History Main / IgnoredAesop

This is often a good way to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] AesopAmnesia- after all, the equivalent of an Aesop-based kung-fu scene should leave everyone, including the viewer, sufficiently confused as to the purpose of the story that it's hard to hold it against the characters for failing to realize how they could apply this knowledge to other situations. This will most commonly end with characters concluding that they haven't learned anything, or they'll spend the ending of the show desperately trying to come up with an Aesop that works as a result.

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* At the finale of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', Todd thanks [[spoiler: Mrs. Lovett]] for finally helping him to understand the moral of the story, "learn forgiveness and try to forget." Then he pushes [[spoiler: her]] into an oven. Yeah, he was sarcastic alright.

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* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': In one episode, Kim, Ron and the whole cheerleading squad return to Camp Wannaweep which has been converted to a cheer camp. Gil returns and has apparently been returned to normal -- everyone believes that he isn't evil anymore, except Ron. Ron repeatedly tries and fails to prove that he is still evil. It then turns out that Gil ''is'' still evil and Ron ends up saving the day. At the end of the episode, Kim, Ron, and Bonnie try to figure out what the lesson is. Ron suggests, "Normally I'd say we learned that suspicion and paranoia is bad, except that's what saved us." After several more failed attempts, they all agree "Cheer camp stinks."

* At the finale of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', Todd thanks [[spoiler: Mrs. Lovett]] for finally helping him to understand the moral of the story, "learn forgiveness and try to forget." Then he pushes [[spoiler: her]] into an oven.

-> ''Live and don't learn, that's us.''

-> ''[[LampshadeHanging "Live and don't learn, that's us."]]''

* In one ''Series/WillAndGrace'' episode, both the main characters have a favourite for the mayor of New York, on the basis that one candidate is gay and the other is a woman. They don't know anything else about their candidates, and when they host fundraisers they learn that both of them are horrible bigots. They realise that basing their opinions on the fact the candidate is a member of a minority group is a bad idea ... and are then both galvanised by the news that there' "a black guy".

Not to be confused with IgnoredEpiphany.

* As always, PlayedForLaughs in a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch that points out [[MonochromeCasting the lack of black women in the cast]].
-->'''Al Sharpton:''' [[AsHimself I'm the Reverend Al Sharpton.]] So what have we learned from this sketch? As usual, nothing. [[OncePerEpisode Live from New York, it's Saturday Night.]]

** Or when they spend an episode forcing themselves to do things they're bad at, but think sound cool, they learn that they should be true to themselves, and respect their own talents. No, that doesn't mean they're going to try scooter riding, carpentry and singing- no, their true call must be ''comedy''.
*** They ''did'' just win an award for comedy at that point though.

** That doesn't mean they've forgotten the aesop as much is it means that the Door Lord still broke into their homes and robbed them. If anything, it points to a second, StealthAesop along the lines of "just because someone has something valuable to teach you, doesn't mean they aren't a jerk".

* From ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'':

-->-- '''Hobbes''', ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes

* ''KimPossible'': In one episode, Kim, Ron and the whole cheerleading squad return to Camp Wannaweep which has been converted to a cheer camp. Gil returns and has apparently been returned to normal -- everyone believes that he isn't evil anymore, except Ron. Ron repeatedly tries and fails to prove that he is still evil. It then turns out that Gil ''is'' still evil and Ron ends up saving the day. At the end of the episode, Kim, Ron, and Bonnie try to figure out what the lesson is. Ron suggests, "Normally I'd say we learned that suspicion and paranoia is bad, except that's what saved us." After several more failed attempts, they all agree "Cheer camp stinks."

* ''CalvinAndHobbes'' did this a lot. For example, the end of the first "Duplicator" arc has Calvin attempting to describe the "valuable lesson" they learned from the incident. He shortly gives up, and Hobbes proclaims, "Live and don't learn, that's us".
* ''SouthPark'' episode "Chinpokomon":
-->'''Stan''': Dude, Chinpokomon isn't cool anymore.
-->'''Kyle''': What?

* ''TheSimpsons'' has a couple of examples.

-->'''Homer:''' Wait a minute. If I hadn't written that nasty letter, we wouldn't've gotten anything.

* "{{Animorphs}}", The Experiment: slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants are evil, terrifying places. Wow, that burger you're eating looks delicious. Can you get me one while you're up?
* In the FatherTed Christmas special, Ted summarises what he has learnt
-->'''Ted:''' You know Dougal, being in the priesthood - it's not about awards and glamour. It's about hard graft. It's about applying yourself to the spiritual needs of your parishioners...I could have turned into a bad priest....Selfish, arrogant, not given a damn about my parishioners...
-->'''Dougal''' ''(answering the phone)''''':''' Ted, It's Mrs Gilcuddy. She wants you to do one of those remembrance masses.
-->'''Ted:''' I'm not in.
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' ends with [=GLaDOS=] having apparently learned [[spoiler:ThePowerOfFriendship]], only to use that information to discover [[spoiler:where her remaining humanity is stored and delete it]]. She promptly returns with a second Aesop: "The best solution to a problem is usually [[KnowWhenToFoldEm the easiest one]]."

*** ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' seems to be running with the lesson that sometimes people are jerks and not worth helping, but Finn has ChronicHeroSyndrome.

* Used in the [[Manga/AstroBoy Astro Boy]] story "Mad Machine," where, after being arrested, villain of the week Dr. Foola promises to give up his amoral money-grubbing ways--before snapping his handcuffs and offering to sell better ones to his guards.
* At the finale of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', Todd thanks [[spoiler: Mrs. Lovett]] for finally helping him to understand the moral of the story, "learn forgiveness and try to forget." Then he pushes [[spoiler: her]] into an oven.

* At the finale of ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', Todd thanks [[spoiler: Mrs. Lovett]] for finally helping him to understand the moral of the story, "learn forgiveness and try to forget." Then he pushes her into an oven.

* "Animorphs", The Experiment: slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants are evil, terrifying places. Wow, that burger you're eating looks delicious. Can you get me one while you're up?

-> '''Calvin''': Well, Hobbes, I guess there's a moral to all this.\\
'''Hobbes''': What's that?\\
'''Calvin''': 'Snow Goons are Bad News'.\\
'''Hobbes''': ''That'' lesson certainly ought to be inapplicable later in life.\\
'''Calvin''': I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification.
-->'''CalvinAndHobbes'''