[[quoteright:200:[[TheHouseOfTudor http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mary_fancy_dress_001.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:200:[-{{Pimped Out Dress}}es [[http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/3004525575_88f1c737be_o.png like this]] are actually just as common in [[RealLife history]] as fiction.-] ]]

Once in a while, a TV show does something that actually happens in RealLife (Don't worry, it never lasts, and they soon slip back into their [[StrictlyFormula old habits]]). Rarely, other shows pick up on this, and you then get a recurring trope that accurately reflects the real world. Listed here, for your convenience, are some examples of those.

The Dark Side of this trope occurs in RippedFromTheHeadlines.

When it's the exact opposite, you've got a bad case of RealityIsUnrealistic. If people fall for it, it's because TVNeverLies.

Technically, these tropes do not need to be [[JustifiedTrope Justified Tropes]], since they are truth. However, ViewersAreMorons, and so writers may actually throw in justifications.

The Bastard Spawn of these two tropes gives us InspiredBy and VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory.

There's a Sliding Scale of Truth In Television Frequency. In one end, the amount of times the said trope is TruthInTelevision can be counted with fingers of one hand. On the other end of the scale, these tropes happen very frequently in RealLife.

Another way of saying the above is that a great many things happen on television that have happened at least once to someone in the world. The reason they become tropes -- and remember the principle of TropesAreNotGood here -- is because they're used in TV (et al) a ''lot'', and generally in ways that wouldn't mesh well in real life. So, for instance, it's certainly the case that special agents have worn Lycra (or similar) bodysuits, that people have squeezed themselves through air ducts, and that some people are cripplingly afraid of small spaces. This does not make the protagonist with a SpyCatsuit, making an AirVentEscape but hampered by her FatalFlaw of claustrophobia an example of Truth In Television. To extend this even further, if we ever only saw those tropes being used together or in similarly improbable combinations, '''none''' of them would qualify as Truth because they wouldn't have ever been used in a way that was, well, Truthful. They've been hyperbolized, exaggerated and stretched to be much more exciting and dramatic than RealLife... and in doing so hardly resemble it any more at all. Which is why they're Tropes.

And that's pretty much how television works. So please, before adding anything to the list below or describing any existing tropes as Truth In Television, think for a moment: is or was this used in TV kinda like it really happened? Or is there maybe kind of a lot of hyperbole on one side or the other of the equation to make it fit? If the answer to the first question is a definite yes... [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitle1rso1cury6lx Go right ahead.]]
----
!!Tropes
* AbandonedWarehouse - at least one or two can be found in any larger town or a city.
* ABNegative: AB- really is the rarest common blood type (Kind of like being the tallest dwarf. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_blood_group_systems#Rare_blood_types There are LOTS of really rare types.]]), with between .2% and 1% of any given population having it.
* AbnormalAmmo: Dragon's Breath pyrotechnic shotgun rounds.
* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: Public colleges in Mexico often have an Absurdly Powerful Student Association, capable of granting all sorts of suspicious favors to those who have the appropiate connections.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: France has an underground community due to their delicate catacombs and sewers. There are illegal shops and theatres under there.
* AbusiveParents: Unfortunately.
* AcmeProducts: Acme was a fairly common name for companies at one time, as it would put them at or near the beginning of the listings in the phone book. It helped that the word means "the best".
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism
* ActionMom
* {{Adminisphere}}
* AfraidOfNeedles: Belonephobia; the plague of the BigDamnHeroes.
* AgeAppropriateAngst
* AgonyOfTheFeet: Much to our sore toes.
* AirborneAircraftCarrier: Sort of.
* AirHugging
* AirVentEscape: Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers escaped Alcatraz using this method. But it requires very special circumstances to work effectively.
* TheAlcatraz: Where do you think the trope title comes from?
* AlcoholIsPoison
* AlienArtsAreAppreciated
* AlienLunch
* AllDevouringBlackHoleLoanSharks
* TheAllegedCar: Chances are, you've either owned one, or [[TroperDemographics you're too young to drive]]. Literally- it's one of the oldest and longest TroperTales pages.
