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Ambiguous Name: You Can Panic Now

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This trope is supposed to be about scaremongering in the media, but its name (which seems like it might be a reference to something obscure) doesn't properly indicate this, leading to rampant misuse, sometimes in reference to the inevitable subversion of This Is No Time to Panic, but more often simply as as a stock phrase, or in some particularly egregious cases, to mean simply "a character panics". Wick check numbered 50 in all, with the results as follows:

You Can Panic Now Wick Check results:

19/50 (38%): Correct usage 3/50 (6%): Erroneous association/confusion with This Is No Time to Panic 28/50 (56%): General misuse/unclear usage/other

As you can see, while the specific form of misuse I was concerned about was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting, other forms of misuse are rampant. So what needs to be done? Well, obviously, we need to rename the trope to something that makes it clear that it's about scaremongering. Perhaps Media Scare, Scaremongering Media or even just Scaremongering?

Mod edit:

Wick check archive

    open/close all folders 

    Correct usage (19) 

    Erroneous association/confusion with This Is No Time To Panic (3) 
Looks like it goes here, but as no references to This Is No Time to Panic appear on the page, I could be wrong.

    General misuse/unclear usage/other (28) 
  • Acceptable Religious Targets: Often goes beyond "LOL" and well into "EEEEEEEEEEK!". Practitioners of voudon and other Yoruba-derived faiths, such as Santeria, Candomble, and Obeah, are often portrayed as magical and mystical at best. At worst, they're portrayed as murderous, morbid, half-Satanists and practitioners of necromancy and dark magics the likes of which would make Voldemort soil his robes. Most media portrayal bears little to no resemblance to the actual religion. See Hollywood Voodoo for details. Not entirely sure what they mean with that pothole. There seem to be a few ways it could be interpreted.
  • The Big Rotten Apple: In the parody J-Men Forever, New York City is about to be inundated by a Stock Footage Giant Wall of Watery Doom, so the Mayor handles the crisis by urging the populace to flee mindlessly and calling on the police and fire brigade to assemble for union negotiations. At the end of the movie, the J-Men celebrate the destruction of the Supervillain Lair and New York City as a double victory! Close, but no cigar.
  • Training Montage: Love Hina has one ticking down the days till the Tokyo U Entrance Exam. Naru is doing well—Keitaro, on the other hand... This one just flat-out makes no sense.
  • Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F': Now despair begins. This is the page quote. This is a very vague interpretation of the trope name.
  • GTA Radio: Only a caption/quote exists:
I'm Bryan Wilkinson, Weazel News. We're all screwed!
Not completely inappropriate, given that this is a radio host saying this, but it's a bit of a grey area.
  • ConspiracyTheories.HToN: A common claim is that United Nations peacekeeping soldiers would move in and round up people for the camps/eliminate the resistance, presumably as a way of explaining where the manpower to undergo this massive undertaking would come from. This is usually followed by claims that they are amassing at the borders and nearby countries, ready to invade... any day now. The editor who made the pothole seems to have taken the trope to mean a very general "you should be worried about this" statement.
  • ☯utlaw St★rr: Initially being a guitar driven Hard Rock & Soul band, the sound changed when more members were added to the line up whom had experiences with different styles. Eventually the band's style pretty much became unclassifiable, Genre-Busting, and Genre Roulette. The band debated on what genre was going to be the bands sound. After a small debate Tish just shrugged and asked why can't we just do them all?, and the band made that Ascended Fanon. Of course if you must categorize them they're a progressive rock/metal/industrial/synth band with a rapper/soul singer as lead vocalist. With heavy emphasis on song writing, rhythm, melody, turntable breaks, vocal harmony and solos....LOTS of solos. They also double as a production team, helping produce albums for other artists. Themes and topics of the band range from sociopolitical issues regarding gender, race & racism, spirituality, classism, sexual liberation, empowerment, speculative fiction (horror, fantasy, science fiction), Black Female & black/African-American pathos, and just simple violence. The band is also very media savvy, embracing online media and social networks before other artists understood the potential. Despite the occasional performances here, and there, the band went on hiatus starting in the spring of 2012, and the fans freaked out. However, after an admittedly longer than expected hiatus the band started recording again in early 2019. Again, the trope is used to mean a general panic.
  • FanficRecs.Vocaloid: Synopsis: On the afternoon of Saturday, July 10, 2010, the Vocaloids held a concert at the Tanabata festival in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa. The decision would prove to be disastrous. Right in the middle of the concert, Miku and Rin were savagely and mercilessly attacked on stage in front of more than 16,000 fans by Miku Zatsune and Rin Arakawa. And what provoked this attack? The fact that Zatsune and Arakawa were dating Mikuo and Len, respectively. When they were dumped because of their rotten behavior, they convinced themselves that the girls were somehow responsible for it, and that they would have to pay dearly, even though that is clearly not the case. Unbelievably, it actually gets much much worse than that. Too much to really list, but I will tell you it involves an electric barrier, a wall of fire, massive audience panic, and towards the end of the fanfic, a prison escape. Even though Miku and Rin are both seriously injured in this attack, they will eventually recover, and their assailants will get their comeuppance. Without context, the pothole makes no sense with this misuse-prone trope. For all I know, this is actually correct usage. Also a Chained Sinkhole.
