History Main / ProportionalArticleImportance

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/BlackBooks https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_books_pope_1202.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Oh my God! ''[[BaitAndSwitchComment It's the nineteenth. It's my birthday!]]'']]

Whenever a character is shown a printed document and instructed to notice or read something important to the plot, they will accidentally only notice something completely different and irrelevant. Typically, Alice will show Bob a massive headline which tells of an important MacguffinLocation or obvious ChekhovsGun, only for Bob to get excited [[ComicallyMissingThePoint over the small shoe ad in the corner.]]

* Bender in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': "High school gym renovations on schedule? What a load!" The more important article is the report of the Roswell incident, which the time-traveling characters [[HistoricalInJoke have caused]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'', Piper shows the team a notice on how they've become the most wanted criminals in Atmos because of thefts by imposters. All Junko sees the ad for an aparment, and how expensive it is.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In ''WebComic/PvP'', [[http://pvponline.com/comic/wed-aug-05/ here]], Jade has eaten two gallons of ice cream from the break room. When Francis is told this, he says "OH MY GOD! [beat] WE HAD ICE CREAM IN THE BREAK ROOM?"
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Since this typically involves someone to hold the IdiotBall, expect a character to invoke this with [[AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering a setup question]], only to receive a comment on something totally unrelated. Related to FailedASpotCheck and ComicallyMissingThePoint. Also see AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering (a common setup), and compare WorstNewsJudgmentEver for when ''the source itself'' misjudges information importance.

Since this typically involves someone to hold the IdiotBall, expect a character to invoke this with [[AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering a setup question]], only to receive [[BaitAndSwitchComment a comment on something totally unrelated]]. Related to FailedASpotCheck and ComicallyMissingThePoint. Also see AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering (a common setup), and compare WorstNewsJudgmentEver for when ''the source itself'' misjudges information importance.

* Used straight once in ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' , and twisted out of all recognition (literally!) another:

** Then later:
-->'''Captain Rex Kramer:''' "Passengers Certain to Die!"
-->'''Steve [=McCroskey=]:''' "Airline Negligent."
-->'''Johnny:''' [[TheTriple There's a sale at Penney's]]!

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* Used straight once in ''Film/{{Airplane}}!'' , and twisted out of all recognition (literally!) another:

* In ''WebComic/PvP'', [[http://www.pvponline.com/08/05/1998/wed-aug-05/ here]], Jade has eaten two gallons of ice cream from the break room. When Francis is told this, he says "OH MY GOD! [beat] WE HAD ICE CREAM IN THE BREAK ROOM?"

* Bender in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': "Gym renovations on schedule? What a load!" The more important article is the report of the Roswell incident, which the time-traveling characters [[HistoricalInJoke have caused]].

* A running gag in the first few ''CaptainUnderpants'' books was that a kid would notice whatever bizarre events were befalling Captain Underpants, only that when he tried to point them out to his mother, she'd ask him how she was expected to believe that-while reading something that was nearly as strange, such as a tabloid newspaper with the headline "Bigfoot gives birth to 200 pound UFO baby". The fourth book had the pair appear twice-the second time, the kid decided not to tell his mother about the giant robot fighting a giant man in his underwear.

%%* ''ILoveLucy''
%%* ''FullHouse''

* Subverted in an episode of ''TheDrewCareyShow'', where Lewis reads an irrelevant newspaper ad and somehow, through a convoluted line of reasoning, works out what Mimi and Mr. Wick are planning from it. He is then asked what's on the other side and dismisses it as "some article about a secretary making millions off a fake sexual harassment suit".

* Occurs a few times in ''HidamariSketch''. For example, the flame on Miyako's stove flares up, and all Miyako notices is that her meat burned, not that her '''hair is on fire'''.

* In the ''BlackBooks'' episode "The Grapes of Wrath", Bernard and Manny drink a valuable bottle of wine that's due to be presented to the Pope, and hastily improvise a substitute with which to refill the bottle in the hope that nobody will notice. At the end of the episode, Bernard picks up a newspaper with a prominent front-page article about the Pope being poisoned by their improvised wine substitute and the arrest of their friend who owned the bottle, and Manny reacts with horror. Bernard, however, was simply pointing out the date as his birthday.

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Lois wishes to show Peter the magazine her modeling pictures were published in, and Peter believes that the thing Lois wants him to notice is ''movable type'', and panics that their serfs may find out.

