Line #137 Main/DoNotDoThisCoolThing


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4	[[quoteright:300:[[SmokingIsCool https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smokingisnotcool2_5619.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:300:[[StealthCigaretteCommercial Just look at these]] ''[[StealthCigaretteCommercial losers]]''.[[note]]Top row, left to right: Creator/HumphreyBogart, Creator/LaurenBacall, Creator/AudreyHepburn, Music/PaulMcCartney. Second row: Music/BobDylan, Creator/AlbertCamus, Music/JimiHendrix, Creator/JamesDean. Third row: Creator/MarilynMonroe, UsefulNotes/CheGuevara, Creator/JohnWayne, Edie Sedgwick. Fourth row: Music/KurtCobain, Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/ClintEastwood, Music/JohnnyCash. Fifth row: [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]], Ann Dvorak, Creator/SophiaLoren, Music/DavidBowie[[/note]]]]
6	->''"You're watching ''Futurama'', the show that does not advocate the '''cool''' crime of robbery!"''
7	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV"
8
9	You want to have AnAesop about something that [[ScareEmStraight we should avoid at all costs]]. Trouble is, just by showing or describing it in lavish detail, you end up [[BrokenAesop undermining your message by showing just how damn appealing it is]] and cause the audience to [[MisaimedFandom get the wrong idea]].
10
11	This trope is especially easy to fall into when a piece of media aims for a realistic portrayal of why people get lured into things like drinking, smoking, being promiscuous, doing drugs, getting into dangerous situations, fighting awesome action sequences, etc., thereby identifying to the audience what others see in it, possibly causing them to view it in a light they hadn't previously seen it in. Conversely, if you gloss over the very real appeal, you end up with a bad habit that feels comically asinine in presentation (akin to an ad reading "[[CaptainObviousAesop Stop Punching Kittens]]"). The trick is finding the balance between getting the audience to understand the appeal while comprehending the real consequences. If the negative aspects don't come across as outweighing the appeal, this trope comes into effect. This makes the vice into ForbiddenFruit and therefore much more appealing when the audience is told not to do it. While authorial (or parental) intent may be to use the tale to discourage something, this trope happens, because they're trying to get the audience to accept that something that was just being depicted as fun, easy, exciting, profitable, advantageous, or whatever, was actually bad; to the audience, this comes across as extremely dishonest and patently false. Many people and PSA's seem to forget that just because somebody was told so, or their "parents raised them right", doesn't mean they won't do something -- nobody's parents told them it was a good habit to visit prostitutes, but many people do so and a number of them do it regularly.
12
13	If a work attempts to play down the attractive aspects and stick to the unappealing ones, the work itself may become unappealing as a result, which again [[DontShootTheMessage undermines the goal of spreading its message]]. It's [[ScyllaAndCharybdis a tricky artistic balance]]: If you ShowDontTell, you risk showing something bad as cool, but if you just tell, you're left with a boring AuthorTract saying "AndThatsTerrible."
14
15	This trope was formerly called "Truffaut was right", named for French director Creator/FrancoisTruffaut who noted that you simply cannot make a truly anti-war movie. The dilemma being that the natural instinct to tell an engaging story and with a refined cinematic presentation means that no matter how much you try to demonize violence [[FourthWallMyopia the audience is able to separate the story from real life]], while glamorizing it anyway.
16
17	This can be caused by, and often leads to, a MisaimedFandom. Can also lead to NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity, RootingForTheEmpire, SympathyForTheDevil, SpringtimeForHitler, StrawmanHasAPoint, or UnfortunateImplications. ButNotTooEvil is often invoked to prevent this trope. YouBastard is another option, whereby the creators let you enjoy the Cool Thing that's being Done, then try to make you feel bad by showing the horrific consequences. Sometimes a SpoofAesop may attempt to show this trope in-universe.
18
19	A SubTrope of BrokenAesop. Sometimes the result of an AccidentalAesop or an AlternateAesopInterpretation or PoesLaw. Can overlap with CluelessAesop. A poorly done AntiEscapismAesop can also cause this to happen as well.
20
21	Compare & contrast StealthCigaretteCommercial for when this is done intentionally. Also compare DoNotAttempt and DontTryThisAtHome. If the Cool Thing is recognized as bad InUniverse, the characters may observe, "AndThatWouldBeWrong."
