History Main / WhoWillBellTheCat

->''Once, all the mice agreed that life would be better if the cat wore a bell to warn of his coming — until a wise old mouse asked, "[[TropeNamers Who will bell the cat?]]"''

->''Once, all the mice agreed that life would be better if the cat wore a bell to warn of his coming — until a wise old mouse asked, "Who will bell the cat?"''
-->-- Aesop

A group agrees that an action would lead to a very desirable result, until they realize [[DidntThinkThisThrough someone has to carry it out]]. (Often a third party, like the intended victim, has to point it out.)

This can range from the realization that it is a SenselessSacrifice that will fail and so not achieve the end, to TheHero or TheLeader refusing to harm the ReluctantMonster and putting it on the DirtyCoward to do it himself, [[HoldingOutForAHero at which point the coward melts off]]. It usually has to be ''one'' person who does it, sticking at the selection point, but being endangered ''en masse'' is also possible. Of course, in some shows, the ButtMonkey always gets this kind of job. This is also a common issue for TheBait. Another common variant is when the hero, faced with a crowd of people who mean him/her harm or death, points out or demonstrates that he/she isn't going to go down quietly and that while they might eventually prevail, several of ''them'' are going to be dead or seriously hurt by the end of it — leading to the would-be attackers realising that [[VictoryThroughIntimidation none of them really want to risk]] ending up in the "dead or seriously hurt" category.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': During one point in the final battle of ''Film/RogueOne'', the rebels have to throw a particular switch. The only problem is that to get to it they have to cross an open field with no cover and dozens of stormtroopers who can actually shoot aiming at them. One of the rebels takes a couple of seconds to psyche himself up, then declares that he's going to make the run... [[RealityEnsues and is shot the moment he steps out from his cover]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', the mice decide to [[DrawingStraws draw their tails]] to decide who will distract Lucifer while the others get breakfast. Jaq ends up getting drawing his own tail.

* In the climax of ''Film/{{Harakiri}}'', Hanshiro is alone and surrounded by dozens of the Li Clan's retainers... and proceeds to kill or wound almost half of them because [[DirtyCoward none are willing to actually risk their lives]] to create an opening for their comrades to gang up on him. Sure, they could easily rip him to shreds by attacking all at once, but nobody wants to be the first guy to enter the range of Hanshiro's sword. This, in fact, [[BatmanGambit plays right into Hanshiro's revenge]]; its his final and most damning exposure of the Li Clan's hypocrisy and dishonor, showing that for all their talk of being a mighty samurai family, they're [[PaperTiger really just a bunch of cowardly, lying bullies]] who turn chicken the second ''their'' backs are up against the wall.

* A regular feature of LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} multi-player games of ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}''. Every other player knows at some point [[LetsPlay/LewisBrindley Lewis]] will build up and overwhelm them, but their alliances almost always fall apart due to players not wanting to actually move against him. The one time that Pyrion rivalled him, everyone else panicked and [[TallPoppySyndrome helped Lewis beat him]].

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]]: "WesternAnimation/BellHoppy," which reverses and humorously twists and parodies this trope. Here, the Grand Exalted Poobah of the Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club has just rejected Sylvester’s request for membership. Baby kangaroo Hippety Hopper escapes from a importing warehouse and is later found by a very hungry Grand Exalted Poobah. Unsurprisingly, Hippety is mistaken for a giant mouse and when the cat is clobbered, he suggests to the other members that they should put a bell around Hippety’s neck, so they could hear him coming and gang up on him. And because nobody else wants to do it, the Grand Exalted Poobah tricks a desperate Sylvester into belling Hippety on the grounds that it’s an initiation test. Predictably, no matter what Sylvester tries, he ends up wearing the bell and getting clobbered. But then Sylvester uses ''ch-ch-ch-chicanery'' to get the critter to bell ''himself,'' and it appears that Hippety's unknown-to-him fate has been sealed... except that the zookeeper catches the escaped kangaroo and places him in a truck to take him to the zoo, and Hopper actually likes his new toy. The other cats leap into the street, waiting for their prey... and get run down by the truck!