* AllNaturalSnakeOil
* AlongCameASpider: The Zodiac Killer
* AltarTheSpeed
* AlternativeCalendar
* AnalogyBackfire
* AndNinetyNineCents - See the trope page for theories of its RealLife origin.
* AndTheWinnerIs: Much to the embarrassment of whoever stands up.
* AnyoneCanDie
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents
* AmbulanceChaser - ''*sigh*''
* AmoralAttorney
* AreYouMyMummy
* ArrangedMarriage
* {{Asexuality}}: Yep. It's weird being surrounded by something that you don't understand at all, except on an intellectual level.
* ArtificialLimbs
* ATeamFiring: Random firing generally discourages people from taking the time to aim when they fire back. This is known as suppression fire, and has been a standard tactic going back to the first World War.
* AttentionWhore
* AxCrazy: To the great dismay of many.
* AxesAtSchool: Unfortunately.
* BadassBoast: Samurais in feudal Japan started their duels by telling their own and their ancestors' achievements.
* BatteriesNotIncluded: Children's toys eat batteries the way kids eat candy after Halloween.
* BattleCry
** RememberTheAlamo
* BavarianFireDrill
* BedouinRescueService: Real Bedouins have a code of honour that mandates this.
* BeepingComputers
* {{BFB}}: Some bombs require a lot of explosives to get the required blast.
* TheBGrade
* BillionsOfButtons: Many more complex vehicles and control panels of industrial buildings have them.
* BitterAlmonds: But if you can smell it, you're in trouble.
* BlameGame
* TheBluebeard
* BoxedCrook
* BritishStuffiness: (see NationalStereotypes) Brits are more private and reserved than Americans, but it does not [[LonersAreFreaks always derive from arrogance]].
** Actually it's ultra politeness, misinterpreted. Plus, catch us after a pint or two on Saturday night!
* BuriedAlive
* BuryMeNotOnTheLonePrairie: Anyone who asks to be buried [[RecycledInSpace InSpace]], for instance. Ask Gene Roddenberry!
* [[{{ptitlequhjapo1}} Busman's Holiday]]: Carpenters spend their time off fixing the house, IT staff spend their time at home on a PC, and bus drivers travel by bus.
** Not to mention pilots and flight attendants do hitch rides on their airlines, obviously.
* ButIPlayOneOnTV
* ButItReallyHappened: Because, sometimes, it did, just as the creators said. We just would prefer not to know all the gory details.
* ButWeUsedACondom: To the sorrow of many, and the existence of quite a few.
* CallASmeerpARabbit: European naturalists named some animals, such as the koala bear, after other animals that kind of looked similar but weren't at all related.
* CallingYourAttacks: Martial arts practitioners believe that expressing certain phrases or vocalization help build up ''chi'' or ensure proper breathing
* TheCaptain
* CardboardPrison
* CeilingBanger: What apartment dweller hasn't had to deal with noisy neighbors?
* ChewbaccaDefense: If the defense does ''not make sense'', you must acquit.
* ChildSoldiers: Children in many third-world countries like Uganda, Sierra Leone, Congo, Somalia, etc.
** Also in some regions of the world, such as Darfur.
** Also, the Royal Army Cadets in the UK technically fall under this, being part of the Home Guard. As well, Iran sends in it's Cadet-equivalents to the front lines of a battle BEFORE allied forces.
* ColdCash: To the point that many burglars make a point of checking the freezer for stashed valuables.
* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: What you'll suffer the day you'll fail to pay the power bill, causing the power company to leave you unplugged for 3 working days with no access to TV Tropes.
* ComeToGawk
* CongruentMemory
* ConjunctionInterruption: I bet your dad has used it.
* ConvictedByPublicOpinion
* CoolButInefficient: Several armies have used awesome but inefficient weapons to lay fear on enemy lines.
** Like nukes. Horribly destructive, but have a tendency to poison the land for years to come, and can get the entire world really angry at you.
* CoolChair: Thrones. Duh.
** Someone based a 15K chair off of the one Blofeld had. It's awesome, to say the least.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* {{Cosplay}}: Actually more common in reality than fiction.
