Line #98 Main/BlameGame


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8	[[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BlameGame.jpg]]
9	[[caption-width-right:318:Your Fault! No, ''your'' fault!.]]
10
11	->'''Jack:''' Wait a minute though, I only stole the gold to get my cow back from you!\
12	'''Little Red Riding Hood:''' ''[to the baker]'' So it's your fault!\
13	'''Jack:''' Yes!\
14	'''Baker:''' No, it isn't! I'd have kept those beans, but our house was cursed. [The Witch] made us get a cow to get the curse reversed!\
15	'''Witch:''' It's your father's fault that the curse got placed and the place got cursed in the first place!
16	-->-- ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods''
17
18	This is when something has GoneHorriblyWrong and it's time to determine who is at fault, but the consequences for this blame can wreck careers and reputations, or even get people killed. Either that or just stubborn pride takes the hit.
19
20	So when someone is blamed, that person tries to pass off the blame to another plausible person, and that person either tries to put the blame back on the first person or pass it to someone else. Essentially the blame is now like a game of "hot potato", hence we call it the Blame Game.
21
22	A true player of the game will, therefore, work to avoid becoming TheScapegoat at all costs... while doing their best to note who [[PromotedToScapegoat else around them might better fit the role]]. In bulk, preferably.
23
24	The Game can happen in both comedy as well as drama. In RealLife, a staple of wrongfully biased politics/journalism, right after any tragedy. Also common among young children when somebody has done something naughty. As well as every other age group.
25
26	The truth of the matter is either the original accused is often at fault, or some of/the whole group are at fault. On rare occasions, it really does turn out to be an unforeseen person or event. Though when blaming most or an entire group when it is a certainty that not all individuals of a group are at fault, whether present or not, is basically a biased scapegoater and/or person.
27
28	Compare NeverMyFault, when someone consistently tries to avoid taking the responsibility for his or her mistakes, with or without any finger-pointing (but very often with) and see StoppingTheBlameGame for when another character refuses to allow this. See also ArgumentOfContradictions.
29
30	'''Remember, this isn't just trying to pass off blame once. There has to be at least one return volley.'''
31
32	----
33	!!Examples:
34
35	[[foldercontrol]]
36
37	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
38	* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'': Tsukiko's coworkers repeatedly play this with her. Whenever anything goes wrong, they're quick to pass the blame her way, gossiping about her behind her back. Since Tsukiko herself is constantly trying to avoid feeling guilty over [[spoiler:a tragic accident in her past]], she's incapable of dealing with any kind of responsibility or blame whatsoever, insisting that things are [[NeverMyFault never her fault]] and using her creation Maromi as a shield.
39	* PlayedForLaughs in ''Anime/SonicX'' episode 46. Doubly funny when you realize that, because he built and programmed them, [[FridgeLogic it's entirely Eggman's fault that they're "lead heads" in the first place]].
40	-->'''Eggman:''' I could have got the Chaos Emerald if it wasn't for you two lead heads!\
41	'''Bocoe:''' Why is it our fault?\
42	'''Decoe:''' Why do we always end up losing the blame game?
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Comic Books]]
46	* In ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book version of "The Astro Smurf" (and its AnimatedAdaptation), when Astro Smurf climbs up what's supposed to be a greased pole effortlessly and Grandpa Swoof finds out that it wasn't greased, one Swoof blames another for not greasing it, and that Swoof blames another, and so on.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Fan Works]]
50	* ''Fanfic/AGameForTheFool'': After Wei Wuxian is accidentally trapped by an old Jiang defense mechanism, Jiang Fengmian immediately blames his son Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian shifts the blame to himself by pointing out ''he'' was the one who triggered the trap, while Jiang Cheng immediately went to get help. This incident causes Jiang Cheng to lose respect for his father, since he attempted to pass the buck to his son while Wei Wuxian stepped up to protect him.
51	* ''Fanfic/HeroesDreamsAndDestiny'': After the disastrous Fifth Holy Grail War was finally resolved, the Einzberns attempted to blame everything that happened on Rin and Sakura. Zelretch retaliated by revealing how the Grail had been corrupted, along with all of the problems that the Einzbern family had either caused or enabled.
