people''': ''(remembering what had happened the last time)'' Yes, we do.\\
'''Nasruddin''': Wonderful! Then there is no need for me to speak to you today.\\
'''Nasruddin''' ''(one more week later)'': O people of Akshahir! Do you know and understand what I am about to say to you?\\
'''The people''': ''(Some shout "No", some "Yes")''\\
'''Nasruddin''': Wonderful! Now let those who know tell those who do not know.
* Buddha met his death this way when he was kindly offered a meal which unknowingly contained bad food. While Buddha knew the food wasn't safe to eat, the people offering it to him didn't. Either Buddha could have gone against his beliefs and refused hospitality or eaten the food and let his health suffer. He ate the food and died from it, but was fine as it was his time to die.
* In the Bible, Jacob was set to marry Rachael, but was worried that her father would disguise her sister, Leah, as Rachael and slip her into the wedding instead. To foil this trick, Jacob and Rachael figured out a signal. If "Rachael" didn't give the signal, it would be Leah under the veil and thus Jacob would know to call off the wedding. This subjected Rachael to the Fork, because if she taught her sister the signal, her fiance would marry her sister. If she ''didn't'' teach the signal though, she would knowingly be subjecting her sister to public humiliation. She taught Leah the signal and Jacob ended up [[TookAThirdOption marrying both girls]].
** It should be clarified that this isn't actually in the traditional Biblical canon.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:TabletopGames]]
* One issue of ''{{Dragon}}'' has a list of [[RiddleOfTheSphinx riddles the gynosphinx might use]], with the usual deal that if the [=PCs=] fail to answer them correctly, they're lunch. One of them, to be issued when the sphinx's hunger overcomes her fairness, has the solution "Kill me".
* ''{{Paranoia}}'' is all about setting up situations where The Computer and your secret society both assign you dangerous, mutually contradictory goals, and have the means to punish you if you don't deliver. And then you have to deal with your fellow Troubleshooters and all of ''their'' contradictory goals.
** One of the best examples is from the adventure module ''Me and My Warbot Mark IV'', which includes a "debriefing questionnaire" to be completed at the end of the adventure. Instructions on the form include the line "Answer all questions fully, completely, correctly, and honestly. Failure to do so is treason!". And of course, Question #6 is "YOUR SECURITY CLEARANCE IS INSUFFICIENT TO VIEW THIS QUESTION. HAVE A NICE DAYCYCLE." But it still has a blank for the character to write in his answer...
*** A popular question is "Are you a happy Communist? Yes/No". As long as the player isn't allowed to elaborate, you either say you're a Communist (treason) or you're not happy (also treason). An even more insidious one, which will likely get you even if you elaborate, is "Are Communists happy? Explain why/why not". If you think Communists are happy, you imply Communism is a good way to live (Communist sympathiser!) If not, the Computer will ask why anyone would want to be a commie if it makes them unhappy (it doesn't make sense, and implies you're lying or hiding something).
* This is very common in {{chess}} as a way of gaining advantage over one's opponent. For example, combination attacks such as forks and discovered attacks allow a player to threaten two pieces simultaneously with the idea that their opponent won't be able to protect both of them.
* There's a method of play in bridge called a Morton's Fork Coup, which gives the defender two options, both of which cost him a trick.
* Certain articles on {{Warhammer40000}} present this as the key to winning. If you have a squad of [[MoreDakka Devastators]] positioned to cover an objective, for instance, and your foe has troops sitting on that objective, then you have presented him with two bad options: sit where you are and get blasted to pieces, or abandon a key position to go chasing after the enemy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theater]]
* The page quote is a reasonably accurate summary of act I of ''[[WilliamShakespeare Pericles, Prince of Tyre]]''. The title character tries to TakeAThirdOption by stalling; this leads the king becoming suspicious of him and deciding to kill him anyway.
* ''Nathan the Wise'' is set in Jerusalem during a ceasefire in the course of the Crusades. In the interest of keeping that peace, Saladin and the Catholic Church have agreed on a law that makes both proselytizing and apostasy punishable by death. The local representative of the CorruptChurch asks the title character to answer which of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam is the true religion, knowing that because of those laws, Nathan will be put to death if he chooses any of the three. Nathan takes a third (technically fourth) option.
