Line #23 Main/ContagiousCassandraTruth


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6	When a hero delivers a CassandraTruth, they usually have trouble convincing anyone to believe them. Sometimes they get lucky though; maybe they're speaking to a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who hears them out and decides to investigate further or perhaps irrefutable proof of [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie Demonic Alien Ghosts]] just [[ThereWasADoor burst through the wall]]. Either way, somebody you expect to have more influence than you is convinced that you're right... but they're no more able to convince anybody else than you.
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8	Maybe the PoliceAreUseless for everyone, perhaps the person you've convinced can't convince their bosses, or it might just be that your new confidant already has a reputation for believing crazy things. Par for the course if an ExtraStrengthMasquerade is involved. Bonus points if a scene where they try to convince someone to believe them parallels one they had with the heroes. Either way, they've put their name on the line but ended up [[{{Pun}} co-signing your discredit card]].
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10	Compare and contrast the SecretKeeper, who learns the truth but agrees to keep it to themselves, and BrokenMasquerade.
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12	!!Examples:
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16	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
17	* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': Over the course of the series, various people grow convinced that Dr. Tenma is telling the truth about Johan committing the murders that he is accused of and/or are persuaded to work toward exonerating him upon realizing that he is a good person and does not deserve to be a fugitive, up to and including [[spoiler:''Inspector Lunge'']]. However, they still remain largely powerless to prevent the authorities from attempting to apprehend Tenma, save for trying to take matters into their own hands.
18	* ''Manga/SpyXFamily'': The WholeEpisodeFlashback revealing Twilight's past and how he became a spy actually reveals that [[spoiler:Franky Franklin]] was the one to instigate it through this trope. [[spoiler:Franky realized that the government can just feed masses the information they want them to have and even manipulate them, so they'd rally behind the war between Ostania and Westalis. With both sides claiming the other was the instigator of the war, Franky decided that fighting without knowing the full picture was simply a dumb idea and deserted from the army.]] Twilight ignored and denied this at first, but after [[spoiler:his childhoodfriends were sent on what basically amounted to a suicide mission]] and wondering if having more intel about the whole thing could have saved lives, Twilight leaves the army to join the intelligence divison.
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21	[[folder:Comic Books]]
22	* In ''ComicBook/LastDaughterOfKrypton'', Zor-El becomes convinced that his brother Jor-El is right and Krypton is about to blow up. However, he knows he will not be more successful than his sibling in reasoning with the Science Council who rule the planet, so he secretly builds a rocketship in a secluded lab, shoves [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} her daughter Kara]] into it, and blasts her into space right before their planet explodes.
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25	[[folder:Fan Works]]
26	* ''Fanfic/ComingHome'': At first, Frank dismisses James' belief that something is out to get him as mere paranoia brought on by grief over the recent loss of his wife. When he finds out the truth, however, he desperately tries to get help... only to find that nobody believes him.
27	* ''Fanfic/CompulsionLeadZeppelin'': The only one who believes Alex about the threat that Leet's escaped chimeras pose, as well as his concerns about the chimeras ''reproducing'', is Director Piggot. Unfortunately, Leet is widely considered to be a joke, along with everything he creates, so others refuse to accept that he might have made something incredibly dangerous.
28	* A [[FandomSpecificPlot/MiraculousLadybug common plotline]] for ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fics is Marinette struggling to convince others that [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]] is a ManipulativeBitch who keeps lying to them. Often, especially in [[AccusationFic Salt Fics]], the only people who believe her are other characters whom the author likes, who find themselves facing the same problem as Marinette: no matter what they say or do, nobody is willing to believe them.
29	** PlayedWith in ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies'': Adrien knows that Lila's a ConArtist, but assumes that knowledge [[OriginalPositionFallacy means he's safe]] -- and since ''HE'' won't fall for any of her lies, he's perfectly fine [[BetrayalByInaction standing by]] letting her string all his classmates along. The moment he realizes that she's [[TheFarmerAndTheViper tricked HIM as well]], he immediately blurts out that she robbed him, only for Alya to promptly chide him that "We all know Lila doesn't lie!" His efforts to convince the police fall flat as well, and having the rest of the class gradually come to believe him doesn't help, especially when [[spoiler:they discover how he'd refused to warn them]].
30	** ''Fanfic/TheOneToMakeItStay'': After Rose asks Prince Ali about Lila, she learns that [[CelebrityLie she lied about doing charity work with him]], as he'd never even heard of her before. This leads to all of Kitty Section -- Rose, Juleka, Ivan, Mylene and Luka -- learning about her true nature. Yet when they attempt to warn the rest of the class, they aren't entirely convinced. Alya even blatantly [[MovingTheGoalposts moves the goalposts]] by declaring that all their evidence only proves Lila fibbed about ''one thing'', refusing to accept any evidence that her ''other'' claims are just as phony.
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33	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
34	* In ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'', when the title character finally succeeded in convincing his friends that "the sky is falling" [[spoiler:(in other words, an alien ship was visiting)]], when they tried to back him up the rest of the town didn't believe them either.