52	* ''Fanfic/ISeeWhatYouDoBehindClosedDoorsMiraculousLadybug'': After the whole class finally learns that Lila [[LiarRevealed has been deceiving them all for several months]], she casually reveals to them that Adrien ''knew'' her true nature, proudly claiming him as her AccompliceByInaction. When Mylene attempts to apologize to Marinette, she blurts out that she "couldn't have known" she was lying, only for Marinette to bluntly point out that [[IWarnedYou she'd warned her]] several times. Alya and Kim then both attempt to convince Marinette that it's ''her fault'' that [[CassandraTruth nobody believed her warnings]], irritating her enough that she declares that [[RejectedApology she won't accept]] any of their half-hearted "apologies", since nobody is [[NeverMyFault willing to admit their own mistakes]].
53	* Frequently played in the ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomverse''. Chloe [[TheRunaway runs away from home]] and blames everyone back in Vermillion for it: her parents for ignoring how badly she was being bullied at school, said bullies, Goh for being a neglectful ChildhoodFriend, Ash for being TheAce and [[WhyAreYouNotMySon the kind of child her father wanted]]... and back home, everyone proceeds to get into vicious debates among themselves about how much the ''others'' are at fault. Such as Professor Cerise reading one of his assistants the riot act after learning they'd seen how miserable Chloe was, but hadn't said anything... because they'd assumed the Professor was already aware and addressing matters privately. Naturally, one of the issues the Train is trying to help Chloe with is recognizing how she's at least ''partially'' at fault for her own problems.
54	* ''Fanfic/OurWeekOffTogether'': After Luz's Abomination project malfunctions, Amity blames her for experimenting while Amity was out of the room, while Luz suggests that the custom formula Amity made for the project was flawed. Turns out that [[spoiler:King unintentionally tampered with the formula]].
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
58	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'': After Mojo Jojo's true colors are revealed, the girls fly away from Earth and land on an asteroid. Blossom and Buttercup get into an argument over who is to blame for how things have turned out. Blossom blames Buttercup for escalating their game of tag to destructive levels which is what resulted in them being hated by the town, a fact which Mojo exploited to manipulate them into helping him. Buttercup retorts that it was Blossom's idea to walk home from school - instead of flying which would have allowed them to find their way home easier - which resulted in them encountering Mojo in the first place.
59	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': [[spoiler:After the Koopa General destroys Donkey Kong's kart, he blames Mario for letting the Koopa General do a KamikazeAttack on his kart. Their argument lasts until they land into the water and get eaten by the Maw-Ray.]]
60	* In the first ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'', Woody and Buzz pull this when their EscalatingWar gets them stranded at a gas station. It loses track a little by the end:
61	-->'''Woody:''' ''It's all your fault!''\
62	'''Buzz:''' ''(outraged)'' ''MY-my'' fault? If you hadn't pushed me out of the window in the first place...\
63	'''Woody:''' ''(fumes indignantly)'' Yeeeaaahh? Well, if ''you'' hadn't shown up with your stupid little cardboard spaceship and taken away everything that was important to me...\
64	'''Buzz:''' Don't talk to me about importance! [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Because of you, the future of this entire universe is in jeopardy!]]
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
68	* Four generals at the end of a film version of ''Film/TheChargeOfTheLightBrigade'' all try to avoid blame for the order for the suicidal charge.
69	* In the film version of ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'', when the protagonists are in their lowest moment, they start blaming each other for what happened, which proves to be their main weakness. Only by stopping it can they earn even a BittersweetEnding.
70	* ''Film/MysteryMen'' features a blamethrower that ''makes'' a couple groups of {{Mook}}s do this, allowing the heroes to beat them while they're distracted.
71	* Lampshaded by Joe Cabot in ''Film/ReservoirDogs''.
72	-->'''Joe Cabot:''' Well, let me tell you a joke: Five guys sitting in a bull pen, San Quentin. Wondering how the fuck they got there. What'd we do wrong? What should we've done? What didn't we do? It's your fault, my fault, his fault. All that bullshit. Finally, someone comes up with the idea, wait a minute, while we were planning this [[TheCaper caper]], all we did was sit around and tell fucking jokes. Got the message?
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Literature]]
76	* The Dayao in ''Literature/AlwaysComingHome'' attempt to shift the blame upon each other when the war goes badly for them. They are big on the NeverMyFault when it comes to the leaders.
77	* ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' has a book of this verbatim. Whenever Brother and Sister break something, they end up blaming each other. It takes Papa exploding in anger for the cubs to finally learn their lesson in the end.