* CouldSayItBut
* CrazyPrepared: Just read the [[TroperTales/CrazyPrepared Troper Tales]] about it. Seriously, go there right now. It is a huge page.
* CreepyBasement
* CutenessProximity
* DeadArtistsAreBetter: ''Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers'', a picture by Vincent van Gogh, was never bought when he was alive. In 1987, almost 100 years after his death, that same picture was bought for $39,921,750 dollars in an auction at Christie's.
* DeadlyDoctor: To the suprise (and distress) of many.
* DeadpanSnarker: Often done intentionally
* DecadeDissonance: Compare Hong Kong to the Guangdong province just over the border, or downtown Rio de Janeiro to its slums.
** Hell, compare ANY inner city to the gleaming, tourist-laden areas.
* DelegationRelay
* DeniedFoodAsPunishment
* DepravedHomosexual: Jeffrey Dahmer, among others.
**Of course, the depraved heterosexuals are far more common.
* DesertedIsland: All around the world. And not just in tropical regions as in fiction, but in temperate and polar regions as well.
* DiagonalCut: Real-life iaido practitioners actually cut up inanimate objects for practice, in exactly this fashion.
* [[{{ptitlensfzkfi4}} Did I Just Say That Out Loud?]]: Many examples in film and politics.
** Broadcast/"open mike" variant. One of the most well-known examples was by none other than U. S. President George W. Bush, who referred to a New York Times reporter as, and I quote, "A major league asshole" during the 2000 presidential campaign.
** Ronald Reagan during a sound check that was later leaked to the public: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan%27s_%22We_begin_bombing_in_five_minutes%22_joke]]
* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm: Especially among people with Asperger's or high-functioning autism. Also, pretty much anyone on the internet.
* [[{{ptitlepyqbpv1j}} Do I Really Sound Like That?]]
* DoItYourselfPlumbingProject
* DoomsdayDevice
* DoorstopBaby
* DreamWithinADream: Sometimes overlapping with AllJustADream.
* DressCode
* DrowningMySorrows: It doesn't work, but that doesn't stop people from trying it.
* DudeNotFunny: Real life is SeriousBusiness.
* [[{{ptitletgwk4nyi}} Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: Honestly, who hasn't experienced this in their lifetime?
* [[{{ptitle6twp4p86}} Dude, Where's My Reward?]]: Ditto.
* [[{{ptitletgbpyix5}} Dungeonmaster's Girlfriend]]
* DyingTown: Extremely common in Europe and US where people move from smaller villages and towns to larger towns and cities.
* EarthIsABattlefield - There's almost always a war going on in some places in the world. World Wars showed this trope to a very large extent.
* ElectricInstantGratification (accidentally invented)
* [[{{ptitlekyvqx5xp}} Elephant's Child]]
* EmbarrassingMiddleName - There's no shortage of people who dislike their middle name. This might be part of why a FullNameUltimatum is so effective.
* EmergencyServices
* EmergencyWeapon: Every half-decent army gives its soldiers at least knives for backup, and even the ones that don't still have their soldiers equipped with hands.
* EmptyCopThreat: Even if the cops can't ''actually'' charge the suspect with obstruction of justice, they can still ''threaten'' to do it - and some cops do.
* TheEuropeanCarryAll: Just check out this "[[http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/store/product.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302024102&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442133688 one leg pant]]", or as most people would call it, a skirt.
* EvenNerdsHaveStandards
* EvilPowerVacuum: Anytime a dictator or a really powerful dude is deposed. Colombia, for example, sank in a chaos of guerrillas and rival crime lords after Pablo Escobar got killed.
** This is also why Hitler was able to rise to power: Germany was a power vacuum as a result of WorldWarOne.
* EvilUncle: the laws of primogeniture, where the deceased's son gets estates ahead of the deceased's younger brother, sometimes provoked younger brothers into this sort of thing.
* EvilVersusEvil: Power-hungry dictators (the closest RealLife equivalent of evil) often fight each other in their selfish quest for power. Case in point: [[WorldWarTwo Hitler and Stalin.]]
