Basic Trope: Animal cruelty is Played for Laughs.
- Straight: Bob kicks a cat against a wall, which is played for humor.
- Exaggerated:
- Black Comedy Pet Death
- Bob goes around and treats every animal he sees horribly, which is all for laughs.
- Downplayed: Bob is humorously cruel to a Funny Animal cat.
- Justified:
- This particular cat is evil/mean, so Bob kicking it against a wall is supposed to be an act of karmic justice.
- It was an act of Amusing Injuries - the cat simply bounced off a wall with no serious harm to it, so it's more funny than horrific.
- Inverted:
- Bob gets told Dude, Not Funny! for making faces at animals.
- Bad People Abuse Animals, and all animal abuse is portrayed very seriously.
- Bob’s pet abuses him and it’s Played for Laughs.
- Subverted: Bob prepares to kick the cat before giving him a lollipop.
- Double Subverted: ...and then kicks him out of the blue.
- Parodied: Bob kicks the cat over and over, but the cat seems to enjoy it.
- Zig-Zagged: Throughout the story, the portrayal of animal cruelty varies, sometimes played for laughs, sometimes downplayed, and other times portrayed seriously depending on the context and tone of the scene.
- Averted:
- There's no type of animal cruelty.
- Animal cruelty is portrayed relatively realistically and seriously.
- Enforced:
- The writers wanted to include comedic moments involving animal cruelty to create humorous situations and generate laughs from the audience.
- The writers, being ordered to include an Ass Shove in this episode, decided to have Fun with Homophones by subjecting an Ass to said Arse Shove.
- Lampshaded: A character comments, "Wow, Bob really has a knack for finding funny ways to mistreat animals."
- Invoked: Bob intentionally kicks the cat as a means of comedic relief, knowing that the Alice will find it amusing due to the established trope of animal cruelty for laughs.
- Exploited: Bob intentionally engages in animal cruelty for his own personal gain, such as using it as a distraction or as a means to achieve a specific goal.
- Defied: Bob in the story actively reject and oppose the idea of animal cruelty for laughs. He makes a conscious effort to treat animals with kindness and respect, refusing to participate in or condone any acts of cruelty towards them.
- Discussed:Alice: "Hey, have you seen that new sitcom? They're using animal cruelty for laughs. Isn't that kind of messed up?"Bob: "I know, right? It's like they're trying too hard to be funny. There are plenty of other comedic tropes they could explore without resorting to that."
- Conversed: "Man, Bob's gonna have PETA on his tail in a minute..."
- Played for Laughs: Bob's acts of animal cruelty are exaggerated and presented in a humorous manner, with comedic timing, slapstick elements, and funny reactions from the animals involved.
- Played for Drama: Despite being a comedic trope, the consequences and emotional impact of animal cruelty are emphasized, evoking a serious and somber tone in certain scenes.
- Played for Horror: The trope is used to create a sense of fear and revulsion, with graphic depictions of animal abuse intended to disturb and horrify the audience.
- Implied: The story implies instances of animal cruelty without directly showing them on-screen, leaving it to the audience's imagination.
- Unparodied: The trope of animal cruelty for laughs is used straightforwardly without subverting or mocking it, presenting it as a normal comedic element.
- Untwisted: The audience expects a subversion or twist where the animal cruelty is revealed to be a misunderstanding or harmless prank, but it turns out to be genuine and played for laughs as initially suggested.
- Deconstructed: The story delves into the ethical implications and consequences of animal cruelty, exposing the harmful effects it has on the animals and critiquing the idea of finding humor in their suffering.
- Reconstructed: After the deconstruction, the trope is reconstructed by finding a way to incorporate comedic elements involving animals without resorting to actual cruelty or harm, such as through visual gags or cartoonish antics that don't cause genuine pain or distress to the animals involved.
Back to Black Comedy Animal Cruelty