78	* In ''Literature/TheBible'':
79	** [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Genesis 3]], {{God}} confronts Adam about his having disobeyed His commandment not to eat the ForbiddenFruit. Adam says, "The woman You put at my side—she gave me of the tree, and I ate", thus passing the blame not only to Eve, but to God. Eve, in turn, says, "The serpent duped me, and I ate." God punishes all three of them.
80	** The [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel Book of Samuel]]. When Samuel confronts Saul about making a sacrifice without waiting for him, Saul answers "You were late, and the people were demanding it". Samuel immediately reads out the death sentence of Saul and his family... irresponsible kings won't be tolerated.
81	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
82	** Every time a plan formulated by the Auditors goes wrong, some time is spent on this one. The outcome inevitably goes like this: the plan was a group effort, therefore it's everyone's fault, and if it's everyone's fault, it's no one's fault, because the amount of blame that attaches is as close to nothing as makes no difference. They're very corporate that way.
83	** The wizards, on the other hand, love nothing more than to spend hours bickering over whose fault something was, especially if they can do this as an alternative to dealing with the problem. They will do this until the problem either goes away on its own, or gets so big that it physically prevents them from continuing.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
87	* This seems to be the main skill that they are looking for on ''Series/TheApprentice''. UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump is most likely to send home the Project Manager of the losing team, so [=PMs=] will find someone else to blame for the loss.
88	* ''Series/{{Chernobyl}}'' manages to depict the layers of bureaucratic finger-pointing that broke out ''even as the nuclear reactor was busy going critical'', let alone the Kafkaesque legal(ish) nightmare that ensued for months afterwards, far removed from the CosmicHorror playing itself out in the exclusion zone. It ''almost'' eclipses the horror of, say, dying of [[BodyHorror acute radiation poisoning]] because the poster boy of this trope, Deputy Chief Engineer Anatoly Dyatlov, was in acute denial and incredibly focused on trying to save his own ego (and life from the bigger fish above him) that he just couldn't face what was happening, so gave insane orders. Most politicians, even many frontline responders and liquidators, couldn't face what was happening, although the most courageous tried. So... It's blame game and scapegoat time from those least equipped to understand or care about those being directly affected. It goes poorly, and we see how and at what price in uncomfortable detail.
89	* During an ''Series/{{ER}}'' storyline in which a patient died because he was misdiagnosed by one doctor and consequently given the wrong medication by another, their supervisor blasts them for the error, to which they both respond that she should have been there to oversee them.
90	* In a skit on ''Series/MrShow'', a group of film executives each try to pass the buck for greenlighting ''Coupon: The Movie'', an abysmal flop. Each time the buck is passed, the group starts chanting the name of the new accusee, until the last man in the room realizes that he's chanting his own name.
91	* In an episode of ''Series/TheTudors'', Cromwell and another lord try to pass off blame for Henry's displeasure with Anne of Cleves. Unsurprising, given that they could well [[OffWithHisHead get in quite a lot of trouble]] if the king's wrath falls on them.
92	* ''Series/WithoutATrace''. After an agent provokes a suspect into attacking him so as to have a reason to shoot him, his partner gives their supervisor a watered down version of what happened. However, InternalAffairs is suspicious and keeps pressing the issue, at which point the first agent blasts the other for lying, while she in turn blasts him for losing his temper with the suspect.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Music]]
96	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XdNXHY97hU This]] Brazilian song concerns marijuana being found in a bus. The driver claims it's the collector's, the collector claims someone seated owns the joint, and the chorus goes "I think the joint is from someone standing!"
97	* Music/KanyeWest has a song called "Blame Game", about a couple that doesn't get along.
98	-->Let's play the blame game, I love you, more\
99	Let's play the blame game for sure!
100	* As Music/{{Skyclad\|Band}} put it in "Eirenarch",
101	-->Successes have fathers -- but failure's a bastard.
102	* Music/TheWhiteStripes song "Effect And Cause" has the narrator castigating his girlfriend for blaming him for their problems, and claims that she started it in the first place.
103	-->You're like a little girl yelling at her brother 'cause she lost his ball.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Radio]]
107	* An episode of the ShowWithinAShow on ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'' deals with a cat burglar who pleads "Not Guilty By Reason Of Temptation": "The devil made me do it!" Investigators interview several witnesses, including the above-mentioned Adam and Eve, who have also tried to shift the blame for their sins to the devil.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
111	* ''TabletopGame/AyeDarkOverlord'' is made of this trope. One player plays the [[EvilOverlord Dark Overlord]], and the rest play a group of goblins who just failed yet another mission. The gameplay consist of deflecting blame on another player through making up excuses. It is a [[LiteralMetaphor literal blame game]].
