History Main / StopDrowningAndStandUp

* Little John in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' does this in an inch-deep stream.
* ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' was parodying a similar scene in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' where Robin and Little have this conversation after they're both knocked into the water after a quarterstaff battle;

Ryan threw off all his equipment, inflated his Mae West (his life preserver), and began to tiptoe in off the ramp when "some German opened up on the side of the LCT with his machine gun, blblblblang. That convinced me. Into the water I dove. I pushed with all my might and started going. I'm swimming and I'm swimming. [[StopDrowningAndStandUp Somebody taps me on the shoulder and I look up]]. I was in a foot of water, swimming. You talk about a will to live. [[RefugeInAudacity If they hadn't stopped me I would have swam two miles inland.]]"

* Tsuna and his new friend Enma (the only person who is more of a ButtMonkey than him) do this in ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn''.

* TruthInTelevision, since you can drown in any level of water that's deep enough to cover your nose and mouth. ''Two inches'' can kill you if you can't raise your head.

* Mentioned, though not seen, in ''Discworld/ReaperMan'':

* Happened in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'', where the school hosted a casino night on a run-down yacht that eventually crashed into a garbage barge. Everyone had to evacuate and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything there weren't enough life boats]]... but luckily, they were only a few meters away from the shoreline and only had to stand up.

* Comedian Creator/KevinHart's story about a racist dolphin trying to drown him turns out to be an example of this trope.

** Most surf life savers have at least a dozen stories of rescues performed in waist deep (or lower) water, with much of the rescue boiling down to 'stand up.'[[note]]An 'you idiot' is usually implied or added.[[/note]] Half subverted in that waist deep water is usually in the breaking zone for waves which can - and do - knock people over, causing them to panic.

* Shows up early on in ''WesternAnimation/SongOfTheSea'' when Ben, who is afraid of water, is dragged into the ocean. His younger sister and pet dog watch as he flounders, showing that he's barely in deep enough to cover his knees.

* In the [{BeachEpisode Acapulco episode]] of ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'', there's a part in which Professor Jirafales jumps into the pool to "rescue" Quico (who can't swim) and calls El Chavo to bring them Quico's inner tubes. El Chavo does so, but then he says: "Wouldn't it be better if you stand up?" As it turns out, the water is only knee-deep.

* A variation happens to Mametarou in ''Massugu Ni Ikou.'' He's trapped on a mattress floating down the middle of an artificial river, and he's too scared of water to jump off. His owner's boyfriend jumps in to save him, discovering that the water's only about a foot deep. In fairness, it would have been chest-high on a little dog like Mame.

** Most surf life savers have at least a dozen stories of rescues performed in waist deep (or lower) water, with much of the rescue boiling down to 'stand up'[[note]]An 'you idiot' is usually implied or added[[/note]]. Half subverted in that waist deep water is usually in the breaking zone for waves which can - and do - knock people over, causing them to panic.

* Happens to Fuyuki from ''Manga/SgtFrog'' more than once.

* Happens to Ash and his friends at least once in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''.

* To say things were crazy in the June 6, 1944 D-Day ([[OperationBlank Operation Overlord]]) landings at Normandy during WorldWarII is an understatement. There is, however, an amusing story recounted in Stephen Ambrose's ''D-Day'' by Corporal George Ryan as he got off his landing craft at Omaha Beach.

** Most surf life savers have at least a dozen stories of rescues performed in waist deep (or lower) water, with much of the rescue boiling down to 'stand up'[[note]]An 'you idiot' is usually implied or added. [[/note]]. Half subverted in that waist deep water is usually in the breaking zone for waves which can - and do - knock people over, causing them to panic.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Happens to Vidia in ''[[Franchise/DisneyFairies Silvermist and the Ladybug Curse]]''. Before it's discovered that she's in shallow water, another fairy cries out, "Help! My flowers are ruined and Vidia is drowning!"
* Mentioned, though not seen, in ''Discworld/ReaperMan'':
-->"In my father's day, any Revenooer came around here prying all by himself, we used to tie weights to their feet and heave 'em into the pond."
-->[[AC:But the pond is only a few inches deep, Miss Flitworth.]]
-->"Yeah, but it was fun watching 'em find out."
* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', Bluefur attacks the enemy warrior Oakheart, but misses and falls into a river. Bluefur begs for Oakheart to save her, but he laughs and tells her to stand up, because she was "drowning" in shallow water.
* In the first novel of ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'' two trolls literally drown in ankle-deep water, because Pug cast a spell on them that put in them in such pain that they couldn't lift their heads out of the stream.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

** ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' was parodying a similar scene in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' where Robin and Little have this conversation after they're both knocked into the water after a quarterstaff battle;
-->'''Robin of Locksley:''' Do you yield?
-->'''John Little:''' I bloody can't swim!
-->'''Robin of Locksley:''' Do you yield?
-->'''John Little:''' Yes!
-->'''Robin of Locksley:''' Good. Now put your feet down.
-->'''John Little:''' ''[finds that he is standing in less than 2 feet of water]'' I'll be buggered.
* Chuckie does this in the first ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie Rugrats]]'' movie.
* Edgar in ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'' is left flailing in a pool of water, only for Abigail and Russell to point out that it's only knee-high.
* Used in ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', with small proto-elephants in a tar pit (they were doing it on purpose).
* Muk and Luk do this in ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'', leading to a whole speech about the "shame of the polar bear that fears the water".

[[AC:Jokes]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* ComicStrip/{{Calvin|AndHobbes}} does this at least once. Justified subversion here: he knew the water wasn't deep and just wanted Mom to pay attention to him (she was reading).
* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' does this once when he's on the beach and a wave knocks him into the ocean. Jon just sits there watching and says, "[[DeadpanSnarker I'd save you, Garfield, but there's no way I'm giving a cat mouth-to-mouth.]]''


[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Playable characters often do this, with no one around to save them: see SuperDrowningSkills.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

-->'''Shaggy''': Help! I'm drowning! Call the coastguard!
-->'''Velma:''' Stand up. The water's only knee-deep.

[[AC:Real Life]]

* Happens to Cristoforo the rooster in episode 21 of ''WesternAnimation/BuBumLaStradaVersoCasa''.