History Main / UnacceptableTargets

* HePannedItNowHeSucks

This is [[TitleDrop Unacceptable Targets]]; the [[OppositeTropes flip side]] of AcceptableTargets, things that simply are not done. Doing so may result in anything from "DudeNotFunny" to the entire audience staring at you in StunnedSilence [[{{Beat}} for a split second before]] breaking out the TorchesAndPitchforks. Comedians, critics or others who gladly cross all the lines will still stop at this one, no matter how bold they are. In short, some things are just unacceptable.

A BlackComedy will demonstrate its [[{{Jerkass}} meanness]] (depending on the writers behind it) by [[KickTheDog mocking these mercilessly]]; this can cause the cancellation of particular series for jokes considered too offensive or tasteless. If Unacceptable Targets is somehow made funny, it almost always belongs to the CrossesTheLineTwice category. Not to say that there is no such thing as AffectionateParody. Humor can be constructed in a way that reveres and respects its targets or makes them appear all the more awesome. Still, comedy is a difficult business and sometimes even jokes meant to be respectful can be misinterpreted. As a result, it can sometimes be better to simply not try.

It should be noted that for some (but not all) Unacceptable Targets, it's sometimes considered okay to use them as a vehicle for a joke, as long as the joke is not at their expense. Even so, a comedian will get attacked if the joke is perceived as too mean. (For example, a joke about how Creator/WarnerBros [[Film/{{Watchmen}} mistreats]] ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' {below} is okay; a joke about the comic itself is not.) One should also consider that what would be an Unacceptable Target for one culture would be [[ValuesDissonance an Acceptable Target for another]], not to mention those contrarian enough to make fun of something ''[[ForbiddenFruit because]]'' it's an Unacceptable Target.

Can sometimes be difficult to separate from former AcceptableTargets in cases where the subjects in question were mocked at one time by one people in the dark annals of history. Perhaps a good rule of thumb to distinguish between the two is ''"Oh, you're mocking the Once Acceptable Target? [[ValuesDissonance How behind-the-times you are.]] I will laugh derisively at you."'' vs. ''"You're mocking the Unacceptable Target? [[YouMonster YOU MONSTER]]!!!"''

->''"Some of the papers ran slanderous stories saying the nuns cohabited with the marchers, and I made a bad joke about how I'd come down to get a little of that action, and Harry Belafonte grabbed me by the throat. He was not amused."''

-->-- '''Alan King''' on why you should rethink inviting a stand-up comic to your [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement civil rights march]]

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16811143640.32941300 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

!!Tropes related to unacceptable targets:

It should be noted that for some (but not all) Unacceptable Targets, it's sometimes considered okay to use them as a vehicle for a joke, as long as the joke is not at their expense. Even so, a comedian will get attacked if the joke is perceived as too mean. (For example, a joke about how Creator/WarnerBros [[Film/{{Watchmen}} mistreats]] ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' {below} is okay; a joke about the comic itself is not.) One should also consider that what would be an Unacceptable Target for one culture would be [[ValuesDissonance an Acceptable Target for another]], not to mention those contrarian enough to make fun of something ''[[ForbiddenFruit because]]'' it's an Unacceptable Target.

SacredCow is a SubTrope to this. Contrast with AcceptableTargets. Compare with EvenEvilHasStandards, JesusWasWayCool, LovedByAll, TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong, and DudeNotFunny. Some situations can result in heavy UnfortunateImplications, {{Double Standard}}s, and ValuesDissonance in which TheRival or the counterpart of the Unacceptable Target can become AcceptableTargets.

Can sometimes be difficult to separate from Once Acceptable Targets in cases where the subjects in question were mocked at one time by one people in the dark annals of history. Perhaps a good rule of thumb to distinguish between the two is ''"Oh, you're mocking the Once Acceptable Target? [[ValuesDissonance How behind-the-times you are.]] I will laugh derisively at you."'' vs. ''"You're mocking the Unacceptable Target? [[YouMonster YOU MONSTER]]!!!"''

!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:People in general]]
!!'''The deceased in general'''

See Also: NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead

It is typically not a good idea to [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing rejoice at a person's death]] or [[SpeakIllOfTheDead make fun of a deceased person]]. This is more so if the person died tragically and/or recently. Even if they were formerly an {{Acceptable Target|s}}, it's best not to say "[[AssholeVictim They deserved it!]]" or such. While there may be some exceptions, such as those who died via the [[MoralEventHorizon death penalty]], SuicideByCop, [[TooDumbToLive by sheer stupidity]] (see the Website/DarwinAwards, most of the victims on ''Series/OneThousandWaysToDie'', etc.), other similar causes, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In the infamous "Eulogy Song" from ''Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything'', Andrew is cut off by the rest of the team before he can start a verse about Belinda Emmett, an Australian actress who died of breast cancer and had never done anything to warrant anger or ire.
** The show survived even after the hosts infamously infiltrated an APEC conference. It did not survive the backlash of mocking the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

[[AC:Music]]
* Conservative Folk album ''The Goldwaters Sing Folk Songs to Bug the Liberals'' was originally written to mock John F. Kennedy's presidency. Once he lost his life at the hands of an anonymous assassin, any references to Kennedy were removed from the final album.

[[AC:ProfessionalWrestling]]
* Wrestling/OwenHart and Wrestling/EddieGuerrero are both beloved by WWE fans; if anything relating to them is brought up, the fans will cheer. Even more so with Owen, as WWE exploited Eddie in the months after his death but Owen was left alone for the most part[[note]]Mainly because Owen's widow, Martha Hart, would file multiple lawsuits if they even mentioned him on TV. Which is understandable seeing as how they were responsible for his death[[/note]].

[[AC:Religion]]
* According to Literature/TheBible, after Moses killed an Egyptian overseer for mistreating one of the Jews, he gets viewed as a dangerous criminal--when Moses tries to break up a fight between two other Jews, one of them asks, "[[WhatTheHellHero Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?]]"

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* One of ''Website/{{Cracked}}''[='s=] [[http://web.archive.org/web/20130830171926/http://www.cracked.com:80/blog/4-reasons-no-one-laughed-at-your-joke_p2/ reasons no one laughed at your joke]] is "It Was About Something They Won't Laugh About, Ever". Examples include "the death of a child or genocide".

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{NetHack}}'', Izchak, the keeper of the lighting shop in Minetown, is ''never'' killed, even by the most hardcore mass-genocidal players. He's named after a member of the dev team who died of [[TheTopicOfCancer cancer]], and killing him is considered to be ''very'' bad form.

!!'''Survivors of a tragedy'''

See Also: ShellShockedVeteran

While they didn't exactly die, the above also applies to survivors of a horrific tragedy, perhaps even more so as they're alive to at least do something about the mockery. Considering that they saw many die firsthand (including perhaps their friends and family), they won't take it lightly to say the least.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* While Ghost from ''Radio/TrueCapitalist Radio'' has disrespected or made fun of almost everything else listed on this page, he ''[[BerserkButton does not take kindly]]'' to [[{{Troll}} his listener base]] making fun of the most recent tragedies around the world. He's even less happy about them poking fun of war veterans, especially when it comes to the Vietnam War and his own experiences there.
** He makes exceptions to this from time to time. For example, he was very critical towards the United States sending aid to Haiti during the January 2010 Haitian earthquake and Puerto Rico during the 2017 Hurricane Maria, believing that people in both polities weren't suffering at all and in Puerto Rico's case going as far as to claim that [[ConspiracyTheorist this was all part of a secret plot for a communist takeover in the island]].

!!'''People who have gone into space'''

Space travel is dangerous, and the requirements to make a career out of going up into space are [[{{Pun}} astronomical]]. You must be in peak physical condition, possess high intellect, undergo months of specialized training, and the potential for disasters during any launch, mission, etc. can strike in the blink of an eye. The sacrifices throughout the years of astronauts regardless of their nationality are nothing to take lightly. Much like the aforementioned case with the shell-shocked seniors, modern astronauts are around to provide a counterpoint to the mockery, and in some cases will not deal with it for very long.

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', the Void Engineers, the astronauts, and astronomers of the enemy Technocracy faction, are shown as the least evil and most heroic part of the Technocracy. Source material describes failures faced by real-world space programs as attempts by the rest of the Technocracy to punish them for sharing rocket technology with mundanes.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* Used in-universe in ''[[Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja Dr. McNinja]]'', with "Nasaghasts" that ruthlessly hunt down and destroy anyone who threatens or tries to harm an astronaut. Doesn't matter why you do it; if you do something mean to an astronaut, you're going down.
** Nasaghasts aside, astronauts in universe [[LovedByAll are loved by]] ''[[LovedByAll everyone]]'', and they can say and do anything they want and people will act as if God himself spoke true. [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/30p15/ Chuck ate a sandwich and declared it was the best sandwich ever]]. The restaurant became a sensation immediately. No one wants to run against Chuck as Mayor.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* Website/TheOnion's [[http://www.theonion.com/video/congress-forgets-how-to-pass-a-law,18979/ "Congress Forgets How to Pass a Law"]] video combines this with the above: the one law that even an infamously-divided modern Congress can agree to pass is one authorizing the creation of a memorial statue to the ''Challenger'' astronauts. Unfortunately, the title scenario arises...

!!'''Military Servicemen and Servicewomen'''

Watch what you say about the military, especially around loved ones of soldiers and Marines who've died while serving. This is also a specific version of the deceased in general and survivors of a tragedy, considering that it is very likely that they will see people die first hand, not to mention they may even get severely injured or even lose their lives serving. Note that this one is NewerThanTheyThink: as recently as the Vietnam War it was considered acceptable in some anti-war circles to heap abuse on returning veterans.

[[AC:Film - Live-Action]]
* Played with in ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020''. In his EstablishingCharacterMoment, Dr. Robotnik mocks and berates a soldier, Major Bennington. He calls Bennington dumb in various ways, such as suggesting that he reads at a third grade level. While Robotnik has many funny lines, he's still the movie's villain, and a despicable InsufferableGenius to boot. Despite Robotnik's funny lines, this scene is still clearly meant to be a KickTheDog moment that makes Robotnik look like a jerk for disrespecting a soldier.
* In ''Film/TropicThunder'', as JerkAss Les Grossman is berating the crew of the movie, after the ShellShockedVeteran author being adapted ([[spoiler:who's actually a PhonyVeteran who made up the story]]) talks, Grossman makes sure to give him a modicum of respect - "You're a great American. This nation owes you a huge debt." - before profanely asking to not be interrupted.

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* Played with in one episode of ''Series/MrBean''. Mr. Bean sees a [[BritishRoyalGuards Queen's Guardsman]] standing at attention and decides to {{troll}} him by putting random things on him (including flowers on his headdress, and Teddy on his bayonet) and then take a photo with him. While Bean's antics are funny, he's also meant to be an immature jerk. The guardsman's uncomfortable reactions make it clear that what Bean is doing is wrong. Bean gets some comeuppance at the end of the skit when the guard gets the signal to move to his next post, allowing him to march away before Bean can get the photo.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Addressed and ultimately deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', where a soldier essentially throws an extremely petty hissy fit at [=BoJack=] (who admittedly escalated the situation) and society sides with him and acts outraged on his behalf. It's shown that being part of the military most definitely does not make one above morally untouchable.

!!'''Humanitarian activists, professions and/or anyone who puts their life in jeopardy to help others'''

Keep in mind, it takes [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome guts]] for someone to put themselves at risk, and even a [[FearlessFool foolish one]] deserves some respect if the goal is to protect someone else. The same goes for humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross, UNICEF, etc., as well as internationally respected humanitarian activists like UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi, Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, Oskar Schindler, Bob Geldof, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, Desmond Tutu, UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev, the 14th Dalai Lama, etc. Cynical people tend to dismiss their actions as 'square' or 'only doing it to get {{attention|Whore}}', but at least they try to do something right, spend a lot of time and energy doing so, and lead far more admirable lives than most of us.

!!'''Administrators and Moderators of a Community'''

On many websites and message boards, [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem the admins, moderators, and any of their friends]] are very Unacceptable Targets. [[BullyingADragon For reasons that should be obvious]]. This really depends on the admins or mods in question but should be assumed true until shown otherwise.

[[AC:Other]]
* Website/StarDestroyerDotNet makes a specific distinction in the rules between insulting a moderator in a debate (acceptable, the debates are ''vicious'') and insulting a moderator in his official capacity as moderator (unacceptable).
* On the Webcomic/NuzlockeComics Forum, so long as you don't openly attack the mods, you can passive-aggressively disagree with them as much as you like (in fact, mods trying to fight back against such actions will find themselves being smacked down by ''other mods''). Saying something bad about ''Nuzlocke'' however is '''heresy''', and even the people that normally butt heads with the mods will chase you out with torches and pitchforks.
* Played with on Website/{{Spacebattles}}. As the Staff are also posters there's two sets rules to them. If they're engaging in a thread as a regular user, you can treat them like any other user, including making fun of them within the rules. If they're making official staff actions, there word is sacrosanct and mouthing back is an infraction.
* Watch what you say on Website/TVTropes, because the admins here are [[KilledMidSentence absolutely ruth-]]
* Similarly, on the ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' forums, the mods are just as much fans as anyone else, and debating or bantering with them is not only allowed, it's encouraged. But the moment a mod steps in to say an activity ''will'' stop [[note]]In January 2021, to discourage confusion between regular posts and mod orders, they've taken to putting "Mod Notice" in all caps and bold heading posts with the latter[[/note]], such as thread derailments or overheated discussions, they have all the authority of their position to lock threads, or sanction users, even other mods.

!!'''Lèse majesté'''

In many countries that have royalty, insulting the king, queen, or their family is forbidden by law. In some of these, most people won't actually care much, and you'll get you a fine at most if the authorities notice — but in other countries, such as Morocco and Thailand, doing so will also get the population upset with you, and can end you up in prison for several years. Rarely seen in English-language media because in the UK ''lèse majesté'' rivals [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball Footy]] and UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}} as the national sport. And of course, insulting ''another'' nation's royalty is usually fair game (at least when you're not in front of their subjects).

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'', when David realizes that he'd transformed and killed six people the night before, he tries to get himself arrested so he won't be able to rampage when the full moon rises again. His attempt consists of insults shouted in a public square:
-->"Queen Elizabeth is a man! Prince Charles is a faggot! UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill was bullshit!"

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* Invoked on a live episode of ''WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou''. When Nash discovered that it was illegal to insult the king of Thailand, he proceeded to say "Fuck the king of Thailand!" multiple times. This led to Tara jokingly denying being associated with him in the video, due to not wanting to be arrested by the king of Thailand (despite living in New York).

!!'''Dictators'''

Like the above, in many countries and empires that are ruled by a dictator or emperor, saying anything bad about the leader or their family is a huge crime and doing so will definitely lead to very serious repercussions. In Imperial China for instance, even saying the Emperor's real name was a capital crime. Then again, if you're not actually ''in'' a dictatorship you're probably safe badmouthing it.

!!'''Children in General'''

When it comes to age groups, even if the adultism is present, attacks on children are often frowned upon since the capability of defending upset children (or the children defending themselves) is very limited, although it’s a mixed bag when it comes to teenagers.

[[AC:TV and Film]]
* Whenever there’s a character [[WouldHurtAChild willing to put children in harm's way]], the reactions of other characters and viewers would often be mixed but mostly ashamed of the character. Some would call said character a ChildHater, especially if the character is a {{Jerkass}}.
** Some villains, like [[Film/Scarface1983 Tony Montana]], make it clear that just because they're outlaws [[EvenEvilHasStandards doesn't mean they don't have morals]]. Even if they've [[MoralEventHorizon crossed the line]] in other actions, they'll do so [[WouldntHurtAChild just as it doesn't involve harming children]].