112	* Debriefings in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', unless you [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder kill everyone else first]] and [[DeceasedFallGuyGambit perjure yourself on a Biblical scale, without needing to worry about their testimony]]. Or at least bribe or {{blackmail}} them to join you in pointing the finger at someone else.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Theater]]
116	* The second act of ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' has the songs "Your Fault" (where the protagonists try to name the source of the problem) and part of "Last Midnight" (where the Witch calls the protagonists out on wasting time placing blame rather than solving the problem). It's also a DarkReprise of the song "Ever After," where everyone had congratulated themselves on their bravery and cleverness to find their HappilyEverAfter.
117	* [[UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker Friedrich Schiller's]] ''Theatre/IntrigueAndLove'' ends like this, until the hero's father finally accepts responsibility for his actions.
118	* The musical ''Theatre/{{Titanic}}'' has the ship's captain, owner, and builder singing "The Blame".
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Web Comics]]
122	* A strip from ''WebComic/CtrlAltDel'' has a team of players from ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' playing the blame game. When someone actually takes responsibility for why they lost, the entire game crashes due to the breaking of the blame game that powers the servers.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Web Video]]
126	* In Creator/TomSka's sketch "The Blame Game", Tom's tries to get revenge on his childhood bully, but his bully was only doing it to avoid being beaten by another bully. ''That'' bully blames her AlcoholicDad, who blames his bartender. This escalates until the blame has been placed on [[SocietyIsToBlame England, Capitalism, Lady Luck]], and finally back onto Tom.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Western Animation]]
130	* The ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' episode "Rookie Monsters" ends with Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina blaming each other when the Gromble asks them whose idea it was to be out late at night.
131	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
132	** In the episode "The Responsible," the Blame Game is played as Gumball is too scared of his mother to take the blame for Anais flooding the house by accident, so he blames Darwin, who in turn blames Anais, since she actually did flood the house. Anais, however, blames their mother for leaving Gumball in charge, who, in turn, blames their father for not finding a proper babysitter. Richard, not having anyone else to blame, blames the internet. [[SureLetsGoWithThat Everyone else agrees.]]
133	** In the episode "The Prank", after the prank war between Gumball, Darwin, and Richard goes a little too far and wrecks the house, Nicole angrily demands to know who caused all the damage. All three of them immediately yell "It was him!" and point at each other.
134	* In the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "The Chase," Katara blames Toph for them being on the run for days without sleep because she never helps them set up camp when they land, Toph blames Appa for leaving a trail of shed fur, and Aang blames Toph for making Appa carry extra weight after she joined the group, leading to fun exchanges like this one:
135	-->'''Toph:''' You're blaming me for this?\
136	'''Aang:''' No, she's not blaming you.\
137	'''Katara:''' No, I'm blaming her!
138	* In the 1949 WesternAnimation/{{Tex Avery MGM Cartoon\|s}} ''The Counterfeit Cat'', Blackie the Cat rips a neighbor dog's scalp and ears (in one piece) off said dog's head to wear on his head and disguise himself as a dog in order to catch and eat a canary that's guarded by another dog, Spike. By the end of the short, as both Blackie and Spike are deprived of what they seek (the canary and bones), the scalped dog comes at them and sees Spike wearing his scalp. Spike puts it on Blackie's head, who then does the same, and both of them keep literally pointing fingers at each other. The scalped dog then gets his scalp bag, and rips the scalps of off both Blackie and Spike, switches them of place and leaves.
139	* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode [[Recap/DuckTalesS1E5NothingToFear Nothing to Fear]], Huey, Dewey and Louie get into an argument about responsibility when Nightmare!Quackenbush shows up.
140	-->'''Louie:''' Whose idea was it not to do our homework?\
141	'''Huey & Dewey:''' YOURS!\
142	'''Louie:''' Whose idea was it to ''listen'' to my idea?
143	* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode "[[ChristmasEpisode Last Christmas!]]", when Scrooge angrily asks who put up the giant animatronic figure of SantaClaus in his manor, everyone points at Louie while Louie points at Huey.
144	** From "Last Crash of the Sunchaser!"