* Repeatedly played for laughs in ''TheMerchantOfVenice''.
** Launcelot, who wants to get out of working for Shylock, reasons that his master is a devil...but still, if he runs away and breaks his contract, he'll commit a sin, and then he'll be working for the devil anyway. He finally makes up his mind to run away, since he figures that the ''real'' devil is the lesser of two evils.
** Later, Launcelot explains to Jessica that because the children suffer for the sins of the parents, she'll go to hell for being Shylock's daughter--the only way out is to turn out ''not'' to be his daughter. Jessica points out that, by that logic, she'd go to hell as punishment for her mother's unfaithfulness. Launcelot sums it up: "Truly then I fear you are damned both by father and mother; thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I fall into Charybdis, your mother; well, you are gone both ways."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In the first ''MarvelUltimateAlliance'': In Mephisto's Realm, you are faced with the SadisticChoice of letting either Nightcrawler or Jean Grey fall to their death (and it's impossible to [[TookAThirdOption save them both]]). At the end of the game, if you chose to save Nightcrawler, [[spoiler:Jean comes back as the Dark Phoenix]]. On the other hand, if you chose to save Jean, [[spoiler:Mystique (Nightcrawler's mother) murders Charles Xavier in revenge, and the X-Men consequently disband]]. Either way, the Watcher will tell you that "It was unfortunate..."
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' and its sequel.
** None of the endings are outright ''happy'' endings. In two endings of the sequel, they are decidedly downbeat.
** Also used throughout the game, a perfect example is Lebedev and Anna. If you want to save Lebedev, you have to kill Anna; if you don't do anything, Anna kills him and berates you (however, you can take a third option and knock Lebedev out, without killing either).
** After the mission to save Paul, if you investigated UNATCO, you know too much, so UNATCO turns against you. If not, you saved Paul, so UNATCO turns against you.
* In ''[[StarTrekBorg Star Trek: Borg]]'', while on the Borg ship you are given two options: fight the Borg or try to access the computer. Either way gets you assimilated by the Borg.
* The most infamous quest in ''{{Fallout 3}}'', Tenpenny Tower, has no good resolution. If you side with the bigots inside the Tower, you go off and massacre the Ghouls (most of whom, aside from Roy Phillips himself, were actually pretty decent people). If you side with Roy Phillips and storm the Tower, all the Tenpenny residents get massacred (again, most of them other than Tenpenny and Burke were decent if snooty people). If you think you're clever and try to TakeAThirdOption by using diplomacy to convince both sides to live together inside the Tower peacefully, it initially ''seems'' like a happy ending, but after a couple weeks Phillips flips out and massacres all the humans anyway.
** Likewise, the deliberately morally ambiguous DLC ''The Pitt'' has no completely good resolution. If you help Wernher overthrow Ashur, the slaves are freed, but without Ashur's scientific expertise and resources it's implied the cure for Trog Syndrome is highly unlikely to be discovered, and the slaves will either have to remain and face inevitable mutation or abandon their community for the hostile Wasteland. If you crush Wernher and let Ashur maintain the status quo, Ashur promises to free the slaves as soon as he discovers the Cure, but until then they'll have to live under the inhumanly brutal repression of his Raider lackeys, and it's also implied that Ashur lacks sufficient control over his Raiders to completely liberate the slaves ever if the Cure is released.
** The DLC ''Point Lookout'' also has this: When you have to choose whether to kill Desmond or Calvert, Calvert in both options will kill you ([[AnticlimaxBoss or try to do so]]).
* This happens frequently in ''VideoGame/FableI''. For example, you are given the choice between sparing and killing the bandit leader Twinblade. If you spare him, he sends assassins after you shortly afterward. If you kill him, assassins come after you shortly after for revenge.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II: Sith Lords'':
** Your first visit to Nar Shadaa has you confronted with a beggar asking for money. Whether or not you give him anything, something horrible happens, ending with someone getting stabbed. The only difference is in who does the stabbing (the beggar if you didn't give him money) and in who is getting stabbed (the beggar if you ''did'' give him money). Kreia uses this as evidence for her AynRand-esque personal philosophy.