* A regular feature of LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} multi-player games of ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}''. Every other player knows at some point [[LetsPlay/LewisBrindley Lewis]] will build up and overwhelm them, but their alliances almost always fall apart due to players not wanting to actually move against him. The one time that Pyrion rivalled him, everyone started freaking out and ''[[TallPoppySyndrome helped Lewis beat him]]''.

* A regular feature of LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} multi-player games of ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}''. Every other player knows at some point [[LetsPlay/LewisBrindley Lewis]] will build up and overwhelm them, but their alliances almost always fall apart due to players not wanting to actually move against him. The one time that Pyrion rivalled him, everyone started freaking out and ''helped Lewis beat him''.

* One of the issues that crops up now and then in ''VideoGame/TownOfSalem'' is that a suspicious player could always be a jester, and usually town and evil roles tend to not take that risk and abstain, with some declaring that they will pull a HeroicSacrifice just in case.

* [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]]: "WesternAnimation/BellHoppy," which reverses and humorously twists and parodies this trope. Here, the members of the Loyal Order of Alley Cats Mouse and Chowder Club, who just refused to take [[WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird Sylvester]] (in his hapless "giant mouse chaser" persona) as a member, want to bell "the largest mouse they can find" ... only here, it's the starving cats who hope to take advantage with their prey wearing the bell (so they can eat him), instead of the other way around (mice hoping to avoid becoming prey to a hungry cat). Naturally, Hippety Hopper – the baby kangaroo that Sylvester forever confuses for a giant mouse – happens on the scene and the lisping "puddy tat" is drafted to place the bell around his neck. Predictably, no matter what he tries, he ends up wearing the bell and getting clobbered. But then Sylvester uses ''ch-ch-ch-chicanery'' to get the critter to bell ''himself,'' and it appears that Hippety's unknown-to-him fate has been sealed... except that the zookeeper catches the escaped kangaroo and places him in a truck to take him back to the zoo, and Hopper actually likes his new toy. The other cats leap into the street, waiting for their prey... and get run down by the truck!

* When the Comicbook/FantasticFour testified before Congress about the SuperRegistrationAct, Johnny said he'd like to see someone registering SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom -- from a suitable distance, like a few countries away.

* This trope is also the reason why some people did not know whom to side with during the American Revolution; no one wanted to be on the losing side. Sure, being independent from Britain is great and all, but... what if the rebels lose? [[note]]The rebels, or Patriots, won.[[/note]]

* In ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'', after Curley Bill kills the town marshall, Wyatt Earp knocks him out and orders him taken to jail. The other cowboys surround him in order to take Bill back, until Earp puts a gun to Ike Clanton's head. Earp admits that they'll get him in a rush, but not before he blows Clanton's head off, (and possibly shoots one or two others) so Clanton tells the others to back down.

* This is the premise behind the Creator/IssacAssimov story ''Literature/CChute''. A group of humans are being held captive on a spaceship. One of them comes up with a dangerous plan to retake the ship: exit via the eponymous chute and re-enter via the rocket maneuvering tubes which the aliens on the bridge won't be expecting. Of course, someone has to volunteer to carry out this task.

->''"Once, all the mice agreed that life would be better if the cat wore a bell to warn of his coming — until a wise old mouse asked, "Who will bell the cat?"''

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Films — Animated]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': During one point in the final battle of ''Film/RogueOne'' the rebels have to throw a particular switch. The only problem is that to get to it they have to cross an open field with no cover and dozens of stormtroopers who can actually shoot aiming at them. One of the rebels takes a couple of seconds to psyche himself up, then declares that he's going to make the run... [[RealityEnsues and is shot the moment he steps out from his cover]].

** OlderThanFeudalism in China as well, as it shows up in ancient commentaries of ''Literature/{{The Art of War|SunTzu}}''. Concerning strategic points, a commentator said, "When a cat is at the mousehole, ten thousand rats cannot come out. When a tiger guards the fords, ten thousand deer cannot cross." The commentary implies both using this trope and GeoEffects to hold vital points. Holding them with elite troops who will make taking that point so dangerous that it can't be assaulted; troops ordered to do so will break before they can achieve success.