[[AC:Web Original]]
* Website/LeBeausLeBlog had a recap on the Usefulnotes/GoldenRaspberryAward. Whenever a nominee was a child actor, the response is [[https://media.tenor.com/_KzfeVmsEo8AAAAC/bully-boo.gif this]] for feeling like a cheap shot. This would end up prescient of when in 2023, Creator/RyanKieraArmstrong being nominated for Worst Actress for ''Film/Firestarter2022'' led to huge online backlash feeling the Razzies were basically bullying a child (not helped by how [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously Armstrong was one of the few things that wasn't criticized in the movie]]), made the nomination be rescinded and the Razzies to announce no minors would be on the running in further editions.

!!'''The orphans'''
Poor orphans has been lost their parents or lived on the streets for various reasons, and some of them need hugs or to be adopted by you, or they have starved to death. Please don't insult (or mocking) them, and give them love. Please keep that in mind.

[[AC:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/UpinAndIpin'': Zig-zagged. Thanks to his insensitive remark that there are no paradise for motherless orphans which ended up dousing the situation for both of the twins and their elder sister Kak Ros in ''Eid Fitr Special in 2020'', Fizi receives a lots of flak for his actions (especially after some of his more insensitive remarks from past episodes come to light), even still to this day to the point that he issued an apology to [[FourthWallPsych the twin that framed like he's apologizing to the entire viewerbase]]. ''Never mock the orphans. Ever.'' Please also keep that in mind.

[[AC:Religion]]
* According to UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, the eighth among the [[MoralEventHorizon Greater Sins]] is to usurp the property of an orphan who has not attained maturity. And being that means, you CAN'T trying to steal something from an orphan in the streets.

!!'''The Elderly'''

They've lived a long life and likely had [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome moments where it matters the most]]. They might have been [[RetiredBadass in the military]], so the elderly must be treated with care. Sadly, like child abuse, the abuse of the elderly also exists and someone who knows the elderly will usually take action.

Of course, targeting the elderly could backfire on you — just remember that if you abuse an old man [[CoolOldGuy and he does a number on your ass]], or abuse an old lady and [[NeverMessWithGranny she does the same]].

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* In chapter 6 ("The Superstar Falls") of volume 15 ("Dream High - Artiste") of the Malaysian comic book series ''Profession'' ('''Chinese:''' 职业人气王 ''Zhíyè rénqì wáng),'' the character Jacob has a hatred of elderly peoples. When his car almost runs across an old beggar on an bridge, he "snubs" ("insults" or "is disrespectful to") him by telling him to "stop faking his injuries" and gives him money, telling him to leave. However, reporters take a photo of this and it becomes the headline of a newspaper the next day, which results in his downfall. Take a look of [[https://i.imgur.com/CuKrFhU.jpg this single page]] if you're interested.

!!'People with Disabilities''

It's generally not a good idea to make fun of any sort of disability. If you do, expect anything from DudeNotFunny to people wanting to chew you out/kick your butt. Note, however, that persons with disabilities can and do [[NWordPrivileges poke fun at]] ''[[NWordPrivileges themselves]]'' (Josh Blue, for instance, has cerebral palsy and gets good laughs at its expense). It's also okay to satirize negative portrayals of disability to show that the people who made the original piece are bigots. For example, an Autism Speaks infomercial has gotten this '''in spades'''.

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* In chapter 3 ("An Unexpected Shock") of the volume 8 ("Sound of Music - Musician") of Malaysian comic book series ''Profession'' ('''Chinese:''' 职业人气王 ''Zhíyè rénqì wáng),'' when the main character named Edward (also an famous musician) comes across a homeless person with disabilities who plays music in the streets, he criticizes him and his music skills, saying that his playing sounds horrible. This has caused people to recognize Edward as a blind, arrogant musical prodigy and despise him, saying that he doesn't have the right to judge others, while someone else said that God has taken away his gift as a result of him being so arrogant (when, actually, [[spoiler:he was made blind, but not by God, but rather by a person who pushed him to hit a table in an restaurant during a fight]]) Take a look of [[https://imgur.com/1bd4sJb both]] [[https://imgur.com/iOKPf4V pages]] if you're interested.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* Despite the fact that ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' makes jokes at characters in the series who have disabilities, it's generally better received because (1) The jokes generally have nothing to do with their disabilities (though it may appear that way when they are first introduced as a grotesque figure with a silly voice), and (2) The only time someone makes fun of a character's disability, they're usually shown to be a {{Jerkass}}, with Cartman usually making such jokes[[note]]And (3), They make fun of '''everyone''', pretty much no one is off limits[[/note]]. A popular reference is the Tourette's syndrome episode, which shows the disability in its form beyond HollywoodTourettes, with the only exception being Eric Cartman, which is justified since he's faking it. Another example is Jimmy and Timmy who have become part of the regular cast and weren't treated as gimmicky one-shot joke characters.
* The root cause of "Derpygate" within the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' community was due to this. Originally an in-joke by the fandom, the pony originally known as "Derpy" was often portrayed by many bronies as a CuteClumsyGirl and a good mother to her foal, Dinky, that tries her best despite her vision problems and clumsiness. In Season 2, she made an extended appearance in an episode that ended up being pretty close to that portrayal, with a boyish voice, due to the VA thinking Derpy was male. Viewers considering this offensive to the mentally disabled demanded the character be either {{UnPerson}}ed or edited to be less ableist. She ended up not making any appearances until Season 4 and was silent and nameless until Season 5 where she was recast and renamed "Muffins".

!!'''People who excel at school subjects'''

Many regions love mocking them to death for being out of touch with society and for having no social life at all, but in other regions insulting them for those reasons is going to get you labeled as someone who is jealous at best and anti-social at worst. This is because in those regions, high grades are seen as an important value and a guarantee of later success at life.

!!'''Organ and tissue donors'''

These people have literally given up a piece of themselves so that someone else can stay alive, often someone they don’t even know. Someone like that deserves to be treated with respect and admiration. Especially when you consider that donation is not entirely risk-free and can be a long and painful process for the donor. Even with non-living donors, it's just another reason to NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead. Special mention goes to regular blood donors, who might save hundreds or even thousands of people in their lifetimes.

!!'''The Following Former U.S. Presidents'''

While most former U.S. Presidents have varying numbers of both supporters and detractors (and some, such as UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, are almost universally detested), there are a handful of former presidents who are so beloved by Americans -- both Republicans and Democrats alike -- that criticizing them (or at least their policies in office) is unacceptable. These presidents are: UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt and UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. People are generally free to criticize UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter's time as President, but his post-presidency is virtually untouchable due to his NiceGuy status and humanitarian work well into his nineties.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Specific people]]
!!'''Creator/FredRogers'''

Perhaps because of his inspiration to many people across the internet when they were kids, Fred Rogers and his show ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' are given this treatment across the internet. [[BerserkButton Try to make fun of this man]] and the hive mind will ''eat you alive''. While some people seem to have drunk Fox's Kool-Aid and have taken to bashing him after seeing the "report" mentioned below, these people are usually ignored, or receive a swift ban if a moderator happens to be present.

[[AC:{{Advertising}}]]
* In the late 1980s when Burger King made an ad with a fake Rogers explaining why BK burgers were better than [=McDonald's=] burgers, the real Rogers said: "You will stop that immediately!"...and they did. This was mainly because the fake Rogers looked ''too'' much like the real him, and he did not want kids to get confused. By comparison, obviously no kid is going to confuse Eddie Murphy (see below) for Rogers, and Murphy's sketch was broadcast safely out of the way of any typical child's viewing time. The fact that Mr. Rogers was a vegan was also probably another factor, as Mr. Rogers probably flinched at the idea that his likeness was being used to market food containing meat.

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* A ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' storyline involved, [[ItMakesSenseInContext after spending time picketing]] ''Series/SesameStreet'' [[ItMakesSenseInContext since everyone pickets Wall Street]], Rat winds up plugging a family-unfriendly reboot of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', acting his usual self (read: drinking, smoking, rattling off warped aesops). Since this is a newspaper strip, most of the backlash was limited to Letters to the Editor and the like. In the treasury "Pearls Falls Fast", author Stephan Pastis reveals that "[One reader] commented, "You must be getting some serious crap over the content of this week's strips." He was correct."

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* A rare aversion: Rogers liked Eddie Murphy's parody on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' of his own show ("Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood") since it was an AffectionateParody, not deliberate and malicious mockery. Apparently, Murphy caught up with Rogers and told him "You understand, we only do it because we love you."

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* His role in [[Music/UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]] may be thought of as an aversion of this. It's ''definitely'' an aversion in the animated video, where he's DrivenToSuicide. This doesn't seem to bother anyone because it's a major source of his {{Memetic Badass}}ery. [[spoiler:And TheStinger showed him still alive, although (happily) spraying blood.]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' tried to dig up some dirt on Rogers, but failed because [[http://xkcd.com/767/ there wasn't any.]] And his name cannot be used as a [[http://xkcd.com/884/ porn name.]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* His [[WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory Epic Rap Battle]] with Mr. T is another aversion, despite him swearing and threatening to kill Mr. T at the end. Nevertheless, it is one of the more restrained battles the show produced. The comments on the video pretty much unanimously declare him the winner.
* Mr. Rogers is one of the very, ''very'' few unacceptable targets among {{Troll}}s on websites such as [=4chan=].

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* An infamous opening gag in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' featured Stewie terrorizing the Town of Happy and trying to kill Rogers; even series creator Creator/SethMacFarlane thought it wasn't funny. Even so, Stewie's rampage turns out to be a DreamWithinADream, and it's Rogers who gets [[MemeticBadass the last laugh]] in the end.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BlackDynamite'', Mr. Rogers is the main antagonist of the ''Mister Rogers' Revenge or Please Don't You Be His Neighbor'' episode. Although strangely enough, he's somewhat of a mixed bag. Because in the Black Dynamite universe, the rumors that he was a a soldier are indeed true. He was a ''medic'' instead of a sniper, and while does go on a psychotic killing spree, he's mostly portrayed as a WellIntentionedExtremist. Whom has the children's innocence in mind even if he does some pretty violent things around them and tries to turn them into his private army to protect them.

[[AC:Website/TVTropes Wiki]]
* In fact, one of the working titles for this trope was "The Mr. Rogers".

!!'''[[Series/TheJoyOfPainting Bob Ross]]'''

Similar to Mr. Rogers, speaking badly of painting show host Bob Ross is a serious no-no. Not only because he is known one of the nicest people to ever live, but also because of the ways he would reach out and include others in his show. There's also the genuine empathy he displayed while on his show (the famous episode where he painted a greyscale mountain landscape for a colorblind viewer being a prime example of this), and his way of speaking, which always did make people genuinely feel welcome for watching the show. And also like Rogers, make fun of him at your own risk.

!!'''Mustafa Kemal Ataturk'''

In Turkey, it is outright ''illegal'' to insult the name of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is considered to be the greatest hero of the Turkish people. In other words, this trope is backed ''by law''.

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* If the above example with Mr. Rogers wasn't bad enough, Stephan Pastis also got in a ''lot'' of trouble with a ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip featuring a llama named "Ataturk" who solved disputes by spitting on people. He then said that he chose the name [[InherentlyFunnyWords simply because he liked the sound of it]], not knowing its significance. You can see those strips with the llama [[https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWQWDNakF5k/V5yCM2w8CfI/AAAAAAAAhns/mO9MQX1-LT022eoUwi_npob05RvnRP_UgCLcB/s640/pb070109.gif here,]] and [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-xf-rueuso/V5yBJiiaVWI/AAAAAAAAhnY/hScerDJG9m07gJrTmrRk8KK3GLJQT8bXQCLcB/s640/pb070110.gif here.]]

!!'''Hồ Chí Minh'''
Hồ Chí Minh was a prominent (yet controversial) Vietnamese leader and communist revolutioner during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the liberation of French Indochina, and UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, in which he led his Vietnamese army to drive out the Japanese, French, and the Americans. He has died before the Vietnam War even ended. After the war, the communist-liberated Saigon was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City in his honor. He was still remembered by many Vietnamese to this day, so any criticism (or insults) of him will make the entire Vietnamese population angry at you, and even you have a chance where you get trouble with authorities there.

That said, it's sometimes inverted outside of Vietnam. In Vietnamese diaspora communities (especially those in the United States) where the majority of Vietnamese are either refugees from the collapse of South Vietnam or of Communist political repression since that time, Hồ is seen as a destructive figure for the Vietnamese nation, and anything seen as praise of Vietnam's Communist system is liable to be held against you. This even extends to the flag used to represent the community; anti-communist diaspora Vietnamese will use the former flag of South Vietnam[[note]]A yellow flag, with three horizontal red stripes across the middle.[[/note]] to represent their country.

!!'''UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi'''

Since Gandhi laid the foundations for modern India and ended British rule, he is extremely revered over there, and any mocking of him will get you skinned alive. Though this is slowly becoming more averted due to Gandhi's racism against blacks and his weird "celibate experiments", with statues of Gandhi being taken down.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* Averted with the ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' series, which has took the "Nuclear Gandhi" meme and ran with it.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* The reason for the early cancellation of ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' was because Indians were furious over its depiction of Gandhi as a womanising party freak, to the point some even staged a ''hunger strike'' and threatened to revoke MTV's broadcasting license if they didn't pull it off the air. However, if the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen show hadn't been cancelled,]] Gandhi would have been revealed as being the clone of [[spoiler:Gary Coleman]] instead of the actual Mahatma Gandhi due to a DNA mixup.

!!'''UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr'''
Since Martin Luther King Jr was a major civil rights activist who fought for and convinced America to legally end segregation, he is extremely revered, especially by the African American community, so any mocking of him will might as well as make you a dead man. It also does not help that he was tragically assassinated.


!!'''Sukarno'''

Sukarno was a prominent leader of Indonesia's nationalist movement during the Dutch colonial period and Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation before he was replaced by one of his generals, Suharto, but before his eventual death on 1970. Indonesians see him as a national hero and a "founding father", so you just don't insult him in front of Indonesian peoples.

!!'''Prophet Muhammad ﷺ'''

Culturally, attacking Muhammad is one of the big no-nos in Islam, as with Ataturk in Turkey. Even displaying an image of him is pretty taboo,[[note]]Some people in the West didn't get the memo stating "political cartoon does not equal idolatry."[[/note]] since it also runs into the general creed on not depicting people or even animals in some parts of Muslim faith. Notably, however, this doesn't extend to most of the Western world, which has precipitated a load of conflicts recently and usually ends up with the artist in question being threatened with a fatwa proclaiming their death (or actual arson).

[[AC:Caricatures]]
* The infamous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons_controversy Danish Caricature controversy]] of 2005, which ended with several Danish embassies burning down and dozens of people dead.
* In October 2020, another death happened after a teacher in France showed his students caricatures of Muhammad in a class on free speech. [[DisproportionateRetribution He ended up being decapitated outside the school he worked at.]][[note]]The main reason for the attack was not the showing of the cartoons but a lie that grew out of control. A thirteen year old Muslim girl lied to her father that the teacher showed a cartoon with full frontal nudity of the prophet and ordered Muslim students to leave the classroom before showing it. This was an attempt to cover for her missing school when she had been suspended for cutting class. The father became furious and led a public campaign against the teacher. Eventually, an eighteen year old Chechen Muslim decapitated the teacher and was shot dead by the police. The girl and her father are facing charges over the murder.[[/note]]
** In November 2020, a civics teacher in the Dutch city of Rotterdam put up copies of the caricatures shown by the murdered teacher in France. Several death threats followed, necessitating the teacher going into hiding for a while, and a camera crew reporting on the affair was physically assaulted by one of the students. The youngest student arrested for death threats was 13 years old.

