Not healthy. Alt names crowner 3.12: Zero Chops

I did a google search, and the top entry for the term was this page, and a few pages referring to the trope page. But those that didn't referred to "zero chops" as someone with bad musical skill (even if it's Self-Deprecation).

It also has 89 wicks and 100 inbounds last I checked. Which isn't bad, but isn't that good either.

Well, if you look at it, the musical term is just taking a very general definition to Zero Chops (a total lack of talent) and applying it to their specific form.

That said, we're doing that too with said definition, except we're applying it to fighting instead of music.

I'm inclined to think that we might be slightly missing the boat on this one - Zero Chops might actually be a supertrope involving being utterly incompetent at something significant in the world in question (with the inability to fight being a subtrope, as well as Drives Like Crazy, Lethal Chef, and a couple other tropes concerning incompetence at something potentially important in a character's day-to-day life). I'd propose renaming this trope to specifically be about fighting and turn Zero Chops into said supertrope.

And the redirects have better names for this trope anyway.

I'd avoid using Sissy Fight, because that carries a bit of Unfortunate Implications. Silly Slap Fight Scene is the one that looks best to my eyes. Slap Fight seems a bit too simple, considering how I've seen some slaps that have been kind of awesome (many covered under Bright Slap).

That and slap fights aren't always shown as silly.

I would go for either Silly Slap Fight or something like Wimp Fight.

Approving of Wimp Fight, mostly because it adds a sort of fun to the mental imagery of the trope.

Ooh, Wimp Fight, that works.

EDIT: Any thoughts about the possibility of turning Zero Chops into a supertrope about complete incompetence at a skill?

edited 8th Feb '12 7:40:55 AM by 32_Footsteps

Both Wimp Fight and turning Zero Chops into the missing supertrope sound good to me.

The only apprehension I have about making it mean that is it being used for stealth Complaining about real life people.

• Michael Bay has Zero Chops at directing.
• Miley Cyrus has Zero Chops at singing.
• Stephen King has Zero Chops at writing anymore.

Not a pretty thought.

edited 8th Feb '12 10:33:13 AM by DragonQuestZ

So, Zero Chops is a stock phrase outside the wiki but what it is used for is not a trope. Sounds like a good reason to retire the term from TV Tropes.

I think "complete incompetence at a task" is a trope - after all, we have specific tropes for certain tasks that repeatedly come up (driving, cooking in general, cooking when not following the recipe). This supertrope would cover instances where the specific task doesn't have a full trope of its own (like Doug from Scrubs and his inability to improve the medical condition of anyone alive... kind of important, since he's a doctor working in a hospital).

That said, I would say that said supertrope should have a note to specifically ban Real Life examples, like any other that would be negatively applied in real life.

Would Too Incompetent to Operate a Blanket a subtrope?

Of Zero Chops (or whatever it's renamed to, if it's renamed)? I'd think so. It's "complete incompetence at something"

This Index Is Grossly Incompetent?

@12 Most definitely. In fact, that might be the most egregious subtrope of said supertrope that I could think of. I can't be the only one who will Face Palm through those commercials.

Dreadful Musician and Lethal Chef would be more sub tropes.

Also, how about we call this Comically Incompetent, just to help curb real life misuse?

As long as people are fine calling it a comedy trope, that works.

Comically Incompetent works for me.

Comically Incompetent is fine by me as well.

Comically Incompetent sounds clear to me.

Wait, if it becomes a comedy trope, Too Incompetent to Operate a Blanket is no longer a subtrope. While it is funny to see, that's because of Narm, not the gag itself.

edited 9th Feb '12 11:18:29 AM by Deboss

Sister Trope though.

Though before we get too sidetracked... should we put up a crowner about Zero Chops being renamed, skip right to an alternate names crowner, or do people think Wimp Fight is good enough to use without a crowner?

technically we're saying 0 chops needs to have a trope transplant

I don't have any objections to Wimp Fight or Comically Incompetent.

But I guess, a crowner won't hurt. We're not in a big hurry.

edited 9th Feb '12 3:44:53 PM by DrStarky