History Main / SafetyGearIsCowardly

* During the Vietnam War, American helicopter crews were issued body armor vests into which protective ceramic armor plates, commonly known as "chicken plates", could be inserted. Despite the obvious implications of cowardice, everyone still wore it and often placed addition plates in the helicopter as extra armor.

** When Marge becomes a police officer, she insists Bart wears a helmet and pads to ride on a skateboard. Cue the bullies beating him over his gear and commenting how easy it makes thing on Jimbo's hands.

* In the final mission of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'', CJ taunts [[spoiler:Big Smoke]] for wearing body armour, contrary to his gangsta image, Ryder also mocks a member of the Ballas for doing the same in a previous mission.
** [[HypocriticalHumor The fact that]] [[GameplayAndStorySegregation CJ can buy body armour at stores]] doesn't seem to count.

-->'''Cave Johnson:''' The lab boys say that might be a fear reaction. I'm no psychiatrist, but coming from a bunch of eggheads who wouldn't recognize the thrill of danger if it walked up and snapped their little pink bras, that sounds like projection.
-->'''Cave Johnson:''' Science isn't about why, it's about why not. You ask: why is so much of our science dangerous? I say: why not ''marry'' safe science if you love it so much? In fact, why not invent a special safety door that won't hit you in the butt on the way out, because you are fired.

There are perfectly good reasons to have safety gear. They protect you and keep you from getting killed or severely injured in an accident or combat. But some people don't understand that. They believe that safety is for wimps, or believe that they are a badass without any safety gear. Or because he's a KarmaHoudini, he doesn't need it. They might actually throw away or take off the gear if it's offered. SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome if [[LaserGuidedKarma he dies in an accident]], or Safety Guy lives through one. However, if he has a real ability that doesn't need it (like NighInvulnerability), then it makes more sense to shun protection.

* The BadassBiker's iconic appearance relies on defying this trope. Their ensemble of gloves, leather outerwear and and wraparound helmet is not just worn by RuleOfCool. Instead it ''is'' their safety gear. It gives the best possible protection against hazards like windburn and road rash. Any smart biker who takes UsefulNotes/MotorcycleSafety seriously always wears a full complement of safety gear.
** Not AllBikersAreHellsAngels. That said, criminal biker gangs (including the Hells Angels) tend to play this completely straight. They eschew safety gear in favor of maximum danger, since the only kind of person welcome in their ranks is a [[TooDumbToLive suicidally-reckless]] DeathSeeker.

* [[https://youtu.be/HNoo9ZekHbs This ad]] by the Brain Injury Association has one kid bully another one for wearing a helmet while riding his bicycle. It ends with the helmetless boy being seriously injured after smack his head straight into some random pieces of lumber sticking out of a truck.

Usually used to send the message that safety(gear) ''is'' important. Subtrope of JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs. FantasyHelmetEnforcement is an inversion, where safety gear is always on. An unsafe workplace is NoOSHACompliance. A KarmicDeath might result if the lack of safety causes someone's death. TheLawOfDiminishingDefensiveEffort and GoodThingYouCanHeal are both cases when someone doesn't pay for not being safe.

** In the first season , the executives didn't want the Fonz wearing a leather jacket since they thought it made him look like a thug. Garry Marshall convinced them to allow him to wear it only when he was riding his motorcycle since it would then be a legitimate piece of safety equipment. [[WriterRevolt Marshall then told the show's writers]] to never have a scene where Fonzie wasn't on his motorcycle, just having gotten off his motorcycle, or just about to get on his motorcycle.

* Lampshaded in the ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' motorbike episode "Murdoch Rides Easy", as fits the period: No motorcyclist in the episode has any sort of head protection beyond driving goggles), but when Julia considers getting a motorcycle, Murdoch warns her of how dangerous motorcycles are and says riders should probably start wearing helmets. Julia retorts that falling off a motorcycle is no more dangerous than falling off a horse or a bicycle, and nobody thinks ''their'' riders need to wear helmets. Murdoch looks thoughtful about this but doesn't press the point. At the end of the episode, Julia decides that a black leather coat would make good protective gear, and Murdoch finds this an interesting idea for [[HellBentForLeather other reasons]].

* Lampshaded in the ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' motorbike episode "Murdoch Rides Easy", as fits the period: No motorcyclist in the episode has any sort of head protection beyond driving goggles), but when Julia considers getting a motorcycle, Murdoch warns her of how dangerous motorcycles are and says riders should probably start wearing helmets. Julia retorts that falling off a motorcycle is no more dangerous than falling off a horse or a bicycle, and nobody thinks ''their'' riders need to wear helmets. Murdoch looks thoughtful about this but doesn't press the point. At the end of the episode, Julia decides that a black leather coat would make good protective gear, and Murdoch finds this an interesting idea for [[BikerBabe other reasons]].

* {{Lampshaded}} numerous times on ''Series/WorldsDumbest'' whenever some idiot neglects to wear a helmet, padding, or whatever else would lessen a severe injury.

* History recounts practices of ancient and Medieval warriors renouncing protective gear; the most famous of these are probably the ancient Celts, who were said to occasionally [[FullFrontalAssault fight in the nude]]. This behaviour is usually interpreted as a form of magical thinking along the lines of this trope -- or rather, "No Safety Gear Is Heroic". In short, these warriors probably believed that by supernatural favour they would gain by doing this, would more than make up for the loss of mundane protection.

* History recounts practices of ancient and Medieval warriors renouncing protective gear; the most famous of these are probably the ancient Celts, who were said to occasionally fight in the nude. This behaviour is usually interpreted as a form of magical thinking along the lines of this trope -- or rather, "No Safety Gear Is Heroic". In short, these warriors probably believed that by supernatural favour they would gain by doing this, would more than make up for the loss of mundane protection.