->''"Isn't this just great!?! While you waste my time, Earth gets one step closer to being taken over! That's my problem right there! My problem is that the human race seems to'' '''want''' ''to be destroyed!"''
->-- '''Dib,''' ''InvaderZim''

->''"A '''person''' is smart; '''people''' are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it."''
->-- '''Agent K''', ''MenInBlack''

->''[[{{Narm}} "The government wouldn't lie to us!"]]''
->-- '''Some naive girl about to get [[NukeEm nuked]]''', ''AlienVsPredator 2''

[[TheJorEl Some heroes]] have it rough. Not only do they have to fight TheVirus, the [[FantasyKitchenSink alien menace]] spreading it, ''and'' [[MonsterMash vampire accomplices...]] but every step of the way, they have to fight ''[[WorldHalfEmpty everyone else]]'' on the planet! People, by and large, think it's SomebodyElsesProblem, and that's if they can be bothered to even [[ApatheticCitizens notice it's a problem.]] More often than not, humanity at large is TooDumbToLive, and won't even notice when the villain's PaperThinDisguise falls off -- heck, the villain may be operating openly, without even the slimmest pretense of a {{Masquerade}}!

The breakdown of these folks is almost AnAesop in itself:

'''[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Delusional and Apathetic ]]
'''
* '''[[{{Muggles}} Bats:]]''' ''"Nothing's wrong."'' Bats are so blind nothing can pierce their [[WeirdnessCensor self imposed]] {{Masquerade}}, no proof is strong enough to reveal the truth of the threat. Even if the threat were to expose themselves with a neat Power Point presentation about their plan, Bats would just [[EasilyConqueredWorld ask where the cookies are.]] They'll take one look at the growing horde of evil {{Mooks}} and say it's nothing more than a bunch of dim-witted pranksters.
* '''[[ApatheticCitizens Mice:]]''' ''"They're too powerful, we may as well give up."'' Mice are downers, often discouraging the hero from even trying to resist the BigBad for fear of angering them. You can expect mice to be snitches for TheEmpire.
* '''[[HiddenElfVillage Ostriches]]:''' ''"If we hide/stay out of it, nothing bad will happen -- at least, not to us."'' Ostriches know there's a problem, and that no large group is responding to it, but believe that [[JustIgnoreIt ignoring it]] will make it go away. Yeah, tell that to the [[ZombieApocalypse zombie of old Mrs. Withers.]]
* '''[[MadeofIron Turtles]]''': ''"We can outlast 'em easy from here."'' Similar to Ostriches, except that Turtles know that the enemy will still be after them once they go into hiding. However, they are confident that their infrastructures will hold and will defend them from the threat. It was always there, so they don't think it's their efforts that are going to save them as the Wolves below think. Also, it's their own safety measures they've inherited, not those put in place by the government. If it were the government, that would make them Sheep. (see below) Still, they underestimate TheVirus and its capacity for getting to them.
* '''[[AllOfTheOtherReindeer Reindeer:]]''' ''"Okay, this may be a problem, but do we really expect '''these''' freaks to save us?"'' Reindeer are more concerned about the heroes being different and making their lives hell for that. Unlike Rudolph, they'll often continue making the hero's life hell after he saves them, because he's "[[SlaveToPR noble]]" that way and will continue to save them anyways no matter what they do to impair him.
* '''[[SomebodyElsesProblem Sheep]]:''' ''"TheGovernment is taking care of it. They'll tell us what to do."'' Sheep know there's a problem, but see no reason not to buy the government line of "it's fine" or do something themselves. Surely that fiend raising TheLegionsOfHell can't ''possibly'' be a threat to the army. Interestingly, the more of these people there are, the more likely it is that TheGovernment is actively ''[[AncientConspiracy involved]]'' in the EvilPlan.
* '''[[HoldingOutForAHero Lambs]]:''' ''"The Hero is taking care of it, so I don't have to bother protecting myself or even try to avoid danger. After all, the hero will save me every time."'' This is particularly subversive in that many heroes seem to prefer it this way.
* '''[[ScienceIsBad Mules]]:''' ''"Of '''course''' this scientific device won't cause the apocalypse!"'' The scientists who got everyone into the mess in the first place (ForScience!), and refused to listen to any people warning them of the apocalyptic risks. Nearly always either the first or last to die, but it's always a KarmicDeath at the hands of what they invented. Intelligent book-wise, but stupid when it comes to common sense (basically the polar opposite of BookDumb).
*'''[[RichBitch Poodles]]:''' ''"It may be a problem for the '''commoners''', but we are immune. What? It's here? We get out first, you proles!"'' The Poodles are extremely arrogant people of wealth and status who believe that their assets will protect them. If and when they learn that the disaster does strike them as well, they often consider themselves the first priority to be saved. In most morality works, however, they learn you can't just say ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney.
* '''[[MilesGloriosus Rooster]]''': ''Problems? With '''me''' around? I'll have this thumped in no time and be back for din -- aarrggh!!!! There's a monster there!'' All talk when the problem's invisible; all cowardice when it's not.
*'''[[AchillesInHisTent Hippos]]''': ''You want to fight this war? Well, you can do it without me!'' A powerful force who puts petty grievances over the greater good. If they would just fight, they would be a powerful asset, but since they won't, the battle is needlessly hard
* '''[[UntrustingCommunity Wasps]]''' ''"Why shoud we believe you?"'' These guys are rarely helpful, and in fact often mistrust the heroes. This often leads to disaster

'''[[/folder]]