35	* ''WesternAnimation/DougsFirstMovie'': Doug and Skeeter tell the Mayor about the swamp creature they found, but she can't publicly declare its existence without backlash. They try, but an attempt to capture the beast by a CorruptCorporateExecutive impedes this.
36	* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': TJ witnesses suspicious activity at the school and reports to the cops only for them to laugh him off. TJ then rallies his friends from their camps and desperately tries to convince his friends that is happening at school, but they think he made the thing up to force them out of camp, until they all witness a giant satelite dish emerge from the school roof. Later when TJ gets captured, TJ's friends report the incident to the cops only for them to laugh at the gang too. Even when Miss Finster comes by with the same story, the cops laugh her off too.
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39	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
40	* ''Film/TwelveMonkeys'' has an interesting variation of this trope. Dr. Railly doesn't believe James Cole's claims that he's from the future, but when he disappears, she investigates his claims and finds corroborating evidence. When Cole returns, Dr. Railly has difficulty convincing Cole of the truth, as he has accepted her explanation that he is delusional. Ultimately, they are both on the same page, but can convince no one else as they [[spoiler:race to save the future from TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, while [[TheMostWanted being chased as hunted fugitives and suspected terrorists]]. But none of that matters, as it turns out that YouCannotChangeTheFuture and the film ends on the virtual definition of a DownerEnding]].
41	* ''Film/AvalancheSharks'' features quite a bit of this. Old Duffy is widely dismissed as a crazy old hermit by the local sheriff, ski patrol people and spring-breakers when he shouts out warnings about sharks in the snow. When the sheriff is convinced the sharks are real by his wife, and some of the spring-breakers find evidence of attacks while looking for the brother of one and the cousin of another. None of them are given much credence by the local mayor, ski patrol man and resort owner. The spring-breakers try to warn some of their friends on the mountain right before another attack, with only one girl listening to them and leaving in time, while even the ski patrol guy finally starts believing after seeing an attack, but its difficult getting the lift operator to start sending people down right before the CharactersDroppingLikeFlies climax.
42	* In ''Film/{{Breakin\|1984}}'', the main character manages to get her extremely sceptical agent to come down and watch a street dancing contest. This convinces him that they have potential and he agrees to take on her friends as clients too. Unfortunately he has even more trouble convincing his contacts to take them seriously.
43	* In the ''Film/ChildsPlay'' series, Mrs. Barclay ends up being committed because the cops who witnessed Chucky refused to back up her story.
44	* In ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow'', after William Cage [[GroundhogDayLoop dies several times after fighting the Mimics in a doomed frontal assault,]] he tries to warn his squad-mates that the counter attack was going to fail, and the [[AlienInvasion Mimics would take over Earth,]] but they tape his mouth shut shortly before they go off to battle and die. He then joins Rita Vrataski, who had gone through the same thing some time earlier and who has secretly partnered up with the foremost expert on the Mimics. When Cage asks her that if they know about [[ResetButton the Mimics ability to manipulate time to their advantage,]] why they don't take that information to the high command so they can formulate a battle plan, Rita answers that she tried numerous times, and for her trouble she was either put in a [[BedlamHouse psychiatric hospital,]] or [[TheyWouldCutYouUp was dissected]] to see if [[ForScience anything could be learned from her physiology.]] As for the researcher, he says when he tried telling them everything he learned about the Mimics, and that he had invented a device that could track down their leader via their HiveMind mentality, [[IgnoredExpert he was labeled a crackpot, and dismissed.]]
45	* In ''Film/HappyAccidents'', Ruby starts wondering whether Sam is telling the truth.
46	* In ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', when Harry and Hermione try to tell [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Dumbledore]] that Sirius Black is innocent, he is quick to believe them (he may have even suspected it since he went to prison), but acknowledges that even his word added to theirs won't be enough to convince many people.
47	* In the middle of ''Film/TheTerminator'', Sarah Connor seems happy to accept the psychologist's explanation that Kyle Reese is a paranoid schizophrenic, and the KillerRobot is just on PCP. By the beginning of the [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay second film]], she's locked up in a mental asylum for insisting that Reese's story about the impending apocalypse is true.
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50	[[folder:Literature]]
51	* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'': {{Discussed\|Trope}} in ''Literature/SayCheeseAndDieAgain'' When [[SadistTeacher Mr. Saur]] refuses to believe Greg's story, he insists that his friends can corroborate, only for Mr. Saur to dismissively declare that he's sure they'll tell him whatever Greg ''wants'' them to say. Greg later lets his friends know that their testimony won't matter to the adults.
52	* ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'': Nobody believes Professor Challenger's claims that he's found LivingDinosaurs on a remote Amazon plateau. Summerlee even joins one of his expeditions with the intent of ''proving'' to Challenger that he's nothing but a charlatan and a fraud, only to end up in the same predicament as him, with nobody believing their stories.
