History Main / CrapsackOnlyByComparison

** In ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'', the source of most of the ''mundane'' crapsackiness on any given world is attributed to the Imperial Tithe, a tax of resources extracted from every world, whether it's ore mined, goods manufactured, military regiments raised, or something more unusual. The worlds that suffer the most under Imperial rule are those with particularly high tithes to pay, which forces them to abuse their workforces to meet quotas and avoid the wrath of agencies such as the Adeptus Arbites and Inquisition. One particular AntiVillain introduced in ''Ascension'' is the idealistic governor of a peaceful, prosperous world who is [[MistreatmenInducedBetrayal driven to sedition]] after the Adminstratum suddenly levies a higher tithe than his people can comfortably provide.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': [[ComicBook/Supergirl1982 Several]] [[ComicBook/Supergirl2011 incarnations]] of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} were raised in incredibly technologically advanced, peaceful societies before being sent to a wartorn and -by her standards- primitive world. Earth looked from dull and backwards to awful in comparison with Krypton, and it took some time for Kara finding what was good about her new home.

* The Creator/TexAvery cartoon ''The Cat That Hated People'' is about, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a cat who hates people.]] The cartoon starts with an alley cat complaining about his miserable life, how humans throw boots at him, hit him with brooms, and even ''shoot'' at him. He complains about how he doesn't get along with children (who tie paper bags onto his feet) babies (who flail him about a playpen), and housewives (who hit him over the head with broomsticks when he scratches their furniture). As he complains on the sidewalk, his point is proven by people who step all over him, the last one kicking him for good measure. He finally decides to leave people forever by hitching a ride aboard a rocket and flying to the moon. However once there, he finds the moon is [[CloudCuckooLand a crazy place]], full of weird creatures who assault him in bizarre ways. (For instance, a lipstick applies itself to his mouth, then a giggling pair of lips gives him a wet smacker; then a living diaper, safety pin, and bottle of baby powder chase him, then diaper him and shove a bottle in his mouth; he has a tantrum, and his head is diapered too). Realizing this place is worse than Earth, he [[CartoonPhysics golf drives himself back]], and is ''happy'' to be back. Even though he's no better off than he was before, with people ''still'' stepping on him, he has a newfound appreciation for his home.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition:'' The GreaterScopeVillain turns out to be [[spoiler:your elven companion Solas, who is revealed to be an ancient elf from the days of Arlathan, a world said to be so resplendent that “it would blind you with its beauty,” filled with [[OurElvesAreBetter immortal and magical elves]] and magical wonders like floating cities of shining crystal and other similar wonders. He finds modern Thedas (a [[StandardFantasySetting standard medieval fantasy setting]]) to be an utter hellhole ([[PlayedWith which isn't completely wrong]]) beyond saving by comparison, and would rather destroy the current world to magically restore the old one at the expense of those still living in it. A friendly PlayerCharacter can vow in their final confrontation that [[SequelHook they'll prove to him that the current world is worth saving]], and he sounds half-hopeful that you'll succeed.]]

** The Realm of Ultramar is a good example of this. Compared to the rest of the Imperium, it's technologically advanced, well-ordered, peaceful and the population is both loyal and proud of this reputation. It's repeatedly stated that Ultramar is held up as the exemplar for all human worlds to emulate. But to ''us'', it's still a fascistic dictatorship where any questioning of Imperial authority (either in general or the transhuman super-soldiers running it) and attempts at, say, freedom of religion or expression are ''universally'' put down.

** However, as time passes, this is revealed namely to be Pearl's issue. Amethyst was born on Earth and was closer to humans than anyone else except Rose, and her natural attitude tends to be "whatever". Garnet, meanwhile, has her future vision and being leader to occupy her time. Pearl, however, tends to look down on humanity the most (which is painfully ironic given how Pearls were a ServantRace who only surpassed Pebbles in Gem society's CasteSystem). Though the massive reveal that [[spoiler:Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz means that Pearl serving her meant she had a higher status than her fellow Gems.]] Furthermore, thanks to Steven, the Gems grow fonder of their newfound home, with Amethyst rebuilding her old friendship with Vidalia and the Gems interacting more with humans.

