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Real Life section maintenance (including NRLEP and LRLEO) (New Crowner 9/20/25)

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Note: If a newly launched trope was already given a No Real Life Examples, Please! or Limited Real Life Examples Only designation while it was being drafted on the Trope Launch Pad, additions to the proper index do not need to go through this thread. Instead, simply ask the staff to add the trope via this thread.

This is the thread to report tropes with problematic Real Life sections.

Common problems include:

Real Life sections on the wiki are kept as long as they don't become a problem. If you find an article with such problems, report it here. Please note that the purpose of this thread is to clean up and maintain real life sections, not raze them. Cutting should be treated as a last resort, so please only suggest cutting RL sections or a subset thereof you think the examples in question are completely unsalvageable.

If historical RL examples are not causing any problems, consider whether it would be better to propose a No Recent Examples, Please! (via this forum thread) for RL instead of NRLEP. If RL examples are causing problems only for certain subjects, consider whether a Limited Real Life Examples Only restriction would be preferable to NRLEP.

If you think a trope should be No Real Life Examples, Please! or Limited Real Life Examples Only, then this thread is the place to discuss it. However, please check Keep Real Life Examples first to see if it has already been brought up in the past. If not, state the reasons and add it to the crowner.

Before adding to the crowner:

  • The trope should be proposed in the thread, along with reasons for why a crowner is necessary instead of a cleanup.
  • There must be support from others in thread.
  • Any objections should be addressed.
  • Allow a minimum of 24 hours for discussion.

When adding to the crowner:

  • Be sure to add the trope name, a link to where the discussion started, the reasons for crownering, whether the restriction being proposed is NRLEP or LRLEO (and in the latter case, which subject(s) the restriction would be for), and the date added.
  • Announce in thread that you are adding the item.
  • An ATT advert should be made as well (batch items together if more than one trope goes up in a day).

In order for a crowner to pass:

  • Must have been up for a minimum of a week
  • There must be a 2:1 ratio
  • If the vote is exactly 2:1 or +/- 1 vote from that, give it a couple extra days to see if any more votes come in
  • Once passed, tropes must be indexed on the appropriate NRLEP or LRLEO index
  • Should the vote fail, the trope should be indexed on KRLE page

Sex Tropes, Rape and Sexual Harassment Tropes, and Morality Tropes are banned from having RL sections so tropes under those indexes don't need a crowner vote.

As per Real Life Troping, we never trope unscripted real life sports — so sports tropes where RL examples would only apply to those scenarios don't need a crowner vote.

Crowner entries that have already been called will have "(CLOSED)" appended to them — and are no longer open for discussion.

After bringing up a trope for discussion, please wait at least a day for feedback before adding it to the crowner.

NRLEP tag:

%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: [crowner link]
%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800

LRLEO tag:

%% Trope was declared Administrivia/LimitedRealLifeExamplesOnly via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: [crowner link]
%%The following restrictions apply: [list restriction(s) here]
%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800

Notes:
  • This thread is not for general discussion regarding policies for Real Life sections or crowners. Please take those conversations to this Wiki Talk thread.
  • Do not try to overturn previous No Real Life Examples, Please! or Limited Real Life Examples Only decisions without a convincing argument.
  • As mentioned here, the consensus is that NRLEP warnings in trope page descriptions can use bold text so that they stand out.
  • The [[noreallife]] tag no longer works. This is a deprecated tag that was introduced many years ago — originally, it would have displayed a NRLEP warning banner when you edited the page. Per word of admin as of 2025, any replacement for this system will not use markup, so these tags can be removed.
  • If a newly launched trope was already given a No Real Life Examples, Please! or Limited Real Life Examples Only designation while it was being drafted on the Trope Launch Pad, additions to the proper index do not need to go through this thread. Instead, simply ask the staff to add the trope via this thread.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 3rd 2025 at 6:31:00 AM

ImperialMajestyXO Since: Nov, 2015
#8851: Nov 17th 2020 at 4:42:57 PM

I don't know, I don't think that's a necessary response. My idea is to have a waiting period of at least 10 years to prevent "point and laugh" or otherwise possibly ROCEJ-violating reactions.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#8852: Nov 17th 2020 at 5:00:00 PM

Yeah, are the non-recent examples problematic, or just the recent ones?

