Line #191 Main/FalseDichotomy


1	%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: %%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=3jrhy7wn
2	%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800
3
4	->''"False Dichotomy: This is where you say that there are only two choices, when actually there are more. For instance, you might say that someone is either alive, or they're dead, ignoring the fact that they might be Dracula. Or you might say that if someone's not a Democrat, they must be some sort of Republican, ignoring the very real possibility that they could be Dracula."''
5	-->-- '''Creator/LoreSjoberg''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyK1LTfLXiM Alt Text episode 5,]] "Logical Fallacies"
6
7	%% One quote is enough. Put additional quotes in the Quotes tab.
8
9	A false dichotomy[[note]]("Die-cot-uh-me/Dai-cot-ah-mi")[[/note]] -- also known as either/or reasoning, the black/white fallacy, false dilemma, false choice or binary thinking -- is when just two options are presented for something when there are actually (many) others. Moreover, the two options presented are rigged to favour one answer. There are two ways of doing this:
10
11	'''Classic'''. One choice is an unacceptable extreme, the presenter hopes the target will commit to the not-unacceptable-extreme option: "Kill the children, or buy their cookies."
12
13	'''Polarization'''. Both choices are unacceptable extremes, the presenter hopes the target will commit to the less-unacceptable option: "Kill the children with their own cookies, [[GoldenMeanFallacy or only kill half of them]]."
14
15	Reality is rarely so simple, unforgiving, or rigged. Instead of an artificial binary choice favouring an ideology, life offers a diverse landscape of choices and consequences.
16
17	A more subtle form is to argue that a statement of support for one thing means the speaker opposes another thing which is ''seen to be'' an opposed position, but which is not actually mutually exclusive with it at all:
18
19	-->'''Alice:''' I like cats.\
20	'''Bob:''' Why do you hate dogs?
21
22	This binary approach is also a common media trope. Simply put: it is a lot easier for an audience to understand a story where characters are villains ''[[BlackAndWhiteMorality or]]'' heroes.[[note]]This even extends to troping behavior; TheHero and the BigBad are ''not'' obligatory tropes in a story, but many morally complex characters still [[Administrivia/SquarePegRoundTrope get shoehorned into these roles]].[[/note]] In the simpler romances, it is more straightforward if characters exhibit a transcendent love, or an excoriating hate. Contrast GoldenMeanFallacy. Necessary for someone to be able to TakeAThirdOption (though, of course, doing that instantly subverts this trope by revealing the falsity of the dichotomy). A SadisticChoice is similar, except ''all'' of the given options are horrible. Compare and contrast the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Semantic Slippery Slope Fallacy]].
23
24	SuperTrope to:
25	[[index]]
26	* AllMythsAreTrue: Whenever there is a myth, it is inevitably true, as opposed to only some myths being true, or the myth being only partially true.
27	* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: A character has the delusional belief that good and evil is cut and dry.
28	* BooksVsScreens: You can either like books or screen-based entertainment, not both, often with an assertion that books are superior. Not to mention the existence of E-books.
29	* BrainsVersusBrawn: You are either smart or physically capable/strong. Can't be both!
30	* DisabledMeansHelpless: If you're disabled in any way, you're disabled in every way.
31	* DumbIsGood: You can either be moral or smart, it's impossible to be both (or neither).
32	* EnemyMine: This invokes the false dilemma that you and your "friend" must be on the same side, simply because you both oppose the same thing.
33	* FamilyVersusCareer: A woman can either be devoted to her family or devoted to her job.
34	* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: When putting the baby up for adoption isn't even mentioned as a possibility.
35	* IfJesusThenAliens: If someone believes in one supernatural thing, they take that as evidence that ''anything'' could exist.
36	* MadonnaWhoreComplex: This trope denies that a woman can be moral and ethical, and sexually active or desirous at the same time. She is either one or the other.
37	* ManVersusCareer: A woman is either married to her man or MarriedToTheJob.
38	* MeasuringTheMarigolds: The belief that one cannot delve into the inner workings of nature and still appreciate its beauty, because for some, knowing how nature functions takes away any wonder, mystique, and meaning it has.
39	* MeatVersusVeggies: People eat either lots of meat or no meat whatsoever, and the two groups inevitably clash. "Balanced diet"? What is that?