[[folder: Self Destructive ]]
'''
* '''[[LeeroyJenkins Boars]]:''' ''"Come on, guys, '''we''' can take 'em! Let's get out the {{torches and pitchforks}} and we'll finish them off in a matter of minutes!"'' These are the brave, foolhardy souls who ''insist'' on [[MartyrWithoutACause sacrificing themselves]] for the greater good, even when they don't actually ''[[SenselessSacrifice need]]'' to, much less help. Their courage may be admirable, but it's sometimes courage of the Dutch variety, and it usually causes them to get in the way of the ''competent'' heroes. Not to mention that it's hard to think rationally about how to defeat a BigBad when you have an army of Boars squealing for his blood.
* '''[[DirtyCoward Chickens]]:''' ''"Let's get out of here before it's too late!"'' Chickens' reaction to the mounting disaster is to try to put as much distance between them and it as they can. Chickens are often as selfish as Wolves, concerned only with their own safety and not with helping others escape. Their escape attempts might fail disastrously -- and if they ''do'' reach their intended destination, they might find that the disaster got there first.
* '''[[GullibleLemmings Lemmings]]:''' ''"It's them! It's those terrorists the Benevolent Autocrat warned us of! Get 'em!"'' Lemmings are a special bunch, not only do they eagerly swallow the same load of bull the Sheep do, but they try as best they can to ''help'' the VillainWithGoodPublicity catch the heroes. While they're less effective than Boars, they nonetheless hamper the hero since he can't very well ''kill them'', but they'll slow him down and maybe get him caught. You can expect any LoveInterests the hero develops to have at least one Lemming for a friend and promptly turn him in.
* '''[[Main/{{ZombieInfectee}} Rats]]:''' ''"I'm not sick, it'll all be ok if I keep it quiet."'' They know they're sick. They know they'll die, and infect or kill their friends if they don't go away or bite the bullet. But they stay quiet and doom them all. Rats make TheVirus' work easier by acting as plague carriers, much like rats and fleas during The Black Death in Europe.
* '''[[CrazySurvivalist Wolves]]:''' ''"I said for years they'd come, now they're here! What? Get your own shelter... wait, you're one of '''them!'''"'' Wolves are determined survivors, they not only heeded the AgentMulder's crazy ramblings but took them as gospel and [[CrazyPrepared prepared for the worst]]. Problem is, they're so paranoid and militant that they're likely to see any other survivors as competition and attack them, or organize with other Wolves into formidable and hostile packs. They usually have something the Heroes need, but are near impossible to convince to help voluntarily. Ironically, these guys are usually [[SortingAlgorithmOfMortality among the first to go]] in any survival-horror situation.
* '''[[DisasterScavengers Vultures]]:''' ''"These are'' my'' corpses to loot! Get your own!"'' Vultures are a more passive form of Wolf, they're less of a physical threat but will steal anything that isn't nailed down or on fire (and they steal crowbars and fire extinguishers for the things that are), hampering TheDrifter and other heroes by stealing his kit when he comes to help. Interestingly, vultures make for pretty good {{Side Kick}}s and {{Morality Pet}}s, since one will inevitably be befriended by the hero after being caught stealing.
* '''[[InspectorJavert Bloodhounds]]:''' ''"The [[FiveManBand Force Five]] must pay for their crimes!"'' Bloodhounds are usually well-meaning policemen or detectives who try to capture the heroes. They are unaware that the heroes were either framed or had no choice. Tragic ends are common for bloodhounds.
* '''[[DisproportionateRetribution Shrews]]:''' ''"You picked on me, so I want to see you die!"'' Shrews hold major grudges against at least one of the heroes for some insignificant wrong, real or imagined. However, they go far and beyond a fair punishment, often severly hindering their progress.
* '''[[HonorBeforeReason Racehorses]]''': ''"We must not attack while they are weak, because that would break our oaths!"'' These people put virtue before a practical course of action

'''[[/folder]]

[[folder: Opportunistic ]]
'''
* '''[[HonestJohnsDealership Weasels]]:''' ''"Get your anti-monster spray!"'' Weasels are just as scared as [[ApatheticCitizens Mice]], but use the disaster to their benefit. They're the ones selling a gallon of bottled water for $50, cheap "protection from evil" medallions, rainmaking abilities, etc...
* '''[[MagnificentBastard Foxes:]]''' ''"Both sides are idiots -- what an excellent opportunity..."'' Foxes are somewhat akin to [[Main/{{HonestJohnsDealership}} Weasels]] in seeing the opportunities around. However, not only are they unafraid of the villains, they are savvy and quick enough to play both sides against each other, morality and ideology be damned. A Fox relies on his wits, his speed and his charm to get him through come what may, no matter which side wins -- and if neither does, well the Fox will still be on his feet after the dust settles. Unlike most of the others, Foxes can actually be quite useful or even helpful, ''if'' you can turn them to your side. Or if the villain betrays them. Or if you can convince them there's more profit in your side winning. Basically, when in a capital-D Disaster, Foxes are your best bet. At least they're ''smart''.
* '''[[FakeUltimateHero Pufferfish:]]''' ''"I know exactly what to do!"'' Pufferfish take advantage of a disaster to boost their reputation. They are often exposed and/or killed. However, they do harm by drawing attention away from the ''real'' hero(es), who can actually help.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Sell Outs ]]

* '''[[TheMole Moles]]:''' ''"Trust me, there's nothing to worry about!"'' The Mole is, of course, the undercover villain who is not only forcing events along the worst possible path, but who is also likely encouraging all the other varieties to live down to their potential.
* '''[[LesCollaborateurs Snakes:]]''' ''"Fight them? Why would I want to do that when they have '''so much''' to offer?"'' Snakes are a special case, they are just as able as the hero of seeing through the villains' ruse... and wholeheartedly support him. Whether it's for [[TheDarkSide power]], [[MoneyTropes riches]], or [[ForTheEvulz kicks]], Snakes will join the biggest alpha predator's pack against the hero and help enslave their weaker fellows. In war movies Snakes are the opposite of LaResistance.
* '''[[BlackShirt Jackals]]:''' ''"Finally, we have a strong leader ready to put those malcontents in their place! [[{{Mooks}} Where do I sign up?]]"'' Jackals are like Lemmings and Snakes, they eagerly collaborate with the villain because they think his campaign of terror and genocide are ''just causes.'' Whether it's out of hate, fanaticism, or ignorance, they prefer the villain's despotism to a more benevolent regime. Usually they're harmless once the villain is dethroned, their prejudice only comes out when the bad guys are in power.
* '''[[FaceHeelTurn Frogs]]:''' ''"Sorry, but if I can't get respect from you, maybe I'll get respect from them!"'' Frogs are often important individuals who turn to evil for reasons that make sense, but hardly justify their actions. Unlike snakes and jackals, they often have a FreudianExcuse

