History Main / RhetoricalRequestBlunder

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic's song ''Albuquerque'':
--> OK, like, one time, I was out in the parking lot tryin' to remove my excess earwax with a golf pencil, when I see this guy Marty tryin' to carry a big ol' sofa up the stairs all by himself! So I, I say to him, I say "Hey, you want me to help you with that?" And Marty, he just rolls his eyes and goes "Noooo, I want you to cut off my arms and legs with a chainsaw!"\\
\\
So I did.\\

[[/folder]]

* In an episode of ''{{Blackadder}}'', Richard IV was telling the story of Henry II and Thomas Becket to his wife to contrast the situation there with how happy he is with the current Archbishop, and a couple of Mooks overheard and decided to "help." The two of them [[TableSpace sitting at opposite ends of a very long table]] contributed to the misunderstanding. He initially said "Never again will I have to say "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest" (he had in fact had several of the previous archbishops murdered), but had to repeat the last bit.
** Naturally, the priest they thought he wanted dead was none other than [[ButtMonkey the eponymous character.]]

* Inverted with the ''ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' sketch that has a villain [[NeverSayDie insisting on]] using {{Deadly Euphemism}}s in a way that his staff finds "needlessly ambiguous."

* ''{{Frasier}}'' once makes an offhand reference to Bebe that a part of him hopes that Roz won't get a radio show slot she's going for so that she can still be his producer. Bebe takes this as a request for her to sabotage Roz's audition (maintaining the belief that he had asked for it even while he insists he didn't). Roz doesn't take his slip up well.
-->'''Frasier''': How was I supposed to know she would go so far?\\

* In ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'', there's a non-death related example in the beginning: Keiichi makes a wish that he didn't think would really be granted, to have a Goddess like Belldandy, whom he just met, stay with him forever.

* During the "Velocity 9" arc of ''TheFlash'', Vandal Savage explains the addictive effect of the Velocity 9 drug telling that he just has to suggest one of the addicts to kill another and he would do. Then, an addict kills another and Savage coldly explains that he was being rhetorical.

* This exchange from ''Comicbook/MsMarvel2014'', because poor Kamala really didn't know, who she was dealing with:

-->'''SelfDemonstrating/{{Loki}}''': Ward the school? That isn't a terrible idea, actually... *he promptly does it*

* [[http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0789.html This]] ''DarthsAndDroids'' strip narrowly avoids this one. (The comments note that, as a player, one should be very careful when giving orders to NPC underlings, as a DM might [[JackassGenie enjoy]] invoking this trope on your orders.)

* In an episode of ''{{Blackadder}}'', Richard IV was telling the story to his wife to contrast the situation there with how happy he is with the current Archbishop, and a couple of Mooks overheard and decided to "help." The two of them [[TableSpace sitting at opposite ends of a very long table]] contributed to the misunderstanding. He initially said "Never again will I have to say "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest" (he had in fact had several of the previous archbishops murdered), but had to repeat the last bit.

* The [[LooneyTunes Warner Bros.]] cartoon "The Hardships Of Miles Standish" has an elderly gentleman telling the story of Miles' courtship of Priscilla in pilgrim days to his grandson. He tops it with "If that ain't the truth, I hope I get struck by lightning!" He does, and as he's signed, clinging to a beam from the roof, [[NoFourthWall he turns to us]] and says "Well, anyway, that's the way ''I'' heard it!"

* The apocryphal story of NapoleonBonaparte sneezing as he was reviewing some prisoners and saying "tuez les tous" (kill them all) which is somewhat close to the sound one actually makes when sneezing (atchoo) and was possibly interrupted mid sentence giving something like "tu es...atchoo!" (you are atchoo!). The more well-known story (albeit also totally apocryphal) goes like this: some zealous soldier heard a flu-ridden Napoleon saying "Ma sacree toux!" (My bloody cough!) and interpreted it as the homophone "Massacrez tout!" (Slaughter everything!).

* ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'' had a few, such as [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3173 this]].

* The apocryphal story of NapoleonBonaparte sneezing as he was reviewing some prisoners and saying "tuez les tous" (kill them all) which is somewhat close to the sound one actually makes when sneezing (atchoo) and was possibly interrupted mid sentence giving something like "tu es...atchoo!" (you are atchoo!). The more well-known story (albeit also totally apocryphal) goes like this: some zealous soldier heard a flu-ridden Napoleon saying "Ma sacrée toux!" (My bloody cough!) and interpreted it as the homophone "Massacrez tout!" (Slaughter everything!).

* This has been invoked in several unsolved assassinations in ex-USSR.
** A high-ranking official did testify that he had said "something should be done about this journalist to make him shut up", but he didn't mean murder.
** Dmitry Kholodov in Russia in 1995. Either killed by orders of the defence minister or to frame the defence minister.
** Georgiy Gongadze in Ukraine in 2000. The president wanted him silenced.