40	* NeutralityBacklash: When a False Dichotomy is [[EnforcedTrope enforced by one side or both extremes]] via active hostility towards third options.
41	* NoBisexuals: People are either gay or straight, because some believe that you cannot be attracted to two or more genders.
42	* NoSuchThingAsSpaceJesus: The notion that a powerful being can either be a deity or an alien, and that aliens can't be deities even if they're very powerful.
43	* NoTrueScotsman: The fallacy that if an X is or does Y, they're not a genuine X.
44	* PascalsWager: It assumes that there is only one way to believe in the divine and that therefore it's a binary choice between (in the original context) Christianity or atheism. In reality, Christianity is only one of many mutually contradictory religions, not to mention the fact that [[NoTrueScotsman Christians don't even all agree on which is the correct version of their own religion]].
45	* PerfectSolutionFallacy: Arguing that a course of action is no good because it's imperfect.
46	* RealWomenDontWearDresses: You can either be strong and get taken seriously, or a GirlyGirl. You can't possibly be both.
47	* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: You either solely value logic and disregard emotion entirely, or vice versa, with no middle ground. Never mind that Romanticism is a philosophy, hence intellectual, and that without emotions we wouldn't even care about Enlightenment.
48	* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: You're either a winner or a loser.
49	* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Can run into this if a choice that's both lawful AND good isn't on the table.
50	* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: Jokes that sort people into two categories.
51	* WithUsOrAgainstUs: An extremist who believes anyone who isn't explicitly with them is their enemy.
52	[[/index]]
53
54	The inverse is called '''Denying the Correlative''', wherein someone attempts to TakeAThirdOption where there ''is'' no third option. For example, being asked a yes or no question and answering "maybe."
55
56	!!! '''Looks like this fallacy but is not:'''
57
58	* There really are only two options. If a cafeteria only serves tea or coffee and you ask for a drink, "tea or coffee?" is not presenting a false dilemma.
59	* The choices are "A" or "Not A". In this case, "Not A" encompasses ''everything'' that isn't "A", even if that category is massive. For example, "You're either a Conservative, or not a Conservative," does include all possibilities, even though "Not a Conservative" includes liberals, libertarians, anarchists, or any other political philosophy that isn't simply conservatism by another name.
60	* The act of presenting two options ''makes there become'' just two options. For example, if asked to call heads or tails on a coin, it can be assumed any [[HeadsTailsEdge other states the coin might land in]] are going to be discarded.
61	* There really are only two options, even though there's a third (semi-)option that comes from combining (bits of) the other two. This is usually due to a linguistic quirk of English whereby both the Inclusive Or (A or B or both) and Exclusive Or (A or B but never both, often abbreviated xor) are both just 'or'. E.g. the statement "Everyone reading this page is alive or a human" is true for an Inclusive Or, but not for an Exclusive Or. Naturally, most statements like that are misleading in general speech. See the trope MathematiciansAnswer.
62
63	%%If you have time, please take time to put examples in alphabetical order. This page Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings should help you with that.
64	----
65	!!Examples:
66
67	[[foldercontrol]]
68
69	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
70	* ''Manga/BlueSpringRide'': Kou has to choose between dating Futaba, a girl that he's loved for several years, or to give emotional support to Yui, who is currently going through a rough spot in her life. Never once does it occur to him that he could date Futaba, while still being a good friend and support to Yui.
71	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Towards the end of the story, Alphonse acquires a Philosopher's Stone and uses it to his advantage to fight Kimbly and Pride. Kimbly wonders why: if Alphonse were to use the Stone to flee instead, he could use its power to restore his and Edward's bodies in full... while leaving Amestris and its people to its fate. Alphonse [[AvertedTrope throws out this logic]] and claims [[TakeAThirdOption there is no reason he should not be able to pull off both]]. Kimbly accepts this, but points out that it brings one more possibility on the table: fail to restore their bodies ''and'' fail to save anyone.
72	* ''Anime/TerrorInResonance'': During their first bombing, Twelve gives a bomb to his classmate Lisa to make Nine remember their mutual painful memory. Nine calls Lisa and gives her two options; join them as an accomplice, or die as a victim. [[spoiler:Obviously, she chooses staying alive.]]
