Line #129 Main/TrustMeImAnX


1	[[quoteright:312:[[ComicBook/TwoThousandAD https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trustmeimadoctor2_9855.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:312: [[SarcasmMode He looks perfectly legit.]]]]
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4	A {{Stock Phrase\|s}} used by characters looking to enhance their credibility in dealing with situations or problems that have arisen, where X is usually a type of occupation ("Doctor" being the most popular, by far). Certain jobs and occupations, like practicing medicine, are so universally respected that anybody merely claiming to be of that profession is enough for that person to be taken seriously.
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6	When a problem arises where one's specific job skills and talents can be put into practice, such as after a DIYDisaster, somebody claiming to be a licensed plumber or architect can easily become a savior, and a cocky hero protagonist full of confidence in one's own expertise gets a pithy one-liner that can be delivered whenever held in doubt.
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8	However, more often in many comedic situations, a speaker may call attention to their personal occupation or area expertise at a time when it would be completely irrelevant to a problem or issue at hand, or, taken to its furthest extreme, the speaker may be revealed as a fraud lacking all of the expertise being claimed.
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10	Very likely to be uttered by a BackAlleyDoctor, a MadDoctor, or an impostor attempting a BavarianFireDrill.
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12	Subtrope of AppealToAuthority; SisterTrope to ImNotADoctorButIPlayOneOnTV and NotThatKindOfDoctor; [[InvertedTrope Inverse trope]] of ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder, when a speaker recognizes that their personal expertise is ''not'' applicable to the situation at hand. Likely to be the first of many DoctorsOrders in a medical emergency.
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14	----
15	!!Examples:
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17
18	[[folder:Advertising]]
19	* A Dr. Pepper ad campaign where "doctors" like Music/DrDre, [[{{UsefulNotes/Basketball}} NBA Hall of Famer]] Julius Erving ("Dr. J"), and [[Music/{{KISS}} Gene Simmons]] ("Dr. Love") use, "Trust me, I'm a doctor," as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJVuxpYeKqM slogan.]] They also give this trope and their own commercials a send-up with [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball retired NFL linebacker]] Michael Strahan saying, "Trust me. I've ''sent'' people to the doctor!"
20	* A TV advertisement for the Capital One Venture Card with Alec Baldwin ends with Alec beginning to fiddle with the controls in a plane's cockpit while assuring the pilot, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rVE7haSLmE "It's okay, I've played a pilot before."]]
21	[[/folder]]
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23	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
24	* Trafalgar Law from ''Manga/OnePiece'' tends to announce his [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate profession]] with such a line. Though, it doesn't help that, in addition to being a doctor, he's a pirate. And, OH YEAH, his moniker is "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Surgeon of Death]]", which is well justified with the fact that his Devil Fruit power enables him to turn any space into an operating room and manipulate anything within according to his will. [[SubvertedTrope Nonetheless]], his medical skills ''are'' legit, considering how he used them to save Luffy and Jimbei from certain death.
25	* PlayedForLaughs in Creator/OsamuTezuka's ''The Crater''. The protagonist finds a nude woman on the beach and rushes to [[AuthorAvatar Tezuka-sensei]]. Tezuka insists that he puts on a set of clothes by himself because he's a doctor.
26	** ActorAllusion: Tezuka is a trained medical doctor.
27	* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', during the Chuunin Exam's arc, Kabuto (disguised as an ANBU) says "Don't worry. I'm a doctor," to Kiba, while he heals Hinata. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to have any strange intentions with her at the moment. Even though this ran the risk of exposing his disguise (most ANBU are not doctors), Kabuto seems to have healed Hinata just to show off that he's a better doctor than Konoha's actual doctors.
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30	[[folder:Comic Books]]
31	* The above image comes from the ''[[ComicBook/TwoThousandAD 2000 AD]]'' strip "Thirteen." His name is Durant, calling himself a doctor like that doesn't really have much to do with preceding or later events in the story, and [[spoiler: he's not really a doctor after all]].
32	* Matter-Eater Lad of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' once said, "Trust me, I'm a politician" (Him being a comedic character and politicians being easy to mock).
33	* In ''ComicBook/OmegaTheUnknown'', the doctor who treats James-Michael says, "Trust me, I'm a doctor," [[spoiler: only to turn him into an experiment.]]
34	* Loki, in the Danish comic ''ComicBook/{{Valhalla}}'': "[[ItMakesSenseInContext Trust me! I am the god of lies!]]"
