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5[[quoteright:270:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/insultbackfire1_3864.jpg]]]]
6[[caption-width-right:270:"What is that splattered all over the drawing?"\
7[[LudicrousGibs "Chunky spaghetti sauce!"]]]]
8
9->''"The other side wants to marginalize us and make us the 'outsiders.' Why not ''run'' with it?"''
10-->-- '''Brad Lavigne''', from the Creator/{{CBC}} biopic ''[[Film/Jack2013 Jack]]''
11
12A verbal equivalent of AttackBackfire, this is for when Alice comments on a trait of Bob's in a way that's intended to sound negative -- but instead of being insulted, Bob acts ''flattered.''
13
14Usually, this is because Bob invokes the "insulting" quality intentionally. Less commonly, Bob's TheDitz or has a poor grasp of the [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness word or concept]] being insulted and takes it to be a positive comment. Other times, it's simply a case of Bob having the attitude of pretending that it's not an insult, or even turning it back on her: "Coming from ''you'', IllTakeThatAsACompliment."
15
16A variant is for the character to be insulted, not because they dislike what was said, but because they're ''obviously'' [[DamnedByFaintPraise so much worse than that.]]
17
18Occasionally, the insult backfires because Alice's remarks were insulting on the surface, but Bob carries them to their logical, ultimately complimentary conclusion. These cases typically only work when the original insult was mild and/or non-malicious to begin with.
19
20Related to StealthInsult, but different in that an Insult Backfire is accidental and a StealthInsult is sent over the target's head on purpose. Sometimes, it seems the only sure way to insult someone is to [[ComplimentBackfire give them a compliment.]]
21
22Not to be confused with InsultMisfire, where the target obliviously doesn't realize the insult was directed at ''them''. Compare ThreatBackfire. Compare and contrast ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne, where there are multiple insults, but the character may only object to one of them. If you phrased your insult poorly ("You fight like my grandma!"), you may get Insult Backfire through LiteralistSnarking ("You fought your grandma?"). See also BluntYes, which is often based on a similar theme. Contrast ComplimentBackfire (and CallingMeALogarithm, when someone thinks a word that's not an insult or even not directed at a person is an insult). See also InsultFriendlyFire.
23
24'''Common variations:'''
25* {{Villains}}: Calling them evil, vile, or psycho is likely to make them [[FauxAffablyEvil drop]] their AffablyEvil act and be demure from the flattery, especially if they're of the [[CardCarryingVillain card-carrying]] variety.
26* {{Troll}}: Those who get off of people's retorts towards their trolling; those who had sucessfully "baited people" into insulting them. May overlap with the villainous cases above.
27* Sluttiness: Many a [[TheVamp Vamp]] finds her lasciviousness high praise.
28* Alternative Lifestyles: [[SlobsVersusSnobs Take your pick]], but the person in question is happy with it.
29* TheTrickster: Acting shocked at their underhandedness.
30* [[TheMadHatter Madmen]]: Anyone who tells them "YoureInsane!" will be met with a response such as "Thanks for noticing!"
31* Heroic: The character being insulted is proud of his [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids idealism]], [[HonorBeforeReason honor]], [[WithGreatPower heroic tendencies]], or some other trait [[EvilCannotComprehendGood the villain tries to insult]].
32* Artists: The disgust of the viewer for their work was the IntendedAudienceReaction.
33* Geeks and Nerds are often [[ProudToBeAGeek proud of their geekiness/nerdiness/useless knowledge.]]
34* [[RealWomenNeverWearDresses Feminine Women]]: The woman is a supporter of equal rights for women and sees no reason why that should stop her from displaying feminine traits.
35* Someone who's been criticized ''a lot'' over something and is at the point where they brush off insults as "Wow, NeverHeardThatOneBefore." Bonus points for critiquing the insulting technique itself.
36* {{Jerkass}}es: The character is an unrepentant dickwad who deliberately responds this way just to infuriate their insulters, or a CardCarryingJerkass who takes open ''pride'' in their assholery.
37* SarcasmBlind: When a character takes someone else's sarcastic compliment towards them as a genuine compliment.
38* RuleOfFunny: The character is a complete idiot who [[ItsAllAboutMe loves hearing other people talking about them]], whether positively or negatively.
39* The insult was done in such a way that the target is able to turn it around with a bigger insult. For example, if someone tries to TrashTalk an opponent while [[CombatPragmatist using an unfair advantage]] in a competition (whether combat or something else) and the target is able to turn it around by insinuating or straight out saying that the individual is unable to beat them without cheating. Then again, someone like a CardCarryingVillain could [[VolleyingInsults retort the retort]], saying the target's soft for not being a CombatPragmatist.
