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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 6 | [[quoteright:322:[[Webcomic/GirlGenius https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wham.PNG]]]] |
| 7 | ->''"Honesty is fatal, it should be taboo\ |
| 8 | Diligence a fate I would hate\ |
| 9 | If charity means giving, I give it to you\ |
| 10 | And fidelity is only for your mate."'' |
| 11 | -->-- '''Mordred''', "The Seven Deadly Virtues", ''Theatre/{{Camelot}}'' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[GoodSamaritan Compassion]], [[GreaterNeedThanMine generosity]], [[ThouShaltNotKill mercy]], [[HonestyIsTheBestPolicy honesty]], [[CodeOfHonour honor]], [[UndyingLoyalty loyalty]], [[ForGreatJustice justice]], [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]], and [[TheFourLoves love]]. It is through these values by which people are able to cooperate and society is able to function. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | One way to show a bad guy really KickTheDog is to express his distaste for these virtues. It's not that he absolutely [[EvilCannotComprehendGood can't comprehend good]]; he understands exactly what goodness entails, and views it as an unnecessary burden that would hold him back and a weakness to be exploited in others. Though it is possible for the bad guy to share both of these tropes, in that the villain may not understand it at first, but later on, might scoff at such a concept with ridicule. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | This is a very common subject when the BigBad is confronted by the hero and tries to BreakThemByTalking. It's also common for the villain to give a short speech about this when the hero is confronted with the choice of killing the villain and [[ThouShaltNotKill refuses to kill him]]. The hero usually responds by it is [[TheFettered from good where his strength comes]] and that [[PatrickStewartSpeech it's through the power of goodness that a diverse species as humans were able to succeed]]. Depending on where the work falls on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, the hero may be vindicated... [[DownerEnding or not]]. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Belief in this is a telltale sign of being TheSociopath, TheUnfettered, or TheSocialDarwinist who sees empathy for others as a bad trait in favor of a literal struggle between life and death. This can be one of the JerkJustifications for a character to be a {{Jerkass}} with a LackOfEmpathy. TheUnapologetic may [[NeverMyFault justify themselves]] for not apologizing by believing that remorse makes a person weak. Someone who holds grudges and [[RejectedApology never accepts apologies]] sees forgiving someone as a sign of weakness. A lot of the time, this tends to be the rationalization of someone who thinks ItsAllAboutMe. Cynically interpreted, one who believes this can be seen as the {{Ubermensch}}. This may also be invoked by an AntiHero to justify fighting dirty to win, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo by any means necessary]]. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | For some explanation of ''why'' this view is wrong, see our [[Analysis/VirtueIsWeakness analysis page]]. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | See also StrawNihilist, who believes that good is pointless rather than a weakness (though it's not uncommon for many villains to believe both). Supertrope to LoveIsAWeakness. Contrast EvilVirtues, where evil displays virtues/morals in order to [[PragmaticVillainy be effective]]. Compare and Contrast GoodIsNotSoft and BewareTheNiceOnes, in which a virtuous character actively demonstrates the (potentially fatal) error in this thinking. Expect bad guys who believe in this trope to [[TargetedToHurtTheHero attack whoever the hero loves as psychological warfare]]. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | !!Examples: |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 29 | |
| 30 | [[folder:Animation]] |
| 31 | * ''Animation/AgentAli'': Aaron Edison thinks that emotions and enthusiasm (as well as health) interfere in labor force, leading him to make a MindControlDevice to do away with these "obstructions of progress". When Dr. Tong outcries his invention as inhumane and threatens to fire him, Aaron takes control of his mind to make him resign as CEO and transfer the position to Aaron. |
| 32 | [[/folder]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 35 | * ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'': [[spoiler:Claire Stanfield]] has a weird {{inverted|Trope}} way of looking at this. Specifically, he believes virtues like mercy and compassion are ''strengths'' that only the truly strong are privileged to possess since they can afford to let them backfire without worry for themselves. [[WorldsStrongestMan And he's the strongest guy around]]. |
| 36 | * ''Manga/DeathNote'': When Soichiro chooses to try to arrest Mello rather than kill him with the Death Note as Light expected him to do, despite the fact that Mello had kidnapped and [[BreakTheCutie traumatized]] Sayu, Light is annoyed and openly declares it an act of stupidity. Light's way of thinking comes back to bite him hard when, later on, he mocks Soichiro in front of his former assistant Matsuda, [[spoiler:which ''pisses Matsuda off'', enough to fly into a fit of rage and shoot Light's right hand, preventing Light from writing into the Death Note, and then shoots him ''four'' more times for good measure]]. |
| 37 | * ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': |
| 38 | ** When Goku attempts to allow Captain Ginyu to leave if he will only apologize and promise to never hurt anyone again, Ginyu mocks him and says a soft-hearted person will never defeat him. |
| 39 | ** Freeza has ''nothing'' but disgust and contempt for Goku for showing mercy to him, and even goes so far as to mock him for it point-blank. In ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection 'F']]'', he says that Gohan choosing not to kill any of his {{Mooks}} actually makes him sick. |
| 40 | ** Vegeta is a firm believer of this, to the extent that during the Buu Saga, he let himself be enslaved by Babidi's magic because he wanted to rid himself of the feelings he had developed for Earth and his family. By the end of the series, he realizes otherwise and has embraced virtues like love and friendship, though he's still in the GoodIsNotNice camp. |
| 41 | ** The Saiyan race as a whole believe traits like compassion, forgiveness, love, and even family bonds to be weaknesses. They call it "going soft" and it's part of the reason Vegeta despises Goku for so long; he's a Saiyan who gained incredible power in spite of these "weaknesses". |
| 42 | * ''Anime/DuelMasters'': Duels sometimes become real and the monsters inflict real damage. Since Shobu doesn't want to hurt anyone, he tries to avoid attacking directly and instead get his opponent to surrender if he is in a position to win. Sometimes this works, other times his opponent or a bystander will mock him for being weak and refuse to acknowledge his victory unless he actually attacks. |
| 43 | * The ''Franchise/FateSeries''' take on [[WorldsStrongestMan Gilgamesh]] has a complicated view on this as he's canonically mocked ''and'' praised virtues, which seems to vary depending upon the person he's talking to. |
| 44 | ** In ''Literature/FateZero'', Gilgamesh at first sees [[BoisterousBruiser Rider]] as a fool for challenging him for the Grail, but ultimately comes to view him as a WorthyOpponent upon seeing the strength of his convictions and his bonds of loyalty and friendship with his warriors. He even goes so far as to spare the life of Rider's Master Waver simply because his loyalty to his Servant/king was so strong, praising him for it. As for Saber, while he mocks her desire he does find a fascination for her convictions and willpower, as well as her [[ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou stubborn refusal to ever be his]], which is why he's attracted to her. |
| 45 | ** In ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'', Gilgamesh defeats Berserker with ease because he wouldn't stop shielding Illya from his attacks. Gilgamesh mocks him and says if Berserker had just abandoned the child to her fate and attacked him full force, he might have stood a chance. He also mocks Shirou and Rin for wasting time trying to save Shinji's life when killing him would have accomplished their goal faster (stopping him from being the host of the Holy Grail). In both these cases, he sees Illya and Shinji as beneath notice (Illya is an ArtificialHuman whose only purpose is to be the Grail, and Shinji is a [[HateSink pretty despicable human being]]) and wouldn't see why anyone would fight to save their lives. |
| 46 | * ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': Emperor Molto Sol Augustus shows contempt for Japan's policy of caring for and rescuing as many citizens as possible, unlike his Empire which doesn't care about "peasants" and will sacrifice as many men as needed to achieve victory. He declares that in spite of Japan's superior military might, their compassion is a sentimental weakness that can be exploited. [[spoiler:The Empire fails to find a way to exploit it and loses.]] |
| 47 | * ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': During the later part of the series, Naraku states outright that just seeing Inuyasha and his companions show mercy to Kanna, who he had sent on a SuicideMission to kill them, actually makes him sick. |
| 48 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': As part of his [[BreakThemByTalking Breaking Speech]] on Hinata during the Chunin Exams preliminaries, Neji tells her that her kind and compassionate nature makes her weak and unfit to be the heiress of the Hyuga Clan. It almost gets through, [[ShutUpHannibal until Naruto snaps her out of it]]. |
| 49 | * It's a common theme for the villains of ''Manga/OnePiece'' to share this sentiment; some of the best examples are: |
| 50 | ** [[CombatPragmatist Don]] [[MoreDakka Krieg]] from the Baratie Arc considers sympathy, pride, and honor as signs of weakness and is willing to [[BadBoss kill anyone in his crew for showing it.]] |
