History Main / BreakingBadNewsGently

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* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick,'' Haley had some difficulty trying to figure out how to tell Celia that [[spoiler: her boyfriend was dead (albeit [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist only temporarily]].)]] Sick of wasting time, [[HeroicComedicSociopath Belkar]] decided it was best to just shout it in the bluntest manner possible.

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* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'', where the dad says they shouldn't bother sitting down 'cause they're just gonna stand up again before revealing something exciting.
* Used this way in [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants "Patty Hype"]] also

* A man goes on vacation and his friend is watching his cat. A few days in the man calls to check up, and the friend says "your cat fell off the roof and died." The man says, "Ouch! Couldn't you have said it more gently, like 'Your cat climbed up on the roof, there was a loose tile, she fell, I rushed her to the vet, but there was nothing they could do?' " The friend apologizes and a few months go by. The man goes away again, and calls to check in. His friend says "Your mother climbed up on the roof..."

* The police officers of ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' frequently asked relatives of victims to sit down.

* Done in ''Radio/TheNavyLark'' between [[CloudCuckooLander Mister Phillips]] and the ship's Chaplain in a very confused conversation about a pregnant racehorse (which the Chaplain thinks it is a girl Phillips has got knocked up due to how Phillips broached the subject), with the Chaplain being so shocked that after having had to sit down he declares "I think I better stand up again".

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* In the ''WebVideo/LoadingReadyRun'' sketch [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9M3RRfdRg "All the Little People".]]
-->'''Graham:''' I ... think I'd rather stand. Near the door.
* ''[[http://www.rrrrthats5rs.com/games/dont-make-mommy-cry/ Don't Make Mommy Cry]]'' is a flash quiz game, where the player picks the most gentle option of something shocking. Usually deflecting blame onto something else.

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* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''Film/IndependenceDay'': When the President can't bear to tell his daughter about her mom's death, she breaks the bad news gently to herself by sadly asking, [[BigSleep "Is Mommy sleeping?"]] [[TearJerker The President quietly responds, "Yeah," and hugs her.]]

* In the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII MiniSeries ''Series/TheSinkingOfTheLaconia'', Captain Sharp says tells Junior Officer Thomas Mortimer "You better sit down", before presenting him with a telegram. Mortimer doesn't sit down; he merely asks, "[[TearJerker All of them, sir?]]". [[spoiler: As one can probably guess, his wife and children have all been killed in an air raid.]]

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''Film/IndependenceDay'': When the President can�t bear to tell his daughter about her mom�s death, she breaks the bad news gently to herself by sadly asking, [[BigSleep �Is Mommy sleeping?�]] [[TearJerker The President quietly responds, �Yeah,� and hugs her.]]

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* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''Film/IndependenceDay'': When the President can’t bear to tell his daughter about her mom’s death, she breaks the bad news gently to herself by sadly asking, [[BigSleep “Is Mommy sleeping?”]] [[TearJerker The President quietly responds, “Yeah,” and hugs her.]]

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* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdLUV0hhYZY Tout Va Très Bien Madame La Marquise]]: A marquise calls her servants to ask how things are going. They tell her that all is well (tout va très bien), except her horse died. Then they describe the series of events that led to this calamity, with each link in the chain more horrible than the one before it.

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There are several methods. One of the most common in fiction is to tell the recipient to sit down before hearing the news, often in case the news is upsetting enough to cause {{Fainting}}. Often, to show how tough or badsss they are, the listener usually says, through clenched jaws, "I think I'll stand" or "I prefer to stand" or some variation thereof.

There are several methods. One of the most common in fiction is to tell the recipient to sit down before hearing the news, often in case the news is upsetting enough to cause {{Fainting}}. Often, to show how tough or BadAss they are, the listener usually says, through clenched jaws, "I think I'll stand" or "I prefer to stand" or some variation thereof.

* On {{ER}} whenever a doctor has to break the news of a patients death. Results vary.

* Played with in ''TheProudFamily'', where the dad says they shouldn't bother sitting down 'cause they're just gonna stand up again before revealing something exciting.

* ''DatelineNBC:''

* Used this way in [[SpongebobSquarepants "Patty Hype"]] also

* In DragonsRidersOfBerk, Astrid calls it "the honey and the hatchet." First you say something nice to soften the blow, then you hit them with the bad news. When Hiccup tries it on his dad, Stoic sees right through it.

* In the ''LoadingReadyRun'' sketch [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9M3RRfdRg "All the Little People".]]

* ''RedVsBlue:'' Grif couldn't sit down because both of his kneecaps were shattered, so Sarge ordered Simmons to prepare catching him when they had to explain (again) that his Sister had died.

* In ''TheBigBangTheory'' episode "The Spaghetti Catalyst", Sheldon tells Leonard to sit down. Leonard informs Sheldon that he's already lying in bed, which should be good enough.
* Played with in the ''QuantumLeap'' episode "Miss Deep South," in which Sam has leapt into a beauty pageant contestant. Al comes bearing bad news, and insists that Sam sit down before he hears it. Sam sits down and his skirt's crinoline cage hits him in the face. Al relents, "I think you better stand up, Sam."

* Used this way in [[SpongebobSquarepants "Pretty Patties"]] also

** Used this way in [[SpongebobSquarepants "Pretty Patties"]] also

[[quoteright:323:[[Webcomic/BadMachinery http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bad_news_9231.png]]]]

->"Do sit down, Sergeant. Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent."
-->--'''Lord Summerisle''' ''Film/TheWickerMan''

* A ''PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip has Pig call Goat to ask if he's sitting down. Goat freaks out and asks what's happened, and Pig replies: "Oh, it's just comfy."

* Done in ''TheNavyLark'' between [[CloudCuckooLander Mister Phillips]] and the ship's Chaplain in a very confused conversation about a pregnant racehorse (which the Chaplain thinks it is a girl Phillips has got knocked up due to how Phillips broached the subject), with the Chaplain being so shocked that after having had to sit down he declares "I think I better stand up again".

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick,'' Haley had some difficulty trying to figure out how to tell Celia that [[spoiler: her boyfriend was dead (Albeit [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist only temporarily]].)]] Sick of wasting time, [[HeroicComedicSociopath Belkar]] decided it was best to just shout it in the bluntest manner possible.

-->--'''Lord Summerisle''' ''TheWickerMan''

* During one page of ''FriendlyHostility'', Fox and Colin are given some heavy news. Fox says he needs to sit down, to which Colin replies 'You already are'.

A SubTrope of BearerOfBadNews.

A SuperTrope to BadNewsInAGoodWay, GoodNewsBadNews.

* ''Series/{{Mash}}'' has this exchange over the phone:

* In the WorldWarII MiniSeries ''Series/TheSinkingOfTheLaconia'', Captain Sharp says tells Junior Officer Thomas Mortimer "You better sit down", before presenting him with a telegram. Mortimer doesn't sit down; he merely asks, "[[TearJerker All of them, sir?]]". [[spoiler: As one can probably guess, his wife and children have all been killed in an air raid.]]