Master Blaster: Who... run... Barter Town?
Aunty: You know who.
Master Blaster: Say.
Aunty: Master Blaster.
Master Blaster: Say loud.
—
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
If a former friend, former ally, enemy, political rival, or just someone you hate or like to make fun of wants your help, or a favor, or just to get in the clubhouse, why not make them
grovel a bit before helping them?
Yah, so, make them admit that you rule, or make them do a silly dance. A form of
Word Power.
Sometimes used by villains as part of trying to make a hero
Kneel Before Zod.
Examples
Anime and Manga
Newspaper Comics
- On one early Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin has to sing the following before Hobbes lets him in their treehouse:
Tigers are mean! Tigers are fierce!
Tigers have teeth and claws that pierce!
Tigers are great! They can't be beat!
If I was a tiger, that would be neat!
He can climb the tree without the ladder, so he got to make the password.
Hobbes: Go on, what's the third verse?
- This also comes up occasionally when they play Calvinball.
Film
- In The Goonies, Chunk is forced to do "The Truffle Shuffle" for the others to gain admittance.
- In Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Sassy requires Chance to say "Cats rule and dogs drool" before helping him catch fish.
- In Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Master Blaster shuts off the (methane) power whenever his power feels threatened by Aunty, and forces Aunty to recite the phrase "Master Blaster runs Barter Town."
- Tank Girl. "Just say it, 'I won', and the little girl lives."
- Pulp Fiction:
Butch Coolidge: In the fifth, my ass goes down.
- Escape from New York:
The Duke: What did I teach you?
President: Y-You are the... Duke of New... New York. You're A-Number One.
The Duke: I can't hear you!
President: Y-You... You are the Duke of New York! You're A-Number One!
Live-Action TV
- X-Files "The Unusual Suspects" (origin story for The Lone Gunmen), Langly refuses to hear Frohike's request until he says "Your Kung Fu is best," (a reference to one of Kevin Mitnik's cryptic taunting phone messages).
- Turk makes JD say "I'm your biatch" every time he beats him at something in Scrubs.
- One episode of Married... with Children focused on Peggy trying to get Al to say "I love you".
- In Justified, Donovan points a gun at Quarles and demands that Quarles admit to killing his friend Brady.
Western Animation
- In the South Park episode "Scott Tenorman must die", Scott forces Cartman to sing a self deprecating song and dance "I'm a little piggy" in order to get his money back (and he still doesn't).