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other ]]

* '''[[MixandMatchCritters Chimeras]]:''' ''"I know he's evil, but he just wants to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make the world better]]; maybe if we hand over the heroes he'll leave us be..."'' Characters that blend two or more animals of different groups.
* '''[[RedShirt Termites]]''': ''"Hey...what's that? '''[[OhCrap OH]] [[KilledMidSentence SHI--]]'''"'' They have little answer for the foe and are [[StuffedIntoTheFridge very quickly annihilated]]. The hero couldn't possibly get to them in the nick of time, no matter how much he feels responsible to save them. The option to try saving them may be part of a SadisticChoice for the distant hero. For the Termites, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Failure truly is the only option]]. Unlike Mice, who realize the enemy is too powerful, Termites don't even get time to figure out that [[TheGrimReaper the aardwolf]] is headed their way. Unlike Bats, they would have noticed if they had time, and would have cared.
* '''[[ObstructiveBureaucrat Spiders]]''': ''"So you want to investigate the Bukuvu incedent? Fill out these forms and report to the Bureau of Citizen Watchgroups. You should have permission in four to six weeks."'' Spiders are often flunkies who catch heroes in their "web" of red tape, protocol, and restrictions. They often don't realize how serious the situation is until it's too late.

In short, these are the people that ensure FailureIsTheOnlyOption for the hero. At best, they'll have a too-late epiphany, as their worst fear stares them in the face ([[KarmicDeath and hopefully eats them]]). More often than not the hero will save them despite themselves. Occasionally he'll toy with just letting the aliens win; then again, maybe the aliens are actually trying to do the galaxy a ''favor'' by killing off such a stupid species. HumansAreBastards, after all.

Often falls into TruthInTelevision;, especially during wartime, for example, ''An Enemy of the People'', below, was based on a true story.

See also: ApatheticCitizens, {{Masquerade}}, {{Muggles}}, PaperThinDisguise.
Antonym to FightingForSurvival.
----
!!Examples

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Anime ]]

