Line #47 PlayingWith/RightlySelfRighteous


1	'''Basic Trope''': A character sees themselves as more moral than others because they are.
2	* '''Straight''': Alice shoves down her HolierThanThou attitude towards everyone's throats, but she genuinely lives up to her expectations.
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** Alice is the most arrogant character in the series, possibly so arrogant that she will give any {{narcissist}}ic villain on the planet a run for their money, but she really is the ultimate IncorruptiblePurePureness.
5	** Alice is a [[InvokedTrope very deliberate]] JerkSue.
6	* '''Downplayed''':
7	** Alice is a fairly level headed StraightMan, albeit sometimes a tad pushy and uptight in trying to keep others in line.
8	** [[TheAtoner Alice]] doesn't consider herself good at all - just the only person she knows who approaches neutrality and calls the fact she is a relative moral standards-bearer pathetic. She also has very high standards.
9	* '''Justified''':
10	** Alice may be a good person, but since [[HumansAreFlawed everyone around her is morally flawed]] or just [[HumansAreBastards mean]], she believes that [[GoodIsNotNice she doesn't need a reason to be kind to them about it]] and in a few examples it's even [[PayEvilUntoEvil fighting fire with fire]].
11	** Alice believes that being good doesn't require her to keep quiet, so what better way to express your moral uprightness than to be [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] about it to [[JerkassHasAPoint get the point across?]]
12	* '''Inverted''':
13	** Alice sees herself as [[EvilerThanThou more evil than everyone]], and she is [[CardCarryingVillain always proven right]].
14	** HeroicSelfDeprecation
15	* '''Subverted''': Alice suffers a moment where [[NotSoAboveItAll she isn't as moral as she thought.]]
16	* '''Double Subverted''': But this didn't stop her from taunting others about [[AtLeastIAdmitIt admitting having flaws]] [[CharacterDevelopment and working on herself to improve and get rid of said flaws]], which others have hardly done.
17	* '''Parodied''':
18	** Alice has done every good deed known to mankind and mocks everyone who doesn't. Because of this, she goes to Heaven while [[EasyRoadToHell everyone else goes to Hell.]]
19	** Alice is the most popular girl in school because of her perfect morality and bullying those who really are nowhere near as virtuous automatically counts as LaserGuidedKarma for the latter side.
20	* '''Zig Zagged''':
21	** One day, Alice acts self-righteous, but then in other days, Alice remains polite and quiet, at least until she sees someone doing something wrong.
22	** Alice's perpetual self righteousness is justified on some days, but unfounded on others.
23	* '''Averted''': Alice is morally upright without having a condescending attitude.
24	* '''Enforced''': "Let's [[InvokedTrope create]] the [[MarySue perfect character]] that other character hates because they are right!"
25	* '''Lampshaded''':
26	** "Are you offended by my righteousness? That's because [[EvilCannotComprehendGood you're too ignorant to understand it.]]"
27	** "A bitch who's right about everything... [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Where's my ticket outta this dump?]]"
28	* '''Invoked''': ???
29	* '''Exploited''': Alice acts self-righteous in order to make people moral like her.
30	* '''Defied''':
31	** Alice may be morally superior towards everyone, but doesn't rationalize this as an excuse to mistreat the morally inferior people.
32	** Bob tells her to shut it in her debut.
33	--> Bob: ''"[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech You've been treating us all like we were freaking sub-humans for the last two hours, so don't you dare try to say that you're the one with the superior sense of morality here]]'', '''''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT!!!]]"'''''
34	* '''Discussed''':
35	-->'''Bob''': What a self-righteous bitch!\
36	'''Lenny''': But sadly, [[JerkassHasAPoint she's always right about everything.]]
37	* '''Conversed''': "I have a feeling that [[InvokedTrope the author has created]] the ultimate JerkSue."
38	* '''Deconstructed''':
39	** Alice's haughty demeanor has driven people away from her, while she didn't care less at first, she then begins to realize that [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer nobody wants to be friends with her because of her attitude]] nor help out her out in times of hardship.
40	** Meta-example: Alice's self-righteous attitude has made her UnintentionallyUnsympathetic and [[TheScrappy she is easily the most hated character on the show.]]
41	** Bob runs down a list of the SevenDeadlySins and asks what Alice thinks of them. Alice proclaims that she is above them all...until he gets to {{Pride}}. [[FreakOut Cue abject horror on Alice's part.]]
42	** Alice is only morally superior to others by a certain moral standard, namely [[TautologicalTemplar her own]]. Some of the "flaws" she calls others out for are actually differences of opinion. By another standard, she might be seen as imperfect because she is intolerant of others' opinions.