** Whenever you make any choice that nets you light side or dark side points, Kriea will berate you for disturbing the balance of the universe. ''And'' for not choosing a side. Apathy is Death.
* In the ending of ''GrandTheftAutoIV'', whether you choose to take the money or kill [[spoiler: Dimitri]] in the penultimate mission, someone you like will die. If you take the money, [[spoiler: Dimitri]] decides to [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray you]] [[ForTheEvulz for no reason]] and has an assassin kill [[spoiler: Roman]] in a botched attempt on your life. If you kill the trecherous bastard, the mob boss you were working for gets pissed at you for souring the deal and kills [[spoiler: Kate]] in a drive-by shooting.
* The morality choices in ''ArmyOfTwo: The 40th Day'' are infamous for being like this; picking the obviously "bad" choice has negative consequences, but the seemingly "good" choice usually also results in a similarly crappy outcome later on.
* None of the three endings to ''{{Singularity}}'' are "good", two are obvious bad endings while the third, seeming GoldenEnding is also revealed to have negative consequences in a twist at the very end. More specifically, the endgame gives you the choice of either [[spoiler: killing TheObiWan Barisov and ruling the world alongside EvilOverlord Demichev, killing Demichev ''and'' Barisov, or killing Demichev then sacrificing yourself to restore history to its rightful course.]]
** If you kill Demichev and Barisov, the world descends into chaos as the Soviet Union collapses while you rise as a ruthless dictator launching a campaign for world domination from the United States.
** If you kill Barisov and side with Demichev, the two of you take over the world under a totalitarian dictatorship and ultimately start a new Cold War against each other.
** If you kill Demichev and try to restore the original timeline by going to the past and stopping yourself from saving him in 1955, the world ''seems'' to return to normal and you're warped back to the beginning of the game, only this time your helicopter flies off into the sunset without incident instead of getting shot down by temporal distortion. [[spoiler: However, TheReveal shows that it is ''not'' the original timeline, but rather one where Barisov took over the world himself under Soviet principles (although, given what you know of Barisov and your teammate's reaction to his statue, it's suggested his rule is at least possibly benevolent).]]
* This is the entire point of fal'Cie [[YogSothothSays Focuses]] from FinalFantasyXIII. Fail your Focus or give up on it? You get turned into a nightmarish shambling monster called a Ci'eth forever. Succeed in your Focus? You get turned into a pillar of crystal forever. You're screwed either way and that's the way the fal'Cie like it.
* ''AlphaProtocol'''s entire story up until the last level. Every world location gives you a SadisticChoice at some point. No matter what you do, the outcome is practically the same. Taipei? [[spoiler:You let Ronald Sung get assassinated, which destabilizes the region and worsens Chinese-Taiwanese relations, or you let the Chinese plan to incite nationalist riots happen, which kills hundreds of people, destabilizes the region, and worsens Chinese-Taiwanese relations.]] Rome? [[spoiler:Either you let the bomb explode, killing hundreds of people and tightening the EU's security policy, or you let Madison get killed, which renders her a martyr that, you guessed it, makes the EU tighten its security policy.]] Moscow? [[spoiler:Almost no matter what you do, it's clear that Halbech won't have much problem finding another mafiya boss to smuggle weapons for them... Unless you go with Surkov, which means the rise of a Russian equivalent to Halbech under his leadership instead.]]
* ''AloneInTheDark'' (2008): Let Sarah live, and she becomes a TragicMonster. Kill her, and [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie you become the monster]].
* If you try to skip Cosmo Canyon for the first time in ''{{Final Fantasy VII}}'', you can either try to proceed on foot and discover that you need the buggy to cross the river, or try to proceed in the buggy and have it break down before you get to the river. Either way, you cannot progress past the river until you visit Cosmo Canyon.
* ''{{Portal 2}}'' sets one up in-story for the protagonist, Chell. After the plot twist midway through, she's confronted with the dilemma of putting the old BigBad back in charge of the facility, who will likely kill her, or leaving the current one in charge, in which case the place will likely explode with her inside. Gameplay-wise, it's still a ButThouMust.
* ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'' has two warp zones out of nine that actually send you ''back''. If you didn't want to go back, the only other way was to [[BottomlessPits jump into the pit]]. Of course, if you were playing for a high score, [[SubvertedTrope this would actually be beneficial]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Webcomics]]
* [[http://www.lukesurl.com/archives/1243 This page]] by Luke Surl.
* Moloch von Zinzer in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' has "a remarkably ''astute'' grasp of the situation" [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080901 here]]. Either he follows Agatha on a suicide mission to save her LoveInterest, or he parts ways with her, exposing himself to the castle's destructive sense of humour. His attempt to [[TakeAThirdOption make her consider finding another boyfriend]] fails.
* In ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'':
** The classic KnightsAndKnaves puzzle (one always tells the truth, the other always lies...) is parodied in [[http://xkcd.com/246/ this strip.]] What makes this a Morton's Fork is that there's a ''third'' guy who "stabs anyone who asks tricky questions", making a three-tined Fork. Answer incorrectly, you are lost forever. Stay silent, you are trapped. The only way to answer correctly is to ask a tricky question, at which point, the third guy would kill you. [[spoiler:According to the alt-text, the maze goes nowhere. It's just a trap to kill cunning logicians.]]
** [[http://xkcd.com/488/ This strip]] makes a similar point about DRM.
* ''{{Oglaf}}'' pulls a version of this which starts out as a SadisticChoice (Ivan is presented with either succumbing to poison or licking the antidote off of Sandoval's genitalia), but morphs into a proper MortonsFork [[spoiler:when the antidote turns out to be poison as well.]] [[ButtMonkey The poor guy can't catch a break.]]
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Tarquin [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0763.html explains]] that he actually wants his son to fight him later on. If Tarquin wins he is a powerful ruler. If he loses then he becomes immortalized in stories, inspiring more to try to reach what he had, spawning more people like him. To quote him;
-->''"If I win, I get to be a king. If I lose, I get to be a '''legend'''."''
:: And as he points out, no matter what Elan does he's ''already'' lived like a king for years and Elan doesn't have a chance of taking him down for quite some time. Even if he died completely forgotten and anonymous, he still thinks he's won.
* Bun-bun faces this at the top of [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/020428 this]] ''SluggyFreelance'' strip.
* ''NipAndTuck'' [[http://www.rhjunior.com/NT/00766.html take]] on headaches feminism can give even its [[StrawFeminist most dedicated supporters]].
* ''AmazingSuperPowers'' has [[http://www.amazingsuperpowers.com/2009/03/milk-money/ this one]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** {{Lampshaded}} in one episode, when Bart and Lisa are being hazed by cadets at a military academy:
--->'''Cadet''': What's the matter? Don't girls like doing push-ups in the mud?\\
'''Lisa''': Is there any answer I can give that won't result in you making me do more push-ups?\\
''(Cadets talk amongst themselves for a few seconds)''\\
'''Cadet''': No.
** In a Treehouse of Horror segment set during the Salem witch trials, Marge was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to being thrown off a cliff. If she died, it would be an "honorable Christian death". If she survived, it'd be taken as proof that she's a witch, in which case she would be executed. The whole thing fell apart when she turned out to be a witch after all, and used her powers to escape punishment ''and'' exact revenge. The townsfolk were completely unprepared for this, since the witch trials were apparently less about finding actual witches and more about setting innocent people up as scapegoats for every little thing that went wrong.
* In one of the last episodes of the RockyAndBullwinkle series, Boris was caught in one where, after stealing a raft-load of goods, the award he received for the deed caused the raft to begin sinking. If the goods sunk, Boris would be shot, and if he threw away the award to stop the raft from sinking, he'd still be shot. [[spoiler: Whichever one happened, a shot was heard offscreen by the heroes]].
