[[quoteright:349:[[ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nobody_ever_complained_before_2.jpg]]]]

This StockPhrase comes into play when one person or group has a habit or custom that they perform pretty regularly. The custom is questionable in some manner. Perhaps it's aggressive or off-putting. Perhaps it's downright ugly and offensive. Either way, it is ''implied'' no one has ever objected in any way before, either to merely say something or to actually put a stop to it. ...this gets stranger when a look at TheVerse indicates that every other depicted culture also considers it offensive and/or grounds for self-defense or an Act of War.

When someone finally does act or speak up, the objection comes as a source of puzzlement, confusion, and sometimes outright anger on the part of the person or group! Someone is objecting? Why would they object? How ''dare'' they object! CultureJustifiesAnything!

Usually the stock phrase of an EasilySwayedPopulation or a culture with a possible change that's TooGoodForExploiters, because, legitimately, why would anyone change or complain about something deeply rooted?

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!!Examples:

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[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'': One guy tries using this line and ObfuscatingStupidity in an attempt to pull a fast one on Dilbert. [[http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1999-08-08/ Dilbert's response is priceless.]]
-->'''Guy:''' That wasn't nice.\\
'''Dilbert:''' [[IronicEcho No one has complained before.]]
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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]''/''Series/BabylonFive'' crossover story ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1944628/1/A_Thin_Veneer A Thin Veneer]]'', the Minbari are simply ''outraged'' that, after years of being able to casually slaughter the humans from the Earth Alliance with ease, Starfleet refuses to allow them to continue the slaughter! But what ''really'' makes them mad is that the Federation actually has the brass balls to ''win battles against the Minbari''! Seriously, their attitude is "How dare they fight back! [[HumansAdvanceSwiftly How dare they have superior technology to the Minbari!]] And how dare they win!"
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[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/ErikTheViking'', the soldiers of EvilOverlord Halfdan the Black are so surprised that Erik is actually fighting back that they don't know how to react to him. People are usually too scared of them to try fighting back at all. This encourages the rest of Erik's crew to jump in and fight.
* ''Film/ScaryMovie3'': The aliens appear to attack the protagonists, who then kill one of them in retaliation, but the aliens inform them that strangling each other is their standard way of saying hello. A kick to the groin is how they say goodbye.
* ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'': The Deacon prefers to get information by capturing two prisoners and telling them, "Whoever talks first gets to live," then shooting the one who didn't talk fast enough on the spot. This apparently works so well that, when he's captured both Helen and the Mariner and ''neither'' of them talk, he has no idea what to do.
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[[folder:Literature]]
* We can only assume that the piggies of ''Literature/SpeakerForTheDead'' had never tried to disembowel another species before, or else they might have some idea why the humans objected. Justified, because between the time when the practice started and when the humans showed up, no other sentient species ''existed'' on their planet -- in fact, due to a pandemic virus-like organism, there were only six species of ''any'' kind.
** There's a bit of FridgeLogic after reading the novel when realizing that these ceremonies appear to be voluntary within that species, but they have already killed two humans previously using this method who would be presumed to be objecting, especially since it's not a quick process. To say nothing of the fact that these two humans would have known exactly what the piggies were intending to do, just not the reason ''why''.
* In Creator/HarryTurtledove's ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'' series, members of the Race cannot understand why humans insist on fighting back instead of just placidly accepting their rule. Don't the humans realize that the Race is by definition the most superior species in the universe and thus natural rulers of all life? How dare they think they can resist! And how dare they actually win!
* In ''Literature/TheConquerorsTrilogy'' by Creator/TimothyZahn, first contact with the Zhirrzh goes very badly because the ghosts they use for communication (ItMakesSenseInContext) are fatally sensitive to radio waves. Humans are the ''FOURTH'' species this has happened with (the other three they conquered, thus the trilogy title). They never figured out that these species were trying to communicate; instead, clearly, all those other species attacked them at first contact. And those other species were so barbaric they ''armed their escape pods''! And so on.
* Played for horror in Shirley Jackson's "Literature/TheLottery": The premise is a town that holds an annual lottery, where the "winner" of the lottery gets stoned to death by the rest of the locals. The townsfolk have no qualms about this, even going as far as [[spoiler:a mother getting stoned by her own children when she receives the winning ticket]]. Other towns have begun to abolish this lottery in protest, along with one person in this town, which the other townsfolk can only interpret as societal regression.
* ''Literature/TheRingworldEngineers'': Sex is often used as an interspecies social/political lubricant.[[note]]The species all evolved from a common ancestor, so they all have the same basic sex organs. But they've diverged enough that they can't get each other pregnant.[[/note]] When Louis Wu turns down offers, he is usually greeted with confusion or amusement.
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', the Minbari routinely salute other Minbari vessels by approaching with gunports open as a sign of respect. When they encounter a human vessel for the first time, they attempt to do the same as a friendly gesture. The Earth ship, with its sensors on the fritz because of a Minbari scan and Minbari stealth technology, can't tell whether the weapons are powered, and its trigger-happy captain utterly misinterpreting this maneuver and convinced the larger alien vessel is about to attack, opens fire first. The Minbari leader Dukhat is ''[[SubvertedTrope enraged]]'' when he learns his crew was doing this in a first-contact situation, but he is killed in the process of ordering the gun ports closed. A bloody war immediately follows.\\\