| 51 | ** [[DishingOutDirt Crocodile]] and a few Baroque Works Officer Agents during the Alabasta Arc see camaraderie [[TrueCompanions beyond professionalism and]] [[ThePowerOfFriendship a common goal]] as a sign of weakness. [[spoiler:Crocodile and [[TheDragon Daz Bones]] now softened their view a bit.]] |
| 52 | ** [[spoiler:Pre-timeskip]], Bellamy mocks Luffy for believing in his dreams, and declares the present is all that matters. [[CurbstompBattle He gets one good punch in the face for it.]] [[spoiler:Post-timeskip, he got over it and even thanks Luffy for giving him a reality check.]] |
| 53 | ** Post-Timeskip shows [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Hody Jones]] laughing at [[PrincessClassic Princess]] [[GentleGiant Shirahoshi]] for not hating him [[spoiler:while knowing that Hody was the her mother's real killer the whole time, because that would go against her mother's wishes]]. Speaking of which, Hody and his crew would see any of their fellow merfolk and fishmen attempting peace with the humans as [[CategoryTraitor traitors]]. |
| 54 | ** Vinsmoke Judge -a.k.a [[spoiler:Sanji's father]]- is a firm believer of this. He considers [[spoiler:Sanji]] feeding common folk — "rats", as he calls them — to be disgusting, as "royalty should never serve commoners" in his mind. He's also not big on mercy, believing that those with power have a right to brutalize the weak. The worst, and possibly most self-destructive part? [[KickTheDog He considers being a chef a worthless profession]], [[EvilIsPetty certainly not one fit for "royalty."]] All his children [[spoiler:bar Sanji]] share this mindset [[spoiler:because he engineered them in-utero no have no "weaknesses"]]. It would seem none of them have heard the old adage "armies march on their stomachs." [[spoiler:''Ironically'', when his supposed allies the Big Mom pirates decide to kill him and his children, he devolves into a blubbering mess begging for someone to save him.]] |
| 55 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'': [[{{Jerkass}} Paul]] is firmly convinced that befriending one's Pokémon is a waste of time, and regularly abandons any Pokémon of his that he considers weak or doesn't meet his expectations. This bites him in the ass when Ash takes in a Chimchar he abandoned, raises it into an Infernape, and defeats him in the Pokémon league with it. |
| 56 | * In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', shortly after Madoka's best friend Sayaka becomes a magical girl, Madoka talks about it with Homura. Madoka mentions Sayaka's primary virtues- she's kind, she's brave and she's selfless- only for Homura to bluntly state that those qualities make Sayaka ill-suited to being a magical girl. [[spoiler:Homura turns out to be right, as Sayaka ends up falling into despair and becoming a witch]]. |
| 57 | * ''Anime/YuGiOh'': During Pharaoh Atem and Thief King Bakura's battle, Bakura suddenly has his monster Diabound fire energy blasts at the citizens. Bakura mocks the Pharaoh as a fool when he has Slifer the Sky Dragon shield the citizens, giving Bakura the advantage. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/YuGiOhGX'': While she was a villain, Reggie [=MacKenzie=] claimed that love and other human bonds are nothing but shackles. |
| 59 | * ''Manga/YuGiOh5Ds'': Jack Atlas, [[AdaptationalJerkass who is even more of an asshole than his]] [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds anime counterpart]], challenges Yusei to a duel. Yusei tries to decline as he is trying to get his unconscious friend Sect to a hospital, but Jack forces him to duel and mocks his friendship, saying friends are nothing but shackles. When Jack makes his final attack, Yusei is about to activate his facedown card but notices Sect is falling into a river and jumps away to save him, losing as a result. Jack examines Yusei's abandoned cards and sees that his facedown card would have destroyed Jack's monster if it had been played. Instead of acknowledging Yusei as the true winner, Jack throws the card away and mocks Yusei for putting his friend above victory. |
| 60 | [[/folder]] |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 63 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Jim Gordon's sociopathic serial killer son James Gordon Jr. believes that empathy is a weakness. |
| 64 | * The BigBad in the first ''ComicBook/{{Blacksad}}'' comic book is a notorious CorruptCorporateExecutive who murdered his mistress (Blacksad's former girlfriend) in cold blood and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney uses his vast wealth to put himself above the law]]. When Blacksad tracks him down to exact vengeance, the bad guy taunts him that he doesn't have it in him to perform a VigilanteExecution because Blacksad is held down by his moral scruples. The villain prides himself on being TheUnfettered. [[spoiler:Blacksad blows his brains out, noting afterwards that he wouldn't have been able to go through with it if his target wasn't such a SmugSnake about it.]] |
| 65 | * ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'': "What fools, who mistake honor for weakness." Usagi usually gets called a coward when he refuses to fight, in this case in a duel for other people to bet on with an opponent who is clearly not on Usagi's level but has been goaded by his agent. [[spoiler:Unbeknownst to him, his "agent" knows exactly how good Usagi is and doesn't want to share the winnings.]] |
| 66 | * ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': In a prequel story it is shown that Judge Fire tracked down two Dark Judges who had gone rogue, one of whom was a female colleague that he was infatuated with. When he confronts them, he kills her sycophantic subordinate on the grounds that "love is a crime". |
| 67 | * ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'': Xander believes Mega Man is weak because he refuses to kill him. |
| 68 | * In ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFeatsOfFriendship'', Swift Foot (and the Thracians as a whole) considers friendship to be a "vile lie" and a "weakness", which she hopes to expose by ruining the Feats of Friendship. |
| 69 | * ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': |
| 70 | ** In ''ComicBook/TwoForTheDeathOfOne'', Lord Satanis firmly believes that MightMakesRight, and he derides Superman as a fool for protecting people instead of lording over them. |
| 71 | --->'''Superman:''' You killed them? Just like that? Satanis, you're filth!\ |
| 72 | '''Satanis:''' Hardly, Superman. I am simply one who acknowledges his destiny. I am one who hungers for power and will do whatever must be done to sate my cravings! But you could never understand that, could you? You possess great powers, yet you squander them away helping mindless dolts who could never appreciate what you do for them. |
| 73 | ** In ''[[ComicBook/SupergirlRebirth Rebirth]]'' story ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'', a weakened Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} is wrestling with Splyce when all of sudden the alien villain incinerates a little girl who was just running by. Seeing Supergirl's horrified expression, Splyce mocks her compassion. Kara angrily retorts compassion isn't a weakness, and in spite of being weakened, rips Splyce's tentacles off. |
| 74 | --->'''Splyce:''' Your affection for the weak is baffling! And it is your downfall!\ |
| 75 | '''Supergirl:''' Caring about the vulnerable isn't a weakness! ''[ripping Splyce's tentacles off]'' It is my biggest strength! |
| 76 | ** ''ComicBook/ThePhantomZone'': General Zod believed he could launch a successful coup because a desire for peace and fellowship had surely made Kryptonians weak and pliable. He discovers his error when his army is quickly crushed. |
| 77 | --->"But like many before him-- and since-- the General mistook peace for complacency, and mercy for lack of resolve. Now, as Krypton defends its tradition of tranquility, Zod discovers his error... |
| 78 | ** ''ComicBook/ThePlagueOfTheAntibioticMan'': Amalak believes Superman's unwillingness to kill anyone is a sign of weakness and stupidity. He even gloats that Superman and Supergirl should have killed him when they had the chance because he does not intend to waste his second chance to kill them. |
| 79 | --->'''Amalak:''' '''"'Last rites'? Come on, Superman-- You do not really mean that! It is against your personal code to kill any living being! And that will be your undoing! You two should have killed me-- when you had the chance! You will not get another!"'' |
| 80 | * The [[XenomorphXerox Brood]] in ''ComicBook/XMen''. The known "[[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch Mutant Brood]]" are born with empathy; mutant Brood are quickly eliminated by normal Brood who see love, empathy, and friendship as a virus or a deadly disease that must be eradicated, as these mutant Brood are seen as a threat to Brood society. The only empathic Brood allowed to live would be [[ComicBook/PlanetHulk No-Name]] of the Warbound and Broo. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 84 | * In ''ComicStrip/{{Retail}}'', Stuart, Josh, and Brice all are of the mindset that blind loyalty to upper management is more important, and things like empathy, loyalty to fellow employees, and common sense are weaknesses, causing them to constantly butt heads with Marla. Josh ends up fired by Marla after she finds out he lied about getting a better offer from Delman's to get a raise, then gloated about it after he gave his two weeks' notice; later, Brice is forced to eat humble pie after finding all the flaws in this mindset (and finding out just how much ''worse'' retail can be after a stint as Mina's assistant manager) and [[spoiler:Marla and most of the staff quit abruptly once they find out Grumbel's is going into bankruptcy, leaving Stuart with only a skeleton crew to run the liquidation sales]]. |
| 85 | [[/folder]] |
| 86 | |
| 87 | [[folder:Fairy Tales]] |
| 88 | * ''Literature/HowJackSoughtTheGoldenApples'': The two older princes scoff at Jack for wanting to find the cure to save their father (as opposed to gaining his favor), claiming that he'll never get anywhere with that attitude. It comes back to bite them when he's the only one to get a happy ending. |