  • The Devil Wears Prada: Emily gets a message that Miranda's going to arrive early. Nigel calls to everyone to "gird your loins" as the entire building starts turning itself upside down. A character literally telling those around them that they can panic is not this trope, but perhaps it should be a trope?
  • Fridge.YandereSimulator: Japanese society in general takes a rather hands-off approach to children, in direct contrast to the near-hysterical "Protect the Children!" fetish seen in the West, especially the USA. It's not beyond the pale that a wood-chipper would be left unsupervised. Most importantly, just repeat to yourself, "It's just a game. I should really just relax." A borderline case. It almost fits, but not quite.
  • Monsters, Inc. The news monster says, "It is my professional opinion that now is the time to PANIC!", flailing his extremities about at the last word. Then Boo accidentally pushes the TV over and smashes it. Hmm... It's certainly close, but this doesn't quite fit the trope's definition of media scaremongering and/or moral panic.
  • Missing Since Monday: Sort of. According to this Kirkus review, although the author "somewhat exaggerates the danger [of child abduction], her prescriptions for safety are sensible." It is notable that, despite the moral panic of Stranger Danger that gave rise to works such as this, in this story, the abduction was carried out by someone who, although not known to the victim, was connected to her family. Is it acceptable for a troper to claim that the work itself is guilty of this?
  • Norse Mythology: The Fimbulvetr or Fimbulwinter is an especially harsh winter that lasts trice as long as usual and signifies the beginning of Ragnarök. It's believed that this myth was actually developed as a explanation for a real disaster that occured in the early 6th century, due to volcanic activity which would have caused the sunset to appear bloodred and robbed sunlight of the power to cause photosynthesis which in turn made it appear that winters came with no summer between. You can freak out now. This may be the most egregious misuse yet, being effectively a troper using the trope name in its most literal possible sense, similar to how You Bastard! is often (mis)used.
  • NightmareFuel.FarCryNewDawn: The Final Boss is pretty nightmarish. A gigantic shadowy monster with creepy red eyes, basically a recoloured version of a Yeti from Far Cry 4. And just like the Yetis, this monster Was Once a Man mutated by a mysterious supernatural plant. Who was it? Ethan Seed. You Can Panic Now. Again, a troper using the trope's name in the most literal sense.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer S3E11 "Gingerbread": * You Can Panic Now Zero-Context Example.
  • How I Met Your Mother S 9 E 21 Gary Blauman: You Can Panic Now: Robin at first welcomes Gary Blauman with a surprised expression, once he leaves, Robin starts to panic to Marshall. Once Marshall managed to calm Robin down claiming that he would take care of Gary Blauman's seat, Marshall started to panic to Ted once Robin left. Another particularly egregious example; this time it is apparently being used to mean "a character panics".
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 S05 E12: Mitchell:
    Gypsy: You think they'll send us a new guy?
    Servo: Oh sure, it's bound to happen. But until that happens... PANIC! AAAAAAAAAARGH!!!
Quote-only example, which I'm fairly sure qualifies as a ZCE, also misuse of the "character tells another they can panic" variety. It appears that a troper has taken this to mean "something that causes someone to panic". Another literal "example".
  • Pasila: You Can Panic Now: An episode concerning bootlegged booze with poison in it eventually culminated in forbidding all alcohol in all of Finland. Kontiovaara hosts an expert on his show, and asks if they ought to panic now. The interviewee's response to his question is, "You get one fuckin' guess". Seems to be an example in there somewhere, but the way this example is written, it is not accurate.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jun 17th 2022 at 10:15:11 AM

GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#52: Jun 13th 2022 at 2:54:12 AM

The page itself will also need a new page quote, and the quotes page will need to be cleaned. I'm a bit busy this morning, but I can make a start.

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#53: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:07:01 AM

I probably should have mentioned that I didn't do any cleanup yet, so the on-page examples may need to be cleaned up in addition to the quotes. I just moved the pages to get that part out of the way before cleanup starts, especially because non-mods couldn't move the main trope page.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jun 13th 2022 at 8:07:23 AM

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#54: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:28:52 AM

I see. Is there any specific protocol for choosing a new page quote?

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
Yindee Just stoic wisdom. from New England Since: Jul, 2016
Just stoic wisdom.
#55: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:38:22 AM

Some of the quotes on the quotes page are relevant. I think the "I JUST WATCHED A CABLE NEWS CHANNEL! EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE!" quote is particularly succinct.

