History Main / SafetyGearIsCowardly

* In ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' Rorschach travels a fair distance in Antarctica wearing nothing but his usual trenchcoat, gloves and mask.

* Averted with great prejudice in ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', where Bond puts on a helmet before a [[IWantMyJetpack jetpack-powered escape]]. Apparently, someone told the (professionally-trained) jetpack pilot that Bond was too cool to wear a helmet. The operator pretty much said, " ''I am wearing this helmet, okay?'' " in reply.

* In ''StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'', Kirk decides to free-climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park while on shore leave. [=McCoy=] freaks out about this, and is justified in his fear when Kirk slips and falls, only avoiding dying because Spock (wearing jet boots) catches him before he splats.

* Truckers may similarly shun regulations requiring eight hours rest after ten hours driving (as per U.S. transport regs), and protest that they can handle longer driving periods. Often what may really motivate this is either a tight schedule, or (for independent truckers) scheduling more runs than they could possibly do within the regs, for more money - the common joke being that [[http://aurorasblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/truckers-choice-stay-alert-capsules-from-the-simpsons.jpg?w=300 they take high-grade stimulants to do this]].

Usually used to send the message that safety(gear) ''is'' important. Subtrope of 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.

** [[HypocriticalHumor Of course, this is coming from the guy]] [[CantHoldHisLiquor that gets shit-faced after a single beer]].

* Ork philosophy in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', as accidents are far more amusing to watch.

** The fact that [[GameplayAndStorySegregation CJ can buy body armour at stores]] doesn't seem to count.

* Although mesh fencing masks were invented in the 18th century, but most fencers in the European world considered wearing a mask in fencing practice to be cowardly and unsportsmanlike, so the masks didn't really catch on until the 19th century. A safeguard against poking someone's eye out with a foiled sword that had been used since Elizebethan times was to tie a tennis ball-sized pad over the blunt tip so that it was too large to get past the eye socket, but this did not always work and people still lost eyes and teeth fairly frequently. Proper fencing masks made the practice a ''lot'' safer.

** Another one where Bart rides on a skateboard as usual, but with helmet and pads. Cue the bullies beating him over his gear.

-->Safe Seth, ''WebAnimation/TheFlashTub''

* In ''Film/RunningScared1986'', Creator/BillyCrysal and Gregory Hines's characters are {{Cowboy Cop}}s who get paranoid about averting {{retirony}} and request kevlar vests. By the shame they display, and the surprised reactions of their fellow officers, it's clear that the department considers vests to be cowardly.

* Ork philosophy in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40K'', as accidents are far more amusing to watch.

* The network tried to pressure the production staff of ''DarkAngel'' to depict Max wearing a helmet when she was riding her motorcycle, despite the fact that they pointed out she was a NighInvulnerable SuperSoldier.

* Creator/DaveBarry once wrote a newspaper article retelling the night where his son, Rob, was hit by a car while riding his skateboard and had to go to the hospital. At the end of the article, Rob himself writes that "helmets look dorky" and that was his excuse for not wearing one. But then, Rob advises that looking dorky is a lot better than ending up dead.

* Sometimes happens on construction jobs, where workers shun safety procedures such as always being tied off when working at unsafe heights. They may either think they're badass enough that they don't need to take these measures, or think those measures slow them down too much or make their job harder.

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. RealityEnsues 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 invulernability), then it makes more sense to shun protection.

* Sometimes happens on construction jobs, where workers shun safety procedures such as always being tied off when working at unsafe heights. They may either think they're {{Badass}} enough that they don't need to take these measures, or think those measures slow them down too much or make their job harder.

* Truckers may similarly shun regulations requiring eight hours rest after ten hours driving (as per U.S. transport regs), and protest that they can handle longer driving periods. Often what may really motivate this is either a tight schedule, or (for independent truckers) scheduling more runs than they could possibly do within the regs, for more money.

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. RealityEnsues 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 invulernability), then it makes more sense.

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. [[labelnote:but...]][[JustifiedTrope However, if he has a real ability]] that doesn't need it (like invulernability), then it's optional[[/labelnote]] They might actually throw away or take off the gear if it's offered. RealityEnsues if [[LaserGuidedKarma he dies in an accident]], or Safety Guy lives through one.

* Also relates to the tendency for younger people to take more risks (driving recklessly, having unsafe sex, blindly experimenting with pills, etc.) because [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb they think they're indestructible]]

* {{Averted}} in SonsOfAnarchy, where for the most part all the bikers wear helmets.

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* A series of real life public service announcements around Edmonton try to invert this stereotype by demonstrating what happens to a series of fictional characters as they take safety short cuts--namely, ignoring safety gear.

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* In ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'', Sosuke comes to class in a hazmat suit and tells his classmates that they might have ebola. [[spoiler: He's wrong]]. Between panicking, they ask him why he's the only one with protection, and he responds by taking it off.

[[AC:{{Comic Books}}]]
* In ''{{Comicbook/Watchmen}}'' Rorschach travels a fair distance in Antarctica wearing nothing but his usual trenchcoat, gloves and mask.

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[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Pretty much the plot of ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' book 'Safe and Sound'.

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* In ''{{Luann}}'', Toni's [[CrazyJealousGuy Crazy Jealous Boyfriend]] Dirk used to believe this; in one arc, he tried to chase after her and Brad in his car, only to crash after making too sharp a turn, forcing Brad to [[SaveTheVillain administer CPR to save him]]. Toni later found out that Dirk not only hadn't been wearing his seat belt, he had disabled the airbag. (And Dirk didn't learn this time. There'd be more confrontations before he did.)

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

[[AC: Real Life]]
* DaveBarry once wrote a newspaper article retelling the night where his son, Rob, was hit by a car while riding his skateboard and had to go to the hospital. At the end of the article, Rob himself writes that "helmets look dorky" and that was his excuse for not wearing one. But then, Rob advises that looking dorky is a lot better than ending up dead.
* People will often start off following all safety protocol and then after time, pay less and less heed to it. This comes from people relaxing because the dangers that the safety protocol prevents doesn't happen often. Then the disaster happens and people get hurt.
** This is why "drills" are common in most industries. By running workers over and over again through the proper procedures they become instinctive actions, and the workers will (in theory) keep themselves safe without ever having to consciously think about the safety protocols.

* Japanese Naval pilots in WorldWarII went into battle without parachutes or properly organized medevac.
** In addition, IJN damage control was not as comprehensive as it could have been. A concrete example of this is the fate of the carrier ''Taihō'', which exploded six hours after being struck by a single torpedo because an improperly addressed fuel leak allowed aviation gasoline fumes to accumulate inside the hull.

* An episode of ''Series/HappyDays'' had Fonzie agree to a helmetless fencing duel because he's facing "the best fencer in the world" and he's the best at everything else, while saying that if any lesser being tried fencing without a helmet he'd personally chew them out.

* Discussed and averted the ''Planet Terror'' section of ''Film/Grindhouse''. J.T. Hague shows El Wray his car, boasting that it has no roll bars, chicken wire, "None of that shit." El Wray, who is far more badass than J.T., is displeased by the lack of protection.

* In the final mission of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'', CJ taunts [[spoiler:Big Smoke]] for wearing body armour, contrary to his gangsta image.