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Comic Books]]
76	* During the initial promotion for ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'', Marvel released a pair of message board signature images reading either "I'm with ComicBook/CaptainAmerica" or "I'm with ComicBook/IronMan". Within days, fans were creating their own versions by the dozens, the most popular being: "You're all fucked when [[Comicbook/PlanetHulk the Hulk gets back]]" or '''''"THOU ART NO THOR"!'''''
77	* Parodied in ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' with J. Jonah Jameson's favorite description of Spidey; "Threat or Menace?". Basically suggesting that either Spider-Man is a danger to others around him accidentally, or he's an actively malevolent thug. The (true) third option that Spider-Man is neither of those things and is actually a hero who protects people is, of course, ignored by Jameson.
78	* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'': In his hellish prison-turned-junta Garrus-9, [[BigBad Overlord]] gives everyone who wins the GladiatorGames a choice; either commit suicide or fight him for their freedom. Overlord, for reference, is a genetically-enhanced SuperSoldier capable of slaughtering entire armies single-handedly. [[MortonsFork There is no choice but to die]]. The third option of simply running away before this point is pointed out by Impactor, but Snare sums up why nobody takes it; they're all rightfully terrified of what [[AxCrazy Overlord]] would do if anybody refuses to play along with his rules.
79	* The chief cause of the threeway conflict between humans, mutants, and robots that forms the crux of ''ComicBook/XMen'' is extremists on all three sides insisting that [[WithUsOrAgainstUs people must choose and can only be one]], and that any alternate options like peaceful coexistence or overlap between groups is impossible. The X-Men fight to prove that false dichotomy wrong, and stories frequently highlight the InsaneTrollLogic behind the dichotomy.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Fan Works]]
83	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fanfiction ''Cringeworthy'' ({{MST}}ed [[https://www.deviantart.com/mrtyedye/art/Fanfic-Peeking-Through-the-Fourth-Wall-Ep-15-737373186 here]], Luna writes a pop song, but other characters assume she must have stopped liking rock, ignoring the possibility that she likes both. Also, the story acts as though the only two options for describing Luna's song are "awful" and "awesome".
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
87	* This pops up in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' when Batman's [[ThouShaltNotKill one rule]] is directly challenged by Red Hood, [[spoiler:actually the resurrected Robin who was murdered by the Joker. Batman states that he can never kill because it would be JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, while Robin criticizes his logic and points out there is a third option: ''just kill Joker and nobody else''. Batman still balks at this, fearing he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters lacks the self-control to just stop after getting a taste for it]]]].
88	-->[[spoiler:'''Robin:''' ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why?!]]'' I'm not talking about killing Penguin or Scarecrow or Dent. I'm talking about him. Just him. And doing it because... because he took me away from you.\
89	'''Batman: ''' ...I can't. I'm sorry.]]
90	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBearThatWasnt'' has a bear told by factory managers that he's not a bear but a silly man in a fur coat that needs a shave. They tell him this over and over, but the clincher comes when the factory's president is brought in. The president takes the bear to the zoo and explains that bears belong in the zoo. Since the bear was not in the zoo, he could not be a bear. The bears in the zoo even agree, saying that a real bear would be in the zoo with them!
91	* At the end of ''Anime/JinRohTheWolfBrigade'', Fuse is given a choice between [[spoiler:killing Kei or sparing her]]... but the second he [[spoiler:shoots her]], a squadmate with him is shown unloading his own pistol, making it clear the "choice" was no choice at all, [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten merely a test of his loyalty]]. If Fuse had refused, [[spoiler:his squad would've just shot him and killed Kei themselves]].
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
95	* Part of the choice between factions in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''. Would you rather have superheroes who are so overly regulated they can never be effective at all, or no authority/oversight so superheroes can do whatever they want without repercussions? This may be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] because they are being told that the current arrangement ''is'' the compromise by Thaddeus Ross, who is using the Accords as a power play to control the Avengers who support him and round up the ones who don't. After seeing his severity later in the film and his unreasonable pettiness in [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar the next]], the remaining "Pro-Accords" Avengers quit.
