History Main / InsigniaRipOffRitual

* Spoofed in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight'', in which Dudley is sent undercover to foil yet another Snidely Whiplash scheme. Inspector Fenwick's scheme requires him to be expelled from the Mounties, but every evil plan Dudley dreams up [[CantGetInTroubleForNuthin turns out to be fortuitously helpful]] -- for example, he dynamites a dam, but his actions actually relieve a severe drought further downstream. He is finally dismissed for [[FelonyMisdemeanor eating his peas with his dinner knife]], which results in him being stripped to his [[GoofyPrintUnderwear heart-print boxers]].

* A sublte example in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'': Should you try to save the game while [[spoiler:you're exiled from Jubilife Village, you'll see your Survey Corps ID is gone, presumably taken from you before you were kicked out. You get it back when you're reinstated.]]

* ''Film/{{Transformers}}'':

* ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'': When Picard has failed to persuade Command that they are doing the wrong thing, and has chosen to defend the [[AlienNonInterferenceClause Prime Directive]] in violation of orders, he removes his pips himself, though not in front of anybody.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': Happens at least OnceASeason in most series. Since combadges double as tracking devices in the Star Trek universe, this is sometimes as pragmatic as it is idealistic.

* After Ryuhou's HeelFaceTurn in ''Anime/{{Scryed}}'', Mimori brings him a new [=HOLY=] uniform, which he refuses to wear. She insists that the uniform doesn't stand for [=HOLY=] itself, but rather Ryuhou's convictions and beliefs, so he puts it on and rips off the [=HOLY=] symbol.

** ''Series/StarTrekLowerDecks'': Not literally, but the spirit of this trope is why Boimler [[RageBreakingPoint is outraged enough]] to go on a rampage when an arrogant civilian pulls off his rank pip and stomps on it.

* In ''Film/RoboCop3'', the Detroit cops in a police station are ordered by an OCP company director to expel by force some civilian from their houses (so that OCP can level the block for redevelopment). One of the older veterans refuses, yanks off his badge and throws it on the floor. The whole unit then walks past the director, each throwing their badge down. The director then used the prisoners[=/=]criminals to perform the task, along with its own para-military unit.

* Majorly spoofed in an episode of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' where Al became a security guard at his old high school, only to have everything that wasn't nailed down was stolen on his shift. The next scene after this shows the [[MiniatureSeniorCitizens tiny gray haired principal]] doing this ritual to Al's uniform, complete with the theme from ''Series/{{Branded}}'' mentioned earlier playing in the background. Judging by her reaction to the smell when she rips off part of his shirt insignia, she probably wished she'd gone a more orthodox route in firing him.

* The opening title sequence of the old TV Western series ''Series/{{Branded}}'' showed the hero going through this ritual, complete with ExpositoryThemeTune.

* Following the end of ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' and the repeal of the Superhuman Registration Act, Steve Rogers requests that Abigail Boylen, AKA Cloud Nine, become a trainer at the Avengers Academy. Having gone through a massive BreakTheCutie session where Iron Man, War Machine, and Black Widow made her into an assassin, Abigail's response upon learning that she's no longer legally bound to any government organization is to tear up her registration card, throw her old costume at Rogers' feet, and fly away from Avengers Tower as fast as she can.

* In the novel ''By the Sword'' of the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, Kerowyn [[PsychicPowers reads the mind]] of her mercenary company's employer and learns that he intends to avoid paying them by [[WeHaveReserves sending them to certain death]]. She stands up and gives a speech to that effect, rips off her mercenary badge, and storms out to go live the hard life of an unaffiliated merc. [[spoiler:Unbeknownst to her, because she leaves in such a tearing hurry, it inspires the entire rest of the company to similarly "quit", graduating from resignation to an odd form of DisasterDemocracy. Eventually, they track her down and make her the Captain of the reformed company.]]

* In ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', Maximus cuts up his arm where his Roman tattoo is in angry sorrow that the country he defended betrayed him.

*** At the end of two-parter "Equinox", though she's not seen actually tearing anything off, Janeway is seen marching back and forth in front of the survivors of the ''Equinox'' crew, informing them they've been stripped of rank for their actions, and will continue as such until she determines otherwise.

* ''Film/{{Paddington2014}}'': When [[spoiler: Montgomery Clyde, a.k.a. The Explorer]] is expelled from the Explorer's Guild, the chain holding his badge of membership is torn from his neck, and the rest of the guild demonstratively turn their backs to him.

* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': Happens in the second ''Literature/BekaCooper'' to two officers who fled the Bread Riot and are conspicuously fresh and unbruised — literally ''every'' other Dog has a black eye at the very least.

*** Although there is no insignia ripping, this is the idea behind Worf's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c2etjMl3WM "discommendation"]] ceremony.
*** Worf was, at one point, told not to wear Klingon emblems such as the family crest on his baldric during the trial.
*** This ceremony was the result of Quark maneuvering a corrupt Klingon into getting himself discommendated on the spot.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
*** In one episode Chief O'Brien was temporarily and against his will put on medical suspension; as he took the turbolift away from Ops, he tore off his combadge and threw it at the ground. Less dramatic, but even more powerful in its way.
*** ''Deep Space Nine'', being DarkerAndEdgier, had a number of incidents where characters [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Do What They Have to Do]], but don't want to disgrace the ideals of Starfleet (and/or don't want to be tracked), so they pull off their combadges to indicate that they are no longer acting as Starfleet officers.

*** In "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E16InterArmaEnimSilentLeges Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges]]" Bashir and Ross remove their [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Combadge combadges]] for an ‘off the record’ discussion about Section 31. Bashir quotes Creator/{{Cicero}} (also the episode title) when he compares the United Federation of Planets to UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar and UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}.
** ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'':
*** The Kazons "confiscated" the crew's combadges when they stole their ship.
*** Janeway removed one of Paris's pips when he violated orders and she busted him down to Ensign in "Thirty Days".

*** At the end of "Equinox", though she's not seen actually tearing anything off, Janeway is seen marching back and forth in front of the survivors of the ''Equinox'' crew, informing them they've been stripped of rank for their actions, and will continue as such until she determines otherwise.