** However, as time passes, this is revealed namely to be Pearl's issue. Amethyst was born on Earth and was closer to humans than anyone else except Rose, and her natural attitude tends to be "whatever". Garnet, meanwhile, has her future vision and being leader to occupy her time. Pearl, however, tends to look down on humanity the most (which is painfully ironic given how Pearls in Gem society were made to just stand and be pretty or occasionally as secretaries). Though the massive reveal that [[spoiler:Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz means that Pearl serving her meant she had a higher status than her fellow Gems.]] Furthermore, thanks to Steven, the Gems grow fonder of their newfound home, with Amethyst rebuilding her old friendship with Vidalia and the Gems interacting more with humans.

* A big part of George Orwell's classic ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is the idea that the entire world in the book has been ConditionedToAcceptHorror. The world is only an utterly nightmarish totalitarian dystopia ''to the reader''; to an Oceanian citizen, this kind of horror world is all they really know. Even if the Party was ever overthrown, the world order would stay as-is because political and intellectual freedom have long since ceased to exist as concepts in the human psyche. In other words, the only real solution to the world's problems is likely an [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Exterminatus]].

* In Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium, Elves were really meant to live in Valinor, the land of the gods; the ones in Middle-earth either never made it there or returned (see ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''). By the Third Age they basically cope by living in mini-utopias created by the rings' powers, but once those are gone they must either leave for good or fade away into obscurity as humanity rises to prominence.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': In the {{grimdark}} grimdarkness of the grim, dark future, there is only grimdarkness! Er, war. Except that the Imperium of Man (and to a lesser extent, some of the other factions) must have a vast agricultural/industrial base to support their colossal war machine, and some of the licensed novels show the places that aren't right on the front lines (especially the ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' novels). Presumably, it's possible to live a pleasantly uneventful life among the trillions on agri-worlds and forge worlds that doesn't involve being eaten by tyranids, chopped up by orks, enslaved by dark eldar, annihilated by necrons, executed for heresy by the Inquisition, having your soul ripped apart by Chaos, and so on and so forth. But it doesn't make a good story, and certainly doesn't work for a tabletop wargame.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons''. George Jetson is always complaining about how hard his job is, even though he's living in an idealised ZeeRust future and his hard work consists of pushing a button. Mind you that might have something to do with the way Mr. Spacely is constantly on his back.

* Inverted in ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'', with a traveler who considers Ankh-Morpork to be ''not'' crapsack because his own homeland is so much worse. Rude and obnoxious guards are celebrated for not torturing random innocents to death, and so on.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition:'' The GreaterScopeVillain turns out to be [[spoiler:your elven companion Solas, who is revealed to be an ancient elf from the days of Arlathan, a world said to be so resplendent that "it would blind you with its beauty," filled with [[OurElvesAreBetter immortal and magical elves]] and magical wonders like floating cities of shining crystal and other similar wonders. He finds modern Thedas (a [[StandardFantasySetting standard medieval fantasy setting]]) to be an utter hellhole ([[PlayedWith which isn't completely wrong]]) beyond saving by comparison, and would rather destroy the current world to magically restore the old one at the expense of those still living in it. A friendly PlayerCharacter can vow in their final confrontation that [[SequelHook they'll prove to him that the current world is worth saving]], and he sounds half-hopeful that you'll succeed.]]