22
23	See also DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster, EvilIsCool, ForbiddenFruit, ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything, RiseAndFallGangsterArc, SexyVillainsChasteHeroes, StreisandEffect, and JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs.
24	----
25	!!Example subpages:
26	[[index]]
27	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/AnimeAndManga
28	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/ComicBooks
29	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/{{Film}}
30	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/{{Literature}}
31	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/LiveActionTV
32	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/{{Music}}
33	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/VideoGames
34	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/WesternAnimation
35	* DoNotDoThisCoolThing/RealLife
36	[[/index]]
37
38	!!Other examples:
39	[[foldercontrol]]
40
41	[[folder:Advertising]]
42	* [[DrugsAreBad Anti-drug ads]] tend to fall victim to this, especially the ones aimed at kids and teens. In general they have the same problem as {{Stealth Cigarette Commercial}}s. That is, the ads are considered so stupid and lame and insulting to one's intelligence, that people who watch them will want to go use drugs simply out of spite. This is far from their only problem, however.
43	** Some ads try to send the message of "Drugs aren't cool" or "Not doing drugs ''is'' cool". Except some of them do this by showing a person who does think drugs are cool, and the ad intentionally goes to great lengths to give them the traits typically associated with being cool (sunglasses, leather jacket, hot girlfriend, etc), which usually makes the drug user look a lot cooler than the other person in the ad who chooses not to use drugs.
44	** Ads like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yudW0bfBweY this one]] that show embarrassing things happening to people who get too drunk or too stoned at parties. Hindered by the problem that getting up to crazy antics while drunk or stoned and telling your friends about them is part of what makes drugs (and, by extension, the people who do them) cool.
45	** Many of these ads make use of TheAggressiveDrugDealer, a trope which was simply [[DeadUnicornTrope never an accurate reflection of reality]] even before it was discredited. Kids were being warned constantly to be on the lookout for [[http://youtu.be/g_mC6EZ8Jpk these shady characters]][[note]]The unrealism of this ad consists not only in the depiction of the pusher but in the smartmouth squeaky-voiced kid putting down his wares ''and the other kids taking their classmate seriously''. He isn't the mature leader type that other children would follow.[[/note]] looking to corrupt the morals of today's youth for... [[ForTheEvulz uh]]... but as they were never encountered in real life, it caused these ads to provoke more laughter than [[ScareEmStraight fear]]. Probably the worst was an ad that had an obnoxious kid all but forcing his classmate to take a handful of marijuana cigarettes. Everything about the commercial was wrong, as the kid didn't seem to expect payment for the joints, both kids (especially the victim) looking about ten years too young to be in danger of rampant drug use being a thing among their peers, the pusher kid calling his victim a "chicken" and loudly making fun of him ''in a school hallway'' for not taking his drugs, and the kid's utterly wimpy response: "I'm not a chicken! You're a turkey!" The takeaway most kids got from this is that marijuana users might be loudmouthed jerks but they were generous, while those who didn't smoke it were hopeless nerds.
46	** Many ads either heavily overstate or distort the symptoms of the drugs. Meant to scare people out of taking drugs, this only means the kids will discredit the ad in a single encounter with an actual user or five minutes on Google. A lot of times they depict marijuana users as violent and aggressive, as opposed to lounging on the sofa with a bag of chips, or giggling at nothing, or staring at their hands for minutes at a time.
47	** There are ads that show the dangers of driving while under the influence of drugs. While these are rather honest and may actually discourage people from doing so, the message that viewers get from this is "Just stay home and use drugs" or "If you're going to get high, be sure to take a cab or have a designated driver." Which is still a pretty good message, just a very different one from the one that they wanted to convey.
48	** The UK government attempted to steer kids off drugs in TheEighties with a series of TV advertisements featuring emaciated youths in dingy surroundings. The kids in question are reputed to have thought they looked really cool. It doesn't help this was during the second wave of {{Goth}} pop music. If only they had known "heroin chic" was an existing underground fashion trend waiting to break into the mainstream.