| 89 | [[/folder]] |
| 90 | |
| 91 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 92 | * ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction, Alan Jonah doesn't have a high opinion of {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s, as shown in Chapter 6. Word of God comments that Ni/Elder Brother associates goodness and love with weakness, and [=MaNi's=] behavior towards San-Who-Could-Have-Been/Youngest Brother shows this in Chapter 16. |
| 93 | * ''Fanfic/AgreementAndDisputation'': At one point, Holmes tells Watson that only determinedly ruthless people accomplish anything in life. Watson retorts that they then usually get themselves killed by exasperating the populace. Later, after seeing Watson donate to a paper seller who lost much of his stock to wind, Holmes notes that it's no wonder he constantly runs short on money, given his softheartedness. |
| 94 | * ''Fanfic/DoubleTheTrouble'': Krumple, the Kremling commander, considers the Kongs weak and feeble-minded because they care for family and friends. |
| 95 | -->The apes had just left one very important detail. They were such weak-minded creatures, obsessed with family and friends. But Kremlings lacked such compassion for their fellow beings. It was a weakness, not a strength. |
| 96 | * ''Fanfic/FateKill'': The town of Calla has policies like helping the poor and distributing food and supplies to people who can't afford it. Several merchants refuse to trade with Calla because they think Calla's policies make them weak-minded fools. |
| 97 | * ''Fanfic/FatesCollide'': Jaune Arc nearly effortlessly blocks [[EvilKnockoff Jaune Alter's]] attacks, until Alter aims at Arc's injured horse. Arc blocks the attack but creates an opening that allows Alter to knock his shield away. Alter calls Arc stupid and says protecting others makes him weak. |
| 98 | * In ''Fanfic/HeartsOfIce'', Cologne chides Shampoo for not killing Akane right after giving her the Kiss of Death, and even Shampoo regards herself as weak for showing compassion and unwillingness to kill. |
| 99 | -->Shampoo had never killed anyone before. She knew she had it in her to do it, but deep inside her soul, in a place she didn't like to admit existed, she didn't want to. For an Amazon, these pangs of... mercy?... were an unforgivable weakness. |
| 100 | * In ''Fanfic/IAgainstIMeAgainstYou'', [[BigBad The Director]] tells Celestia this [[spoiler:after he reveals his intentions to hold Canterlot hostage with the ''Mother of Invention'']]: |
| 101 | -->'''Director:''' ''Perhaps now you see the cost of letting your conscience take precedence?'' |
| 102 | * ''Fanfic/TheKakashiWay'': Danzo quite firmly believes that any kind of compassion or emotional attachment to others is a weakness -- one he ruthlessly aimed to exploit against anyone he perceived to be a threat against his plans to become the next Hokage. As Hiruzen, Inoichi, Jiraiya and others dig into Danzo's personal records, they discover that his machinations resulted in many more casualties than they'd realized -- for instance, he had a hand in [[spoiler:the Kannabi bridge incident, targeting Team Seven because Minato "shared Hiruzen's weakness"]]. |
| 103 | * ''Fanfic/KingdomHearts3FinalStand'': |
| 104 | ** A key factor in [[AbusiveParents Orochi Mae's]] beliefs. In both ''How We Met'' and ''Radiant Garden Renegades'' chapter 5, he mocks Kaname to his face for his kindness and compassion; in the latter story, he goes so far as to [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]] in front of him out of spite for said compassion. |
| 105 | ** The crux of Braig's beliefs. He even states as such in a rant to Sasuke in ''Re:Final Stand'' chapter 34, stating it's what he hated the most while he worked for Ansem and the guard: |
| 106 | --->'''Braig:''' Always the same with you! Always about your pitiful loyalist ideals! I hate that about you most of all! I hated that about the guard, and I certainly hated that about Yamato and especially Kaname! Heck, even Sora is now getting on my nerves with all his talk about his friends being his power! People who fight for those other than themselves don't survive! |
| 107 | * ''Fanfic/TheNuptialverse'' has a few examples: |
| 108 | ** Queen Chrysalis in ''Metamorphosis'' not only doesn't understand [[EvilCannotComprehendGood why Twilight still fights for them]], despite all of them having cold-heartedly left her but is disgusted at the fact. |
| 109 | ** The sequel, ''Directions'' after Trixie is freed from the Alicorn Amulet, Olive Branch laughs at the idea that she would feel remorse over it. In the same story, [[spoiler:Chrysalis in her second appearance]] gave Rarity a ShutUpKirk speech on how the Mane Five got over their guilt in the wedding over the past year. |
| 110 | * ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': Makarov mocks Shining Armor for lacking the willingness to sacrifice his men to achieve victory. |
| 111 | * Played more sympathetically in ''Fanfic/RabbitOfTheMoon''. Bell's innate kindness does him more harm than good when he's pitted against the turned Father Gascoigne. His attempts to reason with Gascoigne fall on deaf ears and Bell is left shaken and heartbroken when he's finally forced to kill him. Gehrman even warns Bell that his kindness is misplaced when dealing with maddened Hunters. |
| 112 | * ''Fanfic/ReapersAmongFairies'': Minerva uses Milianna as a hostage to try to force Erza and Ichigo to surrender, gloating that their compassion and desire to protect others is their weakness. This backfires when Ichigo points out that since he wants to protect others, he will not hesitate to do what is necessary. He uses a FlashStep to get right next to Minerva and [[ShootTheHostageTaker stabs her to make her drop Milianna]]. |
| 113 | * ''Fanfic/RemnantInferisDOOM'': Marcus Black says he admires the Doom Slayer's strength and skill, and if Doom Slayer stopped protecting people, he would be a perfect warrior. |
| 114 | * ''Fanfic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'': The original Falla had nothing but disgust and contempt for both Luna and Complica, her ''own sisters'', for their NiceGirl attitudes; she even went so far as to send Complica to her death, deeming her a disgrace to the chronofly species for her kindness. Of course, as a whole, the chronoflies were a peaceful, reclusive race, with Falla [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch as the main exception]]. |
| 115 | [[/folder]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 118 | * In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', the BigBad Commander Lyle T. Rourke shows complete confusion and frustration when his crew felt remorse for condemning Atlantis to death and mocks them for it. |
| 119 | -->'''Rourke:''' Aw, you can't be serious.\ |
| 120 | '''Audrey:''' This is wrong and you know it!\ |
| 121 | '''Rourke:''' We're this close to our biggest payday ever and you pick ''now of all times'' [[HeelRealization to grow a conscience?!]] |
| 122 | * [[FallenHero Nidhiki]] tells his [[WeUsedToBeFriends old comrade]] [[TheParagon Lhikan]] this in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: Legends of Metru Nui'' after he throws down his weapons in surrender upon seeing Nidhiki hold Vakama over the lava forge, [[KickTheDog right before dropping him anyways]] as a last "screw you" for his and Lhikan's troubled past together. Luckily, Lhikan is still able to save Vakama with a well-timed kick of his shield that gets him to safety. He likely gets it from his BadBoss The Shadowed One, who views virtues like friendship and honor as shackles that hold one back and are only good for manipulating ''others'' to his side (like promising to help someone find his OnlyFriend in exchange for services...while secretly keeping said friend imprisoned deep within his own fortress). |
| 123 | -->'''Nidhiki:''' Compassion... was always your weakness, brother. ''(drops Vakama)'' |
| 124 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'': |
| 125 | ** Syndrome gives a very KickTheDog version after Mr. Incredible refuses to kill [[TheDragon Mirage]], even in the face of his family's (seeming) death. |
| 126 | --->'''Syndrome:''' I knew you couldn't do it, even when you had nothing to lose! You're weak! And I've outgrown you. |
| 127 | ** Mirage later rebuts it, ultimately [[HeelFaceTurn turning against Syndrome in the process]]: |
| 128 | --->'''Mirage:''' [[ShutUpHannibal He's not weak, you know. Valuing life is not a weakness. And disregarding it is not strength.]] |
| 129 | * Titan in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' shoots down Roxanne's belief that there's good in everyone after she tries to reason with him. |
| 130 | -->'''Titan:''' You're so naive, Roxy. You see the good in everybody even when it's not there. You're living in a fantasy! There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, [[EskimosArentReal and there is no Queen of England]]! [[ThisIsReality This is the real world, and you need to wake up!]] |
| 131 | * ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheGhoulSchool'': Revolta spies on Dracula using his cape to shield the Mummy from the rain. She says in disgust that she used to admire the classic monsters, but now they have become soft. She aims to take over the world and eliminate all forms of kindness. |
| 132 | [[/folder]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 135 | * In ''Film/{{Alien}}'', Ash expresses an [[AdmiringTheAbomination admiration for the extra-terrestrial monster]] which is stalking and killing off the Nostromo's crew. He prizes it for being a remorseless predator who survives because it is "unclouded by delusions of morality". |
| 136 | * In ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', Mr. Freeze [[HarmlessFreezing zaps]] Robin, forcing Batman into a SadisticChoice: "Chase the villain or save the boy." He concludes, "Emotion makes you weak. That's why the day is mine. I'll kill you next time." |
| 137 | * ''Film/BladeTrilogy'': |