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
LaundryPizza03 Maintenance? from Texas Since: Aug, 2020
Maintenance?
#8853: Nov 17th 2020 at 5:43:57 PM

[up] Only some of the recent ones.

Beautiful All Along is a narrative trope and attracts gossip and general examples. Add it to the crowner?

I'm back!
Zyffyr from Portland, Oregon Since: Apr, 2010 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
#8854: Nov 17th 2020 at 8:33:09 PM

A bit of cleaning will probably suffice for Hoist by His Own Petard.

For Beautiful All Along, most of it is general examples and they are going to go away as soon as I finish this post. The remaining 4, I could go either way on.

Edited by Zyffyr on Nov 17th 2020 at 8:37:00 AM

LaundryPizza03 Maintenance? from Texas Since: Aug, 2020
Maintenance?
#8855: Nov 17th 2020 at 8:48:46 PM

[up] The others look rather dubious, so I'll add it to the crowener.

I'm back!
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#8856: Nov 18th 2020 at 5:51:13 PM

Lethally Stupid only features a probably-shoehorned general example, and prior to that it listed anti-vaxxers which was deemed controversial. As a trope judging people's intelligence, it's probably too controversial to list RL examples anyway.

    Real Life 
  • In regards to technological health; a script kiddie is considered more dangerous than a hacker because at least a hacker knows what he or she is doing. On the rare occasions that they don't, and manage to destroy something important by pure accident, a hacker usually has sufficient knowledge to fix whatever it was they broke, even if they have to resort to a scorched-earth format-and-reinstall.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
SkyCat32 The Draftsman of Doom (Five Year Plan) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
The Draftsman of Doom
#8857: Nov 19th 2020 at 4:08:41 AM

[up] I fail to see what is so controversial about calling people who willingly endanger their children's lives stupid. If anything, I think that is being charitable.

Then again, calling people stupid in real life would possibly create controversy.

[down] I'll be blunt: the idea of refusing to vaccinate one's own child, unless there is an actual valid medical reason to do so, is child abuse as far as I am concerned. I realize it could possibly create controversy to call people stupid, and I agree that we do not want real life examples for that reason, but I am dumbfounded that "VaCciNeS cAuSe aUtIsM!" is even remotely considered an acceptable reason to endanger a child's life. With all due respect to anti-vaxxers, they can take their offended feelings and shove them up their asses.

This coming from someone on the Autism Spectrum, BTW.

Edit: It would be utterly hilarious how controversial medical facts are, if it weren't so goddamn sad. If I had my way, anti-vaxxers would be hauled off for child abuse and endangerment.

Edited by SkyCat32 on Jan 4th 2021 at 10:00:40 AM

ATricksterArtist Back from the grave. from CH 57 (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
Back from the grave.
#8858: Nov 19th 2020 at 5:08:40 AM

Considering how...volatile those people can get on the net, I think it's best left cut.

How's your day been?
SkyCat32 The Draftsman of Doom (Five Year Plan) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
The Draftsman of Doom
#8859: Nov 19th 2020 at 6:42:30 AM

Also, before the second above post possibly gets thumped or mod-edited, I would like to preemptively nominate Soft-Spoken Sadist as a morality trope, even if it had its real life examples removed already. I do not want to take chances.

Edited by SkyCat32 on Nov 19th 2020 at 9:45:45 AM

PlasmaPower Piece of Cake. Since: Jan, 2015
Piece of Cake.
#8860: Nov 20th 2020 at 8:04:17 AM

Should we allow RL examples of Bald Black Leader Guy? There's a lot of ZC Es and it seems too common in real life.

Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!
FridgeGuy2016 No-lifer from United States Since: Feb, 2016
No-lifer
#8861: Nov 20th 2020 at 8:09:57 AM

[up] I think that might be a narrative trope.

Limpin' with the bizkit.
LaundryPizza03 Maintenance? from Texas Since: Aug, 2020
Maintenance?
#8862: Nov 20th 2020 at 8:25:52 AM

[up] I'm not sure. But there is agreement that it should be NRLEP, and so do I. We need to be able to decide which reason is correct, so I won't crowner it immediately.

I'm back!
GastonRabbit C'est la vie. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
C'est la vie. (he/him)
#8863: Nov 21st 2020 at 8:33:33 AM

If anything, Bald Black Leader Guy should be NRLEP because it refers to creators making an intentional narrative choice to have an authority figure be bald and black. The real life section seems to be a list of bald black guys who coincidentally ended up as leaders.