* The farmer and villagers of ''SamuraiSeven'' are the mousiest people in all of anime, even after the samurai [[TrainingThePeacefulVillagers trained them to fight]] and land a victory. Naturally there was at least one Weasel.
* A rather literal example of suicidal Boars: the magical boars in ''PrincessMononoke'' know they'll die if they make a headlong rush against the human settlement, but do so anyway.
** If I remember correctly, this was a case of HonorBeforeReason as well.
* The citizens and Navy of the World Government in ''OnePiece'' are a veritable ''zoo'', mainly Sheep and Lemmings. Early in the series we encounter a Boar (Mayor Boodle, an ordinary old man who has the guts to confront Buggy the Clown and his gang, but is subdued by Luffy before he can get himself killed).
* The refugees from the Albion arc in ''{{Berserk}}'' are lemmings, doing whatever the brutal inquisitor Mozgus tells them to so that they don't get devoured by demons. The priest from the village being attacked by trolls later on is both a mouse and a reindeer, believing that the troll attack is a trial sent by God and that all the villagers need to do is pray to survive, and when witch Schierke tries to cast a spell around the church to protect everyone, the priest actually tries to stop her since she's, well, [[CaptainObvious a witch.]]
* In the fourth season of ''SailorMoon,'' the villain openly exclaim that people in Tokyo are Bats.
* In {{Twentieth Century Boys}}, virtually the whole world is turned into sheep, except who they rally around is not the true heroes of the story but {{Magnificent Bastard}} Friend, who was behind the world-shattering events he pretended to stop in the first place.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* The MarvelUniverse is nearly entirely comprised of Reindeer. [[Comicbook/{{Spider-Man}} J. Jonah Jameson]] in particular is the patron saint of Reindeer.
** On the other hand, aside from really, reallly hating Spider-Man, he's a model journalist, and relatively decent towards mutants. He just hates him some Spider-Man is all.
*** As of ''Civil War'', he hates him any superhero who disagreed with the idea that the government should have total control over all metahumans. Granted, we have yet to see his reaction to the latest development...
** As of the end of ''Secret Invasion'', the MarvelUniverse general population shifted from being Reindeer to Lemmings (or possibly Jackals), given that they are unabashedly hailing Norman "The Green Goblin" Osborn as the savior of the day, way cooler than Tony Stark, and that Norman and whatever goon army he wishes to assemble are a valid replacement for SHIELD (which is being disbanded) and the Initiative (which, along with all other registered metahumans, are being placed under the control of Osborn). [[WallBanger Or to sum up, a mass-murdering psychopath who strafed his own arraignment hearing with pumpkin bombs on live national TV is now considered to be (by both the US government and the general public) more trustworthy and competent than every superhero on the planet, and placed in command of them all.]]
* For a good example of Bats, take a look at any city in any superhero comic. No matter how many bad things happen, the citizens never ever move out, revolt, or take any steps to make the city safer. (We're looking at you, ''BatmanBeyond.'')
** Would that make them... [[IncrediblyLamePun Bat-Men?]]
* In most incarnations of Superman, the planet Krypton seems to consist entirely of Mules and Bats, with Jor-El silenced and censured not only because they doubt his scientific findings but because they find it offensive he would even suggest that the mighty planet Krypton might explode in the first place.
** In at least one incarnation, they were Lemmings; they placed all of their trust in a single super-computer, fed with all of the data of Krypton and which thoroughly disagreed with Jor-El's findings. Unfortunately for them, said super-computer was smart enough to realise that organizing the salvation of the Kryptonian people would almost certainly result in it being abandoned to die with the planet, due to lack of time, self-centered enough to consider its own survival as being more important than that of the Kryptonians (after all, as the sum of all the lore of Krypton, it would effectively allow the planet to live on through its own survival), and canny enough to lie to the rulers of Krypton. This computer became Brainiac.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* The majority of people trapped in the grocery store in ''TheMist'' start off as Bats, refusing to believe there are any monsters in the mist. Their refusal results in the first death in the film, and even in the face of this evidence, several people still refuse to admit that there are creatures prowling around outside. Once these Bats leave and the monsters start besieging the store, however, the remaining survivors quickly become Lemmings, listening to the religious zealot's rantings about the apocalypse and try to offer up the few sane people in the store as sacrifices to the creatures outside the store. How was that going to solve anything? By their leader's admission, they were all doomed anyways. As one character points out, as a species we are "inherently insane."
* Any natural DisasterMovie will invariably have every local official be a willing Ostrich or Bat, valuing the tourist season over TheJorEl's expert opinion. Often to the point they'll try to chase him out of town or silence him to avoid the ugly rumor that the volcano/sharks/spiders will kill townspeople.
* ''Men In Black'': Humans are "dumb, panicky, dangerous animals", or Bats, for the purpose of our little list. Those that do actually see are either reindeered or neuralyzed back into bathood, or are {{MIB}}s themselves.
* Councilman and SmugSnake Theron in the film version of ''300'' was a Snake. He collaborated with Xerxes and the Persians to delay and inhibit the deployment of the Spartan army in exchange for gold.
* The human police and guards in ''TheMatrix'' can be considered Lemmings, and who can blame them? After all, the human [[LaResistance Resistance]] kills them with impunity and dress like leather-loving terrorists.
* In ''{{V}}'', Donovan's mother is a chimera, combining Sheep, Bat, Mole, Snake ''and'' Jackal.
* Captain Korso, in ''[[Main/{{TitanAE}} Titan AE]]'', is a mouse-turned-mole, though he eventually realizes what a prick he's being and tries to redeem himself with a [[Main/{{HeroicSacrifice}} Heroic Sacrifice]].
* In many [[ZombieApocalypse zombie]] or [[TheWarOfTheWorlds alien invasion]] movies, most non-main humans are either a chimera of boar and mouse, in that they run around screaming alternately in fright or as part a berserker charge (which is especially fun when it's the same person or group of people doing both, usually when they figure out [[ImmuneToBullets pistols don't beat]] {{Death Ray}}s in [[HumongousMecha armored walkers]]), or as snakes or vultures, using the disaster as an excuse to get money or serve the aliens. Snakes and vultures usually bite it at the end by the heroes or by betrayal, while boars have a 50/50 chance of surviving, dependent entirely upon when they realize pistols don't beat {{Death Ray}}s. Of particular note was the [[FiringInTheAirALot feeble attempt at resistance]] attempted in ''Independence Day.'' However, they might also [[DoNotRunWithAGun take themselves out]] while trying to get away. Silly humans. No wonder aliens like messing with us. We are to Martians as the [[StarControl Spathi]] are to us.
** [[ZombieApocalypse Zombie]] movies pretty much always have one Rat, such as Barbara from ''Shaun of the Dead''. Probably the most grating example of a Rat is L.J. from Resident Evil: Extinction, who despite having lived through a ''{{zombie apocalypse}}'' decides to hide his injury from the other survivors, even as he get increasingly sicker and sicker.
* The regular citizens in ''TheIncredibles'' are Reindeer who are TooDumbToLive... but not to sue. (Although if you don't think that's TruthInTelevision, you obviously don't get out enough.) They gleefully start filing negligence lawsuits against the [[SuperHero Supers]] for minor injuries sustained in the course of ''having their lives saved!'' Talk about biting the hand that saves your life. It really is a miracle that a rogue super villain didn't take the opportunity of heroes being outlawed to work their mischief. (Maybe the authorities are GenreSavvy and use snipers to avoid JokerImmunity? It ''would'' explain why Syndrome did all his work by remote control with robots...)