[[AC:Film]]
* The irredeemable-even-without-the-offensive-aspects film ''Innocence of Muslims'' is basically one long attack on the entire religion of Islam with every last steretype you can think of. One scene in particular, however, gained some Internet notoriety for depicting an unflattering caricature of Muhammad -not only was it responsible for a long string of protests throughout the Middle East (and parts of Southeast Asia such of UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} and UsefulNotes/{{Malaysia}}, which is also an Islamic country), it was also initially blamed for the attacks on the American embassy in Benghazi (although later revelations showed this to be untrue).

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has lampooned pretty much everyone and everything on the planet, at one point or another, including the show and the creators themselves. However, they ran into issues when it came to lampooning Muhammad. Parker and Stone went for lampooning the fact that he's not an acceptable target, instead (particularly because five years before the Muhammad taboo was back in the limelight, he had been depicted with no repercussion!). Of course, the second half of their 200th episode two-parter had all mention of Muhammad's name censored by the network, along with the speeches at the end (which didn't even mention Muhammad). Creator/ComedyCentral went so far as pulling it from ever airing again -- they won't even let it be streamed on the show's official website. You can find it [[http://xepisodes.com/south-park/season-14/episode-6-201/ here,]] but its being a TV rip means the bleeps are still in place. The uncensored audio leaked onto the Internet in 2014.
** In-universe only: in two-parter episode arc Cartoon Wars, the terrorists threatened [=FOX=] not to show Muhammad on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', and at the end, they still shows it, but in real-life, Comedy Central doesn't want to show the image of Muhammad, and Parker and Stone instead puts a black background explaining this. Despite that, the terrorists are still not happy about it and "retaliated" with a cartoon about Americans (even Jesus) crapping, in which he proves that's funnier than ''Family Guy''. [[note]]The two-parter episode [[BannedEpisode was not even on]] Creator/HBOMax because of the Muhammad controversy.[[/note]]

!!'''UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}'''

Directly attacking or insulting Jesus Christ is considered one of the big no-nos of Christianity. That doesn't mean people refrain from doing it, and it doesn't mean there isn't an entire religion that inverts Christianity out there (there is), but it does mean that doing so is something that will also precipitate a load of conflicts in any society with a large Christian (or Muslim; Islam might not believe Jesus is God but it teaches he is a prophet to be respected) population, especially if said Christians are of TheFundamentalist persuasion or are/influenced by MoralGuardians.

This is a large reason why CrystalDragonJesus and especially JesusWasWayCool exist: the former sidesteps (sometimes quite well, other times sloppily) the idea of a direct attack on Jesus by creating a Jesus {{expy}} to be attacked. The latter exists as an attempt to separate Jesus from either the perceived view of Christianity and/or from religion itself.

!!'''[[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddha]]'''

The trifecta of holy figure no-nos, while badmouthing Buddha will at most get you dirty looks from Buddhist practitioners, some countries do '''not''' allow for one to mess around with their deities. If you insult Buddha or Buddhism (or Taoism), whether openly or not, doing so will get you tortured in Hell after death. Please keep that in mind before you '''die.''' This is what got the game ''Fight of Gods'' banned in Thailand, shortly after Malaysia banned it for the appearance of both Jesus and Buddha (and the fact that people were calling the developers to add Muhammad to the game).

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* As mentioned above, one of the reasons Taiwanese fighter game ''Fight of Gods'' got banned in Malaysia and Thailand (and shortly later, Singapore and Indonesia) was because it featured Buddha as a fighter, which the head of the Malaysian Buddhist and Hindu Associations saw as an insult as Buddha is supposed to be a passive deity. Likewise, the king of Thailand himself decreed the ban for the same reason. Singapore and Indonesia later follow suit, largely due to harboring sizable Buddhist and Christian population in the two nations and in Indonesia's case, out of fear of racial unrest that may result. Strangely, however, the game remains unbanned in India.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In the controversial ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS14E6TwoHundredOne 201]]", the scene where Buddha is depicted snorting cocaine alongside Jesus looking at pornography, showing the {{double standard}}s of which religious figures are and aren't okay to mock, ironically got the episode and the entire series banned in UsefulNotes/SriLanka.

!!'''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy'''

Like Mister Rogers, he has inspired many to love science and critical thinking. Go on, try to call him a fraud for debunking conspiracy theories on Website/YouTube. However, his immunity eroded to some people when his latest show, ''Series/BillNyeSavesTheWorld'', hit Netflix, which caused numerous groups to denounce him for his scientific claims (with varying levels of scientific basis for their own). Nowadays, it's not uncommon to see huge battles on his Facebook pages between his fans and these groups.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Brickleberry}}'' episode, "Global Warning" depicted Bill Nye in a surprisingly flattering manner, where he was an [[OnlySaneMan only sane man]] explaining the legitimacy and threat of global warming, while the [[StrawmanPolitical climate change-denying Woody Johnson]] crudely insulted him and attacked him with childish, profane [[AdHominem ad hominem]] remarks. Clearly, even the writers of Brickleberry were above mocking Bill Nye and the true butt of this joke was Woody for being such a close-minded asshole.

!!'''The Emperor and the Imperial Family of Japan'''

See Also: HeWhoMustNotBeSeen

The Japanese Imperial Family deserves a special mention here, compared with the ''Lèse majesté'' crimes mentioned above. Japanese media (and the Japanese themselves) don't have any qualms about making fun or name-dropping any historical figure, including Prime Ministers, for the sake of it. On the other hand, the Emperor and his family (and even fictional versions of him and his position) are off-limits in any way. Mentioning him in non-historical, non-educative and non-informative backgrounds is considered one of the biggest taboos in Japan, not to mention even making fun of him.

This is the reason why in many historical Japanese media he's excluded from being mentioned, even when he should be historically relevant for the plot. Normally he's replaced by another authority figure instead, like a Prime Minister or, when dealing with the Sengoku Era, with any daimyo or shogun.

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]
* This is pretty egregious in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', since, despite the whole setting of the story is due ''thanks to an Emperor'' (the Meiji one, especially) and Kenshin was fighting (technically) for his sake, he's never mentioned anywhere, while the Tokugawas, the ones whose Kenshin was fighting against them when he was the Battousai, are mentioned instead.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Oddly '''averted''' in ''VideoGame/AkaSeka'' where one of the love interest options is [[NeatFreak Sada'akira]]. His historical counterpart is also known as ''Emperor Yōzei''.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* This is the reason why the episode "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' was banned in Japan, as the Emperor not only appears in the episode but is mocked, specifically when Homer throws him into a pile of soiled sumo thongs.
* The ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Chinpokomon" was banned in Japan for similar reasons, heavily referencing the bombing of Pearl Harbor (which Japan prefers to forget) and portraying the late Emperor Hirohito as an antagonist and warmonger who is hell-bent on revenge against the United States for defeating them in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* The British representative who attended the funeral of Emperor Hirohito was Prince Philip, consort of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen herself - also a member of the [=WW2=] generation - officially pleaded prior engagement. Unofficially, it is believed she had no intention whatsoever of honouring a man still viewed as a war criminal, and suggested her husband attend on her behalf. Philip, a man who has made many racially disparaging comments about Far Eastern peoples, who served most of his war in the Far East and who saw at first hand what Japanese captivity had done to British and Commonwealth [=PoW=]s was seen, as the cortege passed, to make the lowest possible bow consistent with any sort of respect at all. His Japanese hosts were outraged. British veterans of the Japanese war, who realised this was meant as a sophisticated and calculated insult, cheered him.
* In April of 2022, Ukraine has tweeted a video celebrating the defeat of fascism and features the portraits of the three major Axis leaders of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, one of them including Emperor Hirohito. However, after receiving complaints from Japanese, Ukraine apologized and posted an edited video which removed Hirohito.

!!'''UsefulNotes/MaoZedong'''
Mao Zedong was a great Communist leader who helped contribute in the Chinese War and helped unite China (except Taiwan Island, for some reasons) under communism, and defeated the Republic of China and had them retreat into Taiwan. After his death, he's still remembered as a national hero by many Chinese people. It is a bad idea to insult him or badmouth him in any way.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* Somehow averted. In the {{OVA}} of ''Manga/TheLegendOfKoizumi'', Koizumi's aura is so powerful, it actually causes Mao to ''rise from the grave'' so he and Koizumi can engage in a TabletopGame/{{Mahjong}} battle with one of the infamous dictator that's not given the protection after death: [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} Pol Pot]]. [[spoiler: Mao loses the match, but earns Koizumi's respect as a WorthyOpponent.]]

[[AC:Film]]
* ''Film/{{Kundun}}'' by Creator/MartinScorsese (who was [[BannedInChina banned from visiting China because of this film]]) features him in a cameo (played by Robert Lin). It portrays him as a bit of an AffablyEvil smarmy politician. For this reason and for financing the film, this put Creator/{{Disney}} in hot water, especially regarding WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}. On that note, the movie was a BoxOfficeBomb and also, Disney's OldShame.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* For political reasons, the Chinese version of ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} IV'' replaces him with the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Taizong_of_Tang Emperor Tang Taizong.]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS16E12GooGooGaiPan Goo Goo Gai Pan]]" had the Simpson family go to China, and on the way they visit Mao's mausoleum. When Homer came up to Mao's body, he said to it quietly: "Aww, look at him. He's like a little angel that killed 50 million people. Yes you are! ''Yes you are!"'' Because of this unfavorable reference to Mao and other reasons, this episode was banned in China.

!!'''[[UsefulNotes/TheRulersOfNorthKorea The Kim Dynasty]]'''
Dare to mess with the Kim Dynasty, the generations of rulers of North Korea, and also mess with Kim Jong-un himself, and you might be sent to North Korean prison camps for that. This mostly applies outside of North Korea due to the country's notoriously strict and dictatorship-level laws set by them.

[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/TheInterview'', of course, can be easily short to said that the movie was an ''anti-North Korean'' movie, for its depiction of Kim Jong-un and glamorized the death of his fictional counterpart. This has caused allegedly angry North Korean hackers to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_hack cyber-attack the website of the film's distributor, Sony Pictures.]]
** It even to the point that other countries outside of United States (including UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}) refused to release the film on the theaters, but other distributions (such of Netflix) might be possible. However, mainland China, Japan, North Korea, UsefulNotes/SouthKorea, and Russia, on the other hand, ''[[BannedinChina banned any distribution of the film in their country.]]''[[note]]China and Russia (formerly USSR/Soviet Union) are allies of North Korea, and they don't want to anger North Korea by releasing the film in their countries, but this ended up AllForNothing, as North Korea has banned any foreign medias, even if made in mainland China or Russia; Japan doesn't release the film due to both Sony's Japanese matrix dissaproving the film and also because Japan's own geopolitical position could make the country an easy target for North Korea, and not to mention the risk of both pissing off the North Korean population living in Japan and also risking any deal Japan has right now with the North Korean regime, especially regarding the case of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japanese_citizens Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents]]; Despite their intensive military buildups for that very reason, South Korea would much rather avoid a war with North Korea, and found the movie to be in bad taste, so they followed the suit.[[/note]]

[[AC:Video Games]]
* The indie video game, ''Glorious Leader'', which featuring Kim Jong-un as the main playable character, was cyber-attacked by (alleged) North Korean hackers, and [=MoneyHorse=] Games, the developer of the game, was forced to cancel the kickstarter (and as well as the game) as a result of this.

!!'''UsefulNotes/XiJinping'''
If you live in China, don't mock or insult this great Chinese president or else you might be in big trouble. It also applies to those who don't live in Mainland China, which can only result in them [[BannedInChina being forbidden to enter China.]]

[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/ChristopherRobin'' was denied an official release in China due to falling outside of the quota on foreign films. Many have speculated that the ban is partially due to Chinese censorship of Winnie-the-Pooh and comparisons of Pooh with president Xi.

[[AC: Live-Action TV]]
* An especially extreme case, as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OubM8bD9kck critical segment]] of ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' about Xi Jinping, especially his legendary hatred of his supposed resemblance to Winnie-the-Pooh, pissed him off so much that John Oliver's show was banned in China and was scrubbed from the Chinese internet. And even Creator/{{HBO}} was included on the Chinese banlist. [[note]]As of 2021, you still can't access HBO's website if you live in Mainland China[[/note]]

[[AC:Music]]
* There's a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmpc6H-88CA Cantonese song]] making fun of Chinese president Xi and the Chinese ban of Winnie-the-Pooh, and China's trade war with America and Trump. This song got one million views on Website/YouTube, but it was [[BannedInChina banned from mainland Chinese websites]], so it was subverted. And as you might expect, its title is approximately "The Big Cheese Xi, He Looks Like Winnie", and here's an English translation of the first stanza of the lyrics:[[note]]And [[https://eternal-bauhinian.tumblr.com/post/624234390825975808/the-big-cheese-xi-he-looks-like-winnie-the-pooh here]] is a full approximate translation of the entire song.[[/note]]
-->Mr. Xi really looks like Winnie,\\
Mr. Xi bans Winnie again,\\
Mr. Xi will never finish serving for thousand and million years,\\
If [you] want to do business, bow down,\\
Creator/{{Disney}} will redirected to 4-0-4!

[[AC: Video Games]]
* ''[[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Winnie-the-Pooh's]]'' Chinese name "小熊维尼" was [[https://boundingintocomics.com/2019/03/20/report-winnie-the-pooh-censored-in-world-of-warcraft-pubg-and-arena-of-valor-in-china/ banned]] in video games such as ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', ''VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds'', ''VideoGame/ArenaOfValor'' and ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', and can result in an instaban if typed on chat. However, as a side effect of this, some players using this advantage to troll peoples by forcing them to type the name just for fun and troll purposes only, without knowing that the autoban was enforced by "law". [[labelnote:For example]]When someone else in chat on Overwatch asks you the question, "Who's Tigger's best friend?" and you reply, "Winnie-the-Pooh?" you end up getting instabanned.[[/labelnote]]
** This is somehow invoked during the promotion of ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} Immortal'' in China.[[labelnote:For those unfamiliar with this game]]It's a mobile game based on the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' franchise which was definitely geared more for the Chinese audience, what with tons of microtransaction and a lot of pressures of 'pay to win'. To say that this is one of the ''most hated'' games ever in Blizzard's home turf, the USA, is an understatement. It was unveiled at 2018 and was considered as the start of Blizzard's downfall.[[/labelnote]] Someone in Blizzard's official Weibo account suddenly made a post asking if 'the bear' is going to come out or not, accompanied with an image of Winnie the Pooh. China did not take it well, correctly guessing that said person was insulting Xi Jinping. As a result, China banned the game from ever releasing there (still unsure whether it'll be permanent or not) and gave heavy sanctions to the co-developer [=NetEase=], generally making a majority of Blizzard's attempt to appease on the Chinese market at the cost of their home base reception completely for naught.[[note]]It's still not known whether the PR guy at Blizzard who made that post just made an unprofessional accident or doing it on purpose to spite on Blizzard's erratic actions, knowing for sure on how to piss off the Chinese crowd.[[/note]]
* An in-studio joke placeholder image in Taiwanese indie horror game ''VideoGame/{{Devotion}},'' which is a Fulu talisman (a ritual object roughly analogous to a voodoo doll), contains a red Chinese stamp with Xi Jinping and ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh''[='=]s name on it. The placeholder image also contains the Chinese phrase "呢嘛叭唭", which is similar to the Hokkien phrase "你嘛八七" (Nǐ ma bāqī), (translated in Chinese as "你妈白癡") which means, "your mother is an idiot", or "moron". Needless to say, the studio forgot about the placeholder image being left in the game, which caused it to lose the publishing license in China, and it was quickly pulled from Steam after it was review-bombed by many nationalistic Chinese gamers in early 2019.