| 138 | ** In ''Film/Blade1998'', Deacon Frost taunts Blade about his humanity and escapes from him in one scene by throwing a little girl into traffic and forcing Blade to waste time saving her. |
| 139 | ** In ''Film/BladeTrinity'', Drake also taunts Blade about his humanity and escapes from him in one scene by throwing a baby into the air and forcing Blade to waste time catching him. |
| 140 | * ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'': |
| 141 | ** ''Film/BatmanBegins'' has [[KnightTemplar Ducard]] trying to talk [[TechnicalPacifist Bruce]] into executing a criminal during his martial arts training, arguing that Bruce's compassion is a weakness that his enemies will not share. Bruce counters that that's ''why'' compassion is so important since it's [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim what makes him different from his enemies]]. |
| 142 | ** In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', once Gotham's top crime bosses call a truce to take down Batman, they discuss the fact that Batman does not kill and how it is a reason to not really fear him at all. [[spoiler:Batman later proves the mafia leader, Sal Maroni, wrong by dropping him from a non-lethal, yet quite painful height.]] |
| 143 | * In ''Film/Downfall2004'', Adolf Hitler gives a speech during one of the dinners in the bunker that he believes it is natural and right that [[TheSocialDarwinist the strong should kill off the weak]], citing how apes bash in the skulls of smaller ones during fights. He calls compassion towards other people a "natural sin" and morality a human flaw. Although humorously enough, after giving this speech, he receives news that Himmler and his forces have surrendered to the advancing Anglo-American allies (who are certainly the "strong" in this situation) and flies into an explosive rage, calling him a traitor with no morals. A rather meta case of MoralMyopia. |
| 144 | * In ''Film/FlashGordon1980'', as Flash is going to be executed, Dale is crying. Ming the Merciless and his daughter have this exchange: |
| 145 | -->'''Aura:''' Look! Water is leaking from her eyes!\ |
| 146 | '''Ming:''' It's what they call "tears". It's a sign of their weakness. |
| 147 | * In ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'', Ozaki holds back when sparring because he doesn't want to hurt his teammates and cares more about saving people than fighting the bad guys. His teammate Kazama angrily lectures him that his compassion is holding him back. [[spoiler:Later, when Kazama is BrainwashedAndCrazy, Ozaki defeats him without killing him. A grateful Kazama admits he was wrong before pulling a HeroicSacrifice.]] |
| 148 | * This is more distaste for one virtue, but in ''Film/TheKarateKid1984'', Sensei Kreese delivers a denigrating speech about mercy to his students. |
| 149 | -->''"Mercy is for the weak. We do not train to be merciful here. If a man faces you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy."'' |
| 150 | ** This of course comes back to bite him in the rear. After a student is permanently banned from future competitions when he forces the kid to show "no mercy" in the climactic POINT SPARRING TOURNAMENT, followed by his vicious assault on his senior student for failure to win (and then his humiliating defeat at the hands of a most definitely merciful Miyagi), his students all leave him and the third film in the trilogy shows him bankrupt and ruined as a result. It goes to the point that it takes Johnny inadvertently training a new generation of bullies in ''Series/CobraKai'' for Kreese to swoop right in and take the dojo back - all because, even as Johnny attempted to move on from the happenings of three decades ago, he couldn't shed the old Cobra Kai creed: "strike first, strike hard, no mercy". |
| 151 | * ''Film/JonahHex2010'': When Turnbull uses Lilah as a shield, Jonah cannot bring himself to risk shooting her and surrenders. Turnbull mocks him, saying his inability to sacrifice anyone to achieve victory is his weakness. |
| 152 | * In ''Film/AKnightsTale'', Adhemar calls William weak when he shows mercy to Sir Colville after the latter is injured during their second tilt. |
| 153 | * ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': |
| 154 | ** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'': Love and compassion are not alien to Thanos, but he believes that they make people weak and get in the way of the "simple calculus" of [[IDidWhatIHadToDo what needs to be done]]. He reprimands Gamora for losing her unwavering will after her HeelFaceTurn and shows disdain for both her and Loki [[spoiler:as they give in after witnessing the torture of their siblings]]. By contrast, he praises Peter Quill and Wanda [[spoiler:for being willing to [[KillTheOnesYouLove Kill The Ones They Love]]]]. He conquers his own weakness [[spoiler:by tossing Gamora off the cliff]]. |
| 155 | ** Seen again in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' after [[spoiler:the Green Goblin]] has [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown smashed Spider-Man through every floor of the apartment building]] and pinned him to the ground. Followed by [[spoiler:killing [[ILetGwenStacyDie Aunt May]]]] for essentially committing the sin [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth of being nice in general]] and [[spoiler:[[EvilIsPetty to Norman Osborn in specific]]]]. |
| 156 | --->'''[[spoiler:Green Goblin]]:''' Your weakness, Peter... is morality! It's choking you! |
| 157 | ** ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'': [[spoiler: During Shuri's visit to the Ancestral Plane brought on by an artificial heart-shaped herb, she encounters not Queen Ramonda but [[EvilMentor Erik Killmonger]], who tells her this trope was what led to T'Challa's untimely downfall. If she wanted to [[YouKilledMyFather avenge her mother's death at the hands of Namor]], she'd need to act like Erik and [[TheUnfettered do whatever was necessary]] (though he somewhat hypocritically [[VillainRespect commends her]] HeroicSacrifice to save an outsider). She almost goes through with killing Namor, but Ramonda's spirit convinces her at the last moment to lay down arms and seek a more peaceful solution to stop the fighting between their people]]. |
| 158 | * In ''Film/ManOfSteel'', Faora-Ul gives Superman a speech about this combined with rantings of [[TheSocialDarwinist social Darwinism]]. |
| 159 | -->'''Faora:''' You're weak, son of El. The fact that you possess a sense of morality and we do not give us an evolutionary advantage. And if history has proven anything, it is that evolution always wins. |
| 160 | * During the FinalBattle of ''Film/MysteryMen'' Casanova Frankenstein holds Mr. Furious' girlfriend hostage and says that it's easy to get the best of people when they care about each other. He then demonstrates he doesn't by activating his staircase's lethal security system while several of his mooks are in its path. |
| 161 | * ''Film/ThePostman'': The Holnists' third law says "Mercy is for the weak", and boy does General Bethlehem live it out. He doesn't expect it himself at the end as a result, but then he's spared by the Postman. Then he tries to [[UngratefulBastard shoot the Postman after]] this, but is shot himself. This is all part of the Holnists' cruel Social Darwinist ideology. |
| 162 | * ''Film/{{The Princess|2022}}'': Julius is convinced that kings must rule brutally, and sneers at the princess' father ruling with compassion toward his subjects. |
| 163 | * Various Sith in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe believe that the Jedi's adherence to their Code (which promotes self-control and peaceful conflict resolution) is what makes them weaker than the Sith themselves (who give lip-service to valuing freedom from restraints above all else [[{{Hypocrite}} while being just as dogmatic and order-obsessed in their own way as the Jedi).]] |
| 164 | * ''Film/SupermanII''. During the battle in Metropolis Superman spends a lot of time saving people from falling debris. General Zod shares an observation with his fellow villain Ursa. |
| 165 | -->'''General Zod:''' This "Superman" is nothing of the kind. I've discovered his weakness. He cares. He actually cares for these people. |
| 166 | * ''Film/TheThirdMan'': This attitude is implicit throughout Harry Lime's speeches to Martins, especially on the Ferris wheel. |
| 167 | -->'''Lime:''' Victims? Don't be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? |
| 168 | * ''Film/WhatKeepsYouAlive'': Jackie tells Jules that her conscience and emotions only make her weak. |
| 169 | [[/folder]] |
| 170 | |
| 171 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 172 | !!!By Authors: |
| 173 | * The Creator/MarquisDeSade and his characters often mocked or dismissed compassion, mercy, etc. in favor of cruelty and killing for the sheer pleasure that it brought them, viewing the former as denying this for no good reason. |
| 174 | |
| 175 | !!!By Title: |
| 176 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Carcer, the BigBad of ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'' is basically convinced that morals and laws are just arbitrary lines in the sand that lesser people draw to pretend that they're safe, and hence, he can do whatever the hell he likes - he's a man who, if he wanted to know the time, would stab you to death and take your watch rather than simply ask you. [[LawfulGood Vimes doesn't take kindly to that way of thinking]]. |
| 177 | * Voldemort of ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' considers love, friendship, and anything related to compassion a weakness. And then does his darndest to prove his point by [[ManipulativeBastard using these traits in other people as a weapon against them]]. Justified by his loveless upbringing and the fact that he is extremely powerful in areas of BlackMagic that require you to genuinely ''[[ThePowerOfHate want]]'' to hurt people, so being anything other than a remorseless sociopath would severely crimp his style. |
