History Main / InnocentlyInsensitive

-->'''Sid:''' ''Someday when you've gone extinct. When you make a stink--''\\

'''Sid:''' Okay. ''[later]'' ''Stop, hey-hey, what's that sound? All the mammoths are in the ground!''\\

* As [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI The Great War]] loomed closer, many attempts had been made to try and avert its course. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia at first called for demobilization of their troops, hoping to avert war. As his staff argued with him about this decision, Nicholas looked out of the window, trying to think of a way out. But then an aide, his name lost in history, said, "Your majesty, we know how difficult it must be for you to decide...", unknowingly pressing Nicholas' BerserkButton, resulting in Nicholas ordering the mobilization instead. [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Never before would an innocently insensitive comment result in an entire generation dead.]]

* In ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'', Some of the gods and goddesses slip into this on occasion.In the short story "''Will's induction''", the goddess Leilusa cheerily tells Will that he's getting a promotion to high priest [[spoiler:at the funeral for his aunt, Leilusa's former high priestess.''While standing at the foot of her grave'']].

** In the DC Rebirth stories all of the "official" amazon sisters have heightened human abilities but with a few exceptions simply aren't on Diana's level. She sometimes slips up by expecting too much of them or alternatively being far more helpful than necessary. It's especially bad with Diana's ''adopted'' sister Donna Troy, who ''was'' modified, trained and equipped to be Diana's equal, even superior, but develops an inferiority complex [[AlwaysSecondBest over the various ways she gets outdone]] by [[TheAce Diana]] despite it all. Diana makes it worse with her attempts to care for and comfort Donna while other people are watching.

* Ring Warriors Grand Champion Bruce Santee tried to be political to help promote the all-inclusive atmosphere of the shows. Thing was, he wasn't, especially not regarding females, foreigners, and brown people. Still, the fact he tried offended Wrestling/KevinSullivan, who knew exactly what he was doing when he talked about those groups.

** Troia [[DudeNotFunny gets told off by her fellow students]] in ''ComicBook/{{The Legend Of Wonder Woman|2016}}''(volume 2) when she lectures the class on why Diana is unfit to become queen right after they learn Diana is a princess. Diana knewTroia well enough to know Troia wasn't trying to insult her.

** Troia [[DudeNotFunny gets told off by her fellow students]] in ''ComicBook/{{The Legend Of Wonder Woman|2016}}''(volume 2) when she lectures the class on why Diana is unfit to become queen by the law of Zeus after they learn Diana is a princess. Diana for her part isn't offended.

* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'': On first meeting Monica Rambeau, Carol Danvers cracks a joke about her using the name Captain Marvel, asking if she's Mar-Vell the Kree -- the first person to use that name -- with a new look (Mar's a pink skinned male alien. Monica's a black woman). Everyone else in the room is a little aghast because Mar died of cancer some time ago. Carol legitimately [[LockedOutOfTheLoop didn't know]].

** Troia [[DudeNotFunny gets told off by her fellow students]] in ''ComicBook/{{The Legend Of Wonder Woman|2016}}''(volume 2) when she lectures them on why Diana's unfit to become queen by the law of Zeus after they learn Diana is a princess. Diana for her part isn't offended.
** In the DC Rebirth stories all of the "official" amazon sisters have greater human abilities but with a few exceptions simply aren't on Diana's level. She sometimes slips up by expecting too much of them or alternatively being far more helpful than necessary. It's especially bad with Diana's ''adopted'' sister Donna Troy, who ''was'' modified, trained and equipped to be Diana's equal or even superior but develops an inferiority complex over the various ways she gets outdone by Diana despite it all. Diana makes it worse with her attempts to care for and comfort Donna while other people are watching.

* In ''ComicBook/WonderWomanEarthOne'', Diana tries to make her boyfriend Steve Trevor [[{{Dominatrix}} wear a collar]]. Steve, [[RaceLift/ChangingTheMajority who's black in this universe]], is disturbed on multiple levels with Diana initially clueless as to why.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', While it ''wasn't'' his intention, Mario and Luigi's father insensitively insults Mario by saying that the worst thing he's ever done is dragging Luigi into making poor choices. Deeply hurt, Mario leaves as he barely hides his hurt as he points out his father's lack of support and seeing him as a disappointment. [[EveryoneHasStandards Even everyone didn't think the father had to say those terrible words to Mario.]]

-->'''Marion:''' I am sorry. I only felt... It seemed she was harming you. I meant...\\
'''Norman:''' What? You meant well? People always ''mean well'', they cluck their thick tongues and shake their heads and suggest ''so very delicately'' that...

* Wilbur Robinson of ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'' treats Lewis being an orphan as a mere footnote when the audience is aware that this is probably one of the most painful parts, if not ''the'' most, of Lewis's life. Kind of {{Justified}} since [[spoiler:Wilbur knows he's destined to be HappilyAdopted by [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble the end of the day/thirty years ago]]]].

** {{Deconstruction}} in a ''ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'' issue. When Man[[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]] and Sylvia Sinclair were teenagers working the streets together as prostitutes, Sylvia took Selina's place during their first time so Selina wouldn't have to go through with it. Selina didn't know how to handle Sylvia after the incident or attempt to comfort her, causing Sylvia to develop a deep hatred of Selina because she felt Selina abandoned her. Sylvia's hatred of her was unknown to Selina, who still trusted her and considered Sylvia her closest childhood friend. This allowed Sylvia to betray Selina in the worst way possible.

