There's a boatload of natter in the comments under the Real Life section but some good points as well. I don't want to risk ruining a very informative bit of information but at the same time, there's WAY too much blatant natter. I'm hoping someone more patient than I am can skim through it and pick apart the natter and save the good information.
Edited by 74.98.2.111 Hide / Show RepliesAll that natter is not relevant to the article's topic here. I would delete the whole material.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard FeynmanWhat about the 2011 Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals? It wasn't until they started taunting the Dallas Mavericks while they had a big lead in Game 2 (they'd won Game 1) that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks started playing. The Heat would lose Game 2, win Game 3, and then lose the three next games in a row to make the Mavericks the 2011 NBA Champs.
Except for the WW 2 example, the Real Life entries seem odd at best. None of the countries/alliances/whatever can really be considered True Neutral in most contexts. Additionally the trope seems to mostly relate to military matters, which doesnt really seem to be the case when talking about e.g. the EU or India.
Hide / Show RepliesAgreed. A country can only be True Neutral in the context of a conflict. Speculating that a certain superpower, or potential superpower, could become one of these isn't really sufficient.
United States was not neutral. It was a non-beligerant (until attacked). Does this mean we should lower the requirements?
Edited by captainsandwichNobody thought of Avatar yet? Neytiri describes the planet as neutral and not helping any side, just keeping the balance - until the humans threaten to crush one of the most vital "organs" of the planet.
Regarding one One Piece example about Big Mom, it's very likely that the Sleeping Giant was not a neutral party when the Straw Hats confronted her (because she agreed on Judge giving Sanji in marriage and Luffy naturally going to rescue him)... so, when the Sleeping Giant is the one doing the pissing, would that count as a subversion or another way to play with the trope?