96	%%* {{Defied\|Trope}} in ''Film/DonnieDarko'''s "Life Line" classroom scene:
97	%%-->'''Donnie:''' Well, life isn't that simple. I mean, who cares if Ling Ling returns the wallet and keeps the money? It has nothing to do with either fear or love.\
98	%%'''Kitty Farmer:''' Fear and love are the deepest of human emotions.\
99	%%'''Donnie:''' Okay. But you're not listening to me. There are other things that need to be taken into account here, like the whole spectrum of human emotion. You can't just lump everything into these two categories and then just deny everything else.
100	* ''Film/{{Expelled}}'' presents its issue as wholly a matter of unguided and naturalistic evolution vs. intelligent design (which has obvious religious implications, despite ID advocates claiming otherwise). The fact that many churches support evolution is dismissed with the claim that they simply do this in siding against conservative Christians (no mention of how one such group is the Catholics, with a doctrine that's hardly liberal Christian). So all of the evolutionary biologists in the film are atheists, and this was surely no coincidence given how Stein frames things here (again, despite claiming that ID's not a religious movement).
101	* ''Film/AFewGoodMen'': Colonel Jessup, after having been accused of killing one of his own men (admittedly by accident): "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post." In other words, you are either at war or not a soldier -- and he uses this argument against a ''military lawyer''.
102	* ''Film/AMatterOfFaith'': The only options raised in the debate are naturalistic evolution versus creationism. In reality, many believers {{take a third option}} of theistic evolution, claiming that God at least started it or perhaps guided the process. Of course, the film was backed by creationist groups which reject this, so naturally, the idea isn't brought up at all.
103	* The "Battle of Wits" from ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' presents this. The Man in Black puts two goblets between them and asks, "Where is the poison?" Vizzini goes through dozens of justifications and possibilities for why one would poison either one, trying to stall for time. Either way, he never considers that [[spoiler:they were both poisoned. Vizzini pulled the fallacy on himself, since the Man in Black never said that only one of the goblets was poisoned]].
104	* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' has two for one, but only one called out:
105	-->'''Anakin:''' If you're not with me, then you're my enemy!\
106	'''Obi-Wan:''' Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
107	* Layla from ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', asked to demonstrate her powers, claims that the hero/sidekick dichotomy is a false one, but is cut off by Boomer declaring her a sidekick.
108	* ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'': Nick Naylor's career as a tobacco lobbyist runs on this, using rapid attacks of ChewbaccaDefense, InsaneTrollLogic, and MovingTheGoalposts to discredit his opponents, thereby making himself looking like the smarter one by comparison. As he explains it to his son during a theoretical debate exercise, "I proved that you're wrong. And if you're wrong, I'm right."
109	* Fletcher's general view in ''Film/{{Whiplash}}'' boils down to a belief that praising people, whether they deserve it or not, makes them complacent and prevents them from going further, as evidenced in his "good job" monologue, but he goes the other extreme, offering up nothing but [[SadistTeacher horrific verbal abuse]]. The idea that a teacher can praise a student for doing well and also push them to do better is something that doesn't seem to occur to Fletcher and is a sign that [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist he just likes being awful to people because he's a bully]].
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Jokes]]
113	* There's a standard joke about someone moving to Northern Ireland and being asked by the locals if they're Protestant or Catholic: when they explain that they are in fact atheist/Buddhist/Muslim/other, the locals respond "Yes, but are you a Protestant or a Catholic atheist/Buddhist/Muslim/other?"
114	* Similar joke: an atheist is asked but is asked to clarify "...is it the Protestant God or the Catholic God you don't believe in?"
115	* [[http://www.blap.com/joke.php?query=176 This joke]] includes one at the end. The third interviewee presumes that the prospective employer must wear contacts, as it would be hard to wear glasses without ears. Apparently, it did not occur to the interviewee that his prospective employer might not require any correction to his vision at all.
116	* If you see a $5 note and a $10 note on the ground, which would you pick?
117	* "That city only has prostitutes and troops!" "My mom lives there!" "She's guaranteeing the town safety."
118	* At an asylum, a patient's sanity is tested by filling a bathtub with water, then asking the patient to empty it in the shortest time possible, given a choice between a cup and a bucket for doing so. A sane person would choose [[spoiler:to [[TakeAThirdOption pull out the plug]]]].