49	** Ads that show an accident happening because someone was using drugs, such as one where a kid picks up a gun and accidentally shoots his friend while high, or one where a little girl is shown getting into a pool unsupervised and a narration says, "Don't feel bad. Just tell her parents you weren't watching her because you were getting stoned. They'll understand." The only message that viewers get from this is "Make sure you're more careful than these people while using drugs".
50	** An ad from the early 2000s depicts two kids in the bathroom at a concert getting high before a cop comes in and busts them. A caption appears on the screen saying "Marijuana can get you busted. Harmless?" It's telling viewers that the only problem with marijuana [[HitlerAteSugar is simply that it's illegal]], which tends to lead the viewer to the conclusion that there would be no problem if it was legal.
51	** Another ad from the early 2000s depicts dealing with peer pressure. It shows a kid walking into a room and getting offered some weed by a laid back stoner. The kid makes up an excuse, and the scene repeats several times with the kid walking into the room again, each time offering a different excuse. Finally he tells the stoner, "It's just not for me." to which the stoner simply shrugs and replies, "It's cool." The ad certainly portrayed the stoner as much more relaxed and laid back than the uptight other kid.
52	** ''Series/TheGruenTransfer'' pointed out that most anti-drinking ads look almost exactly like what advertising agencies would do for actual alcohol ads if they could get away with it.
53	** The famously counter-productive [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMwxWHaZUro anti-drug ad]] featuring Creator/RachaelLeighCook. The ad may not be as bad as some, but it does depict Cook going crazy and wrecking a kitchen to illustrate what a drug user, the user's family, etc., go through thanks to drugs. When she finishes and breathes "Any questions?", one question comes to mind, as WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic put it: "Yeah. What drugs are ''you'' on?"
54	** An elementary school created and distributed customized pencils for their students to use. The pencils were emblazoned with the words, "Too Cool to Do Drugs." This lasted until a student pointed out that, as the pencils are sharpened, they begin to read "Cool to Do Drugs," and then later, "Do Drugs." and finally, "Drugs."
55	** Some anti-tobacco and anti-drinking billboard, TV and radio ads emphasize the percentage of kids locally who ''don't'' smoke or drink. Apparently the adults who create these ads have completely forgotten how being "cool" works and think it has something to do with being in the majority, as if [[Series/HappyDays the Fonz]] was cool because everyone else wore leather jackets. If you want to be different, they just told you how.
56	* One magazine ad is known as "[[https://66.media.tumblr.com/3530682d9e097767ed232b83281b4222/tumblr_ojlg1nWVmu1rz6b2ao1_1280.jpg An Unfair Comparison Between the Javelin and the Mustang]]." And boy, ''is'' it unfair: anyone can look at the huge, detailed photos of each car and see the Mustang is more attractive and better designed. Which worked out badly for the makers of the Javelin, who placed the ad.
57	* Although car makers are heavily prohibited from glamorising the performance aspects of their products, most television car advertisements need the disclaimer 'Professional driver on closed course; do not attempt' to try to counter the fact that driving across a frozen lake or a desert or round a racetrack looks pretty damn fun. Oddly, this [[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope extends to]] such crazy actions as driving normal speed down paved roads with leaves on it.
58	* This upbeat commercial for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHmVcYOqGe0 Gofer Cakes]], a fictitious snack cake akin to Ding Dongs. Aimed at children and teens, it is a PSA for The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; the kids in the ad end up all fat and lazy from eating mountains of gofer cakes washed down with a super-thick smoothie made from blended gofer cakes. Many ads for real junk food work along similar principles -- real ones that try to say "this food is so tasty that it's worth getting fat from eating far too much of it!" The comments on the PSA confirm that [[PoesLaw the satire element went over most kids' heads,]] and seems to have turned a lot of youngsters '''on''' to [[TheRedStapler Gofer Cakes.]]
59	* A lot of anti-gun PSA's and arguments. They start out by inflating the power and lethality of weapons currently available on the civilian market. Then they show someone somewhere being victimized by a criminal with that powerful gun. Boy, it sure would be nice to have weapon of your own to use if someone scary like that came at you.
60	** An ad by the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics Brady Campaign]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Va-Ll2vKw depicts a man loading what looks like a large magazine into a handgun and firing away seventeen times before reloading.]] However, this would better be served if the narration wasn't dramatic and saying how you could kill a lot of people quickly.
