History Main / SurroundedByIdiots

* Mr. Burns sings about his lazy employees to Smithers in '[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reH1o0eaIGw Look at all those idiots]]'. The words surrounded by idiots is even in the lyrics.

* A heroic example is seen in ''Series/DadsArmy'' with Captain Mainwaring initial opinion of his men. As he states in the episode "Gorilla Warfare"-

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': [[DefrostingIceQueen Twilight Sparkle]] feels this way after she visits Ponyville for the first time. She gets better though.

* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', during the Kyln prison break, an exasperated Gamora declares "I am going to die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy".

** Just that? It's one of his {{catchphrase}}s!

* In ''Series/{{Merlin|-1998}}'', Vortigern wonders aloud "Why is it that I surround myself with a bunch of incompetent fools?"

** [[spoiler:The trio were actually fired from Team Rocket and could only get back in if they repaid all the money they borrowed for their schemes. This plot point was later dropped. Later on Giovanni would have them do important missions for him despite how incompetent they had been in the past. (Yeah, the makers of this show often don't pay attention to their own story.)]]

-->'''Cobra Commander''': "Why are great men always surrounded by lesser beings?!"

* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', Gaea Worshipper's guild probably wouldn't have even existed if it members weren't a bunch of idiots. They want to assisst Gaea, who is playing in an enemy faction, because they are convinced that she's a DoubleAgent loyal to their own side. In reality, the event that made them come up with the DoubleAgent scenario is actually a NotMeThisTime FrameUp intiated by their own faction's top guild, who seems to not even bother keeping the fact secret at least in the comic version of the story. An episode of the webseries also hints that Gaea's ManipulativeBastard tendencies have a EveryoneKnewAlready status to most players and that the members of Gaea Worshiper's guild are the only ones acting as if whatever they see her do should be kept secret.

* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', Gaea Worshipper's guild probably wouldn't event existed if it members weren't a bunch of idiots. They want to help Gaea, who is playing in an enemy faction, because they are convinced that she's a DoubleAgent loyal to their own side. In reality, the event that made them come up with the DoubleAgent scenario is actually a NotMeThisTime FrameUp intiated by their own faction's top guild, who seems to not even bother keeping the fact secret at least in the comic version of the story.

-->'''President's Daughter:''' Quiet! Some of us are trying to sleep!

* As cathartic as it sometimes is to indulge in, it's worth pointing out that the "everyone's an idiot but me" attitude is both a hallmark of the dreaded psuedointellectual and one of the root causes of AntiIntellectualism. It doesn't make one smart to assume that everyone else is stupid, even if the person who thinks this is actually right (and no matter how surely you think this is the case, keeping the sentiment to yourself is by far the best way to prove it).

** Easily justified: Anyone with half a brain would have ''left'' the moment they realized [[OmnicidalManiac what Cyrus was actually up to]]. The sole exceptions are the Commanders, who are either [[NightmareFetishist genuinely interested]] or [[MoneyDearBoy Charon]].

* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'':

* The detective in ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent''.

* Mercurymon from ''Anime/DigimonFrontier''. "I'm surrounded by buffoons!"

* Edmund Series/{{Blackadder}} IS this trope, at least from second season onward.

* Present in ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'' and, like everything else, lampshaded to hilarity.

* [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 INCOMPETENCE SURROUNDS ME!]]

** Also Bakura's utterance of "I'm surrounded by wankers."

* [[WebVideo/EchoChamber Dana]].
* [[NonePiece "I'm up to my tits in morons."]]

* Pete on ''WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers''.

* [[ThisLoserIsYou Cat]] from ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' is always like this.
** [[UpToEleven And he's attached to one!]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone'', Rudy and Penny are around this in the real world.
* Heloise and (especially) Samy Garvin in ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''.
* [[GrumpyBear Benson]] from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow''.
* [[ButtMonkey Adam Lyon]] from ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey''. With the possible exception of Windsor.
* Slinkman and Edward from ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo''.
* Hollywood from ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs''.

* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' [[TheProtagonist Protagonist]] Bob.
* This often happens with Stan and Kyle in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''.

* ''AquaTeenHungerForce'': Frylock, and maybe Carl.

---> '''Skull Dagon:''' You talk big, Bo-Starr, but you're no match for my legion of Invincible Deathbots!

---> '''Skull Dagon:''' ...which I'm ''not'' going to be using. Go and get them, Grass-man!

** In all actuality, Cobra Commander has never been very appreciative of his employees.

** Somewhat Flandernized 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.]] The only exception are the imposible to beat playable characters. Plus, she is more of a gardener than anything.

-->Geartop shouts 'Deal with it! Whatever you do, don't open that door. They can't get in unless you open the . . . Idiots. I'm surrounded by fleshy idiots.'

-->'''[[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 underware]] but ''NO'', I have to go out and commit a murder!

* Justified in ''Literature/SailorNothing'': Dark General Cobalt's 'henchmen' (with one exception) are [[TheHeartless heartless]] made from the darkest impulses of the human mind (emphasis on "impulse") and are incapable of subtlety, organization, or planning. Or anything that doesn't immediately lead to satisfying those desires, really. [[spoiler:And Cobalt isn't aware that the only reason ''he's'' capable of it is because of magical help.]]

--->'''Enchantress''': "One is surrounded by incompetents!"
--->'''Dwarf''': "Wanna talk about your magic again?"

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