119	* One common joke involves a kid riding a bicycle (or donkey, in some versions) across a border with a sack of straw every day for years; a suspicious border guard stops him every time and checks the sack for smuggled goods, never finding anything. When the two meet years later and the officer asks what the kid was actually smuggling, the answer is "bikes/donkeys". The false dichotomy comes in because the guard falsely assumed that the kid was either smuggling something in the sack, or not smuggling at all.
120	* The infamous trolley problem. As many people have pointed out, if you were actually in this situation in real life, it's highly unlikely that your only two options would be to do nothing and let the children get hit, or flip the switch to the other track and then let the rail worker get hit.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Literature]]
124	* The AuthorFilibuster in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'' opposes the GoldenMeanFallacy so thoroughly it becomes this instead.
125	-->'''John Galt:''' There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.
126	* ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'': Mustapha Mond's experiment in equality fails to be an argument against free will because the experiment seems to have been engineered to fail. The people involved in the experiment were Alphas. They not only had a high intelligence that made them efficient at intellectual work, they were conditioned '''all''' their prior life to be happy '''only''' with specific jobs. This ensured civil war, because they were literally brainwashed into being incapable of accepting the menial jobs they were shown. Yet no character points this out. If the experiment involved members of ''all'' castes, except without the caste system being enforced (allowing castes to interbreed, and take different jobs if they wanted to), or the citizens selected for the experiment were adults who were spared conditioning as children, the experiment could probably have succeeded. The "brilliant minds" who became disillusioned with society and were banished to the world's many islands to do as they please (alluded to at the book's end and explored in Huxley's ''Island'') certainly created what could very well be [[TakeAThirdOption a viable alternative]] to "civilization" (with its brainwashing and enforced caste system) and "savage" (poverty- and conflict-ridden) reservations. Thus the presented trilemma between pointless hedonism, civil war, and low-technology reservations is a false one.
127	* A ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' [[OutlivedItsCreator sequel-by-other-hands]] has Holmes called upon to judge which of two violins is the one Davy Crockett played at the Alamo. He quickly identifies one as a fake, but realises [[spoiler: that he was intended to; the owner wanted him to declare ''a'' violin as genuine, and so was presenting him with the false dichotomy of "which one's the fake?" They both are.]]
128	* In ''[[Literature/HumanxCommonwealth The Tar-Aiym Krang]]'', Tru and Bran spend an inordinate amount of exposition debating whether the titular legendary artifact for which they are searching is a musical instrument, as per one version of the myth, or a powerful weapon, as per a different version. Naturally, the actual Krang turns out to be a sonic weapon of unprecedented power.
129	* In ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'', Bella believes she must either be with Edward or with Jacob. She also believes she must either become a vampire or grow old. Later, she believes that [[spoiler: she must either wait until her belly is full-sized to deliver, or abort it, because no life-threatening pregnancy was ever solved by putting the babies on life-support to save the life of the mother]]. Bella thinks only in absolutes throughout the series. Another example would be when Edward leaves her in the second book. To her, her only options are being happy with Edward, or being miserable without him. Being happy without Edward never once occurs to her, no matter how often it's suggested to her.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
133	* ''Series/TheColbertReport'':
134	** Creator/StephenColbert loves this trope and takes it to the extreme, often asking questions such as "America: greatest nation in the world, or greatest nation in the universe?" When the interviewee starts to say he/she doesn't want to be quoted as saying either of those, he explains that those are the only options available: [[TwistingTheWords "So I'll put you down for 'world,' because that's not AS great as 'universe'..."]]
135	** "Pick a side, we're at war."
136	** "George W. Bush: Great President, or The Greatest President?"
137	** He also divides the supermarket into cheese and non-cheese. Assuming that he classifies everything ''with cheese in it'' as cheese, it's a real dichotomy… but not a particularly important one. What about cottage cheese and other borderline dairy products?