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55	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
56	* In ''Series/{{Angel}}'''s "[[Recap/AngelS04E18ShinyHappyPeople Shiny Happy People]]", Fred catches CassandraTruth literally from Jasmine's blood, and then figuratively when she talks to the only other person so far to see the truth (who had been converted earlier), who explains to her "she [Jasmine] must die" and "you've been called".
57	* On ''Series/FirstWave'', Cade starts off on his own knowing of an alien invasion of Earth. He eventually manages to convince paranoid conspiracy nut "Crazy" Eddie who likewise joins him in fighting the aliens.
58	** There are bits in the series where someone else realizes what's happening and aids Cade. At one point, they're able to put together a small network of agents secretly working against the aliens [[spoiler:until they're wiped out in a purge]].
59	* Throughout the second season of ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', Will gradually manages to convince several other characters of Hannibal's [[ImAHumanitarian true nature]]. None of this actually ''helps'' Will, as these potential allies proceed to either [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere skip town]] or get disposed of. One finds themselves the victim of a FrameUp that Hannibal [[CrazyPrepared had been planning]] for ''two years''.
60	* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': When Tally realizes that the Spree are disguising innocent civilians in a bomb-equipped Spree truck, she warns Anacostia, who believes her, but is ordered by Alder to kill them all anyway. When Tally tells Abigail and Raelle this later, they also instantly believe her.
61	* Mulder usually had this problem after convincing Scully about his theories on ''Series/TheXFiles''. Other characters they convinced also tended to suffer this trope (if they weren't blackmailed or bribed by the AncientConspiracy).
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64	[[folder:Video Games]]
65	* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'': After the heroes prevent a tragedy from unfolding in Vogograd, the prefect promises to memorialize the events so that they learn from their past... but in the present day, said memorial has been replaced with a version of events that makes the party out to be the ''villains'' of the tale. Only one young boy, Lev, recalls the real story, which leads to him being [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer completely isolated]] and picked on by the other kids... until they find the ''original'' monolith. The adults refuse to accept the truth, punishing their children for adopting the real version of events; however, the kids remain resolved to keep the truth alive.
66	* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', CowboyCop [[TheLancer Garrus Vakarian]] details to Commander Shepard how he successfully convinced his usually skeptical ByTheBookCop father (that he was a bit estranged with) that the Reapers are real. Since his father has connections in the top echelons of the Turian Hierarchy, he tries to convince the Primarch. The Primarch is... less convinced. Averted once the Reapers finally arrive; Garrus's dire portents are vindicated and he gets catapulted to the top echelons himself and has generals saluting him.
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69	[[folder:Western Animation]]
70	* In the ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' episode "Vindicated", Dib thinks he's managed to convince the school's guidance counselor, Mr. Dwicky, that Zim is an alien who's trying to conquer Earth, but Dwicky tells a colleague that he's just playing along so Dib will eventually feel comfortable enough around him to confess what always has him so on edge and antisocial. Dib feels very hurt once he realizes that Dwicky never really believed him, but then Zim shows up without his disguise because he fell for the trap Dib and Dwicky set up, pretending to be fellow aliens offering him superweapons. Then the aliens Dib and Dwicky pretended to be show up too, superweapons in tow, and Dwicky, childhood belief in aliens now reignited, accepts their offer to travel the stars with him, unfortunately bringing with him the video evidence of Zim's alien identity.
71	* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'':
72	** At the end of the first season (after spending the entire series thus far reprimanding [[TheCassandra Jackie whenever he brings up magic]]), [[TheMenInBlack Captain]] [[AgentScully Black]] [[SkepticNoLonger finally witnesses magic firsthand]]. In the next season, [[AgentMulder Black tries to report intel about demons]] to his superiors, and they decide that he's gone crazy.
73	** Jade loves to [[CassandraTruth share stories about her supernatural adventures]] to her classmates, but naturally they don't believe her. One of them, a boy named Drew, is especially mean about ridiculing Jade's claims. But when Drew learns that magic is indeed real, Jade decides to [[LaserGuidedKarma turn the tables and humiliate him]] when he tries talking about it to his class.
74	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' has an episode where Candace finally convinces her mom that her brothers have done something bad, then she has trouble convincing Lawrence. When Candace points this out to her, however, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Linda fails to realize it]].
75	** In another episode, Stacy and Jenny join Candace in busting Phineas and Ferb, but when they try to tell their mom, she merely thinks that Candace is rubbing off on them.
76	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Lisa discovers that town founder Jebediah Springfield was secretly a villainous pirate. No one believes her story except Homer, who is smart enough to know Lisa tends to make the right assumptions on these things. They fail to convince anyone else and Homer is stripped of his role in the town parade as punishment. [[spoiler:Subverted when Lisa realises that the museum curator covered it up (he relents, but Lisa decides that the lie inspires the town and leaves things be).]]
77	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' episode "It Came from Beneath the Sea Duck", Kit is chewed out by Rebecca for taking Molly outside the apartment while babysitting (in reality this was for a load of convoluted reasons). Baloo is smart enough to suggest letting Kit explain what happened, however Rebecca just assumes that Kit learned his irresponsible behaviour from him and shushes him too.
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