** The cartel mafia wars in Mexico, fighting to monopolize an area and continue with their evil plans.
* ExplosiveOverclocking: In memory of all those who turned their [=CPUs=] into grilled silicon after overclocking them to 6 [=GHz=].
* ExtremeGraphicalRepresentation: [[http://lainos.sourceforge.net LainOS]] is a [=FreeBSD=]-based operating system whose goal is to recreate the extreme graphical pizazz of the computers from ''SerialExperimentsLain''.
** [[http://compiz.org/ Compiz]] is a window manager presently included with many Linux distributions. If you want, you can overload it with plugins so that your windows wobble like Jello when they move, your desktop is on the surface of a cube (with sharks inside), windows shuffle and dodge around one another when you switch between them, inactive windows go translucent and gain a mirror sheen, and a trail of fire follows your mouse around. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJB9Yum3S9M&feature=PlayList&p=6AD5E5D6B2DEA293&index=0&playnext=1 Here are some videos of it.]]
* FamilyBusiness
* FamousLastWords
* FanGirl - To an annoying degree.
* FanBoy - To an even ''more'' annoying degree.
* FastRoping -- TropeNamer is someone's military.
* FatalFlaw: All humans have one (or more).
* FencePainting: Arranged by recruiters for militaries, fraternities, and sororities.
* FeudingFamilies
* FiringInTheAirALot: There are several real-life cases of people getting killed by it.
* FirstPersonCamera: Just look at {{YouTube}} videos of Iraq, 9/11, or the Virginia Tech shootings.
* ForbiddenFruit
* ForceFeeding
* ForeignQueasine
* ForeignSoundingGibberish: Known in business as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_branding foreign branding]]", and in everyday life as "Häagen-Dazs".
* FreezeSneeze
* FriendOrFoe
* FrivolousLawsuit
* FreudianExcuse: Used in many a court case.
** MommyIssues
* FreudianSlip: Whether or not you give any weight to Freudian psychology, it happens.
* FullNameUltimatum: My mom's done it, so has yours. Sadly, people rarely use it ''on'' their parents.
* FunnyMoney: Happens due to hyperinflation; as of right now (June 2008), about one billion Zimbabwean dollars are worth ''one single US dollar''.
**2009: [[ItGotWorse 300 trillion to one]]
* FunSize: Kittens, puppies, and the like. It wouldn't work in art if it didn't work in life.
* FutureImperfect: Often due to HollywoodHistory, since TVNeverLies.
* GameOfNerds: America's pastime is popular among the genius set, what with its love of statistics and all.
* GentleGiant: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, a Hawaiian singer famous after his hit "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". André the Giant. A great many others, many of whom probably edit this wiki.
* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Oklahoma, Indiana and an increasing number of other states now have fire-at-will laws which allow employers to fire employees without explanation or advance notice, except as mandated by federal laws.
* GiantPoofySleeves: From the "leg of mutton" sleeves of the 19th century.
* GildedCage
* GirlOnGirlIsHot
* GiveGeeksAChance
* GoingPostal
* GorgonGazing: Don't look directly at the sun or at a nuclear explosion.
* GreatWhiteHunter: Jim Corbett was a naturalist and conservationist who hunted big cats that had turned man-eater.
* GroupieBrigade
* GrumpyOldMan
* GuideDangIt: Learning a foreign language. Oh my God.
* HangingSeparately
* HandicappedBadass: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Pistorius This guy]], for one.
* HeadsTailsEdge: Hey man, it ''can'' happen!
* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason the FBI has the Witness Protection Program.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Sadly, far too often.
* HolierThanThou: We've all met or heard of someone who was a total jerk or hypocrite about religion. This is true for both theistic and atheistic beliefs.
* Anything that has "Hollywood" in front of it. It often inspires actual experiments, and ''is'' often based off real life examples. HollywoodScience? Genetics, especially, you have crops being genetically engineered to be much better. HollywoodFeminist? Yep. HollywoodAtheist? You bet your ass, Darwin nearly became one due to the death of his daughter.
* HonorBeforeReason: Uncommon, but not nonexistant. Surprisingly, most likely to show up in the military.
