Agree and disagree. I actually think that this trope has one of the most unclear and confusing definitions on the site. The "definition" is just overloaded with links and "see also"s, making it nearly impossible to actually zero in on what the article is actually trying to say. But then you consult the examples for a better understanding, and they don't help.
Honestly, your post here did a MUCH better job of explaining this trope than the page itself did. I feel like it severely needs a rewrite.
Would this be an example: A boy tells a girl about a particularly weird event that happened in his childhood. She doesn't believe him, to the point where she strikes a deal with him, that if he were to somehow repeat the act he did in his childhood, she would kiss him on the spot. Neither is particularly motivated to kissing the other since they've only just met. Of course, he pulls off the act with ease, and she...well, you get the idea. The fact that she didn't believe his story until she got herself into a very awkward deal she has to uphold seems to be a key factor in it. And the result sure as hell is pretty funny.
Edited by 69.172.221.2
If I understand correctly, this trope is about someone trying to warn everybody else of something of big importance (usually some kind of catastrophe or other earth-shattering event), and nobody believing him or her (because they think that it's just some lunatic cloudcuckoolander, a crazy hermit, a small child, or other such reasons.)
It's not about someone just making a mundane claim and somebody else not believing it. Yet I have seen this trope referenced in many, many pages about shows or episodes of some show describing just this latter kind of situation.
Perhaps some stricter guidelines would be in place?
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I came here about to ask about this. Surely, the Cassandra Truth should be about being told something and then deliberately not acting on it because it sounds like a lie? Simply not believing someone is kinda broad.
This happened because Tim had made a mistake.
Is there a separate trope or subtrope of this for where the Hero tries to warn the Villain that everyone (including the Villain) will suffer (possibly go ka-boom) if the Villain's scheme of the week isn't halted and the villain predictably assumes it's a bluff when it isn't?
Or when the hero tries to clarify a misconception on the part of someone trying to kill him which inevitably provokes the response, "LIAR!"
Edited by RichardX1
It seems to me that this is one of those tropes with a relatively clear definition, yet 99% of examples (especially those in other pages) do not really fit.
The trope is about someone having a really important message (which the audience knows is true), a warning of an impending disaster, something of great importance, and everybody dismissing this person because of prejudice, sometimes even because of some kind of curse, or some other reason (such as your typical "crying wolf" reason).
In other words, the message is always something of great importance, and the reason why the person is not believed is usually illogical (such as prejudice) or perhaps even supernatural (eg. a curse).
Yet whenever you see "Cassandra Truth" in some page (eg. in the page of a movie or tv show), it usually tends to be of the kind "hey, can I go in? I forgot my wallet there." "Yeah, sure, like I have never heard that one before. Scram."
I don't think "Cassandra Truth" refers to that kind of "not believing someone".
Edited by Angus Hide / Show Replies