* Most of the cast of ''[[TwentyEightDaysLater 28 Days Later]]'', being by definition survivor types, manage to avoid these -- well, mostly. Selena begins (before taking a step up to [[{{Badass}} badassitude in her own right]]) as a Wolf of sorts, the first male survivor we meet, Mark would have been a Rat if the [[HatePlague infection hadn't been checked by Selena butchering him with a machete]] and Jim was at first a bit of an ostrich. Most of those offed in the titular 28 days of strife seem to have been unlucky Bats or all too aware and simply too late.
** ''28 Weeks Later'', however includes [[spoiler: one of the worst plague rats of all time, the moron kid who carries the plague over the English Channel.]]
*** Well, the kid isn't really to blame, since [[spoiler: no one bothered to tell him why they were protecting him in order to spare the "poor" kid of their real motivations. Also, being a movie so deliciously inclined to the cynicism side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism they had to show that Idealism will get the world killed]]
*In ''VForVendetta,'' the fascist government of future Britain relies heavily on the essential Sheep/Ostrich nature of humanity in order to keep the population under tight martial control. Slightly subverted as V's actions succeed in inspiring some Boar behavior.
* ''[[{{IRobot}} I, Robot]]'' has half a city's worth of Boars.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Literary example, OlderThanRadio: in HenrikIbsen's ''An Enemy of the People'', the main character attempts to blow the whistle on dangerous contamination of the town baths... and meets with the scorn of everyone from the mayor on down.
* The ''HarryPotter'' series uses off this one pretty heavily:
**While most Muggles don't really count (they're kept in the dark on purpose), Harry's relatives count as excellent Reindeer.
** ''The Order of the Phoenix'' features the Ostriches in the Ministry of Magic turning the wizarding community into Sheep and Reindeer.
** ''The Deathly Hallows'' [[spoiler:sees TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt as Wizarding England (a democracy) basically transforms from one much like current England into a Nazi-like police state pretty much openly run by Death Eaters, with Ostriches, Weasels, Mice, and Bats running rampant for weeks after the coup. Slytherin House becomes a bunch of Chimeras (Snakes, Jackals, Mice, and Lemmings), while the other houses are boars. You see, a Death Eater placed a mind-control jinx on some of the elected leaders, and most people, for no apparent reason, continue to trust the ''Daily Prophet.'' Mousehood becomes the overriding force in society for the next seventeen or so chapters, to the point where encouraging graffiti glows with phoenix fire by comparison. (Aberforth has convinced himself that he's a Mouse, but this runs totally counter to his actual actions. A real [[{{Casablanca}} Rick Blaine]] type, that one.)]]
** [[TheUmbridge Dolores Umbridge]] and caretaker Filch both become Jackals -- Umbridge when the Ministry is taken over by Death Eaters, and Filch when Umbridge takes over discipline in Hogwarts.
** Additionally, a huge bunch of Weasels spring up in the ''Half-Blood Prince'', selling things like cheap talismans and fake protection kits. Mr. Weasley's job on duty is to track down and arrest these Weasels.
* ''LeftBehind'': Mostly the Sheep and Reindeer variety.
* Mundane people on the {{Discworld}} are usually either Sheep (especially in the City Watch and Witches books, where the public always relies on the overworked and underappreciated main characters to save the day, and never have any serious doubt that they can't handle it) or Bats (especially in the Death books, where people just ignore what their brains can't handle, like TheGrimReaper walking around in public). The Sheep metaphor is especially prevalent in the books starring Tiffany Aching, who is both a shepherd's daughter and a witch in training. On the other hand, CMOTDibbler is a Weasel all the way.
** In ''[[Discworld/GuardsGuards Guards! Guards!]]'' pretty much every single one of the above animal-types makes an appearance.
** The Sheep nature of {{Discworld}} citizens was {{Lampshade}}d in ''{{GURPS}} Discworld Also'', where if ordinary citizens are asked why they haven't investigated large animal corpses floating down the river, they respond ''"What do we look like? Daft 'eroes? No offense, o'course!"''
**{{Lampshade}}d and semi-subverted in ''Discworld/SmallGods'': The Great and Powerful Om has a rather skewed view of humanity because his first contact with humanity was a shepherd rather than the goatherd in the next valley. As the book says, "Sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led."
* It is stated in the second book of ''Abarat'' that everyone actually felt something was going on, but the commoners prefer to ostrich themselves. This is somewhat justified by the fact that who was capable enough to do something has been "put to sleep with the Requiax".
** Then, Candy's father refuses to be rescued by the Abaratians because they are, in his words, freaks. ''He refuses to get out of a sinking boat'' just because they told him to. Reindeer much?
* In Jim Butcher's ''[[TheDresdenFiles Small Favor]]'', Harry Dresden explicitly compares the bulk of humanity to ostriches.
** However, the supernatural community is well aware that they should not attract the attention of the bulk of humanity, because they'd come down on them like a gigantic angry hornet's nest. Armed with guns, tanks and missiles.
* The ''StephenKing'' novella TheMist contains examples of several of these types. In fact, it could almost be argued that every character in the book embodies one of these.
*Even older than Ibsen's, Cassandra was the daughter of Priam and Hecuba, the last king and queen of Troy. She was so beautiful Apollo fell in love with her and gifted her with prophetic sight. However, she spurned him, and being the Greek god he was, he cursed her so no one would believe anything she said. So she foretold the whole deal, the problem with Helen and Paris, the siege and fall of Troy, but no one listened. Oops.
* The premise of nearly every Michael Crichton book is a bunch of scientist Mules.
* Although TheChroniclesOfNarnia are the TropeNamer for many of the animals in FightingForSurvival, the final book presents the creatures falling into the habits of DyingLikeAnimals. Most of the creatures act like Sheep who are easily herded into the plans of [[TheEmpire the Calormenes]]; the Ape Shift is a classic [[TheQuisling Snake]]; he tricks the gullible donkey Puzzle into [[GullibleLemmings helping him trick the Narnian masses]], and the Dwarves deserve a special mention, since they play the role of both Reindeer and Bats at various points in the story.
* ''WorldWarZ'' practically has a catalogue of these:
** Bats: Widespread denial allows the zombie plague to grow to epidemic proportions.
** Sheep: Even when it's clear that there's something going on, most people take their Phalanx and wait for someone else to solve the problem.
** Chickens: The freeway full of stopped cars, in addition to other mass evacuations.
** Boars: Yonkers. Military strategy included equipping soldiers with ''flashbangs''.
** Rats: The other major cause of the plague--people ''constantly'' deny that they have the plague, and fleeing refugees will often carry around a zombified family member in a box until it breaks out and kills them all.
** Wolves: The [=LAMOs=].
** Weasels: The manufacturer of Phalanx, still justifying his actions from his hidden base in Antarctica after he practically caused the apocalypse.
** Jackals: {{The quisling}}s.
** Poodles: The celebrities on Long Island that flaunt all of the supplies that they have and are promptly invaded by a horde of desperate people.
* ''AnimalFarm'' uses this literally as part of its allegorical message. While the list isn't identical on all points to that listed here, readers get no prizes for guessing who the sheep are supposed to be...
* In ''Hosts'', RepairmanJack accuses the surviving subway passengers of being Sheep to their faces, disgusted that [[spoiler: he was the only one armed and able to fight back against the spree-killing psycho]]. By this trope's definitions, they're actually Termites and Chickens, not Sheep; either way, Jack fears that they'll turn into Reindeer if the truth about his "profession" comes out.
* PercyJacksonandtheOlympians has quite a few...