* HotForStudent
* HumanPopsicle: Cryonics companies such as [[http://www.alcor.com/ Alcor]] and the [[http://www.cryonics.org/ Cryonics Institute]] offer to preserve your [[PeopleJars whole body]] or your [[BrainInAJar brain]] (currently done by keeping the whole head) at low temperatures just after you're legally dead until someone finds out how to cure whatever was killing you. Research shows this might work, as the method they use now allows us to freeze and thaw small organs. They'll also, of course, have to cure the effects of freezing on the brain, which is somewhat more complicated. Oh, and figure out how to make new bodies for the heads-only crowd.
* HumiliationConga: A criminal once tried to trick someone into sending him an Apple [=PowerBook=] G4 he bought at eBay. He ended up receiving a binder with keys glued on the inside covers. [[http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/ Read the full story here!]]
* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: You know you've done it.
* ICouldaBeenAContender: Bill Butterfield was so bitter about his football career ending in high school that he tried to [[StageMom push his son into athletic success]]. The results weren't pretty.
* IKnowKungFu
* IKnowMortalKombat
* IfJesusThenAliens
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer
* TheIllegal
* ImplausibleDeniability
* IncompetenceInc
* InelegantBlubbering
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Show any person over the age of, say, 50 a picture of a random high school in America, and they'll likely insist this is what's going on. Also, [[AcceptableLifestyleTargets nudists,]] to a point. The prevalence of GirlsGoneWild videos also leads one to think that the average drunken party coed may teeter into this area after 3-4 shots.
* InstantExpert:
* InsufferableGenius: Architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
* [[{{ptitlewki9mzwk}} Is That Cute Kid Yours?]]: Check the [[IsThatCuteKidYoursDiscussion discussion page]] for examples.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Unfortunately.
* [[{{ptitleaoruqdnx}} It's A Small Net After All]]: In Mexico, ''everybody'' uses MSN Hotmail, MSN Spaces, and MSN Messenger, thanks to an alliance between Microsoft and Telmex, the latter a nigh-monopolical telco led by Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world.
* [[{{ptitlejp0jqu9k}} It's Not You, It's Me]]: You'd be surprised how much this line gets said in RealLife breakups. Heck, you've probably used it (or will use it), too!
* TheJailBaitWait
* {{Jerkass}}: Who hasn't met at least one in real life?
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: ...On the other hand, you've probably met one of these as well.
* JokerJury
* JumpOffABridgeRebuttal: Used by your dads and my dads.
* KangarooCourt: Unfortunately.
* KeyUnderTheDoormat
* {{Kiai}}: See CallingYourAttacks above.
* KillerRabbit: A great many animals are meaner, sharper, or more poisonous than they look. This is why you don't play with wild animals. Don't believe us? Try to cuddle a panda. [[DontTryThisAtHome On second thought, don't.]]
* KissingCousins: Go check the TroperTales page for details.
* [[{{ptitlea2wlt5dm}} Knocking On Heathens' Door]]: The door to door prosthelytising is very prevalent, the witty comebacks from bemused homeowners, not so much.
* LaResistance
* LeaveBehindAPistol
* LensmanArmsRace: World War II and the Cold War. Consider: the Germans only made very primitive payload rockets with long range work somewhat in WWII, and America couldn't launch a rocket as late as 1957. We were on the moon just over a ''decade'' later. And of course, nothing says "my [[strike:dick is bigger]] kung-fu is better than yours" like the ever-more-powerful nuclear weapons tests of the 50s and 60s.
* LevelGrinding: Sheer repetition is the best form of improvement. Well, most effective form, anyway.
* TheLibby: The stuck-up popular kid who won't invite you to parties unless you're "cool" enough... there's one in every crowd.
* LivingLieDetector: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawn Dogs have been shown to yawn when a human stranger yawns, but not when said stranger pretends to yawn.]]
* LivingMotionDetector: True for several animal species.
* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard: Surprising but true. The most memorable case would be John and Clarence Anglen's and Frank Morris' escape from Alcatraz (as hard as it is to believe someone would actually fall for the fake-dummy-head-in-the-bed trick).