* On ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Rainbow Dash allegedly has to pick between two loyalties in the start of the second season: her friends and her home. On the one hand, if she abandons her friends, they all lose but Cloudsdale is safe. On the other, she can let Cloudsdale crumble as Discord shows her, but get her Element of Harmony, which is Loyalty, and help aid her friends. This is used as her own personal MindRape. Either way, Discord destroys something she holds dear. She gets out of it when it turns out that the issue with Cloudsdale is a BlatantLie.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Folklore]]
* There is a legend that says one of the Han Emperors of China one day met a Silver Lightning Snake. The snake said: If you cut my head off, I will destroy you, if you cut my tail off, I will destroy your empire. The emperor cut her split in half. From the snake remains sprang Wang Mang, the guy who split the Han-Dynasty in half and was later overthrown by Han Guangwu, who founded the Later Han.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:NewspaperComics]]
* ''{{Doonesbury}}'' ran a picture of an American flag in response to the proposed anti-flag desecration amendment. Every way of disposing of it would be in violation of the amendment, meaning it had to be kept forever.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Other]]
* There's a well-known story that the Caliph Umar whose army sacked the Library of Alexandria said of its books that either they contradicted the Koran and thus were heretical and should be burned, or they agreed with the Koran and thus were superfluous and should be burned. Either way, they wound up on the bonfire. Though [[YouFailHistoryForever almost certainly false]], this legend can be traced back [[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/3517 at least]] to the 13th century, making this trope OlderThanPrint.
** It's reused to similar effect in the pastiche of the Alexandria burning in Discworld/SmallGods.
** Also referred to in ''FinalCrisis: Submit'', where Black Lightning, having been subjected to the [[TheVirus Anti-Life Equation]], is burning Darwin's ''The Origin of Man'' and states "What disagrees with [[OmnicidalManiac Darkseid]] is heresy. What agrees with Darkseid is superfluous."
*** GrantMorrison had previously used the same line in ''[[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]: Rock of Ages'' in an alternate future where Metron, New God of Knowledge had been subjected to the Equation.
* There's a classic JewishMother joke that works like this: She gives her son two nice ties for his birthday. Next week he goes to dinner at her house wearing one of them. The mother says, "What's the matter, you didn't like the other one?"
* And another classic joke referred to by ''{{Futurama}}'' where captured male explorers are required to choose death or Snoo-snoo. The first one chooses Snoo-snoo since anything is better than death, and is [whatever it actually is changes wildly depending on who's telling it]. The other chooses death and the verdict is announced. "Death!...by ''Snoo-snoo''!"
* Morton's fork is sometimes employed by FanDumb character bashers. For example, [[http://www.journalfen.net/community/the_hms_stfu/510013.html this]] HMS STFU entry for the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fandom features someone who bashes Hermione for being studious and Ron for not being studious.
* If one player manages to get three corners in TicTacToe and has two open paths to win by the other player is left with simply choosing which place their opponent wins with. This is also a common victory scenario in Connect 4.
* A classic StockLateralThinkingPuzzle is built around this idea. A man is to be executed, based on whatever he says next. If it is true, he will be shot. If it is false, he will be hung. The trick is for him to TakeAThirdOption and say "I will be hung" (or alternatively "This statement is a lie").
** ... so we shot his corpse.
* As the [[ChuckNorrisFacts Chuck Norris Fact]] goes, if you can see [[MemeticBadass Chuck Norris]], then he can see you, but if you ''can't'' see ChuckNorris, then you may be only seconds away from death.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Real Life ]]
* The trial of JoanOfArc had a famous unsuccesful one. She was asked if she believed she was "in God's Grace." If she said yes, her overconfidence would brand her as a dangerous fanatic, since no one but God is supposed to know who's in his grace or not. If she said no, however, then it would mean she had been masquerading as a religious figure for trivial ends. Joan, however, figured out the trap quickly enough to answer: ''"If I'm not, may God put me in it; If I am, may God keep me there."'' The wording was considered both humble and pious. Centuries later, this witty reply was actually considered as an argument in favor of her canonization.
** Her death sentence was allegedly based on another one: Given only men's clothing, she had a choice between wearing it (and being condemned for impropriety) or going naked (and being condemned for impropriety, as well as exposing herself to [[PrisonRape certain other dangers]] in the enemy prison that she was held in).