** In Book 1, the furies serve as bloodhounds, we are introduced to plenty of bats and reindeer, Luke turns out to be a Frog, and Ares is a jackal
** Book 2 features Tantalus the Mouse/Shrew chimera, still more bats, frogs and reindeer, and Clarisse the boar
** In book three, there are snakes in the form of mortal mercinaries and [[spoiler: Nico]] the shrew
** In book four, [[spoiler: Dadelus]] is a mouse/shrew/frog chimera.
** In book five, we have Prometheus the shrew, Clarisse the Hippo, Hades the Hippo/Fox chimera, and [[spoiler: Silena Beauregard]] the mole
* The comedy book ''Apocalypse How'' gives you pointers on how to be the best Vulture you can be in the post-apocalyptic world.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* The townsfolk of Sunnydale in ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' would seem to be a combination of both Ostriches and Bats -- it's implied throughout the series that they're aware of the supernatural oddities (and extremely high mortality rate) of their town, but prefer to live in blissful ignorance of the truth of the situation. This attitude has come to be known as SunnydaleSyndrome.
**Likewise Principal Snyder is a Jackal.
** Mayor Richard Wilkins III's BackStory has him as a Snake who ascended into Big Bad Boss territory, and from there hopes to ascend into even bigger Snake territory.
* A particularly bad example is ''DoctorWho,'' where most humans remain Bats despite the earth being visibly invaded by aliens ''several times''. Each apparent first contact is quickly dismissed as a hoax or hallucination. This does seem to be slowly changing, over time the Bats are gaining sight -- for example a man who openly believes in aliens was elected as Prime Minister and people backed this belief on radio. Mind you, [[spoiler:this was part growing belief in aliens, part subliminal suggestion as the PM in question turned out to be the Master]].
** And now the bats ain't blind no more. [[spoiler: In "Voyage of the Damned", the people of London have realized that there were alien invaders on the last two Christmas', so London is evacuated in this episode. Ironically, nothing happens. Except a space cruse liner almost crashing into Buckingham Palace]].
*** In ''{{Torchwood}}'', which takes place in the same continuity, the ongoing Bats joke seems to wobble in and out of favor; the season two opener has a fishheaded alien being chased by ''MIB''s, and an elderly woman just rolls her eyes at it as a typical scene. And yet, one episode later, a character patently insists there are no aliens until she's shown one up close. Of course, [[spoiler:she was an alien sleeper agent, so her programming might've turned her into a Bat despite the in-continuity establishment of visible aliens.]]
*** The episode "Turn Left" had fun with removing the blinders. [[spoiler: Because of an alien that feeds off of changes in the timeline and picking the wrong food source, the Doctor dies in "The Runaway Bride". Without the Doctor to end certain threats before they escalated or at least providing plausible denial ability things become much more obvious. It is easier to be a bat when you thought you saw a giant replica of the Titanic falling from the sky than when it actually explodes decimating the southern portion of Great Britain.]]
* In the ''StargateAtlantis'' episode "The Hot Zone", a scientist infected by a virus tries to get away, despite quarantine.
* ''{{Lost}}'': At the beginning of the series, Rousseau is very much a Lone Wolf, though she can eventually be convinced to ally with the survivors (but not join their community). The survivors themselves often degenerate into Boar-ishness. Sawyer is a quintessential Vulture -- until he becomes nicer and there are no more corpses to rob.
**That is, the major characters are Boars. The background characters are Lambs who look to Jack or Locke. Sawyer actually replied to Locke's query about what the rest of their group were saying, "Baaaaa. That's the nice thing about Sheep. They're predictable."
*In ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]],'' [[spoiler: the entire Markab race]] dies for being a bunch of Ostriches: "Since the plague only kills sinful hedonists, we good and upstanding citizens are perfectly safe." Well, not quite so.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* The ''WorldOfDarkness:'' Humanity as a whole, with a tiny handful of exceptions, are Bats, but not of their own free will. There's a reason the keystone game of the Old World of Darkness was called ''Vampire: The {{Masquerade}}'', after all.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''Dead Rising'' is an obvious example, as it takes place in a zombie-infested shopping mall. The few humans still alive run the gamut of animal types from the turtle survivalists in the gun shop, to the lamb in the Entrance Plaza being pinned down by snipers ("I was waiting for someone strong like you to come sort things out. Lead the way!"), to Doctor Barnaby the mule.
* The humans in ''MelodyOfOblivion'' are either ignorant of the fact that Monsters have invaded -- and defeated -- humanity, or are complicit in offering children as sacrifices. Children and most adults fall into the former category, with only the leaders of a given area knowing the truth. The existence of the heroes, the Melos Warriors, is completely denied by nearly everyone.
* The citizens of Alfard in ''BatenKaitos'' are Snakes to a man, as TheEmpire has trained them in extreme civil pride. They couldn't give a damn about Geldoblame's conquest ambitions, since they themselves are all so well off.
* ''TheLegendOfZelda: A Link to the Past'' includes a few Lemmings in Kakariko Village, when Agahnim takes over Hyrule Castle and blames Zelda's kidnapping on Link. Whenever Link comes within sight of these characters they'll run into their house, lock the door, and call in the soldiers to attack Link. Obviously you can't attack these people even to shut them up. In order to get ''into'' their houses and indulge your KleptomaniacHero nature, you have to sneak around them.
* The mayor of Iselia in ''[[Main/{{TalesOfSymphonia}} Tales Of Symphonia]]'' is a chimera of mouse and reindeer, though there are a lot of the latter in the game.
** Also, for most of the game, [[spoiler:Zelos]] is a fox character.
* The FunnyAnimal video game ''Tai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger'' actually has some of the above categories as ''literal'' versions of this trope, specifically the Boars, Snakes, and Rats.
* ''[[NintendoWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]'' has a lot of these, with the Mayor being a Reindeer, and Waylon being the biggest goddamn Snake in recent memory.
* Most of the ''WhenTheyCry'' series uses this as one of its big points, showing how everyone Dies Like Animals, until they finally manage to put their strong points to use and [[FightingForSurvival Fight For Survival]]. Both have pretty apparent boars, but [[HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Higurashi]] definitely has more wolves. At least in the first arc of [[UminekoNoNakuKoroNi Umineko]], chickens factored pretty heavily in the outcome.
* The town of Toha in ''FireEmblem 9'' is full of reindeer-lemming chimeras. They turn in the remnants of their country's resistance to the invading nation of Daein to the Daein army because they were working with [[HalfHumanHybrids laguz]], or, as the citizens call them, [[FantasticRacism subhumans]].
* In ''{{World of Warcraft}}'' the Scarlet Crusade in its various incarnations are all wolves... if you're not one of them, you are the scourge. Or if you're not a zombie right now, you will be soon; better to kill you now to prevent it.
** {{TwoWords}} obvious Boar: ''[[{{LeeroyJenkins}} Leeeroyyyy Jenkiiiiinsss!!!!]]''
* ''MassEffect'': The Citadel Council are a charming mixture of Bats, Ostriches, Reindeer and even Lemmings at one point. Udina never actually works for the villains, but is otherwise a classic Snake, while [[spoiler: Saren]] turns out to be a Mouse.
* In ''TheElderScrolls III: Morrowind'', most of Vvardenfell's inhabitants are some combination of Sheep and Reindeer, while certain members of the Temple and House Redoran turn into Lemmings at one point in the main quest. On the other hand, they're also the only ones actively trying to fight the Sixth House, while the other Houses (particularly the Telvanni) are largely Ostriches. The corprus stalkers are Rats, while the Tribunal -- who helped create the problem in the first place -- are the resident Mules.
* In ''MegaManStarForce 2'', Electopia's whole population is basically turned into Mice. At the climax of the story, the [[VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon lost continent of Mu appears]] and the BigBad makes a submit-or-die speech; from that point on, almost every NPC you talk to is scrambling to prove him/herself worthy of membership in the "Neo Mu Empire". There's a plot reason for this, but it's still annoying -- who wants to save a bunch of quislings?