[[AC: Web Original]]
* [=YouTubers=] such as [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqhnHz3PDXPT6vAHVuAY7dg The Mechanic Shark Channel]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKEzqCvqYXv7ea548x07KPQ Twatical]] had no problem making fun of China and President Xi, and thought the "enforced" lifetime ban from China was worth it. TMSC had Pooh Bear appear in place of President Xi in instances on his videos that make fun of China, (and even made Pooh Bear a "BigBad" who says "[[ChingChong Ching chang chong]]") while Twatical, on the other hand, made President Xi a MemeticBadass that claims he will make people somehow disappear.
-->''Xi Jinping starts to say,''\\
''You don't happen to have any honey, do you?''

[[AC: Western Animation]]
* [[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7920537/University-Minnesota-student-jailed-China-tweeting-pictures-cartoon-villain.html A University of Minnesota student has gotten into trouble]] for tweeting images of Lawrence Limburger, the BigBad of the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'', who supposedly bears a resemblance to the president Xi.
* Online references to Franchise/WinnieThePooh are often blocked in Chinese internet because of a running joke about how President Xi Jinping resembles Pooh. However, it doesn't stop some people living outside of the Chinese mainland mocking the president Xi with that.
* Xi Jinping appeared in two episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' without any issues, despite the controversy. He reappears as the GreaterScopeVillain in season 23 episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS23E2BandInChina Band in China]]", which tackles the subject of Western corporations appeasing to the Chinese government in an effort to tap into their market, as well as referencing the Winnie the Pooh incident[[note]]Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet were depicted in a Chinese prison, just because some people said Pooh looked like the Chinese president, making Pooh and Piglet's presence illegal in China. After their release, Pooh was disowned by Mickey Mouse in favor of the lucrative Chinese market, who even insults him by calling him a fat, diabetic bear, and when they went out to get some honey, Pooh was killed by Randy[[/note]]. Needless to say, the episode got the series [[BannedInChina scrubbed from the Chinese internet.]] The ''South Park'' creators Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone responded by [[https://twitter.com/SouthPark/status/1181273539799736320 sarcastic gloating over this fact.]] Later, in season 23's Halloween Special episode, two jabs at the Chinese government were made: Randy is seen [[https://youtu.be/08x2iCmG9mU?t=18 dancing on the porch while wearing a mask of president Xi's face,]] and a zombie Winnie-the-Pooh is part of Randy's hallucination.
** Music/{{Zedd}} was subsequently banned in China after liking the mock apology tweet made by Trey and Matt. He admitted this in [[https://mobile.twitter.com/Zedd/status/1182376966495838208 this tweet.]]

[[AC:Real Life]]
* In Aung San Suu Kyi's official Facebook statement about Xi Jinping's visit to Myanmar in January of 2020, president Xi's name was auto-translated from Burmese to English as "[[https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/18/facebook-xi-jinping-mr-shithole Mr. Shithole]] [[note]]"Xi" and "shi" are pronounced similarly[[/note]]". Facebook later apologized for the [[BlindIdiotTranslation auto-translation error.]]
* Tsutomu Mizushima once caused a controversy among Japanese and Chinese internet users for [[https://i.imgur.com/GDQrPlZ.jpg jokingly tweeting]] his desire to earn Chinese money just to make Winnie-the-Pooh, which can also be interpeted as an insult to president Xi.
* In 15 July 2020, Mike Pompeo [[https://www.twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1283197610757632001 tweeted]] a photo of his pet dog Mercer and all of her favorite toys, one of which was a Winnie-the-Pooh plushie doll. However, some Twitter users have interpreted it as an insult to president Xi and tweeted memes that mock him.
* For calling president Xi a "human trafficker" in an video chat, Chinese-American author and screenwriter Geling Yan was [[https://qz.com/2127169/censors-delete-geling-yans-wechat-essay-on-chained-woman-in-china/ censored on the Chinese internet.]]

!!'''Barron Trump'''
Although his father is always fair game, as are his three oldest siblings (while Melania and Tiffany fall somewhere in the middle), it's considered extremely off-color to make fun of Barron Trump. Even comedians and TV shows that mock the entire Trump family, notably leave Barron out of it for a number of reasons. For starters, even people who hate Trump agree that Barron is somewhat of a "[[TokenGoodTeammate token good teammate]] and WhiteSheep" in the Trump family, as [[ChildrenAreInnocent he's a child]] so unlike the rest of his family, he can't be held accountable for any stupid political or business-related decisions made by his family. And of course, as mentioned above in "People in General", making fun of kids is seen as a very cheap shot anyway.

!!'''Creator/LeVarBurton'''

Like Mister Rogers and Bill Nye above, it is considered to be extremely bad taste to mock [=LeVar=] Burton. He is widely regarded as the figurehead of literacy in the United States, inspiring a love of reading and science through ''Series/ReadingRainbow''. This is especially true after PBS completely cut funding for the program back in 2009. What of WNED, the TV station that took him to court so they could take the Reading Rainbow brand back and succeeded, claiming that [=LeVar=] had mistakenly thought that he had bought the rights to the series? Many of his fans speculate that station will be producing a flop and [=LeVar=] will not be affected that badly. As of March 2018, [=LeVar=]'s project just had to undergo a minor rebrand. WNED’s supposed "retool" is on the other hand stuck in DevelopmentHell.

!!'''Creator/KeanuReeves'''

A Once Acceptable Target mocked for [[DullSurprise questionable acting ability]] and his career going on a rut, has become this ever since his CareerResurrection in ''Film/JohnWick''. Keanu's an accomplished long-time actor, has had its share of life hardships, and is a certified NiceGuy, as shown in his performance in E3 2019, thus now making fun of him is seen as being in incredibly bad taste. That being said, his fandom, especially those on {{Website/Reddit}} are not immune from criticism by any stretch of the word, and their tendency to fawn over Reeves’ every move has spawned the ‘Reddit Moment’ meme based around documenting their rabid behaviour, as well as other general Redditor strangeness.

!!'''[[Series/LazyTown Stefán Karl Stefánsson]]'''

Stefan Karl, the talented and charismatic actor who played Robbie Rotten from the show ''Series/LazyTown'', became an unacceptable target after he was diagnosed with cancer back in October 2016, and even more so after his death in August 2018 from it, to the point where you are seen as a CompleteMonster if you mock his death or disrespect it, or at least get a massive DudeNotFunny reaction from the people around you. Making fun or hating on the many songs he has sung in ''Series/LazyTown'', '''especially''' "[[MemeticMutation We Are Number One]]", is also going to get you quite a bit of backlash. Even if they may not be relevant memes as they once were.

!!'''Creator/SteveIrwin'''

On 22 February, 2019, Google celebrated Steve Irwin's posthumous 57th birthday with a [[https://www.google.com/doodles/steve-irwins-57th-birthday Google Doodle]]. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a mockery-target of many, responded with a [[https://twitter.com/peta/status/1098992959649808384 tweet]], condemning Irwin for using animals for "[[BlatantLies abusive entertainment]]", such as "harassing a ray, dangling his baby while feeding a crocodile, and wrestling wild animals who were minding their own business", and Google for promoting his message. The response was [[InternetCounterattack not]] [[https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/peta-faces-social-media-backlash-for-criticizing-steve-irwin-1.4309678 in PETA's favour]].

He's generally held in the same high regard as Mister Rogers and Bob Ross, with some depicting the three as a PowerTrio of wholesomeness and kindness for the messages they send. [[labelnote:For those interested]]Mister Rogers = Be Kind to Others, Steve Irwin = Be Kind to Animals, Bob Ross = Be Kind to Yourself[[/labelnote]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'' episode, "Amazon Kevin" featured a Steve Irwin stand-in named Amazon Kevin, who was universally despised by all of the animals of CDMS for, as Lupe put it, "smacking [their] kind around for generations." The episode had the animals all attack him and even included a scene where Jake threatened to [[AxCrazy kill him with an ax]]. [[spoiler:Amazon Kevin admitted to Adam that he was actually a cowardly fraud and all of his fights with animals were staged, adding insult to injury. The episode ended with him getting creamed in a wrestling match against a herd of hippos.]] At first, there was no trouble with this episode airing but following [[HarsherInHindsight Steve Irwin's death]] in the real world, this episode was immediately [[BannedInChina banned in Australia]] for good and disliked by a lot of people.

!!'''[[Creator/TheCynicalBrit John "Totalbiscuit" Bain]]'''

On April-May of 2018, after John Bain's passing from his cancer, a Creator/BioWare employee called David Crooks somewhat gleefully mocked Bain's death. This no doubt causes a very bad press against Creator/BioWare and by extension, [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]], and the two were quick to condemn and disown Crooks.

!!'''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Ka_Kui Wong Ka Kui]]'''

One of the most unforgettable Chinese people in the Chinese-speaking community was the famous Hong Kong singer Wong Ka Kui. He was the youngest member and the co-founder of the famous (and now-disbanded) band Beyond, but he died in an accident in a Japanese game show in 1993 at the age of 33. Please note that any insults and mockery of Wong will get you intense backlash from the Chinese-speaking community (and the Canton-pop fanbase).

[[AC: Live-Action TV]]
* In 2009, one Chinese comedy sitcom show has once making unflattering jokes about Wang Ka Kui, which resulted in intense backlash from angry mainland and Hong Kong internet users. The video can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2nnlJ7juoc here.]]

!!'''WebVideo/{{Etika}}'''

Already a beloved [=YouTuber=], on June 25, 2019, Etika was found dead as confirmed by the [=NYPD=]. Prior to this, Etika was very depressed and suicidal. Some have posted various clown memes that had offended many of his supporters. And following his passing, those same people who made clown memes or just mocked Etika's passing were torched ''hard''.
* Next to the clown crowd are the K-Pop crowd (whether just trolls or legitimate), who would [[DudeNotFunny disrespect Etika's passing by saying he should have "stanned" certain K-Pop acts]], with most times it done ''deliberately'' by spamming the same repetitive clips of those same artists. Suffice to say, [[FandomRivalry K-Pop fans and Etika fans aren't on good terms because of it]].
* Not to mention, anyone who comments on videos saying anything about Etika being in heaven or implying the same will result in some Christians saying variations of the same line “people who commit suicide go to hell.” Often, these comments will get angry responses from outraged fans.
* The Twitter account "[=EtikaPunks=]" received flak from every direction when they announced [[https://twitter.com/EtikaPunks/status/1478555724871573510 they were selling Etika NFTs]]; one of them was a picture of Etika with a bridge in the background, [[DrivenToSuicide referencing the bridge Etika was said to have cast himself from]].

!!'''Creator/SharonTate'''

Sharon Tate is arguably the most well-known victim of the Manson Family's killing spree, and her unnatural death at a young age [[ImperiledInPregnancy while she was eight and a half months pregnant]], in addition to her having been a genuinely talented actress and her films gaining popularity after her death, makes her and the circumstances behind her death this. Notably, the most memorable scene of ''Film/OnceUponATimeInHollywood'' was when her murderers ended up getting brutally murdered themselves, while in that film's AlternateHistory, she continues to live on.

!!Creator/AhmedBest

Jar Jar Binks is [[TheScrappy one of the most hated characters in modern fiction]], and his actor, Ahmed Best, received some hate from fans of ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' after the movie came out. After Best revealed that he actually received so much hate that he seriously considered taking his own life, especially since this was around the same time that Jake Lloyd and Kelly Marie Tran came out with their own experiences on the topic, Best quickly became untouchable by the same fandom that once ridiculed him.

!!Creator/AlexTrebek
The long-time host of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''. Similar to the aforementioned Ahmed Best, Trebek used to be a popular target to mock and parody, but after his diagnosis with stage IV pancreatic cancer in 2019 (and a huge outpouring of support and media coverage) he is now pretty much untouchable, outside of Creator/WillFerrell's impression of Trebek on SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy sketches, which [[ApprovalOfGod Trebek loved.]] For instance, one "Scenes From a Hat" skit on ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' had Greg Proops mocking Trebek during the scene "People you wish would just shut up". While Proops got a round of applause at the time, many Website/YouTube comments point out how retroactively tasteless the joke is now. Needless to say, after his death in 2020, he was heavily mourned.

!!Emily Bett Rickards
Make no mistake, Felicity Smoak is far and away the most hated character in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' for many reasons, but her actress Creator/EmilyBettRickards is ''firmly'' off limits. She is seen as an outright saint in real life - she has raised money for charitable causes dedicated to fighting auto-immune diseases, sponsored a scholarship worth upwards of $250,000 out of her own pocket, is very nice and personable to her fans, and did "[[ShownTheirWork tons of research]]" when she discovered Felicity would become paralyzed. If anything, she is the most pitied out of everyone involved with the show since she's had to watch her character's reputation go down the drain through no fault of her own.

!!Creator/JuliaChild

Along with such PBS personalities as Fred Rogers, Bill Nye, Bob Ross, and [=LeVar=] Burton, Julia Child and her cooking shows are loved all over the nation. If you value your life, family, and property, don't you dare diss her in front of a chef. If you do, ''it was nice knowing ya...''

!!Creator/StanLee

Stan "The Man" Lee is the most iconic face of the comic book industry, having created some of the most [[Creator/MarvelComics iconic superheroes of all time.]] When he passed in 2018, not an ill word was spoken of him. Just try saying anything bad about him and see how quickly you get dogpiled. Not helping matters is the theory that his being wrongfully caught up in the [=#MeToo=] movement hastened his demise.
* WebVideo/WatchMojo received immense backlash when they uploaded their "Top 10 Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Cameos" video mere hours after news broke of his death. The thumbnail of the video prominently featured Stan, leading many to accuse them of attempting to profit from his death.
* Graphic India Pte. Ltd and POW! Entertainment received heavy backlash for using the late Stan Lee's official Twitter account [[https://twitter.com/TheRealStanLee/status/1470750431643058181 to promote an NFT of]] Chakra The Invincible.

!!Sushant Singh Rajput

Sushant Singh Rajput was a Bollywood actor who first came to prominence in the 2013 film ''Kai Po Che''. Over the next seven years, he built up a passionate fanbase, but found it hard to get acting roles due to his lack of connections in the industry. This culminated in him taking his own life in June 2020. This led to a massive backlash against Bollywood and its nepotistic behavior. A year later, June 14th (his death day) was unofficially declared as "Anti-Nepotism Day". Even LetsPlay/PewDiePie made a tribute video for him.
* Alia Bhatt was a storied actress in her own right, but she became a specific target of backlash when she claimed to have no knowledge of Rajput in an interview with Karan Johar. Her dismissive attitude towards the actor led to her next film, ''Sadak 2'' getting review bombed. The trailer became the second most disliked [=YouTube=] video, and the movie ended up with a 1.1 score on Website/IMDb. ''Gunjan Saxena'' ended up suffering a similar fate, though it at least had good reviews.

!!Creator/RobertPattinson

''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' and Edward Cullen can be mocked to Kingdom Come, but Pattinson, who played Cullen in the series, is off limits. This is mostly because he dislikes the series and character as much as the detractors, and he has since taken up roles to dissociate himself from them. He proved that SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct in ''Film/GoodTime'', ''Film/TheLighthouse'', and ''{{Film/Tenet}}''. When he was announced to portray Batman in the [[Film/TheBatman2022 2022 film]], there was practically no backlash (aside from a few raised eyebrows from those only familiar with his role in ''Twilight''), as he had won over majority of his detractors by then.

