Line #11 Main/WhatMeasureIsANonHuman


1	[[quoteright:200:[[Literature/KyouranKazokuNikki https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_kyouran_kazoku_nikki_-_catgirl_vs_mandrake_-_will_it_blend.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:200:Proposed alternate measure:\
3	Advertising/WillItBlend]]
4	%%
5	->''"Boy, if those employees weren't robots, I would have looked like some kind of serial killer or something, eh?"''
6	-->-- '''Dr. [=McNinja=]''', ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''
7
8	There is an [[SortingAlgorithmOfMortality invisible value]] placed on the existence of non-human characters in fiction, compared with the [[HumansAreSpecial value of the life of a human]]. Killing/destroying one may or may not be the same thing as [[ThouShaltNotKill killing a human]]. The difference between NotEvenHuman on one end of the scale and NotQuiteHuman on the other can be a very fine one, and where a series chooses to draw that line can vary as wildly as the writers' imaginations.
9
10	Intelligence, emotions, [[MoralityTropes moral compass]] and whether the character in question is [[TheUndead actually alive in]] [[MechanicalLifeforms the conventional sense]] are usually what dictate the morality of the situation. But more often than not, it's also based upon the human-like [[SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism physical]] and [[HumansAreSpecial psychological]] traits the character has (an issue further explored in [[http://www.fanboy.com/2010/01/are-humans-biased-to-thinking-that-only-humanoids-are-intelligent.html this blog post]]). The sliding scale usually goes something like this:
11
12	[[folder:Starting with the least likely to be granted rights...]]
13	* [[ThatPoorPlant Plants, protists, fungi, bacteria, and so on and so forth]] do not count on this scale. Except sometimes when tropes like PlantAliens, {{Planimal}}, PlantPeople, and WhenTreesAttack come into play. Or if the organism is a member of an endangered species. Or if you're talking about destroying an entire forest, since that's on such a large scale and since there are animals in the forest that could die or get their habitats destroyed.
14	* [[TheUndead Undead]] beings like [[DemBones skeletons]] and [[OurZombiesAreDifferent zombies]] and victims of certain strains of TheVirus do not blip ''at all'' in this value (despite still being Homo Sapiens). There's hardly any controversy about it either, probably because they're trying to kill you. In fact, killing one is seen as only helping along a [[UndeathAlwaysEnds natural process]].
15	* The value of the life of a non-human [[AnimalMotifs animal]] in fiction, distressingly, tends to relate directly to how much humans like said animal. Thus dogs are protected by ImprobableInfantSurvival but [[SnakesAreSinister snakes]], spiders and [[BugWar insects]] are trampled without a second thought. Sadly, this is TruthInTelevision. To paraphrase an old Denis Leary routine about the Endangered Species Act, "You ''know'' how this is going to end! Eventually, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters only the cute and cool animals will get to live!"]]
16	* [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]], [[{{Kaiju}} Giant]] [[{{Robeast}} Monsters]] and BigCreepyCrawlies are generally treated as huge pests and exterminated as such without much controversy, typically in self defense. There are some exceptions. If you are a monster, the more you resemble a more conventional specimen of the creature you are based upon, the fewer people you directly harm, and (most importantly) the more personality you have, the better your chances are for surviving. Some human or other will recognize that you are merely misunderstood and may try to help you. Of course, if you eat ''that'' human, you're pretty much boned.
17	* If the BigBad is revealed to be [[NotEvenHuman non-human]] as a TomatoSurprise or [[OneWingedAngel assuming his monstrous true form]], it usually makes it OK to kill them if it wasn't before. Double points if that form is that of [[ScaledUp a snake or other reptile]].
18	* [[ExpendableClone Clones]], [[ExpendableAlternateUniverse parallel universe duplicates]], and other {{Doppelganger}}s are often considered expendable, even if they absolutely ''are'' biologically human and sentient and independent individuals with personalities. Restoring an AI from a backup copy is often treated like a DisneyDeath. This is all provided at least one "instance" of each character survives. ("Sorry, but we only need one flannel shirt-wearing comic relief guy.") [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff400/fv00383.htm The thing is]], it should be more like [[AngstySurvivingTwin a twin sibling dying]], but it tends to be treated more casually instead, like ImmortalLifeIsCheap. This can vary, however, as while the ''story'' can kill them freely without consequence, many writers prefer to let their deaths affect the ''characters'' with all the pathos such a close death could incur. Whether actually treating it like a sibling/twin death, a warning about the path they could be taking (in the case of an Evil clone/alternate self) or the consequences of failing (with alternate universes or BadFuture selves).