* The medieval and early colonial practice of "dunking" those accused of witchcraft could very easily become this. The accused would have a rope tied to her waist and get thrown into a body of water. If she floated, pull her out and, depending on the region and era, either imprison, hang, or [[BurnTheWitch burn her at the stake]]. If she sank, pull her out and let her go... and if she happened to drown, at least she died innocent.
* The "Jonah Complex" in psychology, where if you fail something you beat yourself up over it because you're not skilled enough, yet if you succeed you attribute it to pure luck and still beat yourself up over it for not being skilled.
* In the United States, tax forms include a line for "illegal income." [[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/295/are-you-required-to-report-illegal-income-on-your-tax-return If you don't report it you're evading taxes, if you do report it they turn you in]]. This is mainly so that when AlCapone is arrested for tax evasion, he can't claim there AintNoRule -- clearly, there ''is'' a rule, it's right there on the tax form! (Of course... you could just [[TakeAThirdOption not have illegal income]], or at least not be so blatant about your other crimes that it reaches that point.
** One person took this to court, after being arrested for tax evasion for failing to declare his earnings as a bookmaker, he used the fifth amendment to claim they had no right to expect him to report them. The official ruling from that case was the IRS can require you to divulge how much you made from illegal enterprise, as long as they don't require you to specify what type of illegal activity you did.
*** After Nixon used people's tax records to harass people with the FBI, the IRS [[http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/26/usc_sec_26_00006103----000-.html is no longer allowed]] to disclose information if there isn't already an investigation.
* A good chunk of history points to those suspected of treason or heresy running into this problem. If you confessed, you were severely punished; if you ''didn't'' confess (innocent or not), you were tortured and put through all kinds of hell until you confessed, and then you were severely punished.
* This was the fate of the accused in the Salem witch trials, apocryphally. [[hottip:**: In fact, pleading innocent was possible and not everyone died. Yay?]] One man, Giles Corey, took a third option and refused to plead either innocent or guilty. And was crushed to death trying to get a plea. His last words? [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "More weight."]]
** An explanation: Giles Corey was a RealLife RulesLawyer, and knew that if he died under interrogation, he was still legally a Christian and his sons could inherit his property. Confess, and he would no longer be considered a Christian and his property would be forfeit. And he'd be executed, obviously. Denying the charges would result in his conviction and execution, as the trials were flagrantly rigged, and again his property would be forfeit. So, by refusing to enter any plea at all, he saved his family from ruination and earned a DyingMomentOfAwesome.
* [[http://notalwaysright.com/i-cry-you-cry-we-all-cry-for-ice-cream It either isn’t crunched up enough or you won't see it]]. Who said a Morton's Fork cannot be hilarious?
* In Nazi-occupied Poland, helping Jews (even ''selling'' them food) was a capital crime (typically for your whole family), and if you lived in a village hiding Jews, not turning in neighbors hiding Jews meant you and your male relatives would be fair game for execution if they were caught (if many villagers hid Jews, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_of_Jews_by_Poles_during_the_Holocaust#Punishment_for_aiding_the_Jews your whole village]] might be destroyed in reprisal). On the other hand, if you did decide to inform on Jews, it was considered treason by the Polish Underground State, and by extension the Polish Home Army and also [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust_in_Poland punished by execution]].
** Speaking of Nazis, some international lawyers have been appealing the [[NurembergDefense Nuremberg defense]] ("We were just following orders.") on the grounds that its rejection places soldiers in a Morton's Fork situation: Either be thrown in prison and possibly executed for war crimes, or be thrown in prison and probably executed for insubordination.
* Saddam Hussein had [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Qur%27an a copy of the Quran written in his blood]] as a "tribute to Islam". However, writing a Quran in blood is actually considered blasphemous by most Islamic authorities. The problem is that, now that it exists, destroying it would also be blasphemous.
* Parts of US business law are pretty much engineered around Morton's Forks. In particular, there are laws on the book for penalizing businesses who charge less than their competition, charge more than their competition, and charge the same amount as their competition. The only thing preventing the fall of capitalism with these laws in place is that they're only invoked selectively, often in the favor of large corporations against would-be interlopers.
[[/folder]]
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