43	** Alice's self-righteous attitude is what ends up dooming her genuinely righteous perspective; that while she may be morally true and sound, her own pride can overshadow the rest of the qualities.
44	** While she may personally be the best morally her demeanor alienates people. Morally flawed characters end up far better at promoting good in others.
45	** Alice's overtly blunt and brusque way of providing people advice to better their lives [[TheCorrupter makes them decide to do the complete opposite, even if it brings ruin, just for the sake of sheer spite.]]
46	** In this scenario, the setting is a CrapsackWorld. Resident {{Neighbourhood Friendly Gangster\|s}} and NobleDemon [[TheBigGuy Flash]] [[TheBrute Young]] gets sick of her tirades, and gives her [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech a chewing out he had long overdue ever since her debut]]:
47	--> '''Flash''': Alice... I am SICK and TIRED of yer goddamn lectures. All this moral superiority? What, ya think ya can just back that shit up an' everyone's going to listen to ya, apologize, an' that's it? Is that what'cha think!? (In a SimpletonVoice) Oh, I'm a gangster, an' I do crimes like beat the shit out of someone or steal shit, an' yer doin' charity or whatever the fuck. (In normal voice) What other fuckin' option did'ja expect me to have?! I'm way too fuckin' broke to get even a [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere ticket out of this fuckin' dump]], an' there are no jobs to look for, an' if you dare say that I've wasted my life on crime, well guess what, bitch: MY LIFE WAS ALREADY WASTED WHEN MY MOM SHAT ME OUT! All y'ever did was treat the lot of us like fuckin' sub-humans, an' that's not morally superior! Ya think yer so goddamn high and mighty, actin' like TheParagon while in reality yer just belittlin' other people who you think are utterly irreformable? Well think again, fucko! ThisIsReality, an' yer just a delusional bitch! '''''WAKE THE FUCK UP, YA FUCKIN' LUNATIC!!!'''''
48	---> Phew, I've AlwaysWantedToSayThat.
49	** Since Alice thinks she's better than the people she helps, she [[LackOfEmpathy doesn't consider their viewpoints]]. As a result, her efforts to do good are [[StupidGood clueless]] and/or [[CondescendingCompassion condescending]], more often than not ending up as UnwantedAssistance.
50	* '''Reconstructed''':
51	** Alice befriends other characters who do meet her standards of goodness and around them, she comes off as actually quite pleasant to be around and enjoyable. Additionally, when the audience see her former friends in contrast with her new ones, the dichotomy reveals that Alice's criticisms were completely valid all along.
52	** Despite the criticisms in-universe and out regarding how blunt Alice is with her greater sense of morals and integrity, [[TheExtremistWasRight her very forward approach actually pays out to everyone's benefit in the long run]] since those that do listen to her in the end to benefit.
53	** When confronted about whether her own pride in her morality actually compromises her in the first place, Alice responds by correcting them. It's not pride that's the sin, but ''hubris'', which goes to people who's ''selfishness'' puts them above others and thus refuse to acknowledge limits or contribution of others. Alice has never fallen to any of these pit-traps, being fully willing to acknowledge her own imperfections and praising what the others have done. While she could be considered a show-off when it comes to her virtues, all of it is completely genuine; basically AwesomeEgo applied to morality. As such, this makes her come off as more moral since she's not overtly prideful and she has the right to be confident in her strong suits like everyone else. She's confident in that she's a good person and not affected by others trying to tear her down.
54	** Alice's behavior is in part a unique way of being TheParagon. She hopes that by being so explicit with her virtues and blunt in her approach, it would allow other people to do better and get the message across as straightly as possible.
55	** Alice learns to be more subtle in her virtue superiority as not to potentially set off the others while in turn agreeing that the others work more on their vices.
56	** Can't reconstruct 8. Flash is right, he literally can't do anything about his situation other than just crime. He can't just try and change at all, because the town he lives in is genuinely terrible and it wants to keep him in. So all he can really do now is just live out the rest of his days doing crime because he can't do anything else to get out of his terrible situation.
57	** Alice is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold and can empathise with others' viewpoints enough to help effectively, even if she doesn't agree with them.
58	----
59	Any [[ThisLoserIsYou morally-inferior person who is so lazy and self-indulgent]] should ought to click on the more righteous [[RightlySelfRighteous main article]].
60	----
61	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
62	%%
63	%%* '''Implied''': ???
64	%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
65	%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

Context PlayingWith / RightlySelfRighteous