19	* [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]], although technically among the undead, have variable ranges simply because they usually have more personality. Most characters can kill them anyway even if they're [[TechnicalPacifist Technical Pacifists]]. Certain depictions of Franchise/{{Batman}} and King Graham from ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' have killed off {{Dracula}} with favorable karmic results (With Graham, the FanRemake takes a different route), even when killing ''anything'' is anathema to them. The idea here, as well as with the other undead mentioned above, may be "Well, technically, they're ''already'' dead, so it's okay! And anyway, Vampires are AlwaysChaoticEvil!"
20	* Robots and Artificial Intelligence stories examine this quite a lot in their plots, for example in the writings of Creator/IsaacAsimov. The {{Three Laws\|Compliant}} obviously put a robot's survival below a human's, even below human commands. Good robots and other MechanicalLifeforms are considered people most of the time. Killing one is generally the karmic equivalent of killing a human the same way -- except that it is easier to show them getting hurt (think of poor Bishop in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''), which gets awkward. MechaMooks and bad robots almost always have a very low value in this regard, even if they demonstrate [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots obvious personalities, emotions]], and [[CreativeSterility humanlike intelligence]]. Regardless, robots are the most frequent victims of the "[[HowDidYouKnowIDidnt How Did You Know That Mook]] [[NotEvenHuman Wasn't Human]]?" "[[HowDidYouKnowIDidnt I Didn't!]]" trope. It's JustAMachine, after all. It probably helps that when a robot dies WeCanRebuildHim more easily than [[CameBackWrong bring back a human]] (which is a source of superiority as well: human life is more complicated, probably because robots are almost ''always'' written as not having [[OurSoulsAreDifferent souls]] even if they are sentient), making them more expendable.
21	* Supernatural entities vary depending on alignment. Typically demons are on the same level as undead.
22	* And then there is an uncomfortable border line occupied by characters who ''are'' human -- but since they aren't "normal", they aren't considered as such. Good {{Cyborg}}s, if the brain is still intact, are almost always considered human, except by the persecutors who harass them. Bad Cyborgs are treated on the same scale as MechaMooks. Other "partially disembodied" entities, whether they [[BrainInAJar once were humans]] or [[WetwareCPU were made like that]] run the entire spectrum from being accepted as variant humans to "kill them just to end their supposedly nightmarish existence and go drink some BrainBleach". The same can be said for {{Transhuman}} characters.
23	* RubberForeheadAliens rarely have this problem - as their actors are obviously human, it is easy to transfer the value (this is largely why the trope persists even into the modern, CG-heavy era). HumanoidAnimals and {{Half Human Hybrid}}s tend to get the same protection as a normal human... but it depends on how humanlike they are. If they take up a form that isn't bipedal, rely on their instincts too much, or otherwise start toward the TalkingAnimal side of things, they can quickly reach the level of monsters-of-the-week.
24	* As far as other fantastic races, it often seems that the morality of killing the race depends on how much they resemble humans either culturally or physically. [[StandardFantasyRaces Dwarves, elves, gnomes and halflings]] all look relatively human, and so killing them is bad, but the bestial-looking [[AlwaysChaoticEvil orcs, goblins and trolls]] are evil and should be killed. Other races who obviously are not human, but possess cultural traits such as music or clothing styles that the human audience can easily recognize or identify with, are also given preferential treatment over whatever evil races exist.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	This is often one of the reasons why HumansAreTheRealMonsters. It can get especially awkward, however, when it happens in works of fiction where many of the ''heroes'' aren't human either, leading to uncomfortable FridgeLogic. If a human begins to actually value a non-human being or species more after their death, then that's DeathMeansHumanity.
28
29	In general, the more thought that is put into the script, the more value nonhuman life will have. This trope is often used as a metaphor for the RealLife issues of animal and human rights. See also ThatPoorPlant, OfThePeople, ZombieAdvocate, InhumanableAlienRights, VanHelsingHateCrimes, and FantasticRacism. The flipside of sorts is WhatMeasureIsANonSuper. Related tropes are UncannyValley, TheyWouldCutYouUp, and EmergencyTransformation. Contrast with AndroidsArePeopleToo.
30
31	For cases in which this treatment applies to characters who ''are'' human, see WhatMeasureIsAMook, MoralMyopia, ImmortalLifeIsCheap, and AMillionIsAStatistic.
32
33	This also tends to happen in a metafictional way: many animated series and video games can get away with horrific violence and onscreen deaths that the censors would've put a quick stop to (or at least given the work a higher rating) had the victims been human. [[MechaMooks Robots]], the undead, and the like can be brutally impaled, dismembered, and decapitated onscreen, using this trope on the MoralGuardians even if the work itself averts or subverts the trope in-universe.
