Indices: Opposite Tropes, Insult Tropes
Some insults are so widespread that nearly everyone has heard them at least once.
Maybe it's insinuating someone's a part of a group the speaker sees as "other", maybe it's a stereotype, maybe it's a physical trait that's undesirable. Regardless, they're easy insults that are commonplace.
And sometimes, these insults are inverted for comedic effect, taking these old and tired attacks and flipping them on their head.
For example, in a Non-Heteronormative Society, it would make more sense for people to use "straight" as an insult than "gay". Or maybe someone who's Happily Adopted ribs on their friends for not being such, in contrast to the Adoption Diss. Regardless of what it is, it's the opposite of a frequently used insult.
Sub-Trope of Bait-and-Switch Comment. Compare Compliment Backfire and Wrong Insult Offence. Contrast Insult Backfire.
See also Persecution Flip, Your Normal Is Our Taboo, Negatives as a Positive and Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad.
Examples:
- In Anger Management, Lynn insults multiple characters not for smelling bad, but for smelling like lavender.
- SMPLive: In the video "The Greatest Court Case of All Time"
, Poke tries to insult Cooper by calling him not gay. Cooper is very confused by this.Cooper: Did you just call me "not gay"...?