61	* The famous [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil "You Wouldn't Download a Car"]] campaign became joke fodder for this reason - "download" and "steal" are hardly synonymous to most people the ad is actually targeted towards, between the lack of a physical object to steal, the free nature of the object being downloaded, and the many legal avenues of downloading. It doesn't help that in the commercials, they used [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic the most epic sounding music]] and quick editing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZm8vNHBSU when presenting piracy as a "crime"]], making the target audience believe that [[UnfortunateImplications piracy and other crimes would make you look awesome.]] In fact, one might even ponder how convenient it would be to get a car simply by going online and clicking a few links (something which [[https://www.carvana.com/ is now possible]] thanks to [[TechnologyMarchesOn Technology Marching On]]), rather than heading down to HonestJohnsDealership and spending the better part of the day haggling with some douchey auto baron trying to buy something for less than several months' worth of savings.
62	* The ''Joe And Petunia'' series of Brit Public Information Films during the early 70s featured the titular couple wreaking havoc because of their stupidity. The tone of the shorts was ''much'' lighter and humourous than the infamously scary fare (and the high body counts) PIF would be remembered for, to the point they became the cause for them. The duo was so popular that it was feared people would actually imitate them, so they were apparently KilledOffForReal in ''Worn Tyres Kill'' [[GallowsHumor in their unorthodox style]]. The aforementioned nightmare-ish [=PSAs=] that followed were made as a reaction against this.
63	* Creator/{{Hulu}} ads go on to say things along the lines of "don't do this, because it'll ruin everything else forever." And then it goes on to say that Hulu is the same way.
64	* Many religious “kick-the-porn-habit” self-help books mention being turned on by lingerie ads. These books also have to walk a fine line because self help books usually tell stories so readers know they are not alone... but those stories can also be used for "poor man's erotic fiction", or "suggestions for porn", meaning they have to avoid depicting the act of enjoying PoorMansPorn in too much detail, or else they run the risk of glorifying it.
65	* Pretty blatantly stated in [[Creator/ValveCorporation Valve's]] Steam Deck [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxnr2FAADAs teardown video]]. They spend one-fifth of the video explaining [[DontTryThisAtHome why taking apart the Steam Deck is a bad idea]], then go on to say that "taking things apart and putting them back together is cool, especially powerful handheld gaming computers."
66	* The Capri-Sun ''Advertising/RespectThePouch'' campaign shows various kids destroying their Capri-Sun pouches in creative ways (hitting it with a baseball bat, poking multiple holes in it with their straw, inflating it to use as a WhoopeeCushion, etc.), then undergoing a KarmicTransformation related to what they did to the pouch. The campaign insists that playing with the Capri-Sun pouch is a bad idea, but they just draw more attention to how fun it is to inflate and play with the pouch -- which, indeed, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV1d4MWL4gw was the intention.]]
67	-->'''Narrator''': We told kids not to do something, and, of course, they did it. 400 copycat [=YouTube=] videos later, we knew we were onto something.
68	* [[https://i.imgur.com/GdpWm0G.jpg This ad]] against buying counterfeit goods. The ad claims that wearing counterfeit goods sends the message that you're a phony...but actually the image in the ad shows that they actually look pretty good on the woman and indistinguishable from real ones to almost all people.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Fan Works]]
72	* [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/179940/caravan Caravan]] by [=Kalash93=] may actually avert this trope. It depicts the situation for the fighting men in Afghanistan rather accurately through the prism of an MLP fic. As a military veteran remarked, "I especially like the message towards the end: nothing has changed, despite the "victory". There will be more caravans, more insurgents, and more blood on the sand." This is exactly what the author intended.
73	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2318355/1/Make_A_Wish Make a Wish]]'', there are several points where Harry's travel guide goes into great detail about how to perform spells that are flagged as illegal in a given country, including wand movements and incantations. Harry especially likes the one that removes the Trace so no one will know he's doing underage magic.
74	* ''Fanfic/PokeWars'' depicts the gritty, brutal, {{gor\|n}}y and just ''nasty'' side of war and there is a fairly obvious WarIsHell message. Unfortunately, few of the reviewers notice this, instead choosing to focus on the dazzling fight scenes.