34
35	See also NoTechButHighTech, which is a similar concept but applied to technology.
36
37	[[noreallife]]
38	----
39	!Examples belong in subpages
40
41	[[index]]
42	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/{{Advertising}}
43	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/AnimeAndManga
44	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/ComicBooks
45	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/{{Fairytales}}
46	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/FanWorks
47	* [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
48	* [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
49	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/{{Literature}}
50	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/LiveActionTV
51	** ''WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/StarTrek''
52	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/TabletopGames
53	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/VideoGames
54	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/VisualNovels
55	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/{{Webcomics}}
56	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/WebOriginal
57	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/WesternAnimation
58	** WhatMeasureIsANonHuman/DCAnimatedUniverse
59	[[/index]]
60
61	!!Other Examples:
62	[[foldercontrol]]
63	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
64
65	* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'': In ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho195Mistfall Mistfall]]'', the New Alzarians are conducting some seriously invasive experiments on the Marshmen, whom they regard as subhuman, even though they are their ancestors. They are also willing to leave their Marshmen test subjects behind when their base is set to self-destruct. It is only when one of the Marshmen develops speech that they concede that the Marshmen are a sentient race.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
69	* Within all three major Abrahamic religions, as their teachings center around HumansAreSpecial the fate of nonhumans such as animals and theoretical extraterrestrial life upon death has been hotly debated for centuries. The latter even earned its own phrase, "exotheology", and remains a lively subdiscipline within several religious traditions. In UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} and UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} the Literature/BookOfEcclesiastes explicitly states that animals don't have souls, and some extrapolate this to extend to all nonhuman life.
70	** As JewsLoveToArgue that hasn't been the end of the discussion, as the UsefulNotes/{{Kabbalah}} goes so far as to claim that everything in creation will eventually return to God. Regarding extraterrestrial life, the most prominent voice on the subject has been the Jewish scholar Norman Lamm who suggested that God would make Himself available to all His creatures.
71	** UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} is somewhat more united regarding animals, as most sects maintain that animals don't have souls [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals which makes it even more important that we treat them well in this life]]. As for aliens, many believe that JesusWasWayCool enough to include other intelligent life into His kingdom, with the Vatican publicly stating on a few occasions that they would be no less than us in the eyes of God.
72	** UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} teaches that while animals won't be permitted into the afterlife, they'll be properly compensated for any suffering they endured in life. In contrast to the other two, Islam directly addresses the prospect of intelligent life among the stars with Muhammad's cousin Ibn Abbas directly stating that Allah created other worlds like Earth with their own prophets to boot.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Theatre]]
76	* Brought up during the second act of ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'', when the characters are figuring out how to deal with a rampaging giant:
77	-->'''Witch''': Since when did you get so squeamish? How many wolves have you carved up?\
78	'''Little Red Riding Hood''': A wolf's not the same as a person!\
79	'''Witch''': Ask a wolf's mother.
80	** Brought up again later on when a tearful Red asks Cinderella if they should even be attempting to kill the giant since she is technically a person.
81	* ''Theatre/ShrekTheMusical'':
82	%%** "Freak Flag"
83	** Weirdly, Donkey [[InvokedTrope uses this]] to save himself from Dragon, pointing out that he's a donkey, not a knight, and therefore shouldn't be considered a threat. Then he accidentally seduces her.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Toys]]
87	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'':
88	** Kiina and Ackar are initially reluctant to attack the seemingly-humanoid Rahkshi, but have no problem chopping them up when they realize "They're just slugs in armour."
89	** Earlier, [[spoiler:the Toa discovered that the Bohrok they had previously slaughtered were not only just doing their job, but [[WasOnceAMan were actually transformed Matoran]]. They're suitably shocked at this, although more at the BodyHorror than the killing, as Bohrok have been proven to have no inherent intelligence.]]
90	** Earlier still, the entirety of the Visorak arc. The protagonists are changed to beastmen, which they find horrifying, but they have to learn to appreciate their new forms for what they are before the DeusExMachina will turn them back. There are also the Rahaga (who are eventually revealed to be [[ForcedTransformation transformed Toa themselves]]) that go around trying to save the wildlife from the evil army. Said evil army is made up of GiantSpiders whose name means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "stealer of life"]] in their own language... [[spoiler:and the arc ends when one of the protagonists disbands the army and points out their former ruler was a tyrant. But not before his partners kill a bunch of them. Later, the Order of Mata-Nui trick a different team of Toa into bringing a rock that summons the Visorak to a volcanic island, killing all of them. The Toa are outraged that they were just duped into committing genocide, despite the reasoning of the Order that the spiders were AlwaysChaoticEvil.]]
91	** Somewhat related, but Matoran (at least the ones on Mata Nui) have always found that harming innocent wildlife is wrong, and some actively treated injured animals that the Toa had defeated.
92	** Before the series got LeftHanging, it's been revealed that the [[{{Precursors}} Great Beings]] never meant the Matoran Universe's population to develop sapience. Which has JustAMachine connotations...
93	* In every Franchise/{{LEGO}} theme with good guys and bad guys as well as humans and nonhumans, the nonhumans are always portrayed as the bad guys, even when fiction makes them seem more sympathetic.
94	[[/folder]]

Context Main / WhatMeasureIsANonHuman