138	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': In season 7 the campaign of the exiled queen Daenerys to retake her ancestral throne inexplicably grinds to a halt despite her overwhelmingly superior forces that includes [[FantasticNuke three dragons]]. The use of dragons is suddenly out of the question because, presumably, they would inevitably cause massive civilian casualties. The idea of using them for intimidation is never even entertained, despite the historical precedent (one of Daenerys' ancestresses had conquered an obstinate kingdom by flying her dragon to the queen's castle and... offering the queen's young son a ride on the dragon's back. [[SarcasmMode Somehow]] the queen had no further questions and bent the knee immediately) and the previously demonstrated perfect level of control Daenerys had over her dragons.
139	* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': Leslie tried to drum up public support for building a park by phrasing the question, "Wouldn't you rather have a park than a storage facility for nuclear waste?"
140	* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': In "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E20TheDarkTower The Dark Tower]]", [[spoiler: Nora Clayton]] gets shot in the gut by a coil gun and is bleeding out. Rachel Matheson tries to convince Team Matheson to just leave her behind and turn the power back, and [[spoiler: Nora]] herself even urges them to leave her. However, Charlie Matheson intervenes and flat out states that this is not an either-or situation and that they can both turn the power back and get [[spoiler: Nora]] to an infirmary. So, Aaron Pittman and Rachel go on to get the power back on, and Charlie and Miles Matheson go on to get [[spoiler: Nora]] to an infirmary.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
144	* Occurs in [[http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2001-11-05/ this]] ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' comic. Similarly, [[http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-02-23/ "Would you say you worship Satan, or do you simply respect his no-nonsense approach to discipline?"]]
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
148	* Many, many debates about alignment in the ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' game have arisen because of assuming every possible action ''must'' be either "Good" or "Evil", while overlooking the existence of "Neutral" as an alternative. This frequently comes up for the paladin class, because the phrasing of their code of honor implies that even ''tolerating'' any act of evil or chaos can cost them all their class features.
149	** The infamous "[[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Baby_Monster_Dilemma Baby Orc Dilemma]]" from early editions is the result of [[KillerGameMaster jerkass DMs]] using a false dichotomy (either kill a innocent baby monster or let it grow up to be evil) to force Paladins into "falling" by boxing them into a SadisticChoice between two evil options. The actual result of the choice — the Paladin falling — is the same either way, so it's [[MortonsFork lose-lose]]. The rather obvious options (ensuring the baby is raised properly by good people, adopting it yourself, that the baby just won't grow up to be evil, etc.) [[{{Railroading}} are not allowed]]. Stamping out this sort of nonsense is why later editions ditch the AlwaysChaoticEvil concept (which they were doing anyways) and spell out Paladin codes in the player handbook rather then leaving them up to the whims of the DM.
150	* RPG game ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'': if you aren't a fanatic supporter of the oppressive totalitarian regime, a loyal servant of The Computer, you are a death-dealing commie mutant traitor. This one is notable because ''everyone'' in ''Paranoia'' is a commie mutant traitor at heart, so instead of there being more than two possibilities, it turns out there's only one. Well, some of the commie mutant traitors do love the Computer.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Video Games]]
154	* One sidequest in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' involves investigating a murder. Eventually, you learn that the suspect did indeed try to kill the victim, but the shot missed, and the victim was instead killed by hostile aliens. The game then presents only two options: arrest the suspect for the murder, which he didn't technically commit, or let him go, even though he really was trying to kill someone. For some reason, the game forgets that attempted murder is also a crime, if a less serious one.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
158	* Part of a trick played on Kyousuke in ''VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString,'' which is especially amusing because he just saw it pulled on his idiot friend. The trick pulled on his friend was the question "Which river is the longest in the world? A. the Amazon B. the Yangtze C. the Edo?"[[note]]He picked the Edo river. Like noted, he's an idiot.[[/note]] while it was never stated that it was actually a multiple choice question, and thus the answer is the Nile. The trick played on Kyousuke comes immediately after, where he gets asked, "Will you [[spoiler:go on a date with Mizuha at a classical concert]] or somewhere else?" and he accidentally picks option one before realizing that '[[spoiler:don't go on a date at all]]' was also a valid choice, but is too proud to back down now.
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Webcomics]]
162	* Summed up nicely in [[http://www.whatisdeepfried.com/2001/11/23/grocery-misconduct/ this Deep Fried strip.]] An alien is asked, "Paper or plastic?" at the store, and gets angry that he's not given any other options.