75	* ''Fanfic/TiberiumWars'' tends to depict intense, action-packed battles that nonetheless also contains a rather deep-down moral that WarIsHell. Some reviewers picked up on this, while others simply read it for the visceral combat.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Magazines]]
79	* Parodied in ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' magazine's July 1994 Super Special issue, which had a sheet of fake magazine subscription stamps (for such periodicals as ''U.S. Nudes and Weird Retorts'' and ''Modern Insanity'') that looked exactly like the genuine ones used by such outfits as the Publisher's Clearing House for their sweepstakes entries. On the page facing them, ''Mad'' printed this warning:
80	--> '''AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING MAD'S SILLY SWEEPSTAKES STAMPS:''' Please DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE affix these bogus MAD stickers onto AN ACTUAL SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY FORM, despite the deep-rooted urge in the very core of your being which inspires and calls upon you to do so! You must resist the temptation, even though it would be a truly wonderful prank that would surely cause chaos and havoc for the Magazine Sweepstakes Company(s) who have been badgering you mercilessly for years (and who have recently been sued for making false and misleading claims about their cheesy contests). Yes, it will take every ounce of your willpower, but you must NOT remove a bogus MAD stamp by carefully tearing it along the perforated lines, licking it, and then affixing it onto a REAL MAGAZINE SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY FORM in place of one of THEIR stamps. You must ABSOLUTELY NOT think of your own PERSONAL PLEASURE and the TREMENDOUS SATISFACTION you would get from pulling such a deviously ingenious stunt. The bottom line is that it would be wrong -- morally, ethically, uncategorically, deliciously wrong. We trust that we can count on you, our loyal readers, to do the right thing.
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Radio]]
84	* In the 18th March 2022 episode of ''Radio/TheNowShow'', Ken Cheng claims to have discovered a useful lifehack to beat inflation: Crime! He then immediately clarifies that he's kidding.
85	-->'''Ken''': For the purposes of standards and compliance, I should say, this is sarcastic. I'm not seriously suggesting listeners on Radio 4 should commit tax fraud. Wink. No, seriously, I don't do tax fraud. Wink. It doesn't matter anyway. As if tax fraud has [[Creator/KenDodd ever]] ruined [[Creator/JimmyCarr a comedian]]'s career!
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
89	* Creator/RickyGervais. In one of his routines, he identifies the Broken Aesop inherent in a version of the children's folk tale ''The Lazy Mouse and the Industrious Mouse'' that he was told by his headmaster, at a school assembly. In the story, the Industrious Mouse labours long and hard to prepare himself for winter, whilst the Lazy Mouse bunks off and has fun. When winter comes, the Lazy Mouse has nothing, so goes to avail himself of the charity of the Industrious Mouse who, after beginning a lecture about how the Lazy Mouse should have done his own preparing, [[{{Bowdlerise}} suddenly turns around and invites him in to share.]] Gervais notes with exasperation that the moral is mangled from being "work hard and be prepared for the future" into becoming, in his words, "fuck around, do whatever you want and then scrounge off a do-gooder". He also notes that most of the pupils at that assembly took the latter Aesop and "kept it up" for the entirety of their academic careers.
90	** He also points out that, thanks to the Rule Of Three, the moral of the tale of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is not "never tell a lie", but rather "never tell the same lie twice."
91	*** Star Trek Deep Space Nine's Garak came to the same conclusion.
92	* Creator/NormMacDonald pointed out the problem many anti-smoking ads have with showing the effect of smoking on organs.
93	-->'''[=MacDonald=]:''' My doctor tried to scare me out of smoking. He showed me a picture of a smoker's lung. Oh! It was gross and disgusting. Then he showed me a picture of a healthy person's lung. Oh! It was gross and disgusting!
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
97	* Parodied in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' with [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74224 Fat Ass]].
98	--> ''"Our lawyers say no matter how funny it would be, we can't encourage players to eat the cards. Hear that? Whatever you do, don't eat the delicious cards."''