145	--->'''Mrs. Beakley:''' Mr. [=McDuck=]!\
146	'''Scrooge:''' Kids!\
147	'''Louie:''' Mrs. Beakley! ''({{Beat}})'' Sorry, I was just trying to keep this blame circle going.
148	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' episode "The Astra' Nuts", Fred and Barney accidentally sign up for the army after Fred received the wrong address to take a physical exam from Wilma who got it from Betty.
149	-->'''Fred:''' You told me to go to 75 Main Street and take a physical and 75 Main Street is the Army Recruiting Office and they give physicals there!\
150	'''Wilma:''' ''(to Betty)'' Didn't you tell me 75?\
151	'''Betty:''' Maybe it was 57?\
152	'''Barney:''' All I know is it's Fred's fault!\
153	'''Fred:''' What do you mean ''my'' fault? It's Wilma's fault!\
154	'''Wilma:''' It's Betty's fault!\
155	'''Betty:''' ''(turns around)'' It's ''your'' fault! ''(The camera pulls back to reveal that Betty is staring at herself in a mirror)'' Wait a minute... let's do that over again and ''I'll'' start it this time.
156	* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'''s Season 1 episode "Meeseeks and Destroy", a large number of Meeseeks get into an argument over whose fault it is that they all exist.
157	-->'''Meeseeks 1:''' Why did you even rope me into this?\
158	'''Meeseeks 2:''' 'Cause he roped me into this!\
159	'''Meeseeks 3:''' Well, him over there, he roped me into this!\
160	'''Meeseeks 4:''' Well, he roped me into this!\
161	'''Meeseeks 5:''' Well, what about me? He-- he roped me into this!\
162	'''Meeseeks 6:''' Well, that one over there roped me into this!\
163	'''Meeseeks 7:''' Well, he roped me into this!
164	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': The first ChristmasEpisode explodes into a violent one of these when the audience is dissatisfied with the the changes made to the yearly Christmas pageant.
165	-->'''Priest Maxi:''' This is the most godawful piece of crap I've ever seen.\
166	'''Mr Garrison:''' Hey, you're the ones who made it this way!\
167	'''Priest Maxi:''' Yes, because the Jews said it couldn't be Christian.\
168	'''Gerald:''' It wasn't ''our'' idea to get rid of Santa Claus!\
169	'''Nature Activist:''' All you bastards ruined Christmas!\
170	'''Audience Member:''' Damn treehugger! ''[pounces activist, riot begins]''
171	* The 1972 ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' cartoon "Shanghai Woody" has the captain of a ship offering his first mate Rhett five pounds to shanghai our hero. As Woody has his way on the ship, pecking it full of holes, the captain blames his first mate for it.
172	-->'''Rhett:''' Oh yeah? How about me five pounds?
173	* When Dick Dastardly's plans on ''WesternAnimation/YogisTreasureHunt'' goes bust, he immediately blames Muttley for it.
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Real Life]]
177	* Politicians, political parties, and countries seem to love to play the Blame Game at each other for all the political problems that they have to face, even if all or even no parties are at fault. Even if it isn't political, the Blame Game can still occur whenever an argument devolves into an argument about who started the original argument. We won't list examples; that would be [[SelfDemonstratingArticle playing the Blame Game in itself]].
178	* Averted with UsefulNotes/HarryTruman, who kept a sign with the phrase "The buck stops here", a reminder that as president, he had to make difficult decisions and accept ultimate responsibility for them[[note]]For those not familiar with American vernacular, this is a reference to the phrase "passing the buck", the practice of, when a difficult decision needs to be made, many people will attempt to "pass" the making of the decision (the "buck") to another person, so that if it turns out the wrong choice is made, the original person can say "I didn't make that decision, he did"[[/note]].
179	* In a corporate environment, this is called "blamestorming". A Direct TV commercial even uses that phrase.
180	* "[[PlaygroundSong Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?]]"
181	* Everything associated with the ButNotTooBlack trope. Especially when concerning the lack of dark skinned models in the fashion industry, or the entertainment industry as a whole. The industry blames the agencies for the lack of hiring, the agencies blame the industry for not booking said models, thus causing the agency not to hire them. It becomes a "Chicken or the Egg" argument.
182	* This happens whenever anyone complains about the types of movies being made today, whether they're arguing about unoriginal ideas, racial stereotypes, or anything else. Is it the movie industry's fault for making those kinds of movies, or is it the people's fault for making those kinds of movies popular?
183	[[/folder]]

Context Main / BlameGame