| 178 | * In ''The Impossible Virgin'', a Literature/ModestyBlaise novel, Brunel is a cold-blooded criminal mastermind who regards the compassionate virtues as weaknesses that he's glad not to share. He understands how they work well enough to manipulate his opponents with them (including at one point luring Modesty and Willie into a trap), which just makes him more sure that they're a weakness to be avoided. Even loyalty doesn't mean anything to him; he feels no loyalty to anyone and prefers to rely on fear and greed in controlling his subordinates, which is what gets him killed in the end. |
| 179 | * Exploited by the BigBad in the ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Rogue Squadron]]'' series. She releases a [[ThePlague bioweapon]] on Coruscant that causes CruelAndUnusualDeath to aliens, but that can also be easily cured with large quantities of [[{{Panacea}} bacta medicine]]. Her plan is to let the Republic bankrupt itself trying to cure the millions of citizens dying horrific deaths in front of them since, unlike TheEmpire, they're too compassionate to simply write them off as a loss. |
| 180 | * The protagonist of ''Literature/TheSecretPlace'' by Tana French believes that friendship is a weakness. His point of view is partly influenced by the fact he grew up with people who wouldn't have supported his ambition to have a career in the police force. Not a villainous example, but he does get some character development with regard to this attitude, too. |
| 181 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': |
| 182 | ** Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish remarks that Eddard Stark's honorable nature is his greatest weakness even though he treats it as his armor. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite Ned when Cersei Lannister and Littlefinger exploit that GoodCannotComprehendEvil and capture him, leading to his public execution by the new king Joffrey.]] |
| 183 | ** This is a common belief that is passed down through the current Lannister family after current patriarch Tywin Lannister's father ended up dealing with a rebellion from two other powerful vassals due to them ''also'' seeing him as weak. Even the otherwise good-intentioned Tyrion considers honor to be a way to death. |
| 184 | *** On the other hand, this view has ''also'' bit them pretty hard in the ass, as they're facing even ''more'' rebellion because now all of Westeros's nobility is composed of Lannister victims, people who are friends with Lannister victims, people who are afraid of becoming Lannister victims in the future, people who hate the Lannisters on principle for their cruelty and treachery, and the occasional shady and unreliable ally (who are only on the Lannisters' side because the Lannisters enable them to be evil, and are also being picked off in retribution for being evil). It certainly didn't help matters that Cersei never quite internalized the message that being StupidEvil is a bad thing. [[spoiler:Tywin himself is also murdered because of this view; he abused Tyrion until the latter snapped and killed him.]] |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 188 | * ''Series/TheATeam'': |
| 189 | ** In "Semi-Friendly Persuation", the Society of Man (a group of {{Actual Pacifist}}s) have been bullied out of every town they have arrived to (and on the case of the town they arrived in this episode, they are threatened by people wishing to kill them) because the {{Good Ol Boy}}s of said towns noticed pacifists and see "cowards who won't fight back". The situation is just not helped by the leader of the Society being a [[SuicidalPacifism pacifist of the "letting his flock be lynched if that's the consequence of standing by his ideals" type]] (and as a matter of fact, once the A-Team deal with the bad guys, he makes clear [[UngratefulBastard he will just move the Society away and allow this mess to continue than set root in "a place tainted with violence"]]). |
| 190 | ** "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E23CurtainCall Curtain Call]]". Col. Decker talks about how having one man wounded will make the A-Team's ability crumble as they try to save their injured member. He's right that it hampers them, but it doesn't stop them. Given that the "virtue" in question is loyalty to their injured friend, it overlaps with a platonic version of LoveIsAWeakness. |
| 191 | -->'''Col. Decker:''' [The A-Team] think as one, feel as one, and act as one. But with a wounded man in their midst, they cease to be that. The good of the unit becomes the good of an individual. And that will be their undoing. |
| 192 | * ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'': The whole first season revolves around a hard-core WretchedHive causing mayhem because of this trope. Boba Fett, after killing Bib Fortuna and taking over the remains of Jabba the Hutt's cartel, spends the season seeking to become the planet's main WastelandWarlord (or "Damijo") by approaching other criminal elements of Tatooine and offering them alliances with mutual benefits and no funny business, and every single one of them [[UnderestimatingBadassery tries to kill him]] because they just are [[EvilCannotComprehendGood unable to compute]] that someone offering an alliance ''without'' putting a blaster to your face and making AnOfferYouCantRefuse does ''not'' equal "weakling you can kill and rob". |
| 193 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Quentin Travers regards Giles' [[ParentalSubstitute fatherly love]] for Buffy as a distraction and weakness, outright declaring it "useless to the cause." |
| 194 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Cleaving to virtues like love, honor, and justice comes at a very high price for several characters, but others use it to inspire UndyingLoyalty from those around them. |
| 195 | * In ''Series/LoisAndClark'', after [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] analyzes Superman through a series of tests of his strength and speed, he remarks to his servant that he has found the chink in his armor; the fact he has morals. |
| 196 | * In ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', once [[InsufferableGenius Sheldon Cooper]] realizes that his girlfriend Amy had been making him more compassionate and open-minded he goes and attempts to break up with her, realizing that she had been weakening the strength of his own values of stubbornness and complete disregard for others' opinions. |
| 197 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 198 | ** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]", Davros removes emotions like [[LackOfEmpathy empathy]] from [[AbsoluteXenophobe the Daleks]], seeing them as something his UltimateLifeForm shouldn't have. [[GoneHorriblyRight It gets him killed]] ([[JokerImmunity for a time, anyway]]), although he later states that the Daleks allow his continued existence because of a flaw he was unable to cure them of -- respect for their father. He outright says to the Doctor in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice The Magician's Apprentice]]" that "compassion is wrong". |
| 199 | ** The Cyber-Planner in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E12NightmareInSilver Nightmare in Silver]]" scoffs at the Doctor for having emotions and for his willingness to make sacrifices to protect the children in his care. |
| 200 | ** The Harold Saxon incarnation of The Master, in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls The Doctor Falls]]", insists on describing a passive Cyberman as [[ItIsDehumanizing an "it"]]. When his future self, Missy, corrects him with "she", he appears disgusted by the thought that [[FutureMeScaresMe at some point in the future, he's going to feel empathy for other beings]]. And [[spoiler:[[DeaderThanDead disintegrates her]] for it.]] |
| 201 | * In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', while Leonard Snart/Captain Cold acquires a "[[FreezeRay cold generator]]" that allows him to hurt the Flash, he considers his real weakness to be his focus on saving people instead of beating the bad guy. Snart uses this to his advantage by derailing a train and forcing the Flash to save everyone, then attacking from behind while the Flash catches his breath. |
| 202 | * ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': |
| 203 | ** {{Discussed|Trope}} in "[[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal in Belgravia]]", with Sherlock asking his brother is his lack of caring about others is a good or bad thing. |
| 204 | --->'''Sherlock:''' Look at them. They all care so much. Do you ever wonder if there's something wrong with us?\ |
| 205 | '''Mycroft:''' All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage, Sherlock. |
| 206 | ** Ultimately averted in the series when Sherlock is able to ''[[BackFromTheDead return from clinical death]]'' because he cares about John Watson. |
| 207 | * ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': |
| 208 | ** Lionel Luthor believes in this wholeheartedly, and he has been teaching this to his son Lex his whole life. Lex initially tries not to follow and to be genuinely good at first, but later on, everyone's constant rejection of his attempts at goodness leads him to [[ThenLetMeBeEvil gradually embrace]] his selfishness and exploitation of others. |
| 209 | ** The events of the Season 8 finale, where [[spoiler:his splitting Davis and Doomsday from one another leads to Jimmy's death at Davis' hands]], leads Clark to adopt this belief. He states to Chloe afterwards that caring too much about other people limits his ability to save them. |
| 210 | --->'''Clark:''' I've always tried to forget I was an alien or a creature. I've always tried to pretend I was human. I was raised to believe it was my Kryptonian part that was dangerous, Chloe, but I was wrong. It's my human side. It... It's the side that gets attached, the side that makes decisions based on emotions. That's my enemy. And Davis proved that to me.\ |
| 211 | '''Chloe:''' So, because of some psychopath, you're gonna cut the rest of us out of your life? Clark... human emotion is what made you the hero that you are today.\ |
| 212 | '''Clark:''' They're what's stopping me from being the hero I could be. It's what the world needs now. |
| 213 | * In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed Space Seed]]", when Marla [=McGivers=] [[HighHeelFaceTurn asks to be excused]] from seeing her captain and the other officers executed, Khan comments, "I had hoped you would be stronger." |
