Troperville
Editing Help
Tools
Toys
|
|
|
And Now You Know The Rest Of The Story
|
"Kids, lemme tell you about another so-called "wicked" guy. Now he had long hair and he didn't always do what people thought was right. And that man's name was... well, I forget. But the point is... well, I forget that too. Help me out here, Marge. He used to drive that blue car?"
Two characters are discussing a controversial, possibly Ripped From The Headlines course of action or social policy. After one of them comes out against it, the other recites a quote endorsing it, or a description of a person who believed it. When the person opposing the policy asks who said that, the proponent identifies it as being by a universally respected historical figure, religious icon, or someone else who is typically considered to have been wise and generally correct about things (such as Abraham Lincoln, Jesus, or Albert Einstein).
A common subversion is to have the person being quoted turn out to be somebody commonly considered one of history's greatest monsters (such as Hitler). In this situation, the person agreeing with the idea is shamed by showing that they are in agreement with a person they consider despicable. This often combines with a Strawman Political situation (see Godwins Law).
Occasionally, the same thing is used in an opposite manner; to show that, just because an evil person agreed with it, doesn't mean it's wrong. Sometimes, the person doing the quoting is actually pointing out that the other person agrees with someone considered despicable, to illustrate the universality of the idea. After all, even Stalin thought that walking upright was a pretty good idea. This can be You Fail Logic Forever ( Appeal to Authority if the authority isn't an expert in the field, or Reductio ad Hitlerum if Hitler himself is used for the shame job.)
Played completely straight, this can be an elaborate biographical snapshot, where it's revealed that the subject is a historical figure whose origin and backstory are often overlooked. These sort of anecdotes are often greatly entertaining, although be aware that the narrator may be sensationalizing or distorting the facts to justify his own theory of what this person actually believed. Other times, it's all true. And Now You Know the rest of the story...
Named for a segment in Paul Harvey's syndicated radio program, which explores a little-known facet of a famous person's life and keeps their identity hidden until the end.
See also What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic.
Examples
Subversions
- The film Max starring a young art student named Hitler and his idealistic mentor/sponsor Max Rothman is an entire movie built around this trope. It's also the subject of one of Paul Harvey's stories.
- Many quotes by Hitler are commonly used - Hitler approved of vegetarianism (although contrary to popular belief, did not follow it himself), animal rights, urban renewal (although that may not have been such a good idea), gun control, and many other popular political stances wholly unconnected to the one he is remembered for. One notable example is the following passage recited in the movie Billy Jack:
"The streets in our country are in turmoil. The universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting. Communists are seeking to destroy our country. Russia is threatening us with her might, and our Republic is in danger — yes, danger from within and without. We need law and order. Without law and order, our nation cannot survive."
- This quotation was also recited by Yoko Ono when performing with John Lennon in the 1970s, in order to draw parallels with the current political situation in the US.
- The book They Never Said It questions this one: the students rebelling at the time were mostly Young Nazis objecting to Jewish professors.
- Done to chilling effect in The Wave, a Based On A True Story account of a teacher who inadvertently kicked off a Nazi-esque movement in his school.
- Inadvertently? The whole point of his experiment was to prove that anyone could be seduced into a Nazi-esque movement.
- Although this was the teacher's initial plan, the 'inadvertent' part comes from the fact that it begins to work a little too well.
- Hitler's underling Hermann Goering uttered a phrase which has often been used in this sense, especially in recent years:
"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
- Biblical passages are also used in this manner, as a number of passages approve of things such as slavery, misogyny, and violence towards children, which are not considered appropriate in modern society. For instance, people who disapprove of homosexuality based on a prohibition in Leviticus are often reminded by their political adversaries that Leviticus also prohibits, for example, eating shellfish
 .
- To which the supporters of the matter usually say that the moral issues are unchanged, whereas those with no moral dimension can be forgotten. Though that begs for question what makes homosexuality any more a moral question than eating mollusc alive (vegetarians may have a say in the matter, of course).
- There's a passage in the new testament that negates the shellfish law, however, saying that Christians can eat whatever food they wish. So it's a bit more complicated.
- Actually, the passage says that every single word in the Old Testament is to be thrown out. Even if it somehow only applied to the food parts of Leviticus, that still leaves not celebrating Yom Kippur, wearing mixed-fiber clothing, using fire on Sunday, and a dozen other things equally as sinful as homosexuality.
- you realize that the Pentateach designates Saturday ("seventh day", "rested on the seventh day") as the Sabbath?
- Not the mention the new testament passage that also condemns homosexuality.
- Ah, but was it said by Jesus? If this troper remembers correctly, it was by Paul, who frankly is one of the slimiest characters in the NT.
- How amusing that you know that much about the Bible, but have never heard of the concept of forgiven sins.
- It was Paul, and even better the KJV deliberately mistranslates the passage (quite probably as a pointed barb against James I, England's Big Gay King). Paul was actually talking about slaves who were sexually abused by their masters and who were unable to say no.
- This troper loves to use this on his (very religious, or so she thinks) sister, pointing out some of the more unsavoury passages from Deuteronomy, such as that one about condoning the execution of victims of rape in addition to the perpetrators. More often than not, the sister in question actually denies that the summarized passage in question appears anywhere in the Bible, which rather proves this troper's point.
- This is wonderfully lampshaded in a The West Wing episode where the President takes apart a woman who made her radio career on this type of thing.
Bartlet: I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.
Dr. Jenna Jacobs: I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President, the Bible does.
Bartlet: Yes it does. Leviticus.
Jacobs: 18:22
Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I have you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo Mc Garry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says that he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about these questions, would you? One last thing: While you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building , when the President stands, nobody sits.
- In an episode of Red Dwarf, Lister asks, "Wasn't it Descartes who said, 'I am what I am'?" to which Rimmer replies, "No, it was Popeye the sailor man." Later in the same episode, Lister gives the quote again, attributing it to Popeye. Kryten says that he always thought it was Descartes, and Lister replies, "Me too, man. It's so easy to get those two dudes mixed up."
- Real-life new-media example: A popular chain e-mail offers the reader a choice in leaders between a pair of lazy, womanising drunkards and a chaste war hero. After you read further along, you discover that the drunkards were Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, and the war hero was Adolph Hitler. This is actually inaccurate, as Hitler had a girlfriend and Churchill was extremely loyal to his wife. (But he was a drunkard.)
- In Slings And Arrows, Sanjay has a habit of making up quotes that support his (totally absurd) claims, and attributing them to Richard Nixon.
- One which has been linked to on this site is a page comparing Al Gore quotes from those of the Unabomber
- In an episode of the short-lived family sitcom Movie Stars, the boy (who goes to a school for child actors and kids of actors) gets in trouble with the principal for a bunch of minor infractions, including calling it "Puke-anan" (rather than "Buchanan") High. At the end, they make up, and the principal tells him, "In fact, you know who coined the nickname "Puke-anan," back when he was a student here?" "You, sir?" the boy replies. "No," the principal says. "Harvey Keitel."
|
|