* LonersAreFreaks: People often wrongly jump to this conclusion when dealing with loners in real life.
* LostWeddingRing
* LoveHurts: A list of personal examples would likely be the largest and most soul-crushing page on the Wiki. On the ''Internet''.
* LoveMakesYouDumb: So, so painfully true.
* LoveMartyr: Nothing to [[DudeNotFunny laugh]] or smile about in real life.
* LovingAShadow
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: As noted, the Hotel Escobar.
* TheMafia
* [[{{ptitledu41nxkg6try}} Ma'am Shock]]
* MeddlingParents: You've probably had these or know somebody who does.
* TheMenFirst: Insofar as their instructors can hammer it into their heads.
* MilitaryBrat
* MilitaryMaverick: For every Colonel O'Neill you see on TV, I can guarantee you there's far worse in real life.
* MissConception
* MissionFromGod: From Joan of Arc to Osama bin Laden, religion has been a powerful motivator.
* MistakenForSpecialGuest: See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Goma Guy Goma]] for an example.
* MistakenNationality: Far too common.
* ModestyTowel: Force of habit and shyness will often lead to this being used even when there is no reason for it.
* MonsterClown: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia Coulrophobia]].
* MoralGuardians: ''Futurama'' parodied PETA's practice of trying to get "liberated" carnivores to live on a vegetarian diet. These people also make a handy StrawanPolitical for people who have a beef with some aspect of censorship.
* MostGamersAreMale
* MyCarHatesMe: Otherwise, we wouldn't have tow trucks.
* MyDadCanBeatUpYourDad: Because he totally can, and you know it.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Two words: ''Mandarin Chinese''. Of course, this Chinese troper finds everything about it [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome absolutely hilarious]].
* MysteryMeat
* NightmareFuel: Locked-In Syndrome. Global Warming. Nuclear war. Leprosy. Jack the Ripper. ''The goblin's gonna getcha if you don't... watch... OUT!''
* NoCanOpener: Can openers weren't even ''invented'' until several decades after tin cans.
* NoFameNoWealthNoService
* NonSequitur: No, I don't think the mailbox needs painting.
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow
* NotInMyBackYard
* NoYouHangUpFirst
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene
* ObliviousAdoption: At least in the animal kingdom.
* ObsoleteMentor
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry
* OffTheWagon: Not quite as often as portrayed in the DrugsAreBad moral stories, but often
* OneManArmy: Under the right circumstances, this is completely possible. Sometimes inverted in One Man Armies going down against sufficient numbers or overwhelming volumes of fire.
* OperationBlank
* OperatorFromIndia
* {{Overheating}}
* WhoaBundy
* PathOfInspiration: Church of Scientology.
* PepperSneeze
* PercussiveMaintenance: Don't tell me you've never whacked your TV when it failed.
* PhenotypeStereotype: Happens in many places apart from Japan. In Mexico, for example, white people are automatically assumed to be American, Canadian or German.
* PimpedOutDress: Worn by rich women throughout history (and men), and a huge part of the ErmineCapeEffect.
* ThePlague: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death The Black Death]].
* PlayingSick
* PluckyMiddie
* PoliceBrutality
* PoliceLineup
* PopStation: All the knockoffs of real products.
* PornStash: You know what you're hiding deep within your closet, drawer, or hard drive...
* PostRobberyTrauma: Something [[DudeNotFunny far more serious than it seems on TV.]] This troper had his Minidisc player mugged on the street, was always on the lookout during one full year after that, and the day his socio-historical context teacher sent him to the lowest ghettos of Guadalajara, he was so scared he was always grasping his swiss army knife.
* PowderTrail
* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy
* PrettyInMink: Fur is often worn for style instead of warmth.
* PrivatelyOwnedSociety (See the article's RealLife section for details)
* ProfessorGuineaPig: The mad scientist stories had to come from ''somewhere'', and OSHA regulations tended to be a bit loose when science was in its infancy.
* {{Profiling}}, racial and otherwise.
* PunchSpinGape: Its actually a legitimate theatrical technique for faking fistfights.
* PushPolling
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Is there a chapter in the Mexican 19th century that doesn't has one of these?