| 214 | * In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E13DejaQ Déjà Q]]", Q is banished from the Q Continuum and stripped of his powers, but given the choice of what species to exist as and where to be deposited. Knowing he'll be mercilessly hunted by the countless races he's antagonized over the years he chooses to become human and be deposited on the ''Enterprise'', later explaining that humans' capacity for forgiveness and compassion are "weaknesses of the breed" that he could exploit for his own safety. Picard counters that these are the species' strengths, and it turns out that showing a little human "nobility" is what ends up getting Q reinstated with his brethren. |
| 215 | * Explored extensively in ''{{Series/Supernatural}}''. Because it's such a CrapsackWorld, the boys are literally damned if you do, damned if you don't; in one example, the brothers waste valuable time returning a young boy who was the victim of a monster to his surviving family, much to Castiel's consternation since he believes it's a sign of weakness. Unfortunately, the boy was infected by his experience and ends up eating his surviving family, so Castiel was right ... but it's hard to say the boys should have killed the child "just in case." |
| 216 | [[/folder]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 219 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt0g4dWxEBo "'Cause all of my kindness/Is taken for weakness]]/[[BewareTheNiceOnes I'm about four-five seconds from wilding]]..." |
| 220 | * Music/TheProtomen: "Even now there is hope for man! (My father's words!)/Your father loved you. (He still believes?)/His heart was broken. (His only weakness.)/His greatest strength!" |
| 221 | * "I'll be good" by Music/JamesYoung is about an [[TheAtoner atoner]] who apparently believed this in the past, though is now trying to move on from it. |
| 222 | -->''Grace is just weakness\ |
| 223 | Or so I've been told\ |
| 224 | I've been cold, I've been merciless\ |
| 225 | But the blood on my hands... scares me to death\ |
| 226 | Maybe I'm waking up... today'' |
| 227 | [[/folder]] |
| 228 | |
| 229 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 230 | * In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': |
| 231 | ** The Drow generally hold this belief, thanks in part to a goddess who thinks ChronicBackstabbingDisorder is the only way to live. |
| 232 | ** Devils ([[MadeOfEvil literally]]) embody this belief, being LawfulEvil fiends who live in a society defined by a tyrannical hierarchy, in which every baatezu is willing to twist and exploit the rules to their advantage while doing anything possible to screw over their rivals. For example, in the aftermath of the Reckoning, a civil war that split the Nine Hells into two factions in yet another failed attempt to unseat Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine punished the conspirators in various ways, cursing some with hideous forms, or unseating others. But Asmodeus also deposed Geryon, who had remained loyal to him and served as TheMole amongst the conspirators, perhaps because that sort of UndyingLoyalty wasn't a desirable trait for an archdevil. %%In-universe |
| 233 | ** Mercykillers from the ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' campaign setting are zero tolerance on injustice. Their credo is that "mercy is for the weak, and the merciful should be punished" - they prefer to exact brutal, final punishments for criminals, and viewed mercy as a weakness to be purged from the multiverse. |
| 234 | * This is one of Black's traits in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. It rejects all virtues that won't help it reach its own personal goals and ambitions; Black isn't necessarily evil, but it doesn't care about morals. |
| 235 | * ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': As the Chaos Space Marines [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O03WLn8SzaE#t=26 say it best,]] "Sanity... is for the ''weak!''" Given that one of their gods is a literal embodiment of excess in every way, shape, and form, they actually gain favor with him (her? It's complicated.) by corrupting the virtuous and the faithful. The others aren't much better, like the Chaos god of disease, plague, and love being ''very'' generous with his gifts of boils and pestilence, while the god of backstabbers, mutants, and sorcerers is hope incarnate. And then there's Khorne, who was the god of martial valor before becoming an enraged berserker who doesn't care if his followers, their enemies, or non-combatants shed blood in battle [[note]]He is, however, very particular that his followers only claim the skull of a WorthyOpponent[[/note]]. |
| 236 | ** "Mercy is a sign of weakness" is a common motto/thought of the day in 40k. In the video game ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine'', it can be found [[http://i.imgur.com/SKtAY8r.jpg engraved on the butt of artillery shells.]] |
| 237 | ** The Dark Elf society is revolved wholly around making sure the Druchii are as ruthless as possible to not only the slaves but to their own kin as well. Anyone caught showing even the slightest act of compassion towards others often find themselves with a knife to their back as their society is a brutal martial society where mistreated slaves serve as labor so they focus on killing better. |
| 238 | [[/folder]] |
| 239 | |
| 240 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 241 | * In ''Theatre/{{Camelot}}'', Mordred sings a song called "The Seven Deadly Virtues", saying that courage, purity, honesty, humility, diligence, fidelity, and charity are "ghastly little traps" fit only for those more foolish than he. |
| 242 | [[/folder]] |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 245 | * Adam Smasher from ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' believes this as part of his larger MightMakesRight [[{{Transhuman}} transhumanist]] philosophy, bordering on BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad. Virtuous choices cause him to see you as a pathetic weakling at best, a morally-offensive wretch at worst (he finds the idea of mercy in particular ''disgusting'' on a fundamental level). Conversely, being a ruthless AntiHero is pretty much the only way to make him [[WorthyOpponent acknowledge V in any sort of positive manner]]. |
| 246 | * In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', we have a memorable exchange between [[AFatherToHisMen Shas'O Kais]] and [[FourStarBadass Davian Thule]], where Kais calls Thule a madman for [[WeHaveReserves his complete disregard for casualties]], and Thule bitterly responding that Kais is weak for caring about the lives of his men that much. |
| 247 | -->'''Shas O'Kais:''' Do the deaths of your soldiers mean so little to you? Are you that mad?\ |
| 248 | '''Captain Davian Thule:''' Do the deaths of yours mean so much to you? Are you that weak? |
| 249 | * In ''Videogame/DynastyWarriors 7: Empires''. You can make [[TheGoodKing Liu Bei]]-- whose canonical obsession with ruling with [[AC:Benevolence]] runs through his other officers as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]-- Evil, so to speak. If you make his Fame "Evil", he will eventually [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_vjYuYlgo get a cutscene]] where he regrets being so virtuous. |
| 250 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors'' has a rare heroic example with Takumi; he finds asking for help to be humiliating, and in his boss intro quotes, outright declares that "Mercy is for the weak." |
| 251 | * [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Kai]] [[SmugSnake Leng]] from ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' looks down at [[UnderestimatingBadassery Shepard]] and is insulted when the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Illusive Man]] said that [[WorthyOpponent Shepard is to be admired for his/her skills]]. Never believing that Shepard is his equal [[spoiler: which later bit him in the ass with an [[KarmicDeath Omniblade to the gut]]]]. |
| 252 | ** [[LastOfHisKind Javik]], who saw the rest of his species wiped out in a futile war against the Reapers in the previous galactic cycles, makes it clear that he would much prefer Shepard fight dirty, as he did. Unlike the example above, his reason of being this is purely out of desperation to make it out alive alongside his race (he was born around the near end of the Cycle, which means that his people were already on the losing side of the war), as opposed to Kai Leng's arrogance and pettiness. |
| 253 | --->'''Javik:''' Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer. |
| 254 | ** Somewhat played with as, when pressed, Javik admits that the Protheans' decision to conquer the other races of their era and force them to become part of a homogenized monolithic empire was their greatest mistake, and the more diverse coalition Shepard is building is much better suited to fight the Reapers. Ruthless though he may be, he's a pragmatist above all else. |
| 255 | * In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 6'', one scenario baddie says that Lan's FatalFlaw is that he's [[NiceGuy too nice]]. Lan responds with "Being nice is a good thing!" |
| 256 | * ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Kunikazu Okumura grew up in a poor household, due to his own father being a kind person, but a rather bad businessman who was always in debt. This experience gave him the mentality that "virtue and sentiment are for losers", resulting in him becoming a CorruptCorporateExecutive who overworks his workers, forces his daughter into an arranged marriage with an abusive asshole, and [[spoiler: collaborates with a conspiracy to use the cognitive world to cause a series of accidents and use the social unrest to expand their power and wealth]]. Ironically, [[spoiler: the conspiracy in question, particularly Masayoshi Shido]], likely believes in more than even him, seeing how it's to the point where [[spoiler: they were willing to throw him under the bus as part of their FrameUp, with Shido also expressing his beliefs as TheSocialDarwinist]]. |
