History Main / SurroundedByIdiots

** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', during the Kyln prison break, an exasperated Gamora comes to this conclusion on her future teammates.

* In ''Film/{{Superman}}'' (1978) and ''[[Film/{{Superman}} Superman II]]'' (1980), Lex Luthor had Otis. "It's amazing that brain can generate enough power to keep those legs moving."

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'s'' [[NinjaMaid Sakuya Izayoi]] has to clean and guard the entire [[BiggerOnTheInside Scarlet Devil Mansion]] in spite of having a virtual army of hundreds of guards and maids single-handedly because the other {{meido}}s would do more harm than good, and the other guards, including ButtMonkey [[GateGuardian Hong Meiling]], tend to sleep instead of stand watch. Which is just as well, they're too incompetent to stop the KleptomaniacHero Marisa, anyway. Somewhat [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] by fanon in Meiling's case: even though she does take the usual siesta, [[BunnyEarsLawyer it doesn't interfere with her work in any way]]. She's actually quite good at dealing with riffraff, a talented gardener and a very good martial artist... none of that particularly useful when trying to stop PlotArmor-infused characters.

* Although he never says the phrase outright, this is more or less the mindset of Neku in ''Videogame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''. Subverted in that his allies ''really'' are competent (their reliability is variable but once in track they are powerhouses), it's just his distrust towards people interfering with teamwork and lowering their (both individual and joint) potential.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WebComic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': In "Futures Trading", [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext older alternative future Gordito is part of a resistance movement against intelligent dinosaurs.]] He clearly thinks some resistance members who accidentally attack Dr. [=McNinja=] are really stupid to do so, and makes a kind of "look what I have to deal with" face. He may be being a bit harsh, though.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'':

* In 1993 film ''Film/HocusPocus'':

* The non-fiction ''The Dictator's Handbook'' by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith details the mechanisms by why this is so often {{justified|Trope}} in real life. For a leader in charge of a small-coalition organization (that is the leader only needs to rely on a relatively small number of people to keep themselves in power over a much large group of people, as in a dictatorship) loyalty to the leader is the most important criteria by which underlings are kept on and rewarded, [[TheStarscream since underlings have the capacity to undermine and even depose the leader should they feel the need and opportunity to do so]]. This takes even higher priority than competence: an incompetent but loyal underling can be trusted by the leader far more to keep them in power than a competent underling who's loyalty to the leader is uncertain. Competence and loyalty together are best, but ultimately loyalty is more important than competence, and oftentimes competence can actually ''decrease'' loyalty because the competent supporter is now less disposable to the leader, more valuable to potential other pretenders to the leader's position, or get the idea that they could become the new leader. This can, in cases, result in [[ShootTheDangerousMinion leaders executing or exiling key supporters who seem a little too good at their job]]...

-->'''Guard:''' He's got a sword!\\
'''Razoul:''' You idiots... [[NoIndoorVoice WE'VE ALL GOT SWORDS!]]

* [[GrumpyBear Benson]] from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is often frustrated with the laziness and incompetence of Mordecai and Rigby.

* Everyone in ''Machinima/CombatDevolved'' seems to think this about their teammates.

* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', this tends to happen to anyone of normal sanity who has to deal with the [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits titular teams]] for any length of time. It starts out as mostly just Church, but later seasons add [[TheComicallySerious Washington]] and Carolina (and multiple secondary characters) to the lineup.

In team-based multiplayer games that allow players to pair up in randomized groups, there will undoubtedly be at least one instance where at least one person feels this way about the rest of their team; whether it's the support having to save their [[LeeroyJenkins charge-happy]] teammates in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', a slayer in ''VideoGame/{{Dauntless}}'' watching their teammates [[TimeLimitBoss drive the danger meter to its limit]] while [[DualBoss at least one Behemoth]] is alive and healthy, a Paladin in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' screaming at their Rogue and Wizard teammates to slow down their offense until aggro is back under control, or what have you, it will happen. No doubt you will feel this way at least once in your gaming life, especially if the game in question is free to play. Remember that ninety-nine times out of one hundred, you won't be able to carry the entire offensive by yourself, and in the one instance you ''can'', don't act like it. Even if you don't want anything to do with any members of that group, word of mouth can condemn you in the future if you make a habit of being a {{jerkass}} to everyone around you because they appear like they can't "git gud".

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':
** Luna has this in regards to Usagi, as the latter often fails to take things seriously. Artemis also has this in regards to Minako, but is usually more rational with her than Luna is towards Usagi.
** As much as he loves his sister, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Shingo]] can't help but feel annoyed by how ditzy and lazy Usagi is.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' Robotnik reaffirmed the lack of intelligence possessed by [[BumblingHenchmenDuo Scratch and Grounder]] in pretty much every episode. However they're typically his first choice to send after Sonic, and he often trusts them with important inventions he created. This was lampshaded in the episode "Spaceman Sonic" in which Sonic states that Robotnik will figure it cheaper to put Scratch and Grounder back together than to build new robots.