!!Creator/TakashiYanase

While the ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}'' series has become a Japanese pop culture icon and beloved by different generations in Japan (especially from adults). Takashi Yanase (creator of the ''Anpanman'' franchise) is highly respected in Japan, due to his children's books (such as ''[[Anime/RingingBell Chirin no Suzu]]'' and ''[[Anime/TheKindlyLion Yasashii Lion]]'') not shying away on touching darker and somberer subject matter compared to his other lighthearted works (such as ''Chiisana Jumbo'' and ''[[Anime/TheRoseFlowerAndJoe Bara no Hana to Joe]]'') which made him stand out from other author and illustrators (such as Creator/DrSeuss and Creator/EricCarle). After his passing in 2014, Kōchi Prefecture opened an official museum called [[https://anpanman-museum.net/ "Kami City Takashi Yanase Memorial Hall & Anpanman Museum"]] which is entirely dedicated to him [[https://i.imgur.com/Y9PptP6.png and his works]]. As a result, it's not a great idea to mock him and any of his other works in Japan. He even shares the same amount of respect as Creator/OsamuTezuka (helps that Yanase and Tezuka had a very close relationship during both of their lifetimes).

!!Creator/MelissaBenoist

The star of ''Series/{{Supergirl}}'' very much became this after her reveal of the abusive relationship she went through with Creator/BlakeJenner, one that even took place during the filming of the first season and resulted in her having to lie on live TV about why she received a nasty eye injury. Several other violent incidents occurred and so much manipulation and controlling behaviour was lived through, but eventually she managed to get out and meet Creator/{{Chris Wood|Actor}}, whom she is now married to and has a child with. She's been given the moniker of "the real life Supergirl" countless times and is praised for her kindness by fans, so God help you if you say that she just made up her abuse story or even side with Blake's claim that the abuse was "mutual".

!!Mariano Rivera

The closer for the New York Yankees who blew his third postseason save in 2004... and ended up breaking the Curse of the Bambino. While he was booed by Yankees fans at the time, he proved he still had staying power the very next season. As a result, if you diss him in the presence a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan while they are in the middle of a heated argument, it's all but a guarantee that they will set aside their differences to whale on ''you''. There's a reason why he was the first unanimous induction in Cooperstown's history, after all. He was also the last player to wear the number 42, wearing it long after the number was retired across all of Major League Baseball in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and given the special, well-earned place for Rivera in the history of baseball as one of its all-time greats, right up there with Robinson, it was only fitting.

!!Creator/SatoruIwata

Iwata, combined with DeadArtistsAreBetter, became impossible to make fun of for several years, due to stories about his [[SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming expert programming skills]] and how he took pay cuts from his salary instead of laid off workers, which is a large contrast to how other companies prefer to have mass layoffs or hire and fire developers in a short timespan, something that Creator/JimSterling has taken note of multiple times. There also the fact that Iwata's last communication with fans was in response to the backlash towards Nintendo's E3 2015 announcements, which was Iwata promising that next year would be better. Unfortunately, he didn't live to see next year, and to this day, Nintendo fans are still bitter about how [[PartingWordsRegret their last words to Iwata was them being angry and complaining]].
* Scott Ramsoomair used Iwata's death as a quick joke in one ''Webcomic/VGCats'' in which Leo and Aeris loudly proclaimed it to secure a win in a ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon|1}}'' match; the backdraft can be described as "flame unto a dry forest", and the comic was edited quickly to remove the offending gag.

!!Stephen Hillenburg

''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (especially the first three seasons) is essentially the SacredCow for cartoons to younger Millennials and Gen Z kids, so when it was announced that Stephen Hillenburg passed away of ALS complications in November of 2018, tributes to him were made everywhere, from both fans and Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} themselves.

* Maroon 5 and the NFL faced massive backlash after fans tried a campaign to have "Sweet Victory" performed during the Super Bowl halftime show as a tribute and it looked like it was going to happen when it was announced Squidward would make an appearance... only for him to be used to introduce Travis Scott instead.

!!Creator/BettyWhite

One of the oldest and most recognized actresses, as well as one of the most beloved. Even before her death on December 31, 2021, just weeks shy of her 100th birthday, you'd have been hard pressed to find anyone who would dare say a bad word about her, and those who do are met with immense backlash.

!!Creator/TomHanks

Not only is he one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, he's also reportedly one of the most kindhearted. He's starred in so many famous and widely beloved films, and has dozens of awards under his belt. In addition, his warm and fatherly personality has endeared him to adults and kids alike for many years. It's no wonder that he was cast as fellow Unacceptable Target Mr. Rogers in ''Film/ABeautifulDayInTheNeighborhood''.
* On ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'', Tom Hanks is often said to be an inherently good person that "nobody doesn't like".
** In one episode that highlighted UsefulNotes/NorthKorea, Music/WeirdAlYankovic performed a musical number called "The North Korea Polka (Please Don't Nuke Us)". One of the reasons he gave for why North Korea shouldn't nuke the United States is "Oh, why in the world would you kill Tom Hanks? 'Cause nobody doesn't like Tom Hanks!"
** In "Eat Shit Bob: The Musical", John accuses Bob Murray of several ludicrous things, including bestiality, sadism, public indecency, being responsible for several tragedies (like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and Hitler's rise to power), and not liking Tom Hanks.
* Even ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' portrayed Tom Hanks as an incredibly kind man without a mean bone in his body. Before his fight against Sean Penn, he consciously decided to [[GainingTheWillToKill undergo rigorous torture in order to make him angry]], but even ''that'' doesn't work. What eventually pushes him to destroy his opponent is seeing Sean Penn beat up a defenseless photographer.
* Creator/ChristopherTitus quantifies this concept in his special "Voice In My Head", saying that Tom Hanks has built up the most "douchebag credits" of any celebrity - essentially, he's built up so much goodwill that he can get away with anything. The hypothetical example he gives is that if someone sees the headline "Tom Hanks punches nun", your first question would probably be "What the hell did that nun do to Tom Hanks?"

!!Creator/ChristopherReeve

Widely considered to be the definitive ''Film/{{Superman}}'', after becoming quadriplegic in a horse-riding injury in 1995, he was respected as a passionate disability rights activist who continued his career as a director. After his death in 2004, his legacy was set as a true and gracious hero, whether with or without a cape.

* From 2000-2009, Music/{{Eminem}} had a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZfLEhQY_lo running joke]] of continually [[TheDissTrack dissing]] Christopher "[[MaliciousMisnaming Reeves]]", [[BlackComedy entirely to wind people up]] (and because his name rhymes with so many different things). Over time, it develops from throwaway shock punchlines to Reeve becoming Eminem's SitcomArchNemesis (with Eminem [[ActingForTwo rapping in character]] as an irate Reeve [[BadImpressionists in a deliberately poorly-researched impression]]). After Reeve's death in 2004, Eminem responded with the song "Rain Man" in which he bizarrely claims that he [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom caused the death by accidentally hexing Reeve as a child]], and pours one out for him in "My 1st Single" (Reeve says when Eminem dies, he'll kick his ass). In the 2009 song "Medicine Ball", Slim throws Christopher Reeve off a cliff, causing Reeve's ghost to insult him and challenge him to a breakdancing match. Slim later made a parodic apology for this in his 2009 Rap City Freestyle, saying he thought "Reeves" had the better [[AWildRapperAppears guest verse]] on "Medicine Ball" and making the obviously fake excuse, "''I did not even realise the guy died''".

!!'''Edson Arantes do Nascimento'''

Also known as Pelé, one of the best football players of all-time, he was considered to be a legend in and outside the field. He's widely seen as the inventor of the "Beautiful Game" due to his dribbles and scores, and as Brazil's biggest idol as he clinched three of the country's five world cups. After retirement, he worked as Brazil's first sports minister, fighting against the clubs' dominance on the players and establishing the law that comes with his name, ending the struggle players had to endure in order to get justice from their clubs.
His status as the considered best player in history created a large fanbase for him, and any critics of his carreer or life normally get harsh reactions. This has been even more intense since his passing in 2022, and now, who tries to criticize him will probably be hate-bombed.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Works]]
!!'''Works and Creators of any work that is considered as "TrueArt"'''

See Also: ItsPopularNowItSucks, TrueArt, SacredCow, CriticalDissonance, and PublicMediumIgnorance.

An example of this when it comes to media instead of people: Whenever and wherever the ItsPopularNowItSucks trope is in effect, any media that fits any of the TrueArt categories; as well as their creators, are [[ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow granted immunity to any form of criticism in any way]] in these areas. In other words, these are works which are met with near universal approval and are outside the bounds of criticism for some even if flaws are present. Covering anything from a whole series down to props within that universe, these works are considered so either out of respect, nostalgia, or plain fan love.

Unfortunately, this also means a fair critique cannot be made against it at any point in time as it'll be met with the same revulsion as {{Squick}}-inducing {{shipping}} or {{troll}}ing. Furthermore, many of these works tend to get a free pass when it comes to flaws that popular works would be slammed if they didn't bear such a pass. An unfortunate amount of FanDumb, FandomHeresy, NostalgiaFilter, and TheLawOfFanJackassery tend to come from this.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* Any series that has major {{Deconstruction}} elements tend to be this. Most forums discussing those kinds of works are lacking criticism because they're off-limits from such things for some reasons. Note that it's usually the darker ones that are untouchable; lighter deconstructions and {{Deconstructive Parod|y}}ies, however, are usually fair game.
** ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', a famous deconstruction of the mecha genre, has an interesting history with this. In the 90s and early 2000s, it was hailed as a masterpiece, and inspired many [[FollowTheLeader followers]] in its wake. However, it was soon lambasted by anime forums, who said it was a 'confusing' anime that only 'snobs' like, and that Shinji is a whiny loser (note that this mindset is most prevalent in western countries; the Japanese fandom is much more sympathetic towards him). However, after the NewbieBoom in 2019, [[ValuesResonance the series received renewed praise for its' earnest depiction of mental illness]], and is a SacredCow once more. Nowadays, the "Shinji is a wimp, if I were him, I would have saved the day and banged all the girls" mindset is frowned upon, owing to the modern understanding of mental health compared to the 90s and 2000s.
* Shows with antagonistic knife-toting {{Yandere}}s receive a similar treatment as well, especially if said characters are [[DracoInLeatherPants glorified in the fandom, no matter how unjustified their actions are]]. Becomes less and less so after the [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny entire thing slowly becomes a tedium due to lack of variation]] and [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/2019-tokyo-yandere-stabbing the unfortunate stabbing of a man by his ax-crazy yandere girlfriend]] in 2019, which hurts the already divisive fandom's reputation. But even then you can see some vocal fanatic longing by.
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'', for the same reason as ''Yotsuba&!'' below. The English dub of the anime adaptation, though, is a free game, as it straddles a fine line between passable and downright annoying.
* On the websites of ''MAHQ'', ''Anime Suki'', and ''Anime News Network'' you are not allowed to criticize ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarinThePocket'', ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', or ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans''. Upon doing so you are labeled a troll and often banned regardless of how on topic and civil you are. /m/ took notice and the ''Gundam'' fandom broke into pieces. When ANN was hacked in August 2017, /a/ joked it might have been /m/ considering their deep resentment for reviews of not just Gundam, but Mecha Anime reviews on the whole.
* There are many places on the internet where criticizing or, heaven forbid, making fun (outside of ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', which is an AffectionateParody) of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' will get your head ripped off. It was a massive part of so many people's childhoods, just don't go there. This only applies to [[Manga/DragonBall the original manga]] and the first two anime series, as it is common practice among fans to [[FanonDiscontinuity pretend]] ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' doesn't exist and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' has some base-breaking plot elements, and as well as its OffModel moments, especially in the entire ''Battle of Gods'' saga and ''Resurrection F'' saga (though it [[EnhancedOnDVD get fixed in Blu-Ray releases]])
* In Japan, the king of this trope is the resident {{Kodomomuke}} icon ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}''. It's fine to parody the show or send a couple of jokes its way, but outright mocking it is a major no-no for writers, since nearly every kid in Japan practically grew up watching it. Case in point: when ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' did a parody of the show and had its Anpanman analogue acting creepy and somewhat perverted, the episode was removed from airplay and all of the segments featuring it were cut from the show's DVD release. The fact that one of the members on the television board was a fan of ''Anpanman'' just shows how far the show reaches.
* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' comes in at a close second in terms of untouchable shows, though it has slightly more leeway with criticism and its parodies. See how quickly the ecchi spoof ''Nozoemon'' got cancelled as an example.
** It is not a good idea to publicly hate (or insult) the ''Doraemon'' franchise within earshot of the Vietnamese people who grew up with the Japanese manga series since 1992.
** Also, outside of Vietnam, there's almost no one (probably with the exception of overzealous parents who see that the main human character is a smooching slacker with low grades at school) who hates the ''Doraemon'' franchise in Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, and as you [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff least expect it,]] Spain.
** There's almost nobody who hates the famous Hong Kong voice actor Lam Pou-chuen, since he voiced the titular character of the anime series for many years until his death in 2015.
** The same applies to the late Nurhasanah, Doraemon's Indonesian [[CrossdressingVoices voice actress]] who passed away in 2020, and is considered just as much of a beloved figure as Doraemon himself.
** An extreme case happened in Taiwan in 2013: when someone from Hong Kong redesigned Ecstasy into Doraemon-heads and sold them in Taiwan only for profit, it angered local authorities so much that they even scolded the man for slandering Doraemon's image as the idol of every child and said that Doraemon only encourages Nobita to study and not to take drugs. The man eventually ended up getting arrested for this. [[note]]你實在很可惡，哆啦A夢是所有小朋友的偶像，你為了賺錢破壞哆啦A夢的形象，哆啦A夢只會鼓勵大雄讀書，不會教人吸毒！ (Lit. How vile of you slandering Doraemon, the idol of all children, just for the sake of profit! Doraemon only encourages Nobita to study, and will not encourage peoples to take drugs!)[[/note]] A few years later, it zig-zagged when a [[https://chinesedora.com/news/11577.htm similar case happened in Thailand,]] which even caused Japanese people to post images from the Doraemon manga on social media in response.
** A similarly extreme case happened in 2020, where there was "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/doravmon Doravmon]]", a Chinese Rule34 scat yaoi doujinshi made rounds as a meme in Facebook in the month of August, only to be completely (well, the SFW parts are left out due to the nature of the meme) scrubbed from Facebook the month after.
* Never, ever say anything bad about ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' and related media (the critically-panned 2016 anime is fair game, however), lest you be accused of being a puritan with no taste. This also extends to the creator Creator/KentaroMiura, who painstakingly drew every inch of the series' trademark SugarWiki/AwesomeArt, to the point where he died from working too hard in 2021. Following his death, fans worldwide came together to mourn him.


[[AC:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' was once considered untouchable before a major burnt injury accident happened in 2013, though the series were slowly trying to get back this status, though it also has slightly more leeway with criticism and its parodies. When a Chinese hospital printed an abortion-encouragment ad featuring ''Pleasant Goat'' characters without permission from Creator/CreativePowerEntertaining and someone put it on online after saw the promo, it eventually caused controversy.
* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' was also has this reputation in Chinese mainland (the country where the work was originally made), with almost no one even '''''dared''''' to bash the series.
* ''Animation/UpinAndIpin'' were also considered untouchable in Malaysia and Indonesia, though it [[AmericansHateTingle never received the same protection outside those countries.]]
** Zig-zagged. Fizi caused controversy among fans and received a lots of flak for his insensitive remarks towards the twins (as a mockery to them) in ''Eid Fitr Special'' in 2020, even still to this day, especially after some of his more insensitive remarks from past episodes come to light. (See the orphans section at the General for further information.)
** Also, if you're a non-Muslim living in Malaysia, particularly in one of the west coast cities, hating Upin and Ipin is fair game because of ValuesDissonance[[note]]and even then you're expected to be tactful with your words- saying you don't like the show because it doesn't resonate with your world-view is fine. Outright dissing it, isn't[[/note]] - the show is particularly tailored towards rural Muslims and has a conservative bias, which alienates those who believe in different religions and a more progressive and secular lifestyle, of which most are concentrated in said West coast areas.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* The comic community site Scans Daily seems to have a rule of "The more mainstream it is, the more critical we are." High-profile works, in particular, seem to be prone to get picked apart, while lesser-known comics are considered off-limits to criticism.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': You don't insult it if you enjoy having skin. That said, jokes about Warner Brothers' shabby treatment of ''Watchmen'' creator Creator/AlanMoore seem to be okay with comic fans — for example, "''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Watchmen Babies in: V for Vacation]]''" and "''[[Creator/HarryPartridge Saturday Morning Watchmen]]''".