Needless to say, this is TruthInTelevision. In the modern world, it can be easy to forget that access electricity, plentiful food, clean drinking water, effective medical care, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the internet]], and innumerable other things simply weren't as widely available as they are today if they existed at all. What the contemporary population saw as luxuries or opulence might be easily available in today's world[[labelnote:Example]] Hundreds of years ago, spices and dyes used to be more valuable than gold. Nowadays you can find dozens of different spices at the local grocery store, and even the cheapest clothing can be dyed with colors like violet and indigo that were literally worth a king's ransom.[[/labelnote]] if they're not looked down on as primitive or barbaric[[labelnote:Example]]Medical care used to be [[MeatgrinderSurgery very unpleasant]], especially before the advent of modern anesthesia[[/labelnote]]. In light of this, [[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease any real-life examples are simply redundant.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition:'' The GreaterScopeVillain turns out to be [[spoiler:your elven companion Solas, who is revealed to be an ancient elf from the days of Arlathan, a world said to be so resplendent that "it would blind you with its beauty," filled with [[OurElvesAreBetter immortal and magical elves]] and magical wonders like floating cities of shining crystal and other similar wonders He finds modern Thedas (a [[StandardFantasySetting standard medieval fantasy setting]]) to be an utter hellhole beyond saving by comparison, and would rather destroy the current world to magically restore the old one at the expense of those still living in it. A friendly PlayerCharacter can vow in their final confrontation that [[SequelHook they'll prove to him that the current world is worth saving]], and he sounds half-hopeful that you'll succeed.]]

** The Realm of Ultramar is a good example of this. Compared to the rest of the Imperium, it's both enlightened, efficient, peaceful and the population is both loyal and proud of this reputation. It's repeatedly stated that Ultramar is held up as the exemplar for all human worlds to emulate. Compared to everywhere else in the Imperium, it's quite nice... but to ''us'', it's still a fascistic dictatorship where any questioning of Imperial authority (either in general or the transhuman super-soldiers running it) and attempts at, say, freedom of religion or expression are ''universally'' put down brutally.

** Worth noting is that even the nice planets in the Imperium have laws where things like questioning the government and failing to follow the state religion are at least theoretically punishable by death, the SecretPolice have unlimited authority to torture and kill whoever they deem necessary on the rare occasions one shows up, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking hours are long and pay bad for the vast majority of citizens]]. Just because you're not actively being burned alive at a specific point in your life doesn't mean you're not in "the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable" (as GW's official marketing blurb would have it).

These characters might come from a world where boredom, lies, [[NoPoverty poverty]] or even death itself simply doesn't exist. When they encounter a world just like ours (and a rather kind version of it at that), it looks horrifying in comparison. In some cases, they learn to appreciate this new world after awhile. In others, they remain repulsed by it.

Needless to say, this is TruthInTelevision. In the modern world it can be easy to forget that access electricity, plentiful food, clean drinking water, effective medical care, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the internet]], and innumerable other things simply weren't as widely available as they are today, if they existed at all. What the contemporary population saw as luxuries or opulence might be easily available in today's world[[labelnote:Example]] Hundreds of years ago, spices and dyes used to be more valuable than gold. Nowadays you can find dozens of different spices at the local grocery store, and even the cheapest clothing can be dyed with colors like violet and indigo that were literally worth a king's ransom.[[/labelnote]] if they're not looked down on as primitive or barbaric[[labelnote:Example]]Medical care used to be [[MeatgrinderSurgery very unpleasant]], especially before the advent of modern anesthesia[[/labelnote]]. In light of this, [[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease any real life examples are simply redundant.]]

* The characters in ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'' find themselves as FishOutOfTemporalWater in TheEighties, and Doctor [=McCoy=] in particular is horrified by modern day medical practices, angrily comparing them to "the Dark Ages" and "the Spanish Inquisition". Since it's a rather lighthearted film, the whole thing's treated as comedy rather than serious criticism.

* Creator/HGWells' ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Like_Gods Men Like Gods]]'' (1923). As the result of an interdimensional accident a group of English citizens find themselves in another world. The people there are perfect by human standards, and Wells uses their comments on the visitors' attitudes and values to criticize English society of the time.

* Most citizens of ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' (magical realm) who travel to "drear Mundania" (non-magical rest of the world, in other words modern-day Earth) feel that way about it.