35	* In one of Creator/AlanMoore's ''Abelard Snazz'' strips, a man who has doubts about trusting the title character with what little remains of his money for a planned ruse at a gambling casino is assured, "Trust me, I'm a genius!" By the end of the story, [[spoiler: Abelard loses all of the man's money.]]
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37
38	[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
39	* From ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'':
40	--> '''Holmes:''' Madam, I need you to remain calm. And trust me, I'm a professional. [[SceneryCensor Beneath this pillow]] [[InnocentInnuendo lies the key]] [[ThatCameOutWrong to my release]].
41	** More comedy when Dr. Watson is choking Dredger into unconsciousness while saying, "Relax, I'm a doctor!"
42	* The line, "Trust me, I'm a doctor," is said by Dr. John [=McCabe=] in ''Film/TheBeyond''.
43	* In ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'', when Ed, examining Gonzo, notices that Gonzo has no nostrils, he asks, "How do you smell?" To which Rizzo the Rat responds, "Awful. Trust me, I'm his roommate."
44	* A non-sequitur example can be found in ''{{Film/Slacker}}'', where a woman keeps intoning, "You should quit traumatizing women with sexual intercourse. I should know. I'm a medical doctor. I own a mansion and a yacht."
45	* From ''Film/AnimalHouse'':
46	--> '''Otter:''' ''(Rising in a disciplinary hearing)'' Point of parliamentary procedure!
47	--> '''Hoover:''' Don't screw around, they're serious this time!
48	--> '''Otter:''' ''(aside)'' Take it easy, I'm pre-law.
49	--> '''Boon:''' I thought you were pre-med.
50	--> '''Otter:''' What's the difference?
51	* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'': Venkman uses "Back off, man, I'm a scientist," to assert himself during the first official ghostbusting.
52	* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallowsPart1'' has Dobby say "Of course, sir, I'm an elf." He's a house elf, but still manages to help.
53	* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'': Doctor Piglet and Doctor Winston try to assure Galahad the Pure that they are doctors during his stay at Castle Anthrax, and definitely not merely trying to seduce him by removing his clothes
54	* ''Film/DumbAndDumber'' - Lloyd runs down an airliner boarding ramp to get a briefcase to its owner, shouting at the attendant "It's all right, I'm a limo driver!" Too bad there's no plane at the end of the ramp.
55	* At the end of the movie trailer for ''Film/ShockTreatment'', Dr. Cosmo [=McKinley=] assures viewers, "Trust me, I'm a doctor", after saying that they'll be "pathetically crazy" about the movie.
56	* In ''Film/LoveAtFirstBite'', "I'm a doctor -- I know what I'm doing" is practically a CatchPhrase for the heroine's would-be boyfriend and vampire hunter.
57	* In ''Film/Transporter2'', the mook that replaces the doctor says this to Frank. He couldn't sound less convincing if he tried.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Literature]]
61	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
62	** Parodied in ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'', when Nanny Ogg makes her way through a crowd to the scene of an accident by saying "Let me through, I'm a nosy person."
63	** In ''Literature/GoingPostal'' and ''Literature/MakingMoney'', Moist manages to pull off "I'm a criminal. Trust me." This is because Discworld has a high incidence of belief in AtLeastIAdmitIt and the reliable traitor; you can trust Moist precisely ''because'' he can admit he's here to trick you out of your money.
64	* ''Literature/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'' has a ''lot'' of fun with this, with Raoul Duke's repeated assurances that he is a [[InsistentTerminology doctor of journalism]], and Doctor Gonzo's favorite phrase, "As your attorney I advise you to..."
65	* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}} Classics'' novel ''Queen of the Demonweb Pits'', Escalla's CatchPhrase--"Trust me! I'm a faerie!"--always precedes a disastrous event.
66	* In Creator/StephenKing's ''{{Literature/Misery}}'', when Annie [[spoiler: is about to cut off Paul's leg to punish him, she]] says: "Don't worry. I'm a trained nurse." She is, but that doesn't make it much better.
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69	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
70	* ''Series/BananasInPyjamas'' had a character named "The Rat in the Hat" who's catchphrase was: "Trust me, I'm a Rat".
71	* ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' discusses the concept of this in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPdDEutlMw a sketch]] wherein a doctor prescribes tobacco cigarettes for chest problems.
72	-->'''Patient''': But these give you lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema, don't they?\
73	'''Doctor''': What on earth gave you that idea?\
74	'''Patient''': I thought everyone knew that-\
75	'''Doctor''': [laughs] ''Are you a doctor?''