| 257 | * The [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mercykillers]] in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' embody this. They're a faction of KnightTemplar {{Bounty Hunter}}s who believe that evil should be punished at any cost. A common misconception resulting from their name is that they believe in CruelMercy when in reality they seek to ''kill mercy itself'' because they see it as a weakness. |
| 258 | * ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones'': The [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Dark]] [[EnemyWithin Prince]] is a perfect example of this, regularly complaining whenever the Prince is ''anything'' but selfish, arrogant, and amoral. |
| 259 | * ''Franchise/SlyCooper'': |
| 260 | ** ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'': [[BigBad Clockwerk]] states outright that he views Sly's empathy as a weakness to be exploited, using it to his advantage by holding [[LoveInterests Carmelita Fox]] hostage to lure him into a DeathTrap. |
| 261 | --->'''Clockwerk:''' Empathy has ''always'' been the downfall of the Cooper Clan. |
| 262 | ** Arpeggio of ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'' felt this way and made a point to teach his protégé to feel the same. [[spoiler:No guesses for what his protégé, [[TheMole Constable Neyla]], does to him. Hilariously, he's quite shocked and horrified when someone [[ItsAllAboutMe betrays him using this mindset]].]] |
| 263 | ** [[spoiler:Penelope]] was revealed to be just as bad, if not worse, than Neyla in ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime''. [[spoiler:She believes that the Cooper Gang's HonorBeforeReason is holding Bentley back, and intends to kill them if it means using his skills to make weapons to sell for billions of dollars, and TakeOverTheWorld. She ended up in Europe's most secure Supermax prison for terrorism charges.]] |
| 264 | * ''VideoGame/SonicBoom: Rise of Lyric'': Shadow views Sonic's [[ThePowerOfFriendship reliance on his friends]] and teamwork to be a sign of weakness; he even goes so far as to pick a fight with Sonic and Tails solely because of this. |
| 265 | * In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' game ''VideoGame/JudgmentRites'', Dr. Breddell pretty much sums up Nietzsche's "Slave Morality" as a reason to ignore [[KirkSummation Kirk's pleas]]. |
| 266 | -->'''Breddell:''' Morality! It is an invention designed to make lesser people feel superior. The universe is full of moral people, and for the most part they are deadwood. People who are preoccupied with morality never make history. |
| 267 | * [[ThoseWackyNazis Strasse]] in ''Videogame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' dismisses compassion as a "pointless instinct, not fit for the master race." |
| 268 | [[/folder]] |
| 269 | |
| 270 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 271 | * In ''WebVideo/DanganronpaDespairTime'', this turns out to be the primary reason why [[JerkJock Arei]] is such a bully. She grew up with two older sisters who bullied her relentlessly, to the point of hospitalizing her, just because they thought it was funny. She eventually got back at them, framing them for various incidents, and managed to get them sent to reform school. The entire situation left her with the impression that being kind will only get you taken advantage of, and that the only way to get ahead in life is to trample on others before they trample you. This also turns out to be deconstructed; Arei doesn't ''want'' to believe any of this, and wants to be kind and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends to have friends]], but she doesn't know if such people can really exist, especially not with how she's acted in the past. |
| 272 | * In ''Webanimation/DingoDoodles'''s ''Fool's Gold'' series, the [[{{Precursors}} Foreclaimers]] consider empathy to be a defect, incompatible with their society's concept of efficiency, and LackOfEmpathy to be a good trait. |
| 273 | * ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': Episode 26 begins with a monologue on the matter by the Emperor. Back during the times he was personally leading humanity to the stars, he found that compassion and empathy were hindering his progress, to the point of being directly opposed at times. [[spoiler:So he got rid of them, even if it meant no longer being human, so he could be the leader humanity seemed to need. But now, the galaxy and humanity itself are crueler and worse than ever, so he realizes he ''desperately'' needs them back, because it's now more than ever that humanity needs a little, well, ''humanity'' to stop circling the drain to oblivion.]] |
| 274 | * When told that the titular character of ''WebAnimation/NomadOfNowhere'' saved his soldiers from a forest fire, Don Paragon's first intent is to exploit the Nomad's moral compass to help capture him. |
| 275 | * Sonata in ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm'' mentions feeling pity for others (in other words, compassion) as a weakness. There's a catch though: She doesn't see it as a weakness of character but as one in a pragmatic sense. [[spoiler:Continuing with her blackmailer schemes became difficult when she started to realize how much damage she was causing to others.]] |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | |
| 278 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 279 | * At some point in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Gilgamesh Wulfenbach [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080303 complains]] that every time he tries to be reasonable or show compassion, other people see it as weakness and attack him, forcing him to beat them up instead (in the process of doing exactly that). Then it clicks for him that the same happened to [[WellIntentionedExtremist his father]] - until he was worn down to the point where he stopped trying to be reasonable because he didn't think it would work. |
| 280 | * In ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'', this is part of the [[https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/seeker-of-thrones-7-87/ catechism]] of the GodEmperor Mammon, who had his entire clan assassinated during his rise to power because "I didn't need them anymore." |
| 281 | -->''"Know this! The great dragon paid three hundredweight in silver to rid himself of earthly ties. But a burden a hundred times that did he cast off in blood. Ia! Such is wisdom!"'' |
| 282 | ** Ironically, [[spoiler:Mammon himself has gone partway senile with old age and has forgotten much of his own 'teachings': He remembers killing his brothers but has lost the GoldFever and [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]] that inspired him to kill them in the first place, and feels immensely remorseful over his previous actions]]. |
| 283 | --->''"You know, I'm quite certain now -- ''it must have been important to me at some point''."'' |
| 284 | ** Incubus is another example amongst the Demiurges. As a straight-up SatanicArchetype, Incubus only values strength and sees the ability to kill as the only positive thing in the world. [[spoiler:When [[DealWithTheDevil he grants Allison his 'help']] the result is her growing an EnemyWithin who represents her pure, unfiltered power-lust and has none of Allison's positive qualities.]] |
| 285 | [[/folder]] |
| 286 | |
| 287 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 288 | * [[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1348321-counter-signal-memes An anonymous comic]] from Website/FourChan parodies and deconstructs this. Two characters agree that morality is weakness and that everybody should just be an asshole to each other, and ends with a conga line of people backstabbing each other while yelling, "HURR HURR WE'RE FREE". |
| 289 | * ''WebVideo/DreamSMP''[[note]](all names refer to the characters, not the content creators who play them)[[/note]]: |
| 290 | ** By Season 2, Characters/{{Dream|SMPDream}} grows to see having attachments (e.g. pets, prized weapons, friendships) as a weakness and starts cutting them off so that he could not be controlled through them, as they have arguably been by other members of the server (e.g. the Pet Wars started over Sapnap being a ChronicPetKiller, which pissed off the owners of the pets, among other things). [[spoiler:In an attempt to reunite the server [[ControlFreak under his control]], he then begins to collect everyone else's attachments (i.e. stealing treasured items and kidnapping beloved pets) as blackmail in a secret vault, where he and Tommy and Tubbo confront each other over [[NumberOneDime Tommy's discs, Cat and Mellohi]] (a months-long animosity and cause of conflict between the two sides). Unfortunately for Dream, [[FatalFlaw this doesn't work out]] and even backfires on him when half the server [[BigDamnHeroes teams up to confront him]] during the Season 2 finale, discovering his attempt at blackmailing the entire SMP. Moreover, by cutting his friends out of his life, the only ally Dream had left was Punz, a mercenary who was OnlyInItForTheMoney, and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard betrayed]] him as soon as Tommy paid him more than Dream did. This eventually leads to the loss of two of his canon lives, as Tommy gets his revenge on him for putting him through a massive TraumaCongaLine, and his imprisonment in [[TheAlcatraz Pandora's Vault]].]] |
| 291 | ** By the time the "Las Nevadas" plotline in Seasons 3 and 4 rolls around, a [[JadeColoredGlasses now-jaded]] [[Characters/DreamSMPQuackity Quackity]] seems to have adopted this attitude in a classic case of BecameTheirOwnAntithesis, thinking of attachment and trust as weakness in an attempt to NeverBeHurtAgain after enduring a long TraumaCongaLine. It is painfully clear that he's a {{Hypocrite}} about it and still has a HiddenHeartOfGold ([[{{Foil}} unlike]] Dream, who lacks both the trauma-induced viewpoint part and the heart of gold), and it doesn't work out for him in the end. |
| 292 | [[/folder]] |
| 293 | |