--->'''Shredder:''' Oh, how I've longed for an ally such as this! So unlike the snivelling idiots that I've been forced to suffer! \\

* Ganon's minions in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda'' definitely fit this description. In one episode when they got sick of his abusive management style, they actually managed to overthrow him and tried to take matters into their own hands, leading to an extremely ill-conceived and self-defeating assault on Zelda's castle. That episode may very well have been the closest Link and Zelda ever came to taking Ganon's Triforce of Power for themselves. (Of course, since succeeding at that would pretty much have been the end of the show, [[StatusQuoIsGod they managed to fumble their own expedition]] as well.) The main reason he keeps these losers around at all appears to be that since they always regenerate, [[WeHaveReserves he's basically got an infinite supply]]. Ironically, it was the final episode aired.

* In ''Film/TheIllusionist'', the Crown Prince says that he's surrounded by incompetents and that he can't stand for it. [[spoiler:[[AteHisGun So he doesn't]]]].

->''"Henchmen. Evil, obedient, bright -- [[NecessaryDrawback pick any two]]."''

->''"Henchmen. Evil, obedient, bright -- pick any two."''

* A ganglord Sanchez in ''VideoGame/{{Desperados}}'' throws a magnificent temper tantrum including this complaint after the heroes steal some horses from his mooks. He even knocks one of his mooks out cold on the spot.

* A brief non-verbal example occurs in ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'', in the [[https://youtu.be/JAHR1qPvnQI closing cutscene of the Crystal Glacier world]], where Shaman Tuk shakes his head disapprovingly upon seeing his underlings buried head-first in the snow. This is not present in [[https://youtu.be/Sv6VcTxQUls the same cutscene's reinterpretation]] in the ''Reignited'' remake, however, which portrays Tuk as looking more concerned than anything.

* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''
** Uttered by Dartz word-for-word in the first Evil Council of Doom.
** Bakura's utterance of "I'm surrounded by wankers."
* ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'':
** Happens a lot:
--->'''[[spoiler: Higuchi]]:''' What's the point of having minions if they don't do your work for you! [[TheSlacker I should be watching the Home Shopping Network in my underwear]] but ''NO'', I have to go out and commit a murder!
** And:
--->'''Light:''' L, why?! ''[[FoeYay Why did you leave me?]]!'' [[VillainousBreakdown Why did you leave me alone with these IDIOTS!]] ''[sobbing]'' [[AngstWhatAngst And... yeah, I'm over it now.]]
** Also when Mello's mafia minions kidnap an old grey-haired guy...
--->'''Mello:''' I asked you to bring me [[spoiler: Sayu Yagami]]. A 17-year-old girl. Does this look like a 17-year-old girl to you?\\
'''Minion 1:''' No...\\
'''Minion 2:''' Yes.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'' Severus Snape, the Potions teacher, repeatedly laments that very few, if any, of his students are up to his standards of intellect. To their faces. It becomes a vicious circle, because the environment of constant ridicule and deprecation without any kind of aid or approval from the teacher does not lend itself to productive education, thus causing children to make mistakes and earn even more insults. In some cases, Neville Longbottom in particular, fear of him makes students so nervous that they're simply so stupefied with terror that they can't do their work properly, thus earning his wrath.

* Although he never says the phrase outright, this is more or less the mindset of Neku in Videogame/TheWorldEndsWithYou. Subverted in that his allies ''really'' are competent (their reliability is variable but once in track they are powerhouses), it's just his distrust towards people interfering with teamwork and lowering their (both individual and joint) potential.

* [[Literature/HarryPotter Harry]] feels this way in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8501689/11/The-Havoc-side-of-the-Force The Havoc Side of the Force]]'' after one of the slaves he freed loudly confirms his identity in a throne room filled with people. He even tells HK-47 to ask them, in the most insulting manner he can, "Whether the words 'I'd like to remain anonymous' are anything more than a collection of unintelligible syllables to them, or they actually want me dead, or if they are all just sodding morons." As he points out, when he saved the slaves (and robbed their owner, a Hutt, blind), he made sure no one could possibly trace it back to him. Now because of a little girl, he's going to be hunted by the Hutts for what he did.
** This is deconstructed when it exacerbates Harry's (somewhat justified) paranoia to the point that until he meets Death Watch and gets himself some decent security, Harry is ''obsessed'' with doing as much of his own security checks himself as he can humanly manage. To start with, he descends into incandescent rage when he learns the "little girl" above was actually Padawan Aayla Secura, who in her haste to contact her Master gave the Hutts a solid bead on Harry, who only managed to escape by the skin of his teeth. ''Then'', despite asking Amidala to keep his involvement discreet, the bounty hunters pursuing him arrived to his destination ''before him'' (unknown to him, it's actually not Amidala's fault - she gave Palpatine a few details and begged him to keep the info a state secret, and he immediately leaked the info).

* She starts blasting at her minions, shooing them away*\\
'''Maleficent:''' Oh, they're hopeless. A disgrace to the forces of evil...

** His father, Baron Wulfenbach, often has the same reaction to people around him.

** Gilgamesh eventually reaches the point where he realizes this explains a LOT of the Baron's behavior.