99	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', especially the older versions of it, is rather clear in its "fascist totalitarianism is bad" message with the [[TheEmpire Imperium]] [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters of Man]] serving as an example of [[FascistButInefficient a dysfunctional fascist regime]]. But this aesop is watered down by how 1) the Imperium [[VillainProtagonist is the POV faction]] for [[SpotlightStealingSquad an overwhelming amount of material]] (easily 90% of the various books, codices, videogames and the likes are either from a pure Imperium P.O.V. or feature them as one of the protagonists, even getting [[Literature/HorusHeresy a hundred books long series about their backstory]]) to the detriment of other factions who aren't given as much SympatheticPOV stories[[note]][[https://www.reddit.com/r/40kLore/comments/1271n9c/factions_repartition_in_black_library_output_over/ Someone did the math]], and as of late 2022, books focused on the Imperium and its' characters account for ''more than 80% of the output of Games Workshop's publishing branch'', and that's without getting into the videogames, audio dramas, comics or animations that are ''also'' majorly focused on the Imperium[[/note]]; 2) the Imperium's enemies are almost never presented as being better than it (at best, they will be presented as [[BlackAndGrayMorality just as bad]], and several times where some other faction ended up appearing more moral than the Imperium they were promptly retconned to be worse); and 3) the Imperium just plain looks ''[[EvilIsCool cool]]'' and draws a lot of its imagery from Crusades-era Europe and 20th-century dictatorships. As a result, it's no surprise that a fair amount of ''40k'' fans are RootingForTheEmpire (and some even have a MisaimedFandom towards it). It got to the point that Games Workshop had to make an [[https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/19/the-imperium-is-driven-by-hate-warhammer-is-not/ official statement]] in November 2021 that they are not to be admired.
100	* One aspect of ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' is that the game wants the player to view being turned into a vampire as a hellish curse and wants them to focus on reflecting upon their undead nature and politicking in vampire world rather than fighting and action. However, this is undermined by the fact that the game's version of vampirism gives the player access to all kinds of over the top powers while also openly disregarding most of the traditional weaknesses vampires typically have, allowing skilled players to go all out with their character's abilities with minimal consequence. This has led to a sizable portion of the game's player base choosing to play it as a straightforward action game rather than the personal horror roleplay the creators intended it to be--to the point that some players have joked that it needs barely any tweaking to work as a game about superheroes.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Theater]]
104	* In ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'', the song "Dancing Through Life" is ''meant'' to paint the singer as having the wrong idea about life in general; but it also seems to go out of its way to make his philosophy sound appealing. Then again, when he [[spoiler: chooses to follow the heroine instead of keeping to that attitude, where does it get them]]? Dancing through Life might have been the better option - YMMV on this one.
105	* This is true of Ben Jonson's plays. Both ''Volpone'' and ''The Alchemist'' make fraud look fun, although in the former play, [[spoiler: harsh punishments are dished out to all the "villains" right at the end]].
106	* The musical ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan'' runs into this -- it's supposed to be ultimately condemning Frank Abegnale, Jr.'s, fraudulent and lawless life, except that the songs involving Frank's wild con artist life are ''much'' more enjoyable than the ones preaching strict {{Lawful Good}}ness. It's a common problem -- you're trying to send the message "Stay within the law, don't be outrageous and dashing" -- in a ''musical''? That said, Hanratty's opposing viewpoint song "Don't Break the Rules" ''is'' pretty good.
107	* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' does a fair job of showing there are consequences to the gang life... but then it has "Jet Song" and "Cool" and "Officer Krupke", all of which are a lot more ''fun'' than the more serious songs.
108	-->''When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dyin' day\
109	When you're a Jet, let 'em do what they can, you got brothers around, you're a family man''
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Webcomics]]
113	* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': [[PlayedForLaughs Gleefully]] used. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=394 Just look]] at those efficiently designed, finely crafted, aesthetically appealing savage tools of destruction... Tea in her fencing suit and wide smile objects to your [[ILikeSwords unhealthy fascination with swords]]! Though it doubles as foreshadowing, as later "enjoy, but don't forget what it's about" became a good plot point.
114	* ''Quitting Time'' presents: [[http://quitting-time.com/2009/02/04/customer-of-the-week-pure-evil/ Pure Evil]].
115	* ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'':
116	** Invoked in [[https://somethingpositive.net/comic/first-rehearsal-pt-6/ this strip]] with Davan's response to a gang of ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' fans protesting a stage-play adaptation of ''Film/ShockTreatment''. "Think of every movie or video game someone else protested that you immediately went to check out. Now you're doing that for us."