[[AC:FanFiction]]
* It's debatable if the exploitation of the childlike Kokiri in ''FanFic/ZeldasHonor'' was a necessary evil for the villains to proceed with their plans. Some of the abuse can be quite shocking; to a point where a few reviewers/readers weren't even sure they could continue reading the fanfic.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* It's ''really'' (and with good reason) rare to see criticism of works by acclaimed directors like Creator/JeanLucGodard, Creator/FrancoisTruffaut, Creator/FedericoFellini, Creator/IngmarBergman, Creator/MichelangeloAntonioni, Creator/AndreiTarkovsky, Creator/AgnesVarda, Creator/RobertoRossellini, Creator/YasujiroOzu, Creator/KenjiMizoguchi, Creator/SatyajitRay, Creator/AkiraKurosawa, the majority of ItalianNeorealism, UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave (and Japanese New Wave, Czechoslovak New Wave, New German Cinema, Fifth and Sixth Generation of Chinese Cinema, etc.) and other respected auteurs. Whenever criticism does occur it's usually by people who don't watch these kind of films in the first place and therefore they aren't taken seriously anyway.
* No matter what your opinions of the later films, the first ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' film is beyond reproach.
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' has this reputation too. Merely daring to suggest that it's not that funny or perhaps not the best Python film or product around will anger a lot of people who will diss you for ''not having a sense of humor'' or ''not being smart enough to get it''. Especially the latter comment is quite odd, because most fans of ''Holy Grail'' only repeat the most accessible jokes, like the coconuts gag and the Black Knight, for instance.
* A lot of Soviet movies/animation get this treatment, accompanied by NostalgiaFilter. Don't even try to question the morals behind movies or consider them outdated. Also don't even try to suggest the possibility that a comedian funnier than the Nikulin-Vitsyn-Margunov trio may exist, just don't. That being said, post-Soviet movies/animation in Russia are very much AcceptableTargets, especially Russian Hollywood.
* The ''Franchise/ToyStory'' fandom is full of people who will rip you to shreds for daring to say that you hated it. In particular, complaining about ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' will cause many people to wonder how in the ''hell'' you weren't touched by the ending. [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory4 The fourth film]] is the exception, as despite featuring the aforementioned Creator/KeanuReeves, it has proven itself to be rather polarizing between those that found it disappointing and those that found it to be a worthy incarnation of the franchise, with the ending in particular being highly contested due to the quality of ''3''.
* Claiming that ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' is anything less than a masterpiece in front of any hardcore animation fan is a recipe for detraction.
* Most movies by Creator/LegendaryPictures, especially the ones produced in TheNewTens such as ''Film/PacificRim'' (with clear exception of the [[Film/PacificRimUprising sequel]]), ''Film/MonsterVerse'', and ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'', as they are usually underrated next to the ''other'' blockbuster at the time. This is a case of CriticalDissonance, as while the films are beloved cult classics among fans, critics highly vary from positive to mixed to even negative.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/ANewHope'', ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the Original Trilogy, are very much unacceptable targets. Or at least the former two are, as ''Jedi'' is often mocked for the Ewoks, Leia's [[GoGoEnslavement slave outfit]] ([[{{fanservice}} at least to those who aren't drooling over it]]), and the revelation that Luke and Leia are twin siblings despite [[SurpriseIncest having been]] {{Ship Tease}}d [[SurpriseIncest prior to that]]. Aside from that, it is difficult to criticize these films without drawing ire from Star Wars fans and any parodies of them must be {{Affectionate|Parody}} ones. The prequel and sequel trilogies, however, are widely disparaged. Most of the changes made in the {{George Lucas Altered Version}}s of the original trilogy are also fair game, with a few exceptions (such as replacing the Marjorie Eaton Emperor Palpatine in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' with Creator/IanMcDiarmid's Palpatine).
* While initially an AcclaimedFlop, ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' has since become a CultClassic with a devoted fanbase. Suggest that the film is anything less than a masterpiece, or that things could be improved upon, like WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic did, and you are entering a world of pain.
%%* In a similar vein to ''Spider-Verse,'' diss ''WesternAnimation/TheMitchellsVsTheMachines'' in ''any'' way, shape or form, and you're going to wish you were dead.
* ''Film/BlackPanther''. The superhero who gave a generation of kids (and some adults) their first role model, with the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of its genre. If it wasn't this before, it became this with the shocking announcement of Creator/ChadwickBoseman's death in 2020, and the revelation he had spent his entire career as T'Challa ''secretly fighting the cancer that would kill him''.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* Examples of these include the Clarkson era of ''Series/TopGearUK''. The later eras are fair game however.
* American television in general, at least to people who are not American. Expressing your distaste for it can cause lots of Creator/{{Netflix}} lovers to come at you and blame you for being so rose-tinted about your crappy culture and insulting something that is inherently better.
* ''Series/LazyTown'' is an interesting case, so that's why it's here rather than in the NostalgiaFilter category below. In addition to the people who grew up with ''[=LazyTown=]'', there are many people who [[WatchItForTheMeme grew to like the series after]] "[[Memes/LazyTown We Are Number One]]" [[WatchItForTheMeme became popular]], especially the Music/SiIvaGunner community, since that's the channel that launched the meme in the first place. Saying anything bad about ''[=LazyTown=]'' and Stefan Karl Stefansson or that "We Are Number One" is a bad or dead meme is off-limits to both nostalgic ''[=LazyTown=]'' fans and [=SiIvaGunner=] memelords after Stefan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2016 and eventually passed away in 2018.
* You do '''not''' bash Franchise/TheMuppets, especially not ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', ''Series/FraggleRock'', or ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol''. This extends to ''Sesame Street'' and ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (mentioned in the nostalgia section). You especially do not disrespect Creator/JimHenson.
* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' is another rare piece of ''Star Wars'' media that is nigh-universally beloved, almost as much as the Original Trilogy. Saying it's bad will get you torn to shreds.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Any novel or series acknowledged as a classic. Pointing out flaws in the work is almost always acceptable, but dismissing the entire thing as garbage usually provokes universal outrage.
** For example, if you mock ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', hordes of angry Tolkien fans will be on your case.
** This does vary somewhat book to book, as a lot of the UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia books have a divisiveness -- you either loved the book and embraced it whole-heartedly, or you loathed having it shoved down your throat getting poor grades on book reports.
* Religious scriptures, in general, are also this; bashing the scriptures is considered equal to bashing their associated religion and will net you universal outrage, at least from that religion.
** For example, in Chinese Buddhist, Taoism and Chinese folk-religions, ridiculing (bashing, or destroying) Buddhist sutras books and scriptures, and as well as Chinese religious books, like ''The Jade Guidebook'' and ''Voyages to Hell,'' can be punishable in hell after death.
* ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' receives this treatment as well, because of how big a part it was of a lot of people's childhoods. This only extends to [[Literature/HarryPotter the seven books in the main series]]. Refusing to acknowledge the extended canon on Pottermore is acceptable, criticizing [[Film/HarryPotter the movies]] is a widespread practice, mocking Rowling's retcons that started in TheNewTens (most infamously the vanishing poop spell) is equally common, and ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'' is a ContestedSequel. Notably, even Rowling herself is not given this same protection thanks to the aforementioned retcons and her controversial views on the transgender community.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* Anything listed as a "Classic" or "oldies" tends to fall into this as time marches on. Special mentions to classical composers such as Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart or Music/LudwigVanBeethoven, or most American songs of the beginning to the mid twentieth century such as Music/TheInkspots or singers like Music/FrankSinatra. If you actually say you hate them and aren't very old, you ''will'' be treated as a heretic.
* If a musician died young, it's usually a bad idea to criticize their music (see also: DeadArtistsAreBetter) because people who ''do'' like them will treat you like you just sprouted horns and a tail. God help you if you say in public that you don't care for music made by Music/JohnLennon, [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]], Music/FreddieMercury, Music/KurtCobain, Music/JimiHendrix, Music/MichaelJackson, Music/AmyWinehouse, Wong Ka Kui (see "Specific people" folder for other details), or countless other dead musicians.

[[AC:Toys]]
* Toys/{{LEGO}}. Popular with children, [[PeripheryDemographic even more so with teenagers and adults]], with most of the teenagers and adult fanbases are those who eventually can afford it by their own pocket money. As such, badmouthing it is a terrible idea in almost any situation.
** Unless you are complaining about [[CrackIsCheaper their high price per set]],
** A parent who complains about how kids often leave pieces [[AgonyOfTheFeet on the floor]], which is affectionate for the fanbase showing how [[MadeOfIndestructium tough]] those LEGO pieces are,
** Or a single adult lamenting the recent corporate decision to ban people who do not have children accompanying them from being allowed to enter certain Lego theme parks except on particular weekday evenings (who has time to go to Legoland on Wednesday evenings when they have to work the next day?!? Especially if the nearest Legoland is a hundred miles away?!? Even worse is that they are not allowed on any of the rides at all during these visits). Some groups of fans are not buying Lego’s claim that it is to stop paedophiles from entering the park and kidnapping kids- there are less bothersome ways to prevent kidnappings, and they believe that Lego put up the rule to ridicule their bad luck with love or their lifestyle choice of remaining single.
** Even more so for the long-since discontinued and ended Toys/{{BIONICLE}} toyline, which is usually credited with saving LEGO during the early 2000s, along with their LEGO Star Wars line, is enriched with a complex MythArc and lots and lots of supplementary material, including but not limited to comics, novels, and direct-to-DVD films, which not only sets it apart from other MerchandiseDriven franchises, but also other LEGO lines. To sum it up: BIONICLE is an Unacceptable Target inside an Unacceptable Target (LEGO).