40* {{Inver|tedTrope}}sions of HitlerAteSugar, DamnedByAFoolsPraise and/or YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: The insulter is an evil person or otherwise someone the target has a really low opinion of. If having their approval is bad and would bring shame, then having their ''dis''approval must be good!
41* ActuallyPrettyFunny: The target thinks the insult is a clever joke and is amused by it. This may be down to them being a good sport, or maybe (as with roasts from an InsultComic) it really is just that funny.
42* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: They may be talking trash about you, but hey, that means they’re ''talking'' about you.
43
44See also ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne, IResembleThatRemark, WrongInsultOffence, CardCarryingVillain, TallDarkAndSnarky and ItsWhatIDo. If the insultee adopts the insult as an actual badge of identity, it becomes an AppropriatedAppellation. Compare GeekyTurnOn, IWouldSayIfICouldSay, ArsonMurderAndAdmiration, BluntYes, and ActuallyPrettyFunny. Sometimes crosses paths with MisaimedFandom. The complete opposite of YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame and OffendingTheFool.
45
46----
47!!Example subpages:
48[[index]]
49* InsultBackfire/AnimeAndManga
50* InsultBackfire/ComicBooks
51* InsultBackfire/ComicStrips
52* InsultBackfire/FanWorks
53* [[InsultBackfire/AnimatedFilms Films — Animated]]
54* [[InsultBackfire/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
55* InsultBackfire/{{Literature}}
56* InsultBackfire/LiveActionTV
57* InsultBackfire/{{Music}}
58* InsultBackfire/ProfessionalWrestling
59* InsultBackfire/{{Theatre}}
60* InsultBackfire/VideoGames
61* InsultBackfire/{{Webcomics}}
62* InsultBackfire/WebOriginal
63* InsultBackfire/WesternAnimation
64* InsultBackfire/RealLife
65[[/index]]
66
67!!Other examples:
68[[foldercontrol]]
69
70[[folder:Advertising]]
71* Evoked by the advertising for ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'' where they showed game footage to some MoralGuardians, filmed their utterly repulsed reactions and tirades of how grotesque and violent the game was, and then used this ''to hype the game'' with their "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcm5M-KWQnM&list=PL08ADEE44E08DCDFF Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2]]" advertising campaign.
72* One Chevrolet commercial claims that their trucks are "second to nobody", before adding "If by 'nobody,' you mean Ram and Ford." Chevy apparently didn't even notice that the wording of their little extra jab at the competition meant that they were directly saying that Ram and Ford made better trucks than them. Not surprisingly, it wasn't very long before the ad was pulled.
73* Another [[https://jalopnik.com/ford-loves-new-chevy-man-step-commercial-5139326 Chevrolet truck ad]] from 2009 mocked the competing Ford F-150 for having a tailgate step on the back in order to present their Silverado as RatedMForManly. In the ad, the poor sap using the tailgate step to load a bird feeder into his truck is portrayed as TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket, leading pitchman Howie Long to mock him for needing a "man step" to get items into his truck's bed. Ford truck marketing manager Doug Scott responded by thanking Chevrolet for advertising the genuinely useful feature that was available as an option on the F-150. Ford also later ran [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDc9nxkxdZ0 this ad]] in response, saying that the tailgate step was for people who actually hauled things in their trucks and implying that the only thing anybody used Chevy trucks for was carrying yarn. (And Chevy later added their own tailgate step for their trucks.)
74-->'''Doug Scott:''' I hope they keep running the spot because they're doing a great job advertising that feature for us. Thirty-two percent of the 2009 F-150s we’ve sold have that tailgate step. We’re doing really well with it, and we’re really happy they’re running that ad because it’s proven to be a popular feature.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Audio Plays]]
78* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'':
79** In ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoCCS6E1TalesFromTheVault Tales from the Vault]]'', after hearing Kali Korash's plan to lead the troops under his command into a massacre, Steven [[YoureInsane calls him 'psychotic']]. Kali Korash takes this as a compliment.
80** In ''The Heart of the Battle'', the Doctor says he can see the resemblance between the Taalyens and the Daleks. The Taalyen leader replies "You honour me. And yet I know that you did not intend that."