163	* In ''Edition Wars: Invaders from the Fourth Dimension'', a story in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' book ''Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales'', the [[MeetYourEarlyInstallmentWeirdness Fourth Edition]] [[EvilTwin version]] of Haley is able to knock out Durkon by stabbing him in the foot, because nowhere in the rules does it say that she ''can't'' knock him out by stabbing him in the foot.
164	-->'''4E Elan:''' Then that means you used--\
165	'''4E Haley:''' Yes. I used the power of abandoned verisimilitude!\
166	'''4E Elan:''' Anything is possible when you don't care about what's actually possible!
167	** A straighter example is the conflict to begin with. 4E Roy believes that people can either play 4th Edition or 3.5. Eventually both teams TakeAThirdOption [[spoiler:by attacking ''other'' types of gaming]].
168	* Called out in the Fantasy theme of ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'': When one of the {{Player Character}}s asks the DM "Would you rather have campaign progress or character development?" the DM promptly replies "It is ''not'' a dichotomy!" In the accompanying rant, it is commented, "Of course not. In a dichotomy, you do get ''one'' of the options."
169	* Averted in [[http://mountaincomics.com/comic/mountain-time-374/ this]] ''Webcomic/MountainTime'' comic in the form of the battle cry of the Rally for More Options.
170	%%** [[http://xkcd.com/322/ "Pix plz"]] was [[http://chainsawsuit.com/2008/05/09/strip-363/ parodied by Chainsawsuit.]] Note how the jerk distills Black Hat down to "[[AdHominem Stalking girls]]" or "white knighting". So if anyone calls someone online out on their misogyny, they're only doing it to get into girls' pants and/or out of some need to defend their honor. The actual ''content'' of the criticism is to be brushed aside in favor of [[AdHominem allegations about the critic]]. To be fair to Straub, this is inherent in ''any'' accusation of "white knighting".
171	%%*** The above actually strawmans a parody. Asking an intruder into one's own home how he identified the individual is a valid question and criticism. It does not generalize to all online discussions or even all accusations of misogyny. Black Hat may have been able to come up with a third option. But he couldn't have come up with a ''good'' option. Then again, [[AntiHero Black Hat is not a "good" person, even in canon]]. Also, in the example comment, the content was not dismissed (it was actually accepted as true.) It's only that Black Hat's actions are no less problematic.
172	* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'':
173	** Deconstructed in [[http://xkcd.com/871/ "Charity"]]. Telling someone they are in the wrong for choosing a middle ground does not mean they will make the choice you feel is just. Then your side loses completely should they choose the other option.
174	** [[https://xkcd.com/2592/ False Dichotomy]] is named after the fallacy and provides a sillier and more meta example.
175	--->'''Cueball''': Yes, but we have to embrace false dichotomies, because the only alternative is cannibalism.
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:Web Originals]]
179	* ''Extremely'' common in a FlameWar. In fact you can test this yourself; go to any wikia based site and bring up a commonly held but non-verifiable belief, you won't have to wait long to see this kind of argument show up.
180	* A popular joke on Website/YouTube is to comment on a video by reciting the number of "dislike" ratings the video has at the time of commenting and accusing all of them of something; common examples include "[X] people missed the 'like' button," "[X] people had no childhood," "[X] people are Music/JustinBieber fans," or some kind of threat. Such comments tend to be found in the highest rated comments, but luckily, subversions and parodies are replacing them in that spot (a common version referencing something ''in'' the video or relevant to it).
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Western Animation]]
184	* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "[[Recap/AmericanDadS7E2SonOfStan Son of Stan]]", Stan and Francine argue over whether the proper way to raise Steve is to be ''totally'' strict, or ''totally'' permissive. Stan settles the matter by cloning Steve and letting Francine raise Steve her way, while he raises Steve-arino (the clone) his way. It turns out that neither way is correct: Steve ends up becoming a disrespectful slob thanks to Francine's lack of disciplining him, while Steve-arino becomes a psychopathic killer thanks to Stan's oppressive parenting.
