History Main / YouFool

* WhatAnIdiot, the ''viewer's'' reaction to a ''character's'' stupidity.

The word "fool". Try it out. When someone [[YouHaveFailedMe disappoints you]] or does something stupid, throw the word out. C'mon, give it some gusto. You fool! You...[[LargeHam (deep breath, now) FOOL]]! Got the hang of it yet? No? It just [[{{Narm}} sounds silly]] in real life? Well, get used to it, because fiction? Fiction ''loves'' this word. It's the ultimate insult. Every villain uses it, every hero with a hasty friend uses it... hell, if we were to list every example we could find, that would take up too much webspace. It's so common. Only really prominent examples should be listed.

Interestingly, we may have the Hays Office's old [[MoralGuardians Production Code]] to thank for this. In the olden days, most mainstream works couldn't use profanity. How to show that your villain is one bad dude when his language is carefully scrubbed with bleach? Well, according to Literature/TheBible, whoever says "You fool!" is liable to fiery Gehenna. ([[Literature/TheFourGospels Matthew 5:22]])[[note]]"Fool" is used for the Greek word ''moros'', which can also be translated as "godless" or "heathen" - a possible interpretation of the verse is that if you tell others they will go to Hell, you deserve to end up there yourself.[[/note]] Thus, having your villain call his rival a fool allowed the audience to know that this guy was bad news without resorting to using any verboten words.

This also serves to elevate the villain above their underlings (and often the hero as well), since most "Fool!" users tend to be characters of a higher social class/state of being. In other words, the villain is simply above the use of such vulgar colloquial terms as "idiot," "moron,"[[note]] which, ironically, is derived from ''moros''[[/note]] or "stupid dumbass."

* "Foolish mortal!" in case the one who said it is a greater being than human.

[[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You're seriously browsing TV Tropes?]] You fool!

[[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You're seriously browsing TV Tropes?]] You fool!

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': In Puyo Puyo Tetris, one of Satan/The Dark Prince's voice lines when attacking has him saying the trope verbatim.

* ''StarWars'' villains seem prone to this:

* Dr. Light from ''ComicBook/MegaMan'' shouts this to himself after Wily (unsurprisingly) betrays him and steals the robot they've worked on.

* At the end of Creator/HPLovecraft's short story "The Statement of Randolph Carter", after his companion Warren has ventured into the depths of a sinister cavern beneath a graveyard, the eponymous individual hears an unearthly voice from the other end of their radio-line: "[[spoiler: You fool! Warren is DEAD]]!"

** Venger, the big bad from the [[WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons cartoon]], would often call the heroes fools, or foolish.

* In ''VideoGame/LANoire'', during the case "Buyer Beware", Cole calls Clovis Galletta a "little fool" for worrying about [[SkewedPriorities whether she'll lose the earrings she was attempting to buy from a man her boss murdered not five minutes earlier]].

--> '''Cole Phelps''': ''You could lose your freedom, you little fool, if you don't stop obstructing a murder investigation.''

* In ''VideoGame/LANoire'', during the case "Buyer Beware", Cole calls Clovis Galleta a "little fool" for obstructing a murder investigation and worrying about [[SkewedPriorities whether she'll lose the earrings she was attempting to buy from a man her boss murdered not five minutes earlier]].
--> ''You could lose your freedom, you little fool, if you don't stop obstructing a murder investigation.

* In the Switch version of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', the [[BlobMonster Giant Buzz Blob]] will call you a fool and tell you to try something else if you attack it with your sword before using Magic Powder on it.

--> '''Filbert the Flea:''' ... as I light the fuse - ''(lights a miniature cannon)''

** Earlier, he also made the following remark due to Pippin's curiosity in the Mines of Moria giving their position away, "[[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fool%20of%20a%20took Fool of a Took.]]"

** Shinnok does this to Daegon in Armageddon. [[https://youtu.be/oPbIQi9dQFU?t=797 It is followed by a magic slap]].

* [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0494722/ This trope had its own reality TV show]]...

Interestingly, we may have the Hays Office's old [[MoralGuardians Production Code]] to thank for this. In the olden days, most mainstream works couldn't use profanity. How to show that your villain is one bad dude when his language is carefully scrubbed with bleach? Well, according to Literature/TheBible, whoever says "You fool!" is liable to fiery Gehenna. ([[Literature/TheFourGospels Matthew 5:22]])[[note]] "Fool" is used for the Greek word ''moros'', which can also be translated as "godless" or "heathen" - a possible interpretation of the verse is that if you tell others they will go to Hell, you deserve to end up there yourself [[/note]] Thus, having your villain call his rival a fool allowed the audience to know that this guy was bad news without resorting to using any verboten words.

This also serves to elevate the villain above their underlings (and often the hero as well), since most "Fool!" users tend to be characters of a higher social class/state of being. In other words, the villain is simply above the use of such vulgar colloquial terms as "idiot", "moron"[[note]] which, ironically, is derived from ''moros''[[/note]], or "stupid dumbass".

** In a Mages' Guild quest in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', a count's steward informs you that the count wishes to meet you outside of town at 2 am. The steward shows up there with a couple of necromancers, tells you that he tricked you, and tries to kill you. The count himself arrives and helps save you. Afterward, he angrily says: "You impossible fool. What possessed you to think I would suggest a meeting here, of all places?"

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Eviless says to the prisoners at Reformation Island who tell her they don't want their Venus Girdles removed ''You Fools! You've let the Amazons break your spirit--''

* PlayedForLaughs in one sketch on ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', in which a gangster accidentally [[FelonyMisdemeanor leaves his car on the meter too long]].

-->'''Gang Leader:''' [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous Five minutes overdue?]] You fool! ''YOU FOOL!''