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Game Shows]]
84* In Series 1 of ''Series/{{Taskmaster}}'' after Josh Widdicombe has completed three similar tasks, "Count the baked beans in the tin", "Count the spaghetti hoops in the tin", and "Count the grains of rice in a bag", he claims Greg and Alex are bigger losers than he is because they have to watch five different people do those three things over and over, while he only had to do each once. He then gets to watch the footage of himself saying that after he's learned he was the ''only'' one doing those tasks and Greg only made him do them [[ItAmusedMe for a cheap laugh]].
85--> '''Josh (During the task):''' You know, you feel like a loser, but then you realize you're not the one who has to watch this five times so I don't know who's the bigger loser, me or you.
86--> '''Greg:''' Do you know ''now?''
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Jokes]]
90* An old joke combines this with AnalogyBackfire:
91-->'''Alice''': I'd tell you a joke about your penis, but it's too short.
92-->'''Bob''': You're right, that is a joke.
93* A bald man is regularly ribbed by his coworkers with various degrees of subtlety. One day, a coworker rubs the man's head and says "You know, this feels like my wife's ass!" The bald man rubs it and says "Hey yeah, it ''does'' feel like your wife's ass!"
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:New Media]]
97* Regular commenters on the Web site [[http://www.jezebel.com Jezebel]] sometimes call themselves and other members "lesbian shitasses" in response to a slur hurled at them by former actor Scott Baio's wife, who called them (and probably feminists in general) that via Twitter in a rather childish attempt to insult them.
98** A similar thing is true for commenters of Website/{{Regretsy}}, which mocks pretentious Etsy sellers, bizarre items on Etsy, and Etsy resellers (selling bulk goods as "homemade"). One such seller called the Regretsy commenters "fat jealous losers" and the name (and the acronym FJLs) stuck.
99** Also true for the fighting game community, where people who only watch streams and chats (especially when it involves trolling and/or spamming) without participating in the scene proper, are referred to as "stream monsters." Said people actually embraced the term and even refer to themselves as such.
100[[/folder]]
101
102[[folder:Podcasts]]
103* ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' features an encounter between [[spoiler: the Archivist]] and an incarnation of the Flesh, who looks at [[spoiler: Martin]] and says, "Who's this, your boyfriend?" To which [[spoiler: the Archivist]], completely unfazed, replies, "Yes, actually."
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Radio]]
107* ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' regularly uses these:
108-->'''Seagoon''': You are a coward.
109-->'''Bloodnock''': Seagoon, you surprise me.
110-->'''Seagoon''': Why?
111-->'''Bloodnock''': I didn't know you knew.
112** And:
113-->'''Greenslade''': Mr. Eccles, we are not doubting your sincerity for one moment. It's just your intelligence that's in question.
114-->'''Eccles''': Oh... well, I accept your apology.
115* Inverted on ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'':
116-->'''Connie''': Why don't you live in a style more befitting your financial status?
117-->'''Whit''': You're beginning to sound like [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Eugene]].
118-->'''Connie''': There's no reason to get insulting.
119* Similarly to the classic ''Yankee Doodle'' example, leftist musician Vic Berger's parody [[https://youtu.be/uWd6XgBVIcg folk song]] made up entirely of Alex Jones quotes not only was appreciated and extensively replayed by [[AscendedMeme Jones himself]], but inspired [[https://youtu.be/3fNrhLOilgY multiple]] [[https://youtu.be/9JiwINcknWE covers]] by Trump-supporting ''Infowars'' fans ([[WatchItForTheMeme among others]]), for a contest he devised. In the end, everybody had fun with it.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Religion]]
123* Everything the Romans did to mock and humiliate Jesus (the thorn crown, the I.N.R.I. moniker) is now standard Church imagery.
124* A Jewish myth about a Midianite god called Ba'al Peor heavily involves this trope. According to the myth, Ba'al Peor was worshipped by squatting down before his idol and defecating. A Jew who came across his temple, unaware of this practice, wanted to express his disdain of the false god by wiping his ass on the idol's nose. Instead of outraging Ba'al Peor's priests with his disrespect, they actually praised him to high heaven, remarking that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heresy_of_Peor#Talmudic_traditions "no one before has served this idol thus".]]
125[[/folder]]
126
127[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
128* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': In the backstory, Theodore Kurita’s contentious relationship to his father Takashi led to his father insulting him by giving him the wreckage of an old Orion [=BattleMech=]. What Theodore learned that his father did not know was that the ‘Mech was the wreckage of a ‘Mech piloted by the legendary Star League General, Alexander Kerensky. After repairing the ‘Mech, he piloted it with pride. Beyond that, Theodore was happy to receive an Orion (a 75 ton mech known for being well armed and armored) over the traditional Dragon mech that he would have otherwise received (which was 60 tons and faster than the Orion but with vastly inferior armor and firepower).
129* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
130** "Drow" is said to be a corrupted/contracted form of old elven "dhaeraow", meaning literally "black heart" and figuratively "traitor". (Call the typical drow a traitor, [[TheStarscream and she'll see it as something to be proud of]].)
131** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' has [[http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20020925es Khôltar]], where dwarves trying to insult the human metalworking settlement nicknamed it "the Place of Pourers and Filers" -- inhabitant didn't see this as an insult and ran with it.
132** ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}'': In the supplement ''Tall Tales of the Wee Folk'', insulting a satyr '''always''' backfires, as members of that race attribute their own behavior purely to natural impulses, rather than ethics or values. Call one a "filthy liar", and he'll neither take offense nor realize you're making a moral judgement, but will simply agree or disagree as to whether he's physically unclean or has told you an untruth.
133* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': Insulting Litheroy to his face is a very unsastifying experience, due to his intense literalism and seemingly inability to take offense. Depending on whether he understands what the insult means or not, the process just results in him either calmly correcting the insult to a slightly more approriate form or asking for clarification on what it means well beyond the point where something continues to be funny or hurtful. For instance, the one time he was called "Babblesnake" to his face, he replied that, since his followers are also called babblesnakes, he might be better referred to as Head Babblesnake or Archangel Babblesnake, just for clarity.
134* ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'': The Scorpion Clan's motto is "I can swim", from their telling of the fable of the Scorpion.
135* ''TabletopGame/LegendsOfTheWulin'': Sword Bastard took his name from an epithet in the DyingSpeech of a hero he killed.
136* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': The flavor text for [[https://scryfall.com/card/gpt/100/agent-of-masks Agent of Masks]] has the double agent in question treating being called "two-faced" as flattery.
137-->"You say that I am two-faced? Enough with the flattery. We have business to conduct.''
138* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': A supplement to FASA's RPG devoted to Klingons points out that insults often won't translate very well. A Federation officer trying to insult a Klingon officer by using the old "Your mother wears army boots" line would find that it would translate to "Your maternal parent wears the footgear of a soldier" which sounds to the Klingon like an attempt to compliment them on the military tradition of their line.
139* OlderThanRadio: An Austrian Tarock deck from 1890 caricatured [[https://cdn0.rubylane.com/shops/twoforhisheels/T00001231.9L.jpg?88 Otto von Bismarck]], who betrayed and defeated Austria in the 7 Weeks War, and was recently dismissed from power at the time of its printing, as [[TheDitz the Fool]]. However, the Fool happens to be [[BewareTheSillyOnes the highest trump card]] in Tarock...
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Toys]]
143* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', [[ChaoticStupid Vezon]] misinterprets a comment that he could "die horribly without being missed" as a compliment.
144[[/folder]]
145
146[[folder:Visual Novels]]
147* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', Dennis tells the protagonist that he can date one of his (nonexistent) sisters. The protagonist isn’t at all affected, and calls Dennis's insult a "self-own."
148* In ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', this happens twice in the same scene when Riki teases both [[DumbMuscle Masato]] and [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Haruka]] about being bad at or late for school and both of them act like he just complimented them. He proceeds to wonder why people keep being proud of strange things lately.
149* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', this happens in the 8th Episode Twilight of the Golden Witch when [[spoiler: Featherine, the Witch of Theatregoing, Drama and Spectating absolutely [[CurbstompBattle curbstomps]] Lambdadelta by stopping time, [[RewritingReality and hacking the story's script by skipping to the part where she kills her]] via dismemberment. Lambdadelta's dying words are calling Featherine a monster, to which she takes as a ''compliment''.]]
150-->[[spoiler: Featherine]]: A monster, she says. ...Quite a compliment, for one such as I.
151* Miu Iruma of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', due to having a BDSM kink (emphasis on the M), gets sexually aroused when insulted. The more degrading the insult the more it seems to turn her on, especially any sort of SlutShaming. Put her in the same room as Kokichi, a massive {{Troll}} who constantly hurls insults at everyone [[ItAmusedMe just to enjoy their reactions]], and you might need to get a mop.
152-->'''Kokichi:''' Who made the locked-room mystery doesn't matter, since anyone could have done it. Don't you even understand something as basic as that, you filthy cum dumpster?\
153'''Miu:''' ''[surprised]'' C-cum dumpster?! ''[aroused]'' Finally! Someone finally called me a cum dumpster!
154[[/folder]]
155

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