185	* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE46AlmostGotIm Almost Got 'Im]]", Harley Quinn has Catwoman strapped to a ConveyorBeltOfDoom with Batman cornering her. She tries to convince Batman that he could [[SadisticChoice only capture Harley or save Catwoman]]. Batman [[InstantlyProvenWrong proves her wrong]] [[TakeAThirdOption by simply]] [[CutTheJuice shutting off the power]] to the conveyor belt without letting her go.
186	-->'''Harley:''' [[DidntThinkThisThrough Good call]]. ''Help!''
187	* In ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk'', Hiccup must choose between beating Snotlout at The Thawfest Games or letting Snotlout win, with it being shown that if Snotlout ''doesn't'' win, he's in for hell from his father (of breaking the family streak) to the point of Snotlout outright panicking when he thinks it'll happen. It's '''never''' brought up that maybe Snotlout's dad is taking this too seriously, shouldn't have his love for his son based on a game, or anything of the sort. It also doesn't help that Snotlout is an obnoxious winner, not even realizing that Hiccup threw the race for him, when part of Hiccup's dilemma was if he was just winning to be a jerk (he TookALevelInJerkass so they could wonder that, too) instead of helping out a friend.
188	* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS3E13ScrewedThePooch Screwed the Pooch]]":
189	-->'''Lawyer:''' Mr. Griffin, which of the following two phrases best describes Brian Griffin: "problem drinker" or "African American haberdasher"?\
190	'''Peter:''' Uh, do I -- I guess problem drinker, but that's, uh--\
191	'''Lawyer:''' Thank you. Now: "sexual deviant" or "magic picture that if you stare at it long enough, you see something"?\
192	'''Peter:''' Well, sexual deviant, but that other one's not even, eh--\
193	'''Lawyer:''' Thank you.
194	* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Hank Hill and his friends can't wrap their head around their neighbor Khan Souphanousinphone [[InterchangeableAsianCultures not being either Chinese or Japanese]], even after he corrects them.
195	-->'''Hank:''' So are you Chinese or Japanese?\
196	'''Khan:''' No, we are Laotian.\
197	'''Bill:''' [[MondegreenGag The ocean? What ocean?]]\
198	'''Khan:''' From Laos, stupid! It's a landlocked country in South-East Asia between Vietnam and Thailand, population approximately 4.7 million!\
199	'''Hank:''' ''[long pause]'' So are you Chinese or Japanese?\
200	'''Khan:''' D'oh!
201	** Even [[RacistGrandpa Cotton]] can [[JerkassHasAPoint get it right]].
202	--->'''Dale:''' ''[whispering about Khan]'' He's Japanese.\
203	'''Cotton:''' No he ain't! ''[[[{{Beat}} inspects Khan]]]'' He's Laotian. Ain't you, Mr. Khan?
204	* In ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'', [[spoiler:the DealWithTheDevil the Beast operates under is actually one of these. He told the Woodsman (and later Wirt) that their only choices were to keep their loved one's soul lit in the Dark Lantern or let them die. In reality no such choice exists, as the Dark Lantern doesn't actually contain the soul of the Woodsman's daughter; it contains ''[[SoulJar the Beast's soul]]'' and he tricks people into keeping it lit because if it goes out he'll die]]. Take a wild guess [[LaserGuidedKarma what happens]] when Wirt finally figures out the trick and gives the Woodsman the lantern...
205	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''
206	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS2E17Gnomes Gnomes]]" is about [[BlandNameProduct Harbucks Coffee]] threatening the existence of Tweek Bros. Coffeehouse. Mr. Tweek gets the public on his side to oppose the larger corporation and a proposition is soon presented that would determine whether or not Harbucks would be allowed to stay. An ad is soon presented by "Citizens for a Fair and Equal way to get Harbucks Coffee kicked out of Town Forever".
207	--->It's time to stop large corporations. Prop. 10 is about children. Vote yes on Prop. 10, or else, you hate children. You don't hate... children... do you?
208	** Spoofed in "[[Recap/SouthParkS9E6TheDeathOfEricCartman The Death of Eric Cartman]]":
209	--->'''Mrs. Stotch:''' I don't know whether to [[YouAreGrounded ground him]] or call a doctor.\
210	'''Mr. Stotch:''' I think you should call a doctor. I'll ground him.
211	[[/folder]]
212

Context Main / FalseDichotomy