* RainOfArrows: A key strategy of the English during the Hundred Years' War.
* RaisedByWolves: There's a few examples: Kaspar Hauser, Genie, and a feral French boy. None of them ended up that well off.
* RantInducingSlight: It happens to this troper more than he'd like to think about...
* RelativeError: Siblings get mistaken for lovers in real life a lot, oftentimes to the [[{{Squick}} disgust]] of the siblings.
* RenaissanceMan: Apparently this is one of the few positive examples people have bothered to list.
* RingRingCRUNCH
* {{Roboteching}}: Many guided weapons actually do this.
* RockBeatsLaser: Though not common, superior tactics or sheer weight of numbers have defeated superior technology. This was apparently one of the reasons the Japanese won in the Russo-Japanese war, too.
* RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment
* RunawayBride: One of this troper's friend's grand-mother did that. She left the groom at the altar ''and ran away with his witness '''who was also his best friend'''.'' And they all lived happily ever after (except the groom).
* SandBridgeAtLowTide: Mont Saint-Michel, a French islet near the coastline of Normandy.
* SchoolgirlLesbians: If you're in high school or college, you probably know a few. There's also LUGs -- Lesbian Until Graduation, the College version of this trope.
* SecondaryFire: Many weapons have burst and autofire modes or even grenade launchers attached to the gun.
* TheScrappy: Bill collectors are one of the most hated professions out there largely in part due to their (justified) very bad reputation.
** Also, lawyers and estate agents.
** Media industry chief executive officers, with the rise of the internet, have also fallen under this due to their [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil different opinions]].
** And politicians. Always politicians.
* ScopeSnipe: Carlos Hathcock pulled this off during the Vietnam War.
* [[{{ptitleef829e6819f4}} Screw Politeness, I'm A Senior!]]
* [[{{ptitle0zfeyyth}} Screw The Rules, I Have Connections!]]
* [[{{ptitle2rgn9vunopna}} Screw The Rules, I Have Money!]]: Because only the richest can [[BribingYourWayToVictory bribe their way to victory]].
* [[{{ptitlej2qa66yo}} Screw The Rules, I Make Them!]]: Freaking politicians...
* [[{{ptitle95epjcl2}} Screw The Rules, I'm Beautiful!]]
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: The only one here that isn't [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical]].
* SeinfeldianConversation: It is arguable that there is ''nothing'' more realistic than this trope.
** Indeed, an argument over that would be the perfect example.
** Absolutely ''any'' conversation will turn into this if entered in the middle.
* SenselessViolins: The 2008 Northern Illinois University shooter managed to bypass the campus security by packing a pair of shotguns inside a guitar case.
* SeriousBusiness: We don't know where to ''begin'' with this one.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: As noted in the entry, Williams Syndrome.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: At least four separate editors have had this happen to them. Check the page.
* ShrinkingViolet
* ShyBladder
* [[{{ptitlea50k2rj99g16}} Somebody Else's Problem]]: Most notably the case of Kitty Genovese.
* [[{{ptitleolejp9syvlsx}} Smite Me, Oh Mighty Smiter]]
* SnipeHunt
* [[{{ptitlegucwjb7t}} Something's Different About You Now]]
* SpockSpeak: Asperger's Syndrome and legalese (though usually not [[{{Flanderization}} to this degree]]).
* StageMom
* StarCrossedLovers: "Things just didn't work out."
* StealthHiBye: It happens when you're distracted and don't notice when someone is entering or leaving the room.
* StoutStrength: Incredibly strong men often look more rotund than body-building.
* TheStraightWillAndGrace: CSLewis made a note in the "friendship" section of ''The Four Loves'' that platonic friendship between members of the opposite sex happened a lot in academia. (He ignored the gay angle, though.)
* StreetUrchin: One of the most serious social problems everywhere in the world.
* SuccessionCrisis: Plenty of historical examples.
* SuicideAttack
* SurroundedByIdiots: Everyone who's ever had a day job can attest to this. Or been in Public High School.
* SweetPollyOliver: Joan of Arc, Mulan (the REAL one).