** In ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #243, Superman gets [[ForcedTransformation turned into a humanoid lion.]] While initially shocked, ComicBook/LoisLane talks him into going to a play with her to make him feel better and prove her feelings haven't changed. Much to her chagrin, she only remembers once they've arrived that the play is ''Beauty and the Beast''.
** ''ComicBook/SupergirlWomanOfTomorrow'': When ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} says she should pursue justice rather revenge, Ruthye screams Kara does not know what to lose someone is like. In hindsight, she admits she would have shut her mouth if she had known she was talking to someone who saw her parents dying and her civilization getting destroyed twice.

* Buck Cluck in ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle''. Despite his questionable parenting, it's pretty clear he's not intentionally abusive, and he makes up for it at the end.

** Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore in ''WesternAnimation/PigletsBigMovie''. They don't ''mean'' to be so abusive to Piglet, and they realize just how badly they've taken him for granted as the film goes on.

* The term "microaggression", which refers to any kind of [[InnocentBigot thoughtless comment]] that someone might take offense to (such as using the slang of another culture or referring to someone by the wrong gender), even if it's unintentional, has recently cropped up in the public consciousness, mostly through [[Website/{{Tumblr}} social]] media.

Frustratingly TruthInTelevision. Especially notable are [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome autistic people]], though this can vary and often the exact opposite is true if said people are ''[[SensoryOverload hypersensitive]]''. Contrast with ApologisesALot, when a character tries ''too'' hard to avoid being this -- and it is not unheard of for the two to alternate. Can be caused by IdiosyncraticCulturalGesture.

* Mr. Spock of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fame always had a little bit of this going all the way back to the original series, due to his being raised in a society where emotions are suppressed in favor of logic, much to the annoyance of Dr. [=McCoy=] and the others. Captain/Admiral James T. Kirk was usually more patient with Spock due to their HeterosexualLifePartners friendship, but in ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'', Kirk, after putting up with an even more Innocently Insensitive than usual Spock (who was still coming off of rebirth) in the 20th century finally loses his temper and snaps at Spock who, upon learning that the window of opportunity to snatch up two whales is rapidly closing (thus placing the future of the Earth in dire peril), bluntly states that their mission won't be successful and states it as if they were running a grocery errand. Specifically, Kirk tears into Spock with an incredulous "Our mission? Spock, you're talking about the end of every life on Earth! [[HalfHumanHybrid You're half human]]! Haven't you got any goddamned feelings about '''THAT'''?!"

* In ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'', when Alastor summons Niffty to the hotel, she's excited to "make new friends", but reacts with confusion that there aren't any men, as she didn't realise the very feminine-looking Angel Dust is actually a man, though Angel doesn't seem to mind as he doesn't correct her, and Niffty also comments the hotel could do with a "woman's touch" and that it's weird because the others are already women (implying she thinks they should be as excited to clean as she is), but she quickly adds she doesn't mean offence by this. Given Niffty died sometime in the 1950s, this is a case of this trope and DeliberateValuesDissonance.

** {{Deconstruction}} in a ''ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'' issue. When [[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]] and Sylvia Sinclair were teenagers working the streets together as prostitutes, Sylvia took Selina's place during their first time so Selina wouldn't have to go through with it. Selina didn't know how to handle Sylvia after the incident or attempt to comfort her, causing Sylvia to develop a deep hatred of Selina because she felt Selina abandoned her. Sylvia's hatred of her was unknown to Selina, who still trusted her and considered Sylvia her closest childhood friend. This allowed Sylvia to betray Selina in the worst way possible.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderManMilesMorales2018'':
** First it was [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]], towards the Rhino. They're trying to locate the kidnapped Rhino's niece, and Miles asks if he has a girlfriend. "A wife. But not anymore". Of course, Miles apologizes after that.
** And then it was the Rhino. Explaining that things are difficult for him, as he's trapped inside a Rhino suit he can't get rid of, he tells Miles that "You don't know what it's like. People think they know you 'cause of how you look". Miles is young, has a normal body... and he's black, so yes, he knows. However, as he's in his Spider-Man suit (which covers his whole body) Rhino had no way to know that.

* ComicBook/MilesMorales
** First it was Miles, towards the Rhino. They're trying to locate the kidnapped Rhino's niece, and Miles asks if he has a girlfriend. "A wife. But not anymore". Of course, Miles apologizes after that.
** And then it was the Rhino. Explaining that things are difficult for him, as he's trapped inside a Rhino suit he can't get rid of, he tells Miles that "You don't know what it's like. People think they know you 'cause of how you look". Miles is young, has a normal body... and he's black, so yes, he knows. However, as he's in his Spider-Man suit (which covers his whole body) Rhino had no way to know that.
* Klara Prast of the ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' once mistook the X-Men for demons, and on another occasion, mistook Tigra for a prostitute. She's also been on the receiving end of innocent insensitivity; Victor and Chase have used the fact that she was once married as an excuse to talk about sex around her because she presumably already knows about it. It doesn't occur to them that she'd rather not be reminded of that fact...

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

'''Denmark:''' So... [[AnythingThatMoves You're trying to tell me you'd rather have a beer?]]