| 294 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 295 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In "A Jones for a Smith", [[Characters/AmericanDadStanSmith Stan Smith]] expresses the view that people should solve their own problems and asking for help of ''any'' kind is a sign of weakness; when Hayley starts choking on a piece of turkey sausage, Stan goes so far as to ''forcibly hold Francine back from helping her'', leading to Hayley nearly dying. |
| 296 | * ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries'': In "[[Recap/ArchiesWeirdMysteriesMisfortuneHunters Misfortune Hunters]]", Reggie and Veronica aren't very impressed by Betty's altruism. Veronica explicitly warns her that she'll never get anywhere in life. As the episode goes on, their comments progress to more sympathetic concern about people taking advantage of Betty due to her trusting nature. |
| 297 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderFireLordOzai Fire Lord Ozai]] refers to Aang's unwillingness to kill him as a weakness and tries to exploit it to kill Aang. [[spoiler:Of course, Aang uses his newly-acquired Chi-bending to [[BroughtDownToNormal render Ozai unable to firebend]], which, to a raging egotist gooned on the power of firebending, is a FateWorseThanDeath.]] |
| 298 | ** Ozai pulled this twice on Zuko in rapid succession. First, when Zuko talked out of turn during the war room (to speak against a WeHaveReserves plan to throw new recruits away as a distraction), Ozai made him fight in an Agni Kai against himself on the justification that since Zuko did it in Ozai's war room, it was an insult against Ozai himself. When Zuko could not bring himself to fight his own father, Ozai burned Zuko's eye and sent Zuko on a seemingly unwinnable SnipeHunt to capture the Avatar. |
| 299 | ** Just like her dad, [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Princess Azula]] also scoffs at the idea of love and trust. Furthermore, she scoffs at the idea of Long Feng being a WorthyOpponent towards her. |
| 300 | -->'''Long Feng''': You've beaten me at my own game.\ |
| 301 | '''Azula''': Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player. |
| 302 | * ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': Being the embodiment of destruction and hatred, Zarm takes a dim view of anything more positive. |
| 303 | ** When the four Planeteers he corrupted in "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E6TheConqueror The Conqueror]]" break loose and reunite with [[TeamMom Gaia]] and [[EveryonesBabyBrother Ma-Ti]], he calls it "sentimental slop" and asks what happened to their strong selves. |
| 304 | ** In "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS2E17And18SummitToSaveEarth Summit to Save Earth]]", he distracts Gaia at a crucial moment by nearly killing the Planeteers. After striking her down, he sneers at her, saying that by saving them rather than herself, she made a wrong choice. He's clearly aware that she loves them to the point of sacrificing herself for them, but he doesn't respect it in the slightest and only sees it as something to exploit. |
| 305 | * In the short ''WesternAnimation/EducationForDeath'', Hans' teacher is horrified when he expresses sympathy for a rabbit killed by a fox in a story. Instead, he claims that the fox is to be admired and the rabbit hated because according to the Nazis, MightMakesRight. After being the class fool for a day, Hans becomes a fanatic who screams that he hates the Rabbit. He eventually grows up to become just another mindless Nazi robot who is "planted no seed of laughter, hope, tolerance or mercy." |
| 306 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': David Xanatos had to ally himself with the heroes to save his fiancee, and after succeeding, he said that love was his only weakness. Goliath is sick to hear this. |
| 307 | -->'''Xanatos:''' So now you know my weakness.\ |
| 308 | '''Goliath:''' Only you would regard ''love'' as a weakness. |
| 309 | * ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Grace Monroe has a train-specific variant of this. All passengers have a glowing number tattooed on them, which can go up or down. This is the train's way of quantifying how much CharacterDevelopment you've had; it goes up if you decide to [[IgnoredEpiphany ignore the lessons you're supposed to learn]], and if it hits 0, then the train has judged that you're mentally healthy and you may leave. Grace believes, and has led her cult to believe, that the number is a Dragon Ball Z-esque power level and hitting zero means you die. By observation, she knows that the number goes up when you act like an asshole and down when you act nice, she's decided that virtuous acts are worthless and even detrimental.[[spoiler:This misconception originated when Simon asked her what the numbers meant, and she made something up rather than admit she had no clue. She's utterly horrified when Amelia tells her the true purpose of the numbers.]] |
| 310 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 311 | ** In the episode "The Return of Harmony", [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicDiscord Discord]] manages to [[BreakTheCutie emotionally break]] the mane six (right before hypnotizing all but Twilight) by explaining how the virtues represented by the elements of harmony are weaknesses. Specifically, honesty causes others to know things you don't want them to know, laughter hurts the feelings of the one being laughed at, kindness opens yourself up to being abused by others, generosity prevents you from getting the things that you want, loyalty means nothing when you can't be in two places at once and have to choose between two loyalties, and in general harmony is pointless as its own elements lead it to collapse on itself. |
| 312 | ** Mixed with BlueAndOrangeMorality, the Changeling [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicQueenChrysalis Queen Chrysalis]] only sees love as a food source and laughs at the idea of actually loving someone. |
| 313 | ** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicLordTirek Lord Tirek]], the BigBad of the season 4 finale, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1"]], during his [[BreakThemByTalking Breaking Speech]] to Discord, Tirek dismisses his brother's befriending ponies so many years ago as a sign of a weak mind. More generally, he considers friendship just another form of imprisonment. |
| 314 | ** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicCozyGlow Cozy Glow]] shows a complete disregard for the values of friendship, her mind solely focused on the "power" side of it. |
| 315 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': The episode "Bubblevicious" does this for laughs (Bubbles is out to prove that she can be "hardcore") with a ShoutOut to the ''Karate Kid'' example listed above: |
| 316 | -->'''Talking Dog:''' Bubbles.. have mercy...\ |
| 317 | '''Bubbles:''' ''Mercy is for the weak!!!'' ''(WHAM)'' |
| 318 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': Anakin Skywalker, as his [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain eventual transformation into Darth Vader]] progresses, becomes increasingly alienated from the Jedi, especially after they pull a KangarooCourt on his padawan Ahsoka Tano and would have executed her if he didn't intervene, scoffing their values as hypocritical. For example, when Anaxes is targeted to be bombed by [[GeneralRipper Admiral Trench]] to deny the Republic a victory, Trench initially refuses to cooperate in order to disarm the said bomb in the fear that Dooku will kill him. When Anakin threatens him, he scoffs and discusses how compassion and mercy are the virtues of a Jedi, at which Trench gets his prosthetic limbs cut off with Anakin deriding them as weaknesses, and later kills him after [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness all is said and done]]. |
| 319 | * ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'': In "Consequences", Static battles Puff and Onyx and has to protect the civilians from falling debris and stray attacks. He asks the two to [[TakingTheFightOutside move the fight out of the city]], but Puff mocks him, saying heroes are so soft. Fortunately, Rubberband Man shows up to lend a hand, and they manage to defeat the pair. |
| 320 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': In the episode "Requiem," [[Characters/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012TheShredder The Shredder]] outright tells Splinter that he views Splinter's compassion as a weakness Shredder himself lacks. |
| 321 | -->'''Shredder:''' Your weakness is that you care about others. I have torn all weaknesses away and become all powerful. |
| 322 | [[/folder]] |
| 323 | |
| 324 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 325 | * UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is on record saying that humanitarianism is a form of stupidity, as he wanted to eliminate all the "inferior" races of the world and populate it with pure-blooded Aryans. Then, there's his approach to geopolitics. He saw everyone else as land-grabbing empires who would turn on each other if they smelled weakness; for example, he expected the US to gobble up British possessions in the Americas if the homeland fell, and the British to do the same to French colonies in Africa. [[TheAlliance This, of course, didn't happen]]. |
| 326 | * Several societal injustices and systemic problems can be traced back to the cynical systems designed to keep corrupt [[TheSociopath and sociopathic]] people in power and screw over the many others who have the moral constraints that stop them from just doing what every they deem necessary to [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans gain as much power as possible]]. |
| 327 | * In [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn the Soviet Union]], a point was made to replace "conscience" with "consciousness" in schools. As opposed to the above-mentioned Hitler, who thought that humanitarian feelings were idiotic, Soviet Communists held them to be evil. After all, such feelings might lead to one hesitating to shoot a class enemy, [[TheStoolPigeon or informing on one's parents.]] |
| 328 | [[/folder]] |
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