The Minbari apparently covered this particular detail up (or, for the most part, didn't realize what the problem ''was''), since the same thing almost happens years later when a Minbari warship visits the titular station. Thankfully, the Minbari ambassador's intervention prevented the misunderstanding from sparking another conflict. [[spoiler:Given that she was present for the ''first'' incident, it's no surprise she recognizes the problem, and moves to prevent further issues the moment she realizes it might come into play.]]
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** In several episodes, various alien species actually seem surprised when the Federation objects to having their citizens [[AlienAbduction kidnapped]].
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode "Half a Life" there's an entire species of people who ritualistically kill themselves on their 60th birthdays, and they seem shocked and baffled when one of their own refuses to do so (because he needs more time in order save the whole planet -- also, he'd fallen in love with Lwaxana). Apparently none of their 60-year-olds had ever had any qualms about dying before. Then again, [[PersonaNonGrata those that try to break from the tradition are shunned by everyone]], so they merely ''act'' like it never happens.
** In "When the Bough Breaks", an alien race kidnaps the ''Enterprise'' children because they had all gone infertile. They seem surprised that the ''Enterprise'' parents don't understand their plight and want their children back.
** In the ''Series/DeepSpaceNine'' episode "Captive Pursuit", the human-like aliens pursuing Tosk are surprised when Sisko considers the custom -- hunting a sentient being for sport -- immoral and wrong. In fact, Tosk himself seems to see nothing wrong with it, having been trained from birth for such a purpose. They seem to have taken a page out of the Hitchhiker's Guide and gotten around the whole ethical dilemma by using a genetically engineered race that wants to be hunted (WordOfGod is that the Dominion made the Tosks for them).
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'':
** Elaine's dancing is truly horrible, but no one can ever bring themselves to tell her... [[BrutalHonesty until Kramer sees her dance, that is.]]
** Kramer does this a lot, actually. A running gag is that there's some kind of subject everyone's too polite or too awkward to discuss but Kramer always just blurts it right out. Another example would be when George spent a lot of time complaining about his current girlfriend's oversized nose, [[ManHands which is the only blemish on her otherwise great face.]] When they're eating dinner in Jerry's apartment, Kramer outright tells the woman to her face that she should get a nose job.
** When they try to invoke this intentionally, to get Kramer to comment on a woman's terrible hairstyle, it backfires on them completely. He tells her that he really ''likes'' it and when she mentions she'd been thinking of changing it, he convinces her not to.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Monica offers Chandler a massage, but it turns out to be very painful. He doesn't want to tell her, and it turns out that everyone else was making lame excuses about it. Eventually, she tries to massage Phoebe, who tells her "as a masseuse and a human" to never give massages again.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/Halo4'': Dr Halsey's interrogator calls out on Halsey's methods of creating the Spartan-[=II=]s and the reason they were really made, calling them cruel. Halsey reminds him that her Spartans are the reason humanity survived, and that no one complained before. In the novels, she even points out that ONI (the people giving her grief over it) are the very same organization that ''approved and funded'' the Spartan-II project in the first place, so they're obviously just looking for a scapegoat to protect themselves from backlash.
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Homer And Apu", after Homer has gotten Apu fired from the Kwik-E-Mart.
-->'''Apu:''' It is time to settle the score!\\
''[he walks up to the door and knocks; Homer answers it, and Apu walks slowly towards him, arms outstretched, an angry scowl on his features; Homer walks backwards, and screams in fright]''\\
'''Homer:''' No, don't kill me! I didn't know there was film in that camera in that hat! I was unaware. I was unaware!\\
'''Apu:''' Mr. Simpson, you misunderstand me. In my village, this is the traditional pose of apology...You know, now that I think about it, it may be a little confusing. Many have died needlessly.
** Later, when Apu really ''does'' try to strangle him out of anger, Homer misinterprets it as him being thanked.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': When Stan goes to Heaven and is denied a chance to return to life, he pulls out his gun and threatens to shoot. Everyone laughs and points out that Earth guns don't work. The Bailiff pulls out a Heaven gun and mentions that these do. Stan immediately grabs the gun and threatens to shoot his now-hostage lawyer. Everyone is shocked and stunned while Stan runs away. One guy complains.
-->''[Stan grabs the gun. Various reactions of gasping and other comments from the crowd]''\\
'''Bystander:''' Why do we have those again?\\
''[Stan runs away with his lawyer as a hostage]''\\
''[{{beat}}]''\\
'''Bystander:''' Seriously, why do we have Heaven Guns? I don't mean to be ''that guy'', I'm happy here...but why is this not an issue?
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is, in a sense, what qualified immunity reduces to in practice: no one has ever filed a lawsuit about (insert [[ExactWords specific details]] of [[PoliceBrutality abuse]] here), therefore there is not "clearly established law" about [[ExactWords that specific situation]], therefore the police are immune from prosecution for having done it.
* The tradition of American Law - which is in turn based on the tradition of English Common Law - holds that law is restrictive, not proscriptive. Basically, law is there to tell you what you ''can't'' do, not what you can. An action is legal unless there is a specific law in place forbidding it.
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