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* Doctor Horrible actually calls people in Captain Hammer's statue-unveiling ceremony "sheep" and "lemmings": ''Look at these people, amazing how sheep / 'll show up for the slaughter. / No one condemning you, lined up like lemmings, / you led to the water.''
** Somewhat subverted in that Horrible has no intention of killing them. [[spoiler: Captain Hammer, on the other hand...]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''InvaderZim'' makes a running gag out of how humans are all Bats and Sheep, to the point where the (competent) Invader Tak muses:
-->'''Tak:''' "The great thing about your people, Dib, is that most of them don't notice. All they see is another faceless corporate venture, not a plan for world conquest.
--> '''Dib:''' "Wait, is there really a difference?"
** If that isn't enough, all of Dib and Zim's classmates, who have firsthand evidence of Zim's alien-ness, are all ''far'' more interested in being Reindeer about Dib's giant head and [[AgentMulder obsessive alien/paranormal fixations]] than Zim's own freakishness (which is far less obnoxious by comparison).
--->'''Dib:''' [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne My head's not big!]]
* The citizens of Townsville in ''ThePowerPuffGirls'' are so accustomed to them that they've all become Lambs. They even have an episode where the girls get so fed up with everyone needing constant babying, that they set out to prove they ''aren't'' helpless idiots by taking a break and walking them through defeating the MonsterOfTheWeek. The moral? "We don't need the Powerpuff Girls at all!"
* Everyone in ''TheSimpsons'' turns into Vultures as soon as the lights go out. Not one window remains unbroken. Tip: If moving to Springfield, become a glazier.
**According to the DVD commentary, the writers ''loved'' to incite riots in Springfield, often over relatively small events, like a soccer game or a museum opening. The insert for ''The Simpsons Movie'' DVD proclaims "Springfield's largest riot ever!"
** Occasionally they'll all go Boar instead, depending on plot requirements. Usually involves literal torches and pitchforks. "It's bringing love! Don't let it get away." "Break its legs!"
* The citizens of Ba Sing Se in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are Mice to their own city government, which forces them to be Ostriches to the Fire Nation war.
** Eventually {{lampshade}}d ("All this time what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. And that makes me the king fool.") and partially justified ([[spoiler: the Dai Li are ruthless about keeping the truth under wraps]]).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Truth In Television ]]