* TaughtByExperience: You know that your mistakes have left a mark on you, probably a scar.
* TelevisuallyTransmittedDisease: Strangely, most of the miraculous recoveries you see in medical dramas actually have happened.
* ThatPoorCar
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: the most common password... is "password".
* [[{{ptitle79i5ttca}} The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter]]: My bald, overweight uncle and my [[KissingCousins knockout cousin]].
* ThemeNaming: The Emperor Constantine's children.
* ThisIsNotADrill
* ThoseTwoGuys: This Troper used to be one half of a ThoseTwoGuys duo back in high school. I'm sure you've known a pair as well.
* TongueOnTheFlagpole
* TooDumbToLive: We've all met them at some point. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG_Vbh8arNM Rad Girls(NSFW)]]
* TooManyCooksSpoilTheSoup
* TopGunned Some planes really can do that.
* ToxicFriendInfluence- as many juvenile delinquents can attest to.
* TrashOfTheTitans: As you can see in [[http://www.squalorsurvivors.com/ this site]].
* TriggerHappy
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: This is one of those annoying ones that reinforces itself.
* TrueArtIsOffensive: See above.
* TryingToCatchMeFightingDirty
* UglyGuyHotWife
** Note: Being funny and unique will not get you chicks.... until you turn 25.
* UltimateJobSecurity
* UndisclosedFunds: Talking about money was once viewed as crass, so people used these methods to do so.
* TheUnpronounceable: Indians working in call centers with American customers typically use adopted "American" names.
** Chinese names also tend to be particularly tough for English speakers, leading to most in relevant countries to adopt English names. Sometimes these names are unintentionally hilarious.
* UpperClassTwit: Paris Hilton. Buddha was also one of such before leaving his castle.
* UrbanSegregation: The Independencia Avenue in Guadalajara, Mexico divides the city in two: the West side is the rich side, home to all the trendy malls, while the East side is the poor side, filled with gritty factories and impoverished ghettos.
* UsefulNotes: Useful ''because'' they're true.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Stalin, Mao, Robespierre, Pol Pot...
** Subjective. It's not clear who really fits this trope and who was just pretending to fit it -- as part of a XanatosGambit, or because WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity.
* VerbalTic: Francophone Canadians often say "là" ("there") at the end of each sentence, Mexicans do the same with "wey" and "ese" ("dude" and "this"), Argentinians start their phrases with "che", and United Statesians use "like", like, every five words. And not just, like, the ValleyGirl types. [[CanadaEh Most famously...]]
* VictoryGloating
* ViolentGlaswegian: Glasgow is the murder capital of Western Europe.
* WackyMarriageProposal: Geeks love asking their soulmates in ways like that. And people take great lengths (e.g.: ball games, fireworks, et cetera)
* WalkingTheEarth: Hitchhiking is about Walking The Earth for a while, finding all sorts of small jobs, with nothing but a backpack, enough money to stay fed, groomed and with a place to sleep.
* WeAREStrugglingTogether
* WeekendAtBernies: Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The real world version is a lot scarier, actually.
* WeSellEverything: Wal-Mart.
* [[{{ptitlefer89dxpeovn}} Why Couldn't You Be Different?]]: If you haven't experienced it yourself, you probably know someone who's going through it. One way or the other.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Phobias are common, even silly ones.
* WikiWalk
* WillNotTellALie: Very uncommon, but definitely real. This troper lives by it, and knows a couple other people who do as well.
* WindTurbinePower: Wind turbines sprout like mushrooms all over the planet.
* WiperStart: To the embarrassment of many a new driver.
* WishfulProjection
* WorthlessForeignDegree
* WretchedHive: Mogadishu, Somalia. The slums of Rio in Brazil. A few very bad neighborhoods in the United States. Hell, look hard enough, and you ''will'' find them all over the world.
* YaoiFangirl: You know who you are.
* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: What kind of schmuck needs this one explained, anyhow?
* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: Switzerland and the UK mostly prefer their own currency despite being nearby tons of countries that use the Euro.
* YourOtherLeft: Far, far too often. The bane of those giving directions over a mobile phone.
* YuriFan: You know who you are too!
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