* ''{{Hustle}}'': A customs official who's been trying to get the team to help him find a stolen painting slaps a newspaper in front of Mickey. Mickey, feigning ignorance, reads off the big, obvious headline ("French Trawlers Blockade Ports") before the official directs him to the smaller headline, "Masterpiece Still Missing".

* Several ''MST3K'' riffs used this: The film du jour would have a SpinningPaper, and someone would react to one of the small filler headlines instead of the big one about the monster/criminal/etc. "New petitions against tax!" "My God!"

[[quoteright:350:[[BlackBooks http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_books_pope_1202.jpg]]]]

* This was a key plot point in the ''ScoobyDoo'' episode "The Headless Horseman of Halloween": at one point Shaggy finds a newspaper clipping with the article "Flying Saucer Lands at Beauticians' Convention". When Fred looks at it, however he announces he just solved the mystery. At the end of the episode, Fred reveals the actual clue was on the other side of the clipping: an article reporting that the VillainOfTheWeek's company had filed for bankruptcy, thus providing a motive.

* In the Mickey Mouse cartoon ''RunawayBrain'', Mickey, forgetting the anniversary of his first date with Minnie, sees an ad for a miniature golf course in the paper and shows it to her, offering it as a consolation. Minnie instead sees the ad below it, for an expensive Hawaiian vacation.
* A variation occurs in a ''StaticShock'' episode: when bounty hunter Puff is looking for a money-making opportunity, she finds a newspaper saying there's a reward for the capture of Rubberband Man. Upon showing it to her accomplice Onyx, he remarks "Gee, Puff, I don't know. Journalists don't make a lot of money..."
* In one episode of ''TheMrMenShow'', Miss Naughty places a rubber fly on Mr. Nervous' salad plate, and then waits to see his reaction. True to form, Mr. Nervous starts freaking out about something being in his salad, and asks Mr. Tickle to get rid of it. "It's just an olive," Mr. Tickle tells him, removing the offending veggie.

* Featured in the ''CourageTheCowardlyDog'' episode "One Thousand Years of Courage", where Courage and his family end up transported into a future ruled by sentient bananas. Eustace is reading a paper, and complains about the RidiculousFutureInflation in an ad ("Eight million bucks for a salami!") before Courage and company [[NewspaperDating notice the date on the paper.]]

* In ''StormHawks'', Piper shows the team a notice on how they've become the most wanted criminals in Atmos because of thefts by imposters. All Junko sees the ad for an aparment, and how expensive it is.

* A variation in ''BadMachinery''. Shauna, Charlotte, and Mildred try to stop a man from throwing an old woman off a roof, with Shauna telling him it's "not the answer," and asking him if he can even imagine what that would be the answer to. Shortly afterward, Mildred pipes up, "How do you win an old lady chucking competition?"

Whenever a character is instructed to notice or read something important to the plot, they will accidentally only notice something completely different and irrelevant. Typically, Alice will show Bob a massive headline which tells of an important MacguffinLocation or obvious ChekhovsGun, only for Bob to get excited [[ComicallyMissingThePoint over the small shoe ad in the corner.]]

-->'''Lois''': This is wonderful! Look at this, Peter!\\
'''Peter''': [reading headline] 200 die in train derailment. Oh God, Lois, that is just morbidly obese.
-->--''FamilyGuy''

* Used straight once by the film ''{{Airplane}}!'' ("There's a sale at Penney's!"). Twisted out of all recognition (literally!) the second time:

-->'''Steve [=McCroskey=]:''' "Arline Negligent."
-->'''Johnny:''' There's a sale at Penney's!
* Almost done in {{Dogma}} when Bartleby shows Loki the newspaper clipping about the church rededication. Instead of reading the wrong side/article, Loki reads just the headline with a "so?" Which prompts Bartleby to respond, "You have to ''keep'' reading."

* This exchange from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'':
-->'''Herbert's Father''': "One day, lad, all this will be yours." ''(Waves at/out the window.)''
--> '''Herbert''': "What, the curtains?"

* One of this troper's favorite FamilyGuy gags involves this. Lois wishes to show Peter the magazine her modeling pictures were published in. Peter pulls one of these to the nth degree when he believes that the thing Lois wants him to notice is "movable type" and panics that their serfs may find out.

* In ''HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'', Harry notices an article in the paper concerning the arrest and imprisonment of a member of the Order and points it out to his friends. Ron at first only notices an advertisement for robes. Justified, since the article is "barely an inch long'' and the advertisement is nearly full page.