117	** The only reason {{God}} declared homosexuality a sin was to BatmanGambit lesbians into having more sex out of spite, [[GirlOnGirlIsHot which He of course gets to watch]].
118	* ''WebComic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''
119	** [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2005-03-21 Superman, smoking]]: "Kids, you shouldn't smoke because you don't have super lungs like me. Mmm. That's good."
120	** [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/smoking-kills Smoking kills people]], so it's not cool. [[FridgeLogic But then,]] lots of cool things (like sharks and karate) also kill people.
121	* {{Discussed\|Trope}} by General Tarquin in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', who points out that most stories about heroes overthrowing the EvilOverlord tend to assume that said Overlord has been ruling for years if not decades [[ImmortalityImmorality or even centuries]] and having a few minutes of violence and death isn't bad karma for ruling an empire or living "like a god" for all that time.
122	* In-universe in ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2281 “Don’t play with fireworks, or you’ll end up with sweet robot body parts.”]]
123	* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', Strohl makes up a [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-06-14 plasma-cannon safety colouring book]], which Fez Bojo describes as a marketing scheme.
124	* ''Webcomic/SuicideBoy'': The Twitter arc is basically all about Hooni taking embarassing pictures of himself for a tiny bit of appreciation on social media, which lead to him getting distant from his friends, starting to take more sexualized pictures and having a encounter with a creepy StalkerWithACrush. That didn't stop readers from thinking the pictures Hooni took were absolutely adorable.
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128	[[folder:Web Animation]]
129	* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel''/''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': Hell is almost exactly like Earth, has all the sex, drugs and booze you could want, you'll get a cool demon body with awesome powers, you're restored to perfect health, you'll get to see your loved ones again if they end up in Hell but most of all, there's no sign of any kind of eternal punishment. Aside from the yearly extermination, there doesn't seem to be much reason why people should avoid going there, much less be redeemed.
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132	[[folder:Web Original]]
133	* The Podcast/RiffTrax short 'Safety with Animals' has a scene telling the proper way to handle snakes, by way of showing a young child picking a wild snake from the ground, only to go back and say that you should never go near wild animals. Mike quickly mocks this.
134	--> '''Mike:''' Here's a kid doing cool stuff! (beat) Don't do that stuff.
135	* Deliberately invoked in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLoTakkd5nU this video]], showing different driving situations with a "Yes" or "No" signs supposedly indicating how things should be done. Since this is intentional, the "No" examples usually lead to better results than "Yes", frequently because the other drivers are not following the rules. For example, one "No" situation shows a car racing down the middle of a road with a divided line. The "Yes" version then shows a car properly driving on the right side... and killing a little girl's dog that has wandered onto the road.
136	* This trope is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62cPPSyoQkE discussed]] by Creator/LindsayEllis, who describes this as "the satire paradox", claiming that people tend to only take the intended message [[ConfirmationBias if they already hold the view]], while people who hold the opposite view [[MisaimedFandom tend to take the opposite message.]] After all, even if they notice the critical elements of the work, they can easily dismiss them as the story simply being self-aware that its side isn't perfect. She specifically discusses ''Film/AmericanHistoryX'' - in her view, in trying to show horrifying fascists, the film ended up also making them look like physically impressive badass alpha males who proudly uphold their beliefs and drip with the imagery that made the Nazis march to war. ''Film/TheProducers'', on the other hand, is praised for averting this trope, as the Nazi imagery in the film has the piss firmly taken out of it, and the only actual Nazi character is portrayed as a pathetic buffoon.
137	* ''WebVideo/BingingWithBabish'' will often tell the viewer [[DontTryThisAtHome not to try making]] the more NutritionalNightmare-style dishes featured in the series, only to then grudgingly admit that most of the dishes in question are actually really tasty.
138	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeUxObvJ1YQ&t=155s This video]] shows an elephant standing in the road expecting travelers to give her food, and getting some. The video description says you shouldn't feed a wild elephant but doesn't explain the consequence. While it's true getting close to wild elephants is dangerous and the elephant is putting herself and others in danger by standing in the road, the video doesn't show anybody suffering for it. All the vehicles slow down enough to safely pass the elephant, and nobody who feeds the elephant gets hurt; one person even touches her on the nose. The result is that a number of people don't understand the dangers the video is warning about and '''want''' to feed the elephant. It comes off as a rare chance to get close to a magnificent wild animal who looks so [[CuteGiant cute]] when begging for food.