* Neville "Peace in Our Time" Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the lead-up to WorldWarII, is the Patron Saint of Bats, as his attempts at appeasing Hitler allowed the dictator to run rampant over much of Europe unopposed. In his defense, Chamberlain, like many Europeans, had witnessed WorldWarI as it happened and had good reason to oppose another Great War, but his inaction made the fight that much harder for the Allies.
**In Chamberlain's defense, there wouldn't have been a lot the British could have done to defend the Sudetenland and it didn't really make much sense for him to start a war to keep people who considered themselves Germans from joining Germany.
** Another reason for appeasing Hitler was to provide a buffer against the USSR, making Neville something of a Snake as well.
** However, it's worth mentioning that Chamberlain brought Britain some time to prepare for the war, and it has been argued that this was possibly part of the plan all along.
**Also a signatory of the Munich Accord, Edouards Daladier knew full well the idiocy of it. "If I had had 4,000 aircraft, Munich would never have happened." He did not, and signed. He was greeted with enthusiasm in Paris, which made him mutter "les cons" loosely translated as "idiots". In his mind they were all bats. Since he knew the problem, said nothing, and signed the accords anyway, that would make him a rat.
* There's no shortage of Weasels in real-world history -- one of the reasons it took so long for the US to intervene in WorldWarII was public disgust with the corporations that profiteered off the US involvement in WorldWarI. And while we're on the subject, let's not leave out American Jackals like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh, who lauded Hitler -- even after he invaded Poland.
* The French Military policy in 1940 was a good example of a Turtle. They were confident that the formidable Maginot Line of defenses would be impenetrable. Indeed, the Germans never succeeded in breaking through. Instead, they just went through Belgium and Holland, who adhered to an Ostrich policy of keeping out of the fight to avoid provoking Germany, and encircled both the main French Army and the Maginot Line. The shock of the speed of this defeat destroyed French morale, and the French Generals promptly turned into Mice.
* The American response to Global Warming has so far been a combination of Bat/Sheep behavior, as shown by many, many polls. Can anyone who's read those polls tell me why that is, because I get why?
* Probably the greatest real-life example of a Bat/Rat Chimera is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_Mary Typhoid Mary]], who was adamant in her refusal to believe that she was a carrier for an infectious disease despite the numerous infections and deaths that occurred at the homes where she worked. She eventually had to be forcibly quarantined.
* Not to mention the so-called Patient Zero of the AIDS epidemic: a promiscuous male flight attendant who was Patient Zero for North America and Europe. Contrary to popular belief, he was ''not'' the first person infected, only the earliest identified in a large pandemic. What made him a Rat was that he ''still'' continued his rampant sexual activities and dangerous behaviors ''knowing'' he was infected and was spreading it to his partners.
** Hell, AIDS and HIV managed to spread to pandemic levels largely because people in general acted like bats: first pretending there was no disease, refusing to shut down gay bath houses, refusing to screen blood for the infection, refusing to believe straights could be infected, President's Reagan's refusal to even ''mention'' the disease, refusal to acknowledge that it had, or even ''could'', jump from the gay population to the straight population (indeed, it was even originally named GRID, or Gay-Related Immune Deficiency), etc., etc. It's frankly by sheer providence that the spread was somewhat controlled since all of America was acting TooDumbToLive!
*** Not to mention that the whole GRID thing is almost exclusively American. In 1984 it was shown (by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gallo Dr. Robert Gallo]], of the Institute of Human Virology) that the virus was the same one as was being researched in France and Africa, which was only slightly more common in gay people. In case you care, there is something of a rivalry between the IHV and Pasteur Labs (Led by virologist Dr. Luc Montagnier) in France over who, exactly, did what first.
*** And then there were some CorruptCorporateExecutive Weasels that, for example, scolded the employees of their pharmaceutical company for using the new, more reliable AIDS test kits to test the blood used for transfusion kits because ''they produced more positive results'' than the older tests, causing a greater loss of raw material (and thereby increased manufacturing costs).
*** One of the big problems with the blood supply at the start of the AIDS epidemic was that the gay population had, by and large, traditionally been very loyal as blood donors. Blood banks were worried that, by asking questions like "Are you gay" or "Do you participate in risky behavior X" they were going to offend some of their best donors, thereby driving them away and losing a major source of both blood and income. It's one of those things that, as a business decision, makes sense on some level, just not on any level where the words "decency", "safety", or "basic humanity" appear.
****I think it's very human - The assumption that yeah, maybe some people will get sick later, but that there are people dying from bloodloss RIGHT NOW. It was really hard to see the span of the disease at the time.
**** Today it's somewhat swung in the opposite direction, with blood and plasma donation centers (and others, including sperm banks, etc.) in the US showing Lemming/Reindeer behavior and refusing to take blood from openly gay/bisexual men. Never mind that heterosexuals -- who comprise most HIV sufferers today, are more numerous, and can engage in all the same risky behaviors -- aren't subject to the same scrutiny.
***** Especially drug addicts, who aren't turned away from blood donation even though they are the demographic that is most afflicted with HIV. - Well, they certainly are in New York and Illinois. Where are you referring to?
*** Then we can get into the Weasels who hawk homeopathic "cures" for HIV, and even extreme Bats who deny that HIV causes AIDS at all and continue to have unprotected sex. Let's just say that over the history of AIDS [[HumansAreBastards a lot of humans have been bastards]].
**** The pharmaceutical companies who produce real effective treatments have been pretty weaselish too, holding their patents more important that the lives of millions in Africa and South America who can't afford normal prices. They've relented some, but [[HumansAreBastards still...]].
* Jesse Ventura has explained this trope on numerous occasions, accusing people of being lemmings.
* During WorldWarII, the British often used standard envelopes and the public mail system to send secret documents, on the theory that anyone conditioned enough to security procedures would ignore the public mail, since it wasn't "secure". It worked, too.
**On the other hand, during the Irish War of Independence, a raid on a postal sorting centre by the rebels led to the post for Dublin Castle, then the centre of British administration in Ireland being opened, read and marked "Opened and Censored by the Irish Republic" before being sent on.
*** In East Germany, where a lot of similar postal censorship took place, a common tactic apparently was to send the potentially dangerous messages ''with postcards'', since no-one would bother to read what was on plain sight. Presumably some code words were still used, just in case.
* Professor James Lovelock is a pretty good example of an Ostrich/Chicken/Wolf Chimera. His solution to global warming is essentially "save yourself, because it's going to kill everyone else. Oh, and save England, too. Which has nothing at all to do with the fact that that's where I live."
* RealLife {{Conspiracy Theorist}}s seem to consider everyone else on Earth to be one of these; in their minds, anyone who doesn't buy into their mythology is one of the "sheeple," and the most vocal skeptics, like James Randi and Mark Bunker, are regularly accused of being moles.
** On the flip side, most people outside their small circle consider them wolves.
* The Titanic was full of poodles. The First Class passengers were considered first priority to be saved. In fact, the poorest of the passengers [[HumansAreBastards were sealed into their quarters to make more room for the wealthy and middle class]]

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