76	* Inverted in ''Series/TheBlacklist'' when Keen first meets Reddington.
77	-->'''Keen:''' And I'm supposed to believe you?\
78	'''Reddington:''' ''(laughs)'' Of course not. I'm a ''[[CardCarryingVillain criminal]]''. Criminals are notorious liars.
79	* The ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode "The Theory of Everything" has Hodges insist, "Trust me, I'm an expert."
80	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
81	** "Trust me; I'm [[JustifiedTrope the Doctor]]." (And variations thereupon depending on whatever authority figure the psychic paper says.)
82	*** David Tennant owns a shirt that says, [[http://www.allthetests.com/quiz19/picture/pic_1149451739_1.jpg well...]]
83	*** Matt Smith says it in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E1TheEleventhHour "The Eleventh Hour"]], but the truly marvelous example is from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E5TheRebelFlesh "The Rebel Flesh"]], where when his over-foreshadowed 'ganger-clone finally appears it has several lines before the camera finally focuses on it — ''him'', and then finishes up, "Trust me. I'm the Doctor." It's supposed to be creepy, but the episode is suffering from severe AesopAmnesia, so many viewers are actually kind of relieved he's there.
84	** [[Recap/DoctorWho2007CSVoyageOfTheDamned "Voyage of the Damned"]]: Cruise line mogul Max Capricorn's company slogan is "You can trust me, because my name is Max." (TwinkleSmile) [[spoiler:You can't trust him.]]
85	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': "Ted Mosby, architect. Trust me."
86	* ''Series/{{House}}'' certainly isn't afraid to mention his profession in order to establish his authority or otherwise be [[DeadpanSnarker a snarker]]. Once, after bluntly telling a female patient that he wants to inspect her vagina, he tells her, "I'm a doctor, so it's okay."
87	* The sketch comedy show ''Series/InLivingColor'' had a character named Fire Marshall Bill, played by Jim Carrey. Insane, masochistic, and [[NightmareFace Nightmare Faced]], it's no surprise that when he says some variation of "Don't worry, I'm a fire marshal", it's of no reassurance…and it doesn't help that he has a tendency to say that right before blowing up the building that he's in.
88	* An early episode of ''{{Series/Jekyll}}'' sees Hyde note, "Trust me, I'm a psychopath."
89	* An episode of ''Series/{{Moonlight}}'' has a doctor accidentally turned into a vampire go on a rampage because his sire didn't stick around to teach him. He approaches a distraught man and tells him that it's going to be okay, saying, "Trust me, I'm a doctor," before biting him.
90	* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' parodies of ''The View'' with Tracy Morgan as Starr Jones would always see Ms. Jones begin every single sentence in a discussion noting, "I am a lawyer" followed by an observation about the news story or subject being discussed that is [[CaptainObvious completely obvious]].
91	* The ''Series/SledgeHammer'' punchline... ''Trust me. I know what I'm doing.''
92	* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' in the episode "Move Along Home", Quark assures Odo in a speech, "Trust me, I'm a gambler," explaining why he should take the shortcut in the chula game. Hilariously, it backfires.
93	* The ''Series/TrueBlood'' episode where Sam reveals to Sookie that he's a shapeshifter gives us the line, "I'm not the killer, I swear. I'm a shapeshifter."
94	* The British reality TV show ''Trust Me — I'm a Beauty Therapist'' featured eight British celebrities training to become beauticians.
95	* ''Trust Me, I'm a Doctor'' was the name of a show (and, later, an accompanying book) on [[Creator/TheBBC BBC Two]] that focused on the state and quality of health care in Britain. Combining factual reporting and satire, the purpose of the program was to teach viewers that doctors are not infallible and that people should learn as much about their own health care as possible.
96	* A brand new series on TBS - ''Series/TrustMeImAGameShowHost'', where on each question, one host is always telling the truth, the other is always telling lies.
97	* Invoked on ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' The game "Two Line Vocabulary" involves two actors only allowed to say two things each, [[{{Troll}} intended to wear out]] TheStraightMan of the act. Ryan gets the line "Don't Worry, I'm A Doctor", which gets repeated to a hilarious extent.
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100	[[folder:Music]]
101	* "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor" was a hit single for The Blizzards.