139	* Creator/JonBois, in his history of the career of baseball player Lonnie Smith, notes that baseball in the 80s had something of a cocaine epidemic (explaining that baseball in general is known for substance abuse, due to its slow pace providing lots of room for breaks). He notes that it was an OpenSecret that at least three of the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals were snorting cocaine practically daily: Lonnie Smith, Keith Hernandez, and Joaquin Andujar. Curious, he decides to look up the stats of the players at the time... and realizes that Smith and Hernandez were the best batters on the Cardinals, and Andujar was their best pitcher. And then he recalls that the 1982 Cardinals ''won the World Series''. He then has to go into a lengthy aside to explain that DrugsAreBad, snorting cocaine does not make you better at baseball, and he refuses to take responsibility if someone assumes that it does. Fortunately, he manages to recover, explaining that Lonnie went on repeated benders that made him violent and reckless and that he eventually went into rehab after he came within a hair's breadth of an overdose.
140	* WebVideo/SsethTzeentach's [[https://youtu.be/URJ_qSXruW0 review]] of ''VideoGame/SpaceStation13'' starts with him noting that it's a spectacular game that he would rate 10 out of 10, then in the same breath says ''not'' to play it for several reasons (the engine is probably older than whoever's watching his review, the controls and UI are insanely convoluted, it takes a ''long'' time to learn even a single role, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and the servers would melt under any significant number of new players]]). He then spends the rest of the review detailing several sessions he himself had played, every one of which ended in a ludicrous and/or hilarious fashion,[[labelnote:Examples:]]Getting banned from practicing medicine on one server after he surgically replaced a player's hands and feet with pizza; getting banned from said server entirely after interrupting several furry roleplay sessions by flashbanging the room, handcuffing the participants, and [[ThrownOutTheAirlock spacing the entire room with C4 set outside the hull]] before they'd recovered; supplying a clown player with [[SpaceX space lube]], which he used to kill almost everyone in the server by making them slip along the floor in front of medical and out an airlock he'd hacked open; slipping voice-activated bombs [[WhyAmITicking inside a newbie]], supplying him with illegal weaponry in the hopes he'd be detained and kill the chief of security by unwittingly activating the bombs, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and dying to said bombs]] when the newbie spoke the trigger phrase before even leaving the room; playing as a cultist, getting discovered by the janitor, then failing to stop him from alerting security because he tripped them up with soapy water; joining a round mid-session in time for "penis inspection day" and being left to bleed out after the doctor blew off his ass with magic and wore it as a hat; cargo declaring independence from the rest of the station and ''winning'' it through use of conveyor belts, banana peels, and hacked soda machines to trap anyone who tried to stop them; and discovering he could force-feed players from a distance with the pneumatic cannon, immediately incapacitating the entire server by feeding everyone donuts loaded with hallucinogenic drugs, [[KarmaHoudini and getting off scott-free]] because security assumed the chemist did it.[[/labelnote]] which predictably resulted in [[ColbertBump a huge deluge of new players picking up the game]] and causing the servers to melt down under the "Ssethtide".
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144	* {{Parodied\|Trope}} in a theater warning featuring director Creator/JohnWaters. He's supposed to tell the audience that smoking is restricted in the theater but he does so by intentionally sending out mixed signals, like happily puffing on a cigarette himself and questioning the validity of the rule.
145	--> '''John''': ''(smoking)'' Hello, I'm John Waters, and I'm supposed to remind you that there's no smoking in this theater. Which I think is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard in my life. How can ''anyone'' sit through the length of a film, ''especially'' a European film, and ''not'' have a cigarette? But, don't you wish ''you'' had one right now? ''(inhales)'' Mmm-mmm-mmm. And I'm telling you to smoke anyway. It gives ushers jobs, and if people didn't smoke, there'd be no employment for the youth of today. So, once again, no smoking in this theater. ''(inhales again)'' Mmmm!
146	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DoNotDoThisCoolThing