* This has been invoked in several unsolved assassinations in ex-USSR. A high-ranking official did testify that he had said "something should be done about this journalist to make him shut up", but he didn't mean murder.

[[folder:Comedy]]
* Narrowly averted in Billy Burmingham's comedy album ''Still the 12th Man'':
-->'''Richie Benaud''': Alright Security, take them out.
-->'''Security''': With pleasure, Mr. Benaud. *cocks gun*
-->'''Richie Benaud''': Not ''that'' kind of "take them out", Security! Take them out of the ''building''!
[[/folder]]

-->-- '''King Henry II''', of Archbishop Thomas Becket. [[note]]Sadly for Becket, the people who overheard it weren't familiar with rhetorical questions[[/note]]

* In one ''{{Touhou}}'' {{yonkoma}} by Finnish doujin artist setz, [[LittlePeople Shinmyoumaru]] [[{{Lilliputians}} Sukuna]] muses to [[InterfaceScrew Seija]] [[CommanderContrarian Kijin]] as they're lying down in the grass, looking at clouds, that it would be interesting to see an upside down tree. Cue {{beat}} panel followed by...

* In one ''{{Touhou}}'' {{yonkoma}} by Finnish doujin artist setz, Shinmyoumaru Sukuna comments to Seija Kijin as they're lying down in the grass, looking at clouds, that it would be interesting to see an upside down tree. Cue {{beat}} panel followed by...

* The apocryphal story of NapoleonBonaparte sneezing as he was reviewing some prisoners and saying "tuez les tous" (kill them all) which is somewhat close to the sound one actually makes when sneezing (atchoo) and was possibly interrupted mid sentence giving something like "tu es...atchoo!" (you are atchoo!).
** The more well-known story (albeit also totally apocryphal) goes like this: some zealous soldier heard a flu-ridden Napoleon saying "Ma sacrée toux!" (My bloody cough!) and interpreted it as the homophone "Massacrez tout!" (Slaughter everything!).

* It's a common claim of Hitler apologists that the Holocaust was this. As in, his subordinates, having read ''Mein Kampf'' and knowing how he felt about Jews, decided it would be a nice favor to him if they rounded up and killed all the Jews in Europe, while he was [[CaptainOblivious none the wiser]]. [[InsaneTrollLogic This idea]] [[YouFailHistoryForever really shouldn't need refuting.]]
** The idea comes from the book [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler%27s_War ''Hitler's War'']], which not only had its own counter-book, but after a libel suit in court, said counter-book was proven true ''in a court of law''.
*** Even though the entire thing doesn't deserve it, it's worth noting that there might be a kernel of truth inasmuch as "Nazi underlings go behind Hitler's back" bit stands. The system was divided on itself in a Social Darwinian experiment and Hitler himself was something of a sloth for a supposedly energetic totalitarian dictator. This led to things like ugly bureaucratic wars for power as well as interpreting instructions from the Fuhrer, even when those instructions were horrendously vague. Of course, what Irving [[BlatantLies conveniently overlooks]] is that this entire rotten system was built upon everybody being dependent on the Imperial office of the Furher and trying to ingratiate themselves with its occupant; meaning that very little went on without his knowledge and approval and what little did usually ended *very* badly for those involved.
* In a similar vein, dictators who were also charismatic and well-remembered by the people frequently get this treatment; this is particularly true of Third-World post-independence leaders regarded as "Father of the Nation." For instance, many [[ModernEgypt Egyptians]] believe that the well-documented torture of political prisoners in UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser's regime must have been the result of a misinterpreted order or some such, rather than being led and organized by Abdel Nasser himself. Many other Egyptians point out that if that were true, he would still be to blame--not for being a cruel tyrant, but for being an idiot.

* In a similar vein, dictators who were also charismatic and well-remembered by the people frequently get this treatment; this is particularly true of Third-World post-independence leaders regarded as "Father of the Nation." For instance, many [[ModernEgypt Egyptians]] believe that the well-documented torture of political prisoners in Gamal Abdel Nasser's regime must have been the result of a misinterpreted order or some such, rather than being led and organized by Abdel Nasser himself. Many other Egyptians point out that if that were true, he would still be to blame--not for being a cruel tyrant, but for being an idiot.

* In one ''{{Touhou}}'' {{yonkoma}} by Finnish doujin artist setz, [[LittlePeople Shinmy]][[{{Lilliputians}} oumaru]] [[PintsizedPowerhouse Sukuna]] comments to [[InterfaceScrew Sei]][[CommanderContrarian ja Ki]][[{{Troll}} jin]] as they're lying down in the grass, looking at clouds, that it would be interesting to see an upside down tree... Cue {{beat}} panel followed by...

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

* Dillon in the ''Literature/StarShardsChronicles'', has gathered a small army of followers/worshippers. While in the midst of a HeroicBSOD, he is asked if there is anything he wants. Lost in memories of his childhood, he offhandedly asks for RollarBlades. To his horror, his followers later return with several pairs, as they were unaware of his shoe size.