I got a rock for Halloween.
RallyBot2 (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
#8864: Nov 21st 2020 at 10:14:16 AM

Bald Black Leader Guy does not require a narrative decision, so it can't be NRLEP'd on that basis.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#8865: Nov 21st 2020 at 11:27:45 AM

The majority of tropes are intentional narrative choices. Some tropes may be based off trends in reality, which is why the Real Life sections can be useful. Bald Black Leader Guy seems to be about a certain stereotype, though, because a list of bald black guys in charge of an organization is just as useful as a list of bald black guys who sit on chairs. It's not like these men were added to their positions in real life because they were bald and black and that made them look mature and tough. (At least I'd hope not?)

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
PlasmaPower Piece of Cake. Since: Jan, 2015
Piece of Cake.
#8866: Nov 21st 2020 at 11:30:38 AM

Would it just be too common? I know that I got added Cool Car to NRLEP because tropers were listing any car that they liked.

Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!
RallyBot2 (Elder Troper) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
#8867: Nov 21st 2020 at 12:53:19 PM

I do agree that the trope as applied to real life is fairly weak, but this is far from the first time I've seen someone in this thread claim that a trope requires a conscious narrative decision without backing up their claim.

GastonRabbit C'est la vie. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
C'est la vie. (he/him)
#8868: Nov 21st 2020 at 2:35:00 PM

[up]It's a subtrope of Meaningful Appearance. The first sentence of that trope's description is "The appearance of people used as a way to convey information about them", which is in contrast to all the appearance "tropes" that were cut for being meaningless coincidences.

Edit: Also, FridgeGuy called it a narrative decision a day before I did.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Nov 21st 2020 at 5:43:00 AM

I got a rock for Halloween.
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#8869: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:20:35 PM

I mean...everything a writer writes is a conscious decision. It's not like we just black out and produce a story that features a Bald Black Leader Guy. People have to sit there and intentionally decide these things.

On that note though, what trope doesn't require a conscious decision by the creator?

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#8870: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:33:13 PM

Fratbro has real life examples, but they seem to exemplify it as gossip and stereotyping. Should it be added to the next crowner?

My musician page
Serac she/her (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
she/her
#8871: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:33:18 PM

[up][up] Game-Breaking Bug?

Edited by Serac on Nov 21st 2020 at 5:34:01 AM

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#8872: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:33:43 PM

All tropes are affirmative decisions, even if the reasoning behind them is not something a creator is consciously considering at the time. That is, in fact, part of the definition of "Trope" on this website. Tropes do not occur in Real Life, because RL has no narrative intent and no author.

We tolerate RL examples of some tropes because they can be entertaining and informative, but if they cause problems, they get thrown out.

Edited by Fighteer on Nov 21st 2020 at 6:35:07 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#8873: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:35:15 PM

[up][up]...Realistically, I'm not even sure why glitches are considered tropes. They're not storytelling devices...

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#8874: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:36:06 PM

Game-Breaking Bug could be thought of as an act of omission in the form of improper QA, but honestly it's the kind of thing that properly goes in Trivia, as it's not an intentional creative choice, unless it becomes an Ascended Glitch at some point.

Edited by Fighteer on Nov 21st 2020 at 6:36:45 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
GastonRabbit C'est la vie. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
C'est la vie. (he/him)
#8875: Nov 21st 2020 at 3:38:56 PM

[up]If not Trivia, then maybe YMMV (since it involves the audience experiencing something put in by mistake), since Good Bad Bugs (whose description says to contrast with Game-Breaking Bug) is YMMV. Either category would be Not a Trope anyway.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Nov 21st 2020 at 5:39:45 AM

I got a rock for Halloween.

Projects: Long Term/Perpetual: Real Life Section Maintenance
20th Sep '25 9:57:50 AM

Crown Description:

Vote UP to cut real life examples; vote DOWN to keep.

Anything marked DONE has been resolved.

In order for a crowner to pass:

  • Must have been up for a minimum of a week
  • There must be a 2:1 ratio
  • If the vote is exactly 2:1 or +/- 1 vote from that, give it a couple extra days to see if any more votes come in
  • Once passed, tropes must be indexed on the appropriate NRLEP or LRLEO index
  • Should the vote fail, the trope should be indexed on KRLE page

Total posts: 16,914
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