History Main / SafetyGearIsCowardly

* Aron Ralston, as dramatized in ''Film/OneHundredAndTwentySevenHours'', neglected to follow the basic safety protocol of notifying someone else of his hiking plans. As a result, when his arm became trapped under a boulder, he had no option but to free himself using an dull cutting tool. Since attaining game for it, Ralston has decried his own behavior as a stupid mistake and encouraged other hikers to [[HypocrisyNod not do as he did]].

** A "greenhorn" gets his arm burned when he rests against a heated metal plate, one an old-timer wilfully neglected to warn him of. ([[Podcast/{{Rifftrax}} Danger's niece is cute, though...]]

** A repairman for a front-loader smashes through a house the crew was repairing as [[DamYouMuscleMemory he accidentally goes through the startup sequence]] while the machine was not properly immobilized

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 NighInvulnerability), 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. Supervisors have very little tolerance for this, and getting caught ignoring safety regs can easily result in a a one-way trip to the gate and a pink slip.

* The BadassBiker's iconic appearance relies on defying this trope. Their ensemble of gloves, leather outerwear and helmet [[RuleOfCool looks cool]], but that is not why they wear it. Instead it ''is'' their safety gear. It gives the best possible protection against hazards like windburn and road rash. See UsefulNotes/MotorcycleSafety.
** Not AllBikersAreHellsAngels. That said, the more 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.

* Aron Ralston, as dramatized in ''Film/OneHundredAndTwentySevenHours'', neglected to follow the basic safety protocol of notifying someone else of his hiking plans. As a result, when his arm became trapped under a boulder, he had no option but to free himself using an unsafely dull cutting tool.

** Not AllBikersAreHellsAngels. That said, the more criminal biker gangs -- including the Hell's 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.

** Not AllBikersAreHellsAngels. That said, the more criminal biker gangs -- including the Hell's 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 suicidally-reckless DeathSeeker.

* The BadassBiker's iconic appearance relies on defying this trope. Their ensemble of gloves, leather outerwear and helmet [[RuleOfCool looks cool]], but that is not why they wear it. Instead it ''is'' their safety gear. offering the best possible protection against hazards like windburn and road rash. See UsefulNotes/MotorcycleSafety.
** Not AllBikersAreHellsAngels. That said, the more criminal biker gangs -- including the Hell's Angels -- tend to play this completely straight. They eschew safety gear to maximize risk, since the only type of person welcome in their ranks is a suicidally-reckless DeathSeeker.

* The BadassBiker's iconic appearance relies on defying this trope. Their ensemble of gloves, leather outerwear and helmet is not worn by RuleOfCool: instead it ''is'' their safety gear, offering the best possible protection against hazards like windburn and road rash.

* In one episode of WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife, Heffer was driving and the seatbelt breaks because he proves to be too fat for it. Heffer dismisses it as seatbelts are for sissies.

** When Marge becomes a police officer, she insists Bart wears a helmet and pads rides on a skateboard. Cue the bullies beating him over his gear.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode ''Bloodlines'', guest character Jason Vigo, who briefly seems to be the son Picard [[LukeYouAreMyFather never knew he had]], is in the habit of free climbing massive fissures descending miles under the surface of his home world, all without "an anti-grav harness" or even so much as ropes or anchors. Picard demonstrates some facility and fondness with climbing as well, though [[BackstoryOfTheDay it's the first time his enthusiasm for the activity is ever mentioned]].

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode ''Bloodlines'', guest Jason Vigo, who briefly seems to be the son Picard [[LukeYouAreMyFather never knew he had]], is in the habit of free climbing massive fissures descending miles under the surface of his home world, all without "an anti-grav harness" or even so much as ropes or anchors. Picard demonstrates some facility and fondness with the activity, though [[BackstoryOfTheDay it's the first time his interest in the activity is ever mentioned]].

* In the ''Series/{{Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'' episode ''Bloodlines'', guest Jason Vigo, who briefly seems to be the son Picard [[LukeYouAreMyFather never knew he had]], is in the habit of free climbing massive fissures descending miles under the surface of his home world, all without "an anti-grav harness" or even so much as ropes or anchors. Picard demonstrates some facility and fondness with the activity, though [[BackstoryOfTheDay it's the first time his interest in the activity is ever mentioned]].

* In the ''Series/Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode ''Bloodlines'', guest Jason Vigo, who briefly seems to be the son Picard [[LukeYouAreMyFather never knew he had]], is in the habit of free climbing massive fissures descending miles under the surface of his home world, all without "an anti-grav harness" or even so much as ropes or anchors. Picard demonstrates some facility and fondness with the activity, though [[BackstoryOfTheDay it's the first time his interest in the activity is ever mentioned]].

* 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.

* In ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' frequently jumps out of aircrafts without any safety equipment including parachutes. While this version is implied to be more powerful than his mainstream counterpart he can still die from a bad landing. He simply chooses not to use them because he thinks they're for "sissies".

* In TheUltimates CaptainAmerica frequently jumps out of aircrafts without any safety equipment including parachutes. While this version is implied to be more powerful than his mainstream counterpart he can still die from a bad landing. He simply chooses not to use them because he thinks they're for "sissies".

* In one episode of WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife, Heffer was driving and the belt breaks because he proves to be too fat for it. Heffer dismisses it as seatbelts are for sissies.

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.