[[AC:Theatre]]
* Anybody who says that the works of Creator/WilliamShakespeare are anything less than the greatest produced in the English language will be mocked as a philistine who has no appreciation for real talent. The only exception used to be ''Theatre/TitusAndronicus'', and only because [[NoTrueScotsman respectable critics assumed that Shakespeare could never have written something that crude]], but after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII this has been completely turned around, likely because of [[HumansAreBastards all the stuff that happened in that conflict]], and the idea that the play isn't authentic is considered laughable.
** This even goes as far as people trying to acquit the Bard of the accusations of ValuesDissonance: many now earnestly argue that ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' is meant to be sarcastic and that ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' actually opposes anti-semitism, when it is far more likely that neither is the case and that Shakespeare was no more forward-thinking than any of his contemporaries. Note that neither play was ''[[DeathOfTheAuthor ever]]'' interpreted like this until misogyny and racism became unacceptable in society.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Creator/CDProjektRED once enjoyed unacceptable target status for making the highly-acclaimed ''Videogame/TheWitcher'' series, operating ''Website/GOGDotCom'', and not using {{UsefulNotes/DRM}}. However, they lost this status ''hard'' after the release of ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', since the game could be charitably described as "buggy and not up to all the promotional promises" or uncharitably described as "a disaster". Not to mention the reports of unhealthy work demands on CDPR employees, and as well as the cancellation of ''[[VideoGame/{{Devotion}} Devotion's]]'' launch on GOG.com in December of 2020 due to an placeholder asset controversy (see "Specific people" folder and "Xi Jinping" section for other details). ''Cyberpunk 2077'' has improved a lot with updates and the anger has mostly died down, but CDPR are still considered fair game for criticism and mockery. The lesson: Gamers are a fickle bunch.
* Anything by Creator/{{Falcom}} due to their games unusually have high production values for a small, independent game development studio that stands strong on their own since the early eighties.
* Anything by Creator/FromSoftware, where those who complain about the difficulty will be usually told to "git gud", with the possible exception of some of their PortingDisaster instances (which has since been fixed), and ''Videogame/SteelBattalion'' Heavy Armor because of its incredibly poor controls inherent to the Kinect hardware.
** One of the most publicized instance of this is when a reviewer from Forbes complains about ''Videogame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' claiming the game is "[[ItsHardSoItSucks too hard]]" and "the game needs to respect its players". The backlash and rebuttal is swift and numerous, from another writer of Forbes claiming that "it didn't need an easy mode" and later [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tso8u4OJLuI a disabled person succeeding in fighting a difficult, late game boss]].
* SCS Software and their two MagnumOpus, ''Videogame/EuroTruckSimulator'' 2 and ''Videogame/AmericanTruckSimulator'' because of developer's love and care, relaxing gameplay, attention to detail, high production values, open consumer feedbacks, and keep delivering new content for years, is enough to endear even gamers not known to enjoy simulations as well as non-gamers.
* ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'' is enjoyed by old-school fans who rejoiced at the return of the witty and well-written storyline and script from some of the writers of the first two Fallout games, and by new fans introduced by ''Videogame/Fallout3'' or ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series for improvement on the gameplay, atmosphere, design, and storyline over Fallout 3. Unless you are complaining about the bugs, issues or janky gameplay, in which fixes are aplenty thanks to the [[GameMod game modding]] community. VideoGame/Fallout76, however, is fair game due to its controversial launch.
** On the topic of Fallout fans, they, along with ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' fans, are also fans of modding. Don't like the idea of modding? be prepared to be called a console fanboy and lazy.
* Creator/{{Nintendo}}, while not entirely an unacceptable target thanks to their infamous DMCA takedowns of fangames, refusal to acknowledge regions outside Europe, The Americas, Australia and Japan, and refusal to acknowledge some of their franchises (such as ''MOTHER series'' or ''Videogame/FZero'') properly outside of ''Videogame/SuperSmashBros'', has many of their games treated as this:
** The ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'' series (especially ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''), and for that matter anything made by Creator/ShigesatoItoi, is beyond criticism. Detractors will face the wrath of the Starmen.net community, [[Website/FourChan /v/]], Creator/{{Nintendo}} fans, and the fans of all three of LetsPlay/TheRunawayGuys.
** Generally speaking, you ''might'' be able to get away with claiming any ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' games (except the CD-I games, of course, which is a fair subject for mockery and memes) as [[HypeBacklash overrated]], [[EvenBetterSequel surpassed by its own successors]], or simply not your cup of tea. If, however, you attempt to dismiss it as being ''bad'' you'll immediately be ridiculed as an ignorant Philistine at best, or flamed to within an inch of your metaphorical life at worst. Creator/{{Egoraptor}} lampshaded this in his ''WebVideo/{{Sequelitis}}'' episode, in the case of ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'':
-->'''Egoraptor:''' I am harshly criticizing ''Ocarina of Time'' on the internet! I'm gonna get crucified!
** This also applies to any 3D Zelda game, particularly ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]''. In the latter case, even saying that its [[FandomRivalry greatest fandom rival]] ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is a better game will get you roasted hard by the fandom. Hell, ''Ocarina of Time'' is probably the second (after ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' due to largely the same reasons with the addition of increased linearity) ''least'' immune to criticism nowadays due to a combination of ScrappyMechanic, numerous and lengthy ExpositionBreak, and [[ThatOneLevel Water Temple]] though the above still applies.
** In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fandom, games qualify as this if they meet two criteria: they must have a huge amount of PostEndGameContent, and must be [[NostalgiaFilter from an era that the fandom of the time remembers fondly]]. These include ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and their remakes, ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Emerald]]'', ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokémon Platinum]]'', and ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', the latter of which are the most rabidly defended and praised on [[Website/FourChan /vp/]]. Meanwhile, in more mainstream circles, [[NostalgiaFilter the original 151]] and ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' in general are treated as this.
*** The ''Red and Blue'' part is largely gone from the fandom now, as a result of the 20th anniversary digital editions on 3DS of ''Red'', ''Blue'' and ''Yellow''. A large part of the fandom started after the Advance generation, and has now played ''Red/Blue/Yellow'' on the digital edition for 3DS, and after ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' and Gen 1 being given [[SpotlightStealingSquad much spotlight the past several years]], most fans are sick of the first generation at this point and wish for the other generations to have equal focus, so it's a lot easier to get away with saying it sucks. Additionally, fans of [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite the fifth generation]] have attacked the first generation's AnimateInanimateObject Pokémon Grimer, Geodude and especially Voltorb as well as the [[UnintentionalUncannyValley creepy]] humanoid Pokémon Mr. Mime and Jynx as a counterargument to "genwunners" when they complain that all later Pokémon are poorly-designed.
*** This applies to certain Pokémon species as well. These are usually Pokémon who have developed an EnsembleDarkHorse status by longtime fans, including starter Pokémon, Gengar, Scyther and Scizor, Gyarados, Eevee and its evolutions, Mewtwo, Lugia, Flygon, Absol, Rayquaza, the Shinx line, Mimikyu, and [[SweetSheep Wooloo]]. Pokémon with WolverinePublicity such as [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]], Lucario, Greninja, Blaziken, and especially Charizard[[note]]it ''used'' to be an Unacceptable Target due to NostalgiaFilter but its constant shilling in recent years at the expense of the other starters including Venusaur and Blastoise soured fans' emotions towards it[[/note]] and [[GameBreaker Game Breakers]] like Garchomp on the other hand...not so much.
** If you don't care for the ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' series, it's okay, but if you openly say you ''hate'' it, chances are high you will be bashed as "edgy" for hating cuteness.
** Same applies to the ''Videogame/SuperMarioBros'' series, with the exception of the games that aren't actually developed by Nintendo.
* Say you didn't play ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' and no one will think twice, it being a relatively obscure CultClassic. Say you played it and [[SacredCow didn't care for it]], on the other hand....
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', as the game is truly made with love (not [[ItMakesSenseInContext LOVE]]), featuring a unique approach on the JRPG formula, and how social interactions with in-game characters are encouraged. Even if one give an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe3j5qnCcoU honest but negative opinion]] on it he better disable comments and ''still'' brace for impact.
** That being said, this is something of a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]]. While ''Undertale'' fans are indeed ''very'' vocal about defending their game, there also exists an equally large and vocal {{Hatedom}} that is ready to bash the game every chance they get [[HypeBacklash due to overexposure from the fanbase]].
* Creator/{{Valve}} games, particularly ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', including the spinoffs ''Opposing Force'' and ''Blue Shift'', ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' and its episodes, ''Videogame/{{Portal}}'' and [[VideoGame/Portal2 its sequel]], ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', and ''Videogame/CounterStrike'', with the exception of CS:GO (due to the mockery associated with the often toxic esports community, its skin and crate based economy breeding scammers and in response, strict market or gameplay limitations, also controversial changes Valve done to the game), Counter-Strike Nexon Zombies (due it being a blatant [[PanderingToTheBase pandering]] AllegedlyFreeGame with poor balancing), and ''VideoGame/{{Artifact}}'' (due to being something nobody asked for as well as pricey entry price for card games).
** The fact that ''Valve'' ran ''UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}'' also helps, as it credited as one of the thing that saved PC gaming and erodes intrusive [[CopyProtection DRM schemes]] infamous in UsefulNotes/The2000s. Though ''Steam'' itself isn't an unacceptable target due to criticisms on market quality control (where highly inappropriate games as well as downright scams and malwares disguised as games existed) and slightly overzealous security (where if switching device used for gaming, you need either Steam Guard which requires an active e-mail address, or a Mobile Authenticator which requires a mobile device and an active phone number. The former is mandatory if one wants to take advantage of the market features, and the latter is optional but often recommended).
** Special mention goes to ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', where ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' were criticized hard for being a quickly-made sequel made to cash in the then-new IP while it was three years after Episode Two of Half-Life 2 ended in cliffhanger, but it died down as Left 4 Dead 2 turns out to be an EvenBetterSequel and all contents from the first Left 4 Dead is available to Left 4 Dead 2 as of 2011, two years after its initial release.
** Then came 2020, where ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'' was released, as not only the game is well-made and praised by pretty much everyone who can afford VR and the game, but the game managed to tease continuation of Half-Life with a twist nobody expected.
** In the subject of fan-games, ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'', as it succeeded to bring in ''Half-Life'' to modern sensibilities, to the point that Dario Casali, long-time Valve developer who also worked on ''Half-Life: Alyx'', used ''Black Mesa'' as a reference to readjust to the series during development after finding out it's more fun to play with than the original ''Half-Life''.
* Despite negative stereotypes among common gamers concerning [[AllegedlyFreeGame free-to-play games]], {{VideoGame/Warframe}} has been praised as an example of Free-to-play game done right, with surprisingly reasonable amount of monetization versus the unusually high production value and active community-developer relations of the live service-based MMO.
* Tied with ''The Simpsons'' example below, ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'' is well liked due to the game's nigh perfect attempt to recapture the feel and jokes of the show (though LighterAndSofter in attempt to make it family friendly, despite eventually rated Teen), amazing voice acting and soundtrack, and being a WideOpenSandbox that faithfully recreate Springfield, though it was split into three different sections.
* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' is well-known for its incredible hand-drawn animation that emulates [[InkblotCartoonStyle cartoons from the 1930s]]. The game was a passion project for brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer - [[DoingItForTheArt they were so dedicated to the project]] that they ''mortgaged their house'' to fund it before receiving funding from EA later on. Between the game's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt fluid animation]], [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic fantastic big band/orchestral soundtrack]], and tons of subtle details and references, players everywhere have poured out their praise on this game, especially in an era where hand-drawn animation is a dying art form in an industry dominated by CGI and other digital forms of animation. This praise was only exacerbated by the ''Delicious Last Course'' expansion, in which the animation and music are widely agreed to be ''even better'' than in the base game.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* While both series have suffered heavy SeasonalRot, bashing on the golden eras (for the former, it's usually up to and including the movie; and for the latter, it's usually up to and including ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'', which qualify as well, see Video Games example above) of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' are HUGE no-nos around hardcore cartoon fans.
** In ''[=SpongeBob=]'''s case, this extends to the show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, as seen above.
** When talking to ''Simpsons'' fans about episodes that have been dubbed the "worst ever" (such as "Homer vs. Dignity" and "Lisa Goes Gaga") it's not wise to bring up the episode "The Boys of Bummer", even in jest, due to its plot involving Bart being DrivenToSuicide. And even when it gets gets a proper review, there's usually no attempts at adding in humor to soften the outrage or disappointment.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' due to the Bronies, though criticizing the previous generations is fair game.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is considered untouchable, as proven when WebVideo/WatchMojo included on their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkWmtGX2qyo "Top 10 Hated Disney Cartoons"]] video, [[HePannedItNowHeSucks which resulted in massive backlash]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' is a critical darling with a passionate fanbase. Criticizing the art/animation is fair, but if you bash the show around the fans, ''it was nice knowing ya...''
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is considered one of the greatest cartoons of all time and inspired a slew of similar cartoons in its wake. ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' is also considered a SacredCow in some circles.
** The same goes for ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''.
* Do not mock ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'', ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'', or anything from the Golden Age of Animation around cartoon fans. This also goes for some works from the Dark Age like the ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' specials or select Creator/HannaBarbera shows.
* While the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy is quite contentious within the fandom (see the Films entry above), even many who hate the prequels will vouch for ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', as that series is agreed to have taken the more underwhelming parts of the prequel trilogy and succeeded where the films fell short (the characterization of Anakin Skywalker, for instance). Saying that it's bad will get you torn to shreds and subsequent animated shows such as ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsResistance'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' [[ToughActToFollow don't recieve nearly the same amount of praise]] as ''The Clone Wars''. The non-canon 2003 ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' micro series also gets this reaction to an extent, with there being some debate in the fandom regarding which series was a better portrayal of the Clone Wars.

[[AC:Website/TVTropes Wiki]]
* Let's just say that this tends to be a creed by some Tropers here.

!!'''Yotsuba'''
{{Troll}}ing websites such as Website/FourChan, Encyclopedia Dramatica, etc. have a nearly unlimited list of AcceptableTargets...yet [[EvenEvilHasStandards even in their circles they have]] Unacceptable Targets, one of which is the title character of ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}''. You do not ask for {{Rule 34}} of ''Yotsuba''; they will destroy you. Without regret.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* Some people have gone out of their way to make exceptions [[CrossesTheLineTwice involving aged-up versions of the characters]]. One such instance was the Comiket doujin "Four Leaf Lover". [[spoiler:Yotsuba and her friends go on an innocent group date with non-Japanese men, get drunk, and have dub-con sex. They become drug-addicted sex toys.]] [[MoralEventHorizon It was apparently requested and translated by 4chan /d/ members.]] That's /d/ for you. That said, when the same people made an (even worse) sequel, Anonymous (who at the time were affiliated with [=4chan=]) turned its wrath on them.
* On one Rule 34 site, clicking the Yotsuba tag takes you to the site's full list. In other words, [[ShmuckBait if you look for porn of Yotsuba]], you'll get everything but.

[[AC:Website/TVTropes Wiki]]
* In fact, one of the working titles for this trope was "Yotsuba Is Off Limits".

!!'''[[NostalgiaFilter Anything that ingrained themselves into peoples' childhoods]]'''

Trying to mock somebody's childhood media isn't a good idea, especially if more than one person grew up with it. Almost any fandom well be at your mercy if you say anything bad about their childhood media.

[[AC:ComicStrips]]
* Bashing ''ComicStrip/RupertBear'' is a really bad idea, as it has been around for ''100 years'' and has been a part of many generations' childhoods. However, mocking ''Rupert and the Diamond Leaf'' for its racial stereotypes contradicting the franchise's racial harmony themes is generally accepted, but don't use it or the fact the comic runs in the right-wing ''Daily Express'' to condemn ''the whole franchise''.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* While making fun of ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' was once acceptable, bashing the show ''way too hard'' has become a no-no in recent years, even among those who hate it. Many an example of [[PeripheryHatedom anti-Barney humor]] has since been seen as retroactively tasteless in recent years.
* The ''David Tench Tonight'' show once had an interview with Anthony and Murray of Music/TheWiggles wherein the band's characters were heavily mocked. It didn't go well. For more information, see it under {{Music}} below.
* ''Series/SesameStreet'' might as well be considered the AlternateCompanyEquivalent to the Mister Rogers example. Insulting or mocking the show or its characters within earshot of anybody who grew up with it is a ''very'' bad idea.
* If you say anything negative about ''Series/{{Zoom}}'', it will not end well. Ever.
** Though it is okay to say negative things about seasons 6 and 7 and their [=ZOOMers=].
* The trashing of the Series/BluePeter garden by vandals in TheEighties led to loud calls for those responsible to be hung, drawn and quartered.
* And Afrikaner comedian Casper de Vries was heavily criticized after doing an adult parody of kids' puppet show ''Series/DieLieweHeksie''.
* People who grew up with ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' don't like when the show is bashed due to it essentially being probably the best example of a preschool show done right.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* Music/TheWiggles, mainly the original quartet of Greg, Murray, Anthony and Jeff (although any era of the band counts), might as well be considered the Australian equivalent to the Mister Rogers example, as insulting or mocking them within earshot of their fans, their PeripheryDemographic, or pretty much anyone who grew up watching or listening to their material, is definitely a bad idea.
** The most egregious example of people messing with these guys and regretting it are the writers of a short-lived, [[BlackComedy "edgy"]] ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'' [[FollowTheLeader copy]] on Australia's Creator/NetworkTen, known as ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tench_Tonight David Tench Tonight]]'', which Murray and Anthony appeared on. When the animated (not to mention [[{{Jerkass}} crude and loudmouthed]]) host joked about killing [[BigFriendlyDog Wags the Dog]], Dorothy the Dinosaur going savage during a concert and turning [[FunnyOctopus Henry the Octopus]] into sushi, Anthony almost passed out and Murray (as well as the rest of the audience) thought that [[DudeNotFunny none of these "jokes" at their expense was funny]], to the point where the writers had to formally apologize to the band.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* If you bash Creator/DrSeuss based solely on his [[PoesLaw parodic newspaper cartoons]], the cheating on his wife that he regretted, or the racial stereotypes pointed out in some of his books in March 2021, it will not end well. ''Ever''.
* ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears''. Although quite a few critics hate it, taking on a CausticCritic tone when bashing the beloved book series is forbidden under any circumstances. Hanna Rosin of ''Slate'' saw the overall usage of this trope enforced upon her when she wrote a negative article about the series following Jan Berenstain's death (even going as far as to say "good riddance"), only for readers to angrily call her out on the status of the article as being in poor taste and [[SpeakIllOfTheDead insensitive tone]] she took, of which she subsequently apologized for.

[[AC:{{Toys}}]]
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''. The Film/TransformersFilmSeries (aside from ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}''), ComicBook/TheBeastWithin, or [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Kiss_Players_(franchise) Kiss Players]] is (mostly) fair game, but the franchise as a whole? ''Oooohhh no''. You, under any circumstances, cannot say that you don't like ''Transformers''.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Hating on ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder'' (or to be specific, the episodes ''before'' ''Ready, Steady, Build!'') isn't a good idea if Brits who grew up with it are within earshot.
* Do not say that you hate ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends''. It will never, ''EVER'' end well. ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' ended up receiving a lot of flak from ''Thomas'' fans for his ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndTheMagicRailroad'' review, and when British mother Tracy Van Slyke complained in a ''The Guardian'' article about supposed "racist undertones", "sexism" and "anti-enviromentalism" in the series [[InternetCounterattack she was met with a flaming response from the fandom]].
** The show has undergone periods of SeasonalRot at several points, [[BrokenBase but fans are divided upon when exactly it began.]] The general consensus, however, is that the first four seasons are untouchable.
* ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'' has a fandom that doesn't take hatred for it kindly. Don't even dare to call it a "[[Website/GoAnimate baby show]]".
* It's never a good idea to say anything negative about ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' or Steve Burns. Although, saying bad things about Joe and ''Series/BluesRoom'' are fair game.
* Apart from the shows listed in the True Art folder, dissing the beloved shows of the 90s/2000s around 90s/2000s kids, especially because they're "new" compared to your generation, will get you torches and pitchforks.
* It's not a good idea to bash ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' around Christians who grew up in the 90s. Even some people of other religions and Atheists consider the show untouchable.