** In ''Literature/GuardsGuards'', a dragon has just become the monarch of Ankh-Morpork, and has demanded VirginSacrifice [[spoiler:because it's expected of a dragon]]. Virtually everyone present is willing to murmur in agreement with whatever brave fool who takes the moment to protest this policy. Unfortunately, to everyone's exasperation, no one present is brave or foolish enough to actually protest. Naturally, [[NeverMyFault everyone blames everyone else for this]].
** In ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'' cynical old cop Sam Vimes is sent back through time to the era when he was a teen who just recently joined the police, as is a SerialKiller named Carcer that he was chasing. Through a complicated series of events, Carcer winds up killing an early mentor of Vimes who was about to teach young Sam a few things, and Vimes takes the mentor's identity and place so his past self can still be taught the right way to be a cop. At one point the younger version of Sam starts speaking out about the current despotism, in particular how bad the SecretPolice are and how [[ColdBloodedTorture cruelly and needlessly they torture people]]. The older Vimes agrees the torture is bad, and asks why nobody has stopped the secret police yet. Sam essentially responds by saying "[[ShapedLikeItself Well... because they torture people who talk about doing things like that]]."

* In ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'', the mice decide to [[DrawingStraws draw their tails]] to decide who will distract Lucifer while the others get breakfast. Jaq ends up getting drawing his own tail.

->''"Once, all the mice agreed that life would be better if the cat wore a bell to warn of his coming — until a wise old mouse asked, "Who will bell the cat?"'' [[note]]In RealLife, cats can learn to stalk without ringing the bell, but the fable (and by extension, the general premise) hasn't died.[[/note]]

** In ''Discworld/TheLightFantastic'', a group of men from a mob approach Cohen the Barbarian and one of them tells him to surrender, as he says Cohen can't kill them all. Cohen replies, "Perhaps so, but '''you''' will be dead." The group suddenly decides that someone else can deal with Cohen.
** In ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', a dragon has just become the monarch of Ankh-Morpork, and has demanded VirginSacrifice [[spoiler:because it's expected of a dragon]]. Virtually everyone present is willing to murmur in agreement with whatever brave fool who takes the moment to protest this policy. Unfortunately, to everyone's exasperation, no one present is brave or foolish enough to actually protest. Naturally, [[NeverMyFault everyone blames everyone else for this]].
** In ''Discworld/NightWatch'' cynical old cop Sam Vimes is sent back through time to the era when he was a teen who just recently joined the police, as is a SerialKiller named Carcer that he was chasing. Through a complicated series of events, Carcer winds up killing an early mentor of Vimes who was about to teach young Sam a few things, and Vimes takes the mentor's identity and place so his past self can still be taught the right way to be a cop. At one point the younger version of Sam starts speaking out about the current despotism, in particular how bad the SecretPolice are and how [[ColdBloodedTorture cruelly and needlessly they torture people]]. The older Vimes agrees the torture is bad, and asks why nobody has stopped the secret police yet. Sam essentially responds by saying "[[ShapedLikeItself Well... because they torture people who talk about doing things like that]]."

* ''Literature/ForUsTheLivingAComedyOfCustoms'', Heinlein's half-finished first novel, is about a time traveler who visits a future United States where this trope is in effect; before entering an offensive war, the citizens eligible for military service must vote to go to war. Anyone voting pro-war is also first in line for enlistment.

* In 1910 in the United States of America, it was suggested that this trope be codified into law when it came to declarations of war. If Congress decided to go to war, the final declaration would be put to a nationwide referendum, with all the voters voting yes or no to the war. The catch? Any man who voted to go to war with another nation would, if the vote succeeded, also automatically volunteer himself for military service in said war. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen This idea did not pan out, and was never put into law]].

* After the death of Pope Nicholas IV in 1292, the deliberating cardinals [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1292%E2%80%931294_papal_election took over two years to choose a successor.]] A pious hermit named Pierro de Morrone sent the cardinals a letter warning that [[BoltOfDivineRetribution God would punish them]] if they didn't get the job done. They responded by electing ''him'' Pope, much to his dismay. After initially trying to refuse he accepted the Papacy (as Celestine V). He then [[ScrewtheRulesIMakeThem issued a decree]] that Popes could resign the position and did exactly that after five months in office.