Vehicle-Based Characterization | Grief-Induced Split | Locker Mail
Amonimus the Retromancer from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the Retromancer
#56: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:44:34 AM

There's a Page Quote forum thread somewhere that is similar to Image Pickin.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Yindee Just stoic wisdom. from New England Since: Jul, 2016
Just stoic wisdom.
#57: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:46:08 AM

Oh rip is there? I've been rogue quote pickin' then. Oops.

Vehicle-Based Characterization | Grief-Induced Split | Locker Mail
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#58: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:48:05 AM

It's here. If the old quote is bad we can get rid of it but in depth quote discussion should probably go in the Quote discussion thread.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jun 13th 2022 at 10:16:34 AM

Macron's notes
Yindee Just stoic wisdom. from New England Since: Jul, 2016
Just stoic wisdom.
#59: Jun 13th 2022 at 6:53:48 AM

Alright, the only two times I've chosen a quote were for one that completely didn't indicate what the trope was about (used one from its quotes page) and one on a page that's honestly probably TRS-ably underwicked.

I cleaned the quotes page, though I left a couple that I was on the fence about. Should we use the forum to choose a quote for Scaremongering?

Edited by Yindee on Jun 13th 2022 at 10:10:04 AM

Vehicle-Based Characterization | Grief-Induced Split | Locker Mail
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#60: Jun 13th 2022 at 7:18:27 AM

If you want more input, sure. Like I said, in depth quote discussion belongs on that thread.

Macron's notes
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#61: Jun 13th 2022 at 7:48:42 AM

Alright. I mean, it's pretty obvious that the current quote is a bad fit, so I'll just browse the quotes page for something that works, and clean it up as I go.

[Edit]: Sorry, didn't read some of the replies properly. I should definitely take a good look tho.

[Edit (again)]: While we're on the subject, am I right in thinking that, when a quote is added to the top of the page, it should be removed from the quotes page?

Edited by mr_c on Jun 13th 2022 at 3:57:44 PM

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#62: Jun 13th 2022 at 10:07:51 AM

I've chosen a new page quote. Thanks to Yindee for your suggestion.

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#63: Jun 13th 2022 at 10:20:14 AM

Yes, you can remove the quote you chose from the quotes page now that it's the current page quote.

Macron's notes
Yindee Just stoic wisdom. from New England Since: Jul, 2016
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#65: Jun 13th 2022 at 11:50:44 AM

[up][up]Done. Thank you for your help. Anyway, how's the wick cleanup coming along?

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
Yindee Just stoic wisdom. from New England Since: Jul, 2016
Just stoic wisdom.
#66: Jun 13th 2022 at 1:26:59 PM

I cleared out the Main/ namespace to the best of my ability! I'd estimate I put about 2/3 of them into the new name and deleted the rest.

Vehicle-Based Characterization | Grief-Induced Split | Locker Mail
themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him
#67: Jun 13th 2022 at 2:28:02 PM

Can we get a to-do list pinned to the top? Or is it just "move applicable wicks, delete misuse"?

TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#68: Jun 13th 2022 at 2:38:17 PM

Yeah, that's all we have to do. I don't know if we need a to-do-list for standard rename and cleanup.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jun 13th 2022 at 5:38:50 AM

Macron's notes
themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him
#69: Jun 13th 2022 at 3:23:01 PM

[up] Ah good. Once I get back to wick cleaning and when Hollywood Nerd is done I'll work on this one.

TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#70: Jun 13th 2022 at 5:40:08 PM

I've cleaned out the various "You May Panic Now" redirects, but one is on a page that is currently locked, so we're going to have to leave that one for now.

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#71: Jun 16th 2022 at 11:39:57 AM

I'm trying to contribute as much as I can to the cleanup, but there are some wicks where I can't tell whether or not they're examples. There are quite a few I found during the original wick check, and if I find more, I'll post links to the pages in this thread.

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#72: Jun 16th 2022 at 11:50:42 AM

I've found a commented-out ZCE. Should I change it to the new name?

[Edit] Is there any specific etiquette for editing Headscratchers pages, seeing as they're essentially old-style discussion pages, and these are the words of past tropers?

Edited by mr_c on Jun 16th 2022 at 8:00:32 PM

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him
#73: Jun 16th 2022 at 12:36:35 PM

[up]

1. Just remove it. That's what I do in wick cleanups.

2. Go ahead and edit the Headscratchers page. I assume it's pretty common in TRS wick cleanups to do so, and that's what I do anyway.

TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
mr_c Thing unspeakable from Sotland Since: Jul, 2020 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Thing unspeakable
#74: Jun 16th 2022 at 12:54:11 PM

[up]Thnaks! You're a lifesaver!

I was a germophobe before it was cool.
themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining
Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him

Trope Repair Shop: You Can Panic Now rename
10th Jun '22 4:10:38 AM

Crown Description:

Consensus was to rename You Can Panic Now. What should its new name be?

Total posts: 84
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