* The central conflict in ''Dies Irae'' is between the [[{{Order Vs Chaos}} conflicting ideologies]] of Heljanita the Toymaker and Darkscar of Despair. Heljanita thinks the time he comes from is terrible due to stagnation and tedium; Darkscar quite likes that society, and is terrified of what Heljanita will create.

** A particularly pointed example appears in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekS2E26AssignmentEarth "Assignment: Earth"]], as Gary Seven looks out the window at a 20th century street and disgustedly mutters, "You're right, Isis. It ''is'' primitive. It's incredible that people can exist like this."

** It should be noted that most of the worlds in the Imperium are what is known as Civilian Worlds, which are mostly on par with present day Earth in terms of living conditions, but since they're not GRIMDARK they're rarely mentioned unless they're being attacked.

* Several of the main cast members in VisualNovel/SharinNoKuni live under extremely harsh legal restrictions which they have mostly come by undeservedly, and the main character was put through a [[TrainingFromHell nightmarish training program]] in order to become qualified to oversee and rehabilitate such individuals. However, the legal system of the setting, which is explicitly intended to ''prevent'' crimes and socially destructive behavior, rather than conferring fair and proportionate punishments on the guilty, is stated to result in much lower crime rates than our own, and such restrictions are implied to be very rare compared to imprisonment in Japan, which already has low crimes rates by real world standards, such that a town which is considered to have an unusual concentration of social unrest has a grand total of three residents living under restrictions.

* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', the PerfectPacifistPeople of the so-called Dimension of Lame are rather disturbed by being visited by someone who's willing to use violence in self-defence and swear, which definitely implies they couldn't handle his world either. It kind of works the other way around too, because they're doing okay there [[spoiler:before the demonic invasion]], but Torg from "our" world gets really fed up with such a conflict-phobic and wussy dimension. This is an {{inversion}}, since the world is too ''nice'' for him.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Zig-zagged all over the place. The Crystal Gems are permanent residents of the Earth, and have been for a [[TimeAbyss good while now]]. On the one hand, Earth's a far cry [[TheresNoPlaceLikeHome from their own Homeworld]] and they're [[PunyEarthlings not very impressed]] [[FantasticRacism with humans]]. On the other hand, [[NobleBigot they're also]] [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight more than willing to protect both the planet and its inhabitants]], [[spoiler:[[BackstoryHorror up to and including]] [[CivilWar starting a war]] [[DefectorFromDecadence for their sake]], because Homeworld seems to be TheEmpire and their initial interest was [[PlanetLooters to bleed the Earth dry]]...]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons''. George Jetson is always complaining about how hard his job is, even though he's living in an idealised ZeeRust future and his hard work consists of pushing a button. Mind you that might have something to do with the way Mr Spacely is constantly on his back.

* In the 1987 ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse'' movie, Teela and Man-at-Arms have their first taste of Earth food. Teela curiously asks what the white sticks in the middle are for, and she's instantly rendered nauseous when she's told that they're rib bones and she's eating a dead animal. Man-At-Arms, meanwhile, doesn't seem to mind.

[[caption-width-right:319:[[http://radoxist.deviantart.com/art/Worth-enough-73247873 Image from DeviantArt.]]]]

Needless to say, this is TruthInTelevision. [[Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease Any real life examples would therefore be redundant.]]

Compare AppealToWorseProblems, HumansAreTheRealMonsters and LifeWillKillYou. DeliberateValuesDissonance and CultureClash are bound to come into play.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is consistent in its negative portrayals of 21st century life over several different shows. This is especially prevalent in any episodes in which the cast is sent back into time. You can often expect characters to reference the 21st century as barbaric, ignorant, greedy, or hateful this despite the fact that the 21st century has seen far less war, illiteracy, poverty, or genocide than any era preceding it.

** A particularly pointed example appears in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekS2E26AssignmentEarth "Assignment: Earth"]], as Gary Seven looks out the window and disgustedly mutters, "You're right, Isis. It ''is'' primitive. It's incredible that people can exist like this."