102	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp8hvyjZWHs "Trust me, I'm an engineer !"]] is a viral Website/YouTube video/song by TheVilkaz. It details the dubious engineering expertise of one Igor Pachmelnik Zakuskov, set to a montage of {{Epic Fail}}s, questionable repairs, and other questionable construction choices.
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105	[[folder:Print Media]]
106	* [[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers British Newspaper]] ''The Independent'' once ran an article on health experts in the media who call themselves "doctors" and may be using that title incorrectly or undeservedly. The title of the article: [[http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/news-analysis-trust-me-im-a-doctoror-am-i-436830.html "Trust Me, I'm A Doctor... Or Am I?"]]
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109	[[folder:Video Games]]
110	* In ''VideoGame/DeadRising'', after Larry Chiang sticks [[spoiler:Carlito]] on a meathook, he assures to Frank, "Trust me, I'm a butcher."
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113	[[folder:Webcomics]]
114	* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', Dr. [=McNinja=] feels it is important every once in a while to remind people who are having discussions with him that he's a doctor, even while [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/4p41 arguing with Death.]]
115	* In the very first strip of ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'': "The situation is under control. I'm a psychologist."
116	* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', the justification that Red Mage often uses for whatever stupid plan that he has is his supposed status as a "fractactical genius".
117	* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'': [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/10/9/ "It's okay, I'm a dentist."]]
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Web Original]]
121	* Whenever Website/SomethingAwful cracks jokes about [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/flash-tub/conspiracy-theory-911.php Ron]] [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/ronpaul-kidz-page.php Paul,]] the sentence "I'm a doctor," or a close variant, tends to show up as a joke reason for why his political platform should be taken seriously.
122	* The online blog [[http://trustmemedblog.blogspot.com/ Trust Me, I'm a Doctor.]]
123	* Cross-over with MemeticMutation: [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dont-worry-im-from-the-internet Don't worry, I'm/we're from the Internet.]]
124	* A "Dr. Cairo" made a statement along these lines on Twitter while talking to Noah of ''WebVideo/TribeTwelve'', despite previously establishing that [[BlatantLies he's a student]].
125	* In a ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' spin-off, "Deja vu Ruby Quest", [[spoiler: Filbert]] gets Ruby before she can even react, and keeps telling her not to worry, even if he has a ''bonesaw'' in a hand and a scalpel in the other.[[spoiler: If it counts as canon, this spin-off was before ''Ruby Quest'''s beginning, so Filbert still has his right hand.]]
126	-->''[[TrustMeImADoctor "He says not to worry... He is a professional... He has done this many times before...]] [[OhCrap and the pain... won't last...]] for long."''
127	* WebAnimation/{{Catface}} likes to give strange advice and reassure the viewer with his unofficial catchphrase, "Trust me, I'm a cat!" However, he also inverts this saying, "I don't know, I'm a cat!"
128	* In the Website/{{Questden}} adventure ''The Sunfish'', a flashback shows the main characters as kids. Young Sam insists she's a doctor (mentioning the title phrase to young Annie) due to her implanted memories of Dr. Tran.
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131	[[folder:Western Animation]]
132	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' gave us "Relax, I be a doctor." Scary.
133	** Another episode includes Quagmire faking a heart attack to get out of an unwanted marriage. When he collapses, Joe (who was in on the plan) checks his pulse and announces, "He's dead. I know, I'm a cop."
134	* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', Roger does this all the time. One particular example includes his attempt to massage Steve's ex-girlfriend, who Roger had a crush on at the time, while insisting, "Don't worry, [[BlatantLies I'm a licensed chiropractor]], or whatever."
135	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
136	--> "Don't worry, I'm a whale biologist."
137	* ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'': Hilariously [[InvertedTrope inverted]] in "Dan Vs. The Animal Shelter".
138	-->'''Doctor:''' Okay, let's get those pants off.
139	--> '''Dan:''' Um... I'm here about my face being all scratched.
140	--> '''Doctor:''' ''(chuckles)'' Oh, don't worry. I'm not a doctor.
141	* Ratchet of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' gives us this line just before proceeding to open up a can of whup-ass while experiencing the Autobot equivalent of roid rage:
142	--> "It's all right, I'm an emergency vehicle."
143	[[/folder]]
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145	[[folder:Other]]
146	* The title of a cassette tape published by [[http://www.wallachonline.com/ Dr. Joel Wallach,]] who does entertaining and controversial seminars about the benefits of vitamin and mineral supplements in nutrition, was ''Trust Me, I'm a Doctor''.
147	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TrustMeImAnX