!!'''{{National Anthem}}s'''

There is no faster way to get an entire nation angry at you than to mock (or parody) their national anthem. Even mocking your own is venturing into dangerous territory. Sports fans cross this line at their own peril.
* This was parodied in-universe in ''Film/TheNakedGun'' when Frank Drebin, disguised as an operatic tenor, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ZsDdK0sTI sang the American national anthem at a Major League Baseball game]]. ''[[DreadfulMusician Badly]].'' He ''outright butchers'' it and gets dirty looks from ''everyone'' in the stadium. (In fact, it was ''so bad'' the police were called in to throw him out.)
* The [=YouTube=] channel "My ASEAN" once made an parody of "Indonesia Raya" which insults the Indonesian president Joko Widodo, former Indonesian president Sukarno, and the country as a whole. It was disliked by Indonesians and resulted in the guy behind the offending channel getting arrested.


!!'''Depicting a flag upside down'''

Another quick way to anger an entire nation is to depict their flag upside down (except as a distress signal). Bonus points if the flag is a simple striped one and rotating it 180 degrees results in a flag of ''a different country''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
!!'''Pets'''

Pets are frequently likened to human children, and most people would never think of harming them. Playing animal abuse [[BlackComedyAnimalCruelty for laughs]] is an easy way to arouse fury from viewers; actually harming these creatures will incur their wrath. Concerning non-livestock animals very common to be pets such as cats, dogs, and certain types of fish and bird, those who openly say that they dine on those, ValuesDissonance notwithstanding, will incur the wrath of most people around the world.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* Once again averted in ''[[Radio/TrueCapitalist True Capitalist Radio]]''. A broadcast of the show was interrupted when Ghost's dog, Templeton, chewed on the wires and electrocuted himself. While Templeton didn't receive any injuries, the trolls were sure to [[NeverLiveItDown exploit this]] so Ghost would have another thing to be upset about.
** However, this was later played straight on the October 25th, 2016 broadcast, where a caller commented that he would slit a dog's throat if it ever attacked him. The trolls got so upset by this that they signed a successful petition [[PutOnABus to sign him off the show]]. While the trolls have no problem making [[BlackComedy dark jokes]] to get a rise out of Ghost, they've clearly shown their contempt for anyone that would sincerely harm an animal.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Gary the Snail from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''; while he does have his moments of [[SnarkyNonHumanSidekick snark]], he's the least likely of the main characters to pick up the JerkassBall, and thus the least deserving of being [[ButtMonkey the butt of a joke]]. Episodes that put him under significant distress, then [[PlayedForLaughs play it for laughs]] (i.e. "A Pal For Gary", "Pet Sitter Pat"), [[DudeNotFunny are met with unanimously negative reception]] (ones that [[PlayedForDrama play it for drama]], like with "Have You Seen This Snail?" and "Treats!" are better received).
* The ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'' episode "[[Recap/RenandStimpyAPC1x02RenSeeksHelp Ren Seeks Help]]" has the titular character [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals torture animals]] in his childhood. [[AudienceAlienatingPremise This alone]] makes it the most [[BrokenBase polarizing]] episode in the entire series. It doesn't help that each {{Flashback}} is animated in graphic, gut-wrenching detail.
* One of the reasons the Gene Deitch-directed ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoons are so reviled is due to them giving Tom a FatBastard owner who often gave him a heavy thrashing even at the slightest provocation. As for the Hanna/Barbera years, fans consider the greatest improvement from its early days to be the changing Tom's sounds of pain from animal to human-sounding.

[[/folder]]

* In chapter 6 ("The Superstar Falls") of the volume 15 ("Dream High - Artiste") of the Malaysian comic book series ''Profession'' ('''Chinese:''' 职业人气王 ''Zhíyè rénqì wáng),'' the character Jacob has a hatred of elderly peoples. When his car almost runs across an old beggar on an bridge, he "snubs" ("insults" or "is disrespectful to") him by telling him to "stop faking his injuries" and gives him money, telling him to leave. However, reporters take a photo of this and it becomes the headline of a newspaper the next day, which results in his downfall. Take a look of [[https://i.imgur.com/CuKrFhU.jpg this single page]] if you're interested.

!!'''Persons with Disabilities'''

''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' and Edward Cullen can be mocked to Kingdom Come, but Pattinson, who played Cullen in the series, is off limits. This is mostly because he dislikes the series and character as much as the detractors, and he has since taken up roles to dissociate himself from them. He proved that SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct in ''Film/GoodTime'', ''Film/TheLighthouse'', and ''{{Film/Tenet}}''. When he was announced to portray Batman in the [[Film/TheBatman2022 2022 film]], there was practically no backlash, as he had won over majority of his detractors by then.

This is [[TitleDrop Unacceptable Targets]]; the [[OppositeTropes flip side]] of AcceptableTargets, things that simply are not done. Doing so may result in anything from "DudeNotFunny" to the entire audience staring at you in StunnedSilence [[{{Beat}} for a split second before]] breaking out the TorchesAndPitchforks. Comedians, critics or others who gladly cross all the lines [[EveryoneHasStandards will still stop at this one]], no matter how bold they are. In short, some things are just unacceptable.

Although [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets his father is always fair game, as are his three oldest siblings]] (while Melania and Tiffany fall somewhere in the middle), it's considered extremely off-color to make fun of Barron Trump. Even comedians and TV shows that mock the entire Trump family, notably leave Barron out of it for a number of reasons. For starters, [[EveryoneHasStandards even people who hate Trump]] agree that Barron is somewhat of a "[[TokenGoodTeammate token good teammate]] and WhiteSheep" in the Trump family, as [[ChildrenAreInnocent he's a child]] so unlike the rest of his family, he can't be held accountable for any stupid political or business-related decisions made by his family. And of course, as mentioned above in "People in General", making fun of kids is seen as a very cheap shot anyway.

** However, this was later played straight on the October 25th, 2016 broadcast, where a caller commented that he would slit a dog's throat if it ever attacked him. The trolls got so upset by this that they signed a successful petition [[PutOnABus to sign him off the show]]. While the trolls have no problem making [[BlackComedy dark jokes]] to get a rise out of Ghost, [[EveryoneHasStandards they've clearly shown their contempt for anyone that would sincerely harm an animal]].

While most former U.S. Presidents have varying numbers of both supporters and detractors (and some, such as UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, are almost universally detested), there are a handful of former presidents who are so beloved by Americans -- both Republicans and Democrats alike -- that criticizing them (or at least their policies in office) is unacceptable. These presidents are: UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy and UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter.

This is [[TitleDrop Unacceptable Targets]]; the [[OppositeTropes flip side]] of AcceptableTargets, things that simply are not done. Doing so may result in anything from "DudeNotFunny" to the entire audience staring at you in StunnedSilence [[{{Beat}} for a split second before]] [[DisproportionateRetribution breaking out the]] TorchesAndPitchforks. Comedians, critics or others who gladly cross all the lines [[EveryoneHasStandards will still stop at this one]], no matter how bold they are. In short, some things are just unacceptable.

** In-universe only: in two-parter episode arc [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/SouthParkS10E3CartoonWarsPartOne Cartoon]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/SouthParkS10E4CartoonWarsPartTwo Wars]], the terrorists threatened [=FOX=] not to show Muhammad on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', and at the end, they still shows it, but in real-life, Comedy Central doesn't want to show the image of Muhammad, and Parker and Stone instead puts a black background explaining this. Despite that, the terrorists are still not happy about it and "retaliated" with a cartoon about Americans (even Jesus) crapping, in which he proves that's funnier than ''Family Guy''. [[note]]The two-parter episode [[BannedEpisode was not even on]] Creator/HBOMax because of the Muhammad controversy.[[/note]]

Stefan Karl, the talented and charismatic actor who played Robbie Rotten from the show ''Series/LazyTown'', became an unacceptable target after he was diagnosed with cancer back in October 2016, and even more so after his death in August 2018 from it, to the point where you are seen as a CompleteMonster if you mock his death or disrespect it, or at least get a massive DudeNotFunny reaction from the people around you. Making fun or hating on the many songs he has sung in ''Series/LazyTown'', '''especially''' "[[MemeticMutation We Are]] [[SignatureScene Number One]]", is also going to get you quite a bit of backlash. Even if they may not be relevant memes as they once were.

* The Twitter account "[=EtikaPunks=]" received flak from every direction when they announced [[https://twitter.com/EtikaPunks/status/1478555724871573510 they were selling Etika NFTs]]; one of them was a picture of Etika with a bridge in the background, [[DudeNotFunny referencing the bridge]] [[DrivenToSuicide Etika was said to have cast himself from]].

Make no mistake, [[{{Hypocrite}} Felicity]] [[CreatorsPet Smoak]] is far and away the most hated character in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' for many reasons, but her actress Creator/EmilyBettRickards is ''firmly'' off limits. She is seen as an outright saint in real life - she has raised money for charitable causes dedicated to fighting auto-immune diseases, sponsored a scholarship worth upwards of $250,000 out of her own pocket, is very nice and personable to her fans, and did "[[ShownTheirWork tons of research]]" when she discovered Felicity would become paralyzed. If anything, she is the most pitied out of everyone involved with the show since she's had to watch her character's reputation go down the drain through no fault of her own.

Not only is he one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, he's also reportedly one of the most kindhearted. He's starred in [[Film/ForrestGump so]] [[Film/SavingPrivateRyan many]] [[Film/Apollo13 famous]] [[Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn and]] [[Film/TheGreenMile widely]] [[Film/CastAway beloved]] [[Franchise/ToyStory films]], and has dozens of awards under his belt. In addition, his warm and fatherly personality has endeared him to adults and kids alike for many years. It's no wonder that he was cast as fellow Unacceptable Target Mr. Rogers in ''Film/ABeautifulDayInTheNeighborhood''.

* ''Series/LazyTown'' is an interesting case, so that's why it's here rather than in the NostalgiaFilter category below. In addition to the people who grew up with ''[=LazyTown=]'', there are many people who [[WatchItForTheMeme grew to like the series after]] "[[SignatureScene We Are]] [[Memes/LazyTown Number One]]" [[WatchItForTheMeme became popular]], especially the Music/SiIvaGunner community, since that's the channel that launched the meme in the first place. Saying anything bad about ''[=LazyTown=]'' and Stefan Karl Stefansson or that "We Are Number One" is a bad or dead meme is off-limits to both nostalgic ''[=LazyTown=]'' fans and [=SiIvaGunner=] memelords after Stefan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2016 and eventually passed away in 2018.

* ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'' is enjoyed by old-school fans who rejoiced at the return of the witty and well-written storyline and script from some of the writers of the [[Videogame/Fallout1 first]] [[Videogame/Fallout2 two]] Fallout games, and by new fans introduced by ''Videogame/Fallout3'' or ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series for improvement on the gameplay, atmosphere, design, and storyline over Fallout 3. Unless you are complaining about the bugs, issues or janky gameplay, in which fixes are aplenty thanks to the [[GameMod game modding]] community. VideoGame/Fallout76, however, is fair game due to its controversial launch.

** The ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER}}'' series (especially ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''), and for that matter anything made by Creator/ShigesatoItoi, is beyond criticism. Detractors will face the wrath of the Starmen.net community, [[Website/FourChan /v/]], Creator/{{Nintendo}} fans, and the fans of [[LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} all]] [[LetsPlay/NintendoCapriSun three]] [[LetsPlay/ProtonJon of]] LetsPlay/TheRunawayGuys.
*** Interestingly enough, ''Mother 3'' is actually looked at with a generally ''very'' negative fan sentiment from its home country, as explained halfway through [[http://earthboundcentral.com/2012/11/earthbound-central-qa-5/ this Q&A article]] from [=EarthboundCentral=] — perhaps, in America, due in large part to being officially unreleased, and the massive work of the fan-translation project several years later, ''Mother 3'' is seen as a Sacred Cow and Unacceptable Target in the West...but in Japan, that particular installment is ridiculed, bashed, and hated on the Japanese internet. Often. With many Japanese fans even considering Itoi to be "a washed-up old hack". Quite a strange example of region-specific aversion in the case of ''Mother 3''. However, of course, ''Mother 2''[=/=]''[=EarthBound=]'' is still very much true to this trope no matter which side of the Pacific you reside on, as is ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER|1}}'' to a lesser extent...unless you want to mock the extreme difficulty of the first game, particularly the final area or if you are [[WebVideo/{{Chrontendo}} Dr. Sparkle]] (He noted that it were mainly the pop culture elements that made the game unique and that it would otherwise have been a generic RPG and that the game had lots of flaws. He still said that it was the one of the two best games of the episodes (tied up with ''Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti'')).

* Despite negative stereotypes among common gamers concerning [[AllegedlyFreeGame free-to-play]] [[BribingYourWayToVictory games]], {{VideoGame/Warframe}} has been praised as an example of Free-to-play game done right, with surprisingly reasonable amount of monetization versus the unusually high production value and active community-developer relations of the live service-based MMO.

* From 2000-2009, Music/{{Eminem}} had a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZfLEhQY_lo running joke]] of continually [[TheDissTrack dissing]] Christopher "[[MaliciousMisnaming Reeves]]", [[BlackComedy entirely to wind people up]] (and because his name rhymes with so many different things). Over time, it develops from throwaway shock punchlines to Reeve becoming Eminem's SitcomArchNemesis (with Eminem [[TalkingToHimself rapping in character]] as an irate Reeve [[BadImpressionists in a deliberately poorly-researched impression]]). After Reeve's death in 2004, Eminem responded with the song "Rain Man" in which he bizarrely claims that he [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom caused the death by accidentally hexing Reeve as a child]], and pours one out for him in "My 1st Single" (Reeve says when Eminem dies, he'll kick his ass). In the 2009 song "Medicine Ball", Slim throws Christopher Reeve off a cliff, causing Reeve's ghost to insult him and challenge him to a breakdancing match. Slim later made a parodic apology for this in his 2009 Rap City Freestyle, saying he thought "Reeves" had the better [[AWildRapperAppears guest verse]] on "Medicine Ball" and making the obviously fake excuse, "''I did not even realise the guy died''".

While most former U.S. Presidents have varying numbers of both supporters and detractors (and some, such as UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, are almost universally detested), there are a handful of former presidents who are so beloved by Americans -- both Republican and Democratic alike -- that criticizing them (or at least their policies in office) is unacceptable. These presidents are: UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy and UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter.

While most former U.S. Presidents have varying numbers of both supporters and detractors (and some, such as UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, are almost universally detested), there are a handful of former presidents who are so beloved by Americans, both Republican and Democratic alike, that criticizing them (or at least their policies) is unacceptable. These presidents are: UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy and UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter.

A {{Once Acceptable Target|s}} mocked for [[DullSurprise questionable acting ability]] and his career going on a rut, has become this ever since his CareerResurrection in ''Film/JohnWick''. Keanu's an accomplished long-time actor, has had its share of life hardships, and is a certified NiceGuy, as shown in his performance in E3 2019, thus now making fun of him is seen as being in incredibly bad taste. That being said, his fandom, especially those on {{Website/Reddit}} are not immune from criticism by any stretch of the word, and their tendency to fawn over Reeves’ every move has spawned the ‘Reddit Moment’ meme based around documenting their rabid behaviour, as well as other general Redditor strangeness.

!!'''OnceAcceptableTargets'''

Some Once Acceptable Targets can also be Unacceptable Targets at times, although not always.

While most former U.S. Presidents have supporters and detractors (and some, such as UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, are almost universally detested), there are a handful of former presidents who are so beloved by Americans, both Republican and Democratic alike, that criticizing them (or at least their policies) is unacceptable. These presidents are: UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy and UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter.

Can sometimes be difficult to separate from OnceAcceptableTargets in cases where the subjects in question were mocked at one time by one people in the dark annals of history. Perhaps a good rule of thumb to distinguish between the two is ''"Oh, you're mocking the Once Acceptable Target? [[ValuesDissonance How behind-the-times you are.]] I will laugh derisively at you."'' vs. ''"You're mocking the Unacceptable Target? [[YouMonster YOU MONSTER]]!!!"''