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Hindsight Cleanup

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The Hindsight tropes, Hilarious in Hindsight, Harsher in Hindsight, and Heartwarming in Hindsight, are among the most misused Audience Reaction tropes on this site. Many people don't understand that the tropes require more than just "This happened, so that happened", and end up adding examples which either lack connection or the substance that makes them funny/serious/not-so-funny/heartwarming. Some of them may be suited better for other tropes (ex: Life Imitates Art), while some may not belong on TV Tropes at all (such as ones involving politicians, due to Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment).

Please report any Hindsight example that you feel are questionable, and we'll analyze them to see if they are actually examples or not.

Remember that the Hindsight tropes are Audience Reactions. That means if an example under review discusses significant fan response pointing out the hindsight, the example can't be cut solely for being too tenuous for this thread.

    Common NOT in Hindsight examples 
  • Creator's character/portrayal dies in work and then creator dies in real life, unless their fictional death is closely similar to their real one (such as Billy Bob Joe portraying a character who dies from pancreatic cancer, then Billy Bob dies from pancreatic cancer himself)
  • Mundane word related to something terrible (such as "corona" or "Epstein") unless there's more to the connection (such as someone named "Corona" having the flu)
  • Creator appears in work then becomes more controversial later on.
  • A common event (such as a typical natural disaster) happens in work, then happens in real life (unless they are closely similar, such as the event happening to the same area in both reality and fiction around the same time) For once, not everything related to disease has to do with COVID-19, not everything related to racism and Police Brutality has to do with George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, and not everything related to sexual abuse has to do with #MeToo.
  • A common/generic concept was used in this work and then later reused in that work (too loose for a connection, unless the concept is so unique it's identified with the work)
  • Two actors appear together then do so in another work
  • Hindsight examples involving recent events, due to them often being shoehorns. Specifically:
    • COVID-19 examples, before 75% of the population has returned to normal
    • George Floyd/2020 Black Lives Matter examples, before protests have declined
  • Examples which fall guilty of Older Than They Think, such as "Make X Great Again" slogans. Aside from violating the ROCEJ, this slogan has been in use since the 1940s.
  • Characters using slurs which are treated as annoying at worst in the work, but is now harsher due to how severe the slur is made now. Discrimination has always existed with that slur. (May qualify for Values Dissonance if work is at least 20 years old.)

Note: As of January 2022, "Funny Aneurysm" Moment is no longer separate from Harsher in Hindsight.
  • The former redirects to the latter and all wicks to the former (with the exception of ones on archive pages and the YMMV Redirects index) must either be moved to the latter (if they're valid) or removed (if they're invalid).
  • The subpages for the former are still accessible from this page. After a subpage for "Funny Aneurysm" Moment has been completely cleaned up, turn it into a redirect to the Harsher in Hindsight subpage for the same medium to preserve inbounds.

Edited by Tabs on Jun 21st 2023 at 11:51:25 AM

Psyga315 Since: Jan, 2001
#6001: Oct 30th 2022 at 7:34:34 AM

@Ice Queendom Harsher in Hindsight:

I think either Reality Subtext or just keeping it as Harsher in Hindsight because we also got an entry for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law with a similar story:

  • In the finale, K.E.V.I.N. makes a joke about how Jen must revert to her normal form because "the VFX team has already moved on to the next project." Right in the middle of She-Hulk's release period, several reports exposed Disney (and in particular Marvel Studios) for allegedly mistreating their VFX employees, by overworking them (especially during "crunch periods", ie. enforced overtime within the last few months prior to release in order to meet deadlines), and underpaying them for their service. note 

So either it is free game for production troubles to make jokes/scenes unbearable or this reference in the page has to be cut.

Edited by Psyga315 on Oct 30th 2022 at 7:35:24 AM

chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#6002: Oct 31st 2022 at 1:59:26 PM

So, this was just added on the YMMV page to Get Out (2017):

  • Harsher in Hindsight: Rod's belief that a geriatric would cause the next 9/11 comes across a lot differently after the January 6th insurrection incited by Donald Trump.

Putting aside the political stuff, I don't think this counts as an example. Rod was joking about a geriatric hijacking a plane because he was just venting about his job as a TSA agent. The January 6th riots were many things, but they weren't plane hijackings.

So, cut?

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#6003: Oct 31st 2022 at 2:37:26 PM

[up]Cut away, that's a super stretch to say the least.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
Enid Sinclair
#6004: Nov 2nd 2022 at 3:37:25 PM

I found this on YMMV.She Hulk Attorney At Law:

  • Harsher in Hindsight:
    • The man who was shown in the trailers as being incredibly interested in She-Hulk, as well as Josh's seeming interest in Jen, were both received very well by the fandom as men who appreciated Jen for who she was. Cut to the series' airing, where the former rejected her upon changing back to her normal form (as well as later saying in front of a courtroom that he enjoyed dating She-Hulk, but not Jennifer Walters), and the latter is a member of the incel expy group Intelligencia who recorded revenge porn of her without her consent and aired it in front of her coworkers and family to provoke Jen into raging out and ruining her reputation.
    • In the finale, K.E.V.I.N. makes a joke about how Jen must revert to her normal form because "the VFX team has already moved on to the next project." Right in the middle of She-Hulk's release period, several reports exposed Disney (and in particular Marvel Studios) for allegedly mistreating their VFX employees, by overworking them (especially during "crunch periods", ie. enforced overtime within the last few months prior to release in order to meet deadlines), and underpaying them for their service. note 

The second one might count but I fail to see how the first is hindsight if the episodes were written before the trailer aired or the fan reception happened. Am I missing something?

Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
Piterpicher Veteran Editor IV from Poland, for real (Series 2) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Veteran Editor IV
#6005: Nov 2nd 2022 at 5:06:14 PM

I agree. It feels like the audience was tricked unwittingly rather than hindsight.

Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#6006: Nov 2nd 2022 at 5:16:22 PM

[up][up]While Harsher in Hindsight can involve in-story events, I think the first might be closer to Bait the Dog, now that I think of it. For the record, I actually think the second counts, though.

Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
Enid Sinclair
#6007: Nov 2nd 2022 at 5:44:19 PM

So should I move it to Bait the Dog.

Yeah the second one feels like it legit counts.

Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
Psyga315 Since: Jan, 2001
#6008: Nov 2nd 2022 at 5:57:52 PM

As I mentioned at the top, I feel inclined to agree but given how a previously discussed example was claimed to not have any hindsight, the second one might not count as well.

Edited by Psyga315 on Nov 2nd 2022 at 5:58:08 AM

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#6009: Nov 2nd 2022 at 6:57:13 PM

[up][up]That sounds good to me, though the part that talks about people's reactions should go imo.

Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#6011: Nov 3rd 2022 at 8:34:47 AM

I'm bringing back this query from a few days ago. The advice at the time was that it is not an example and to try Trope Finder, but Trope Finder has redirected me back here because of the discussion about the She-Hulk example above, which appears to be a very similar situation (the second bullet point). Since it was concluded that the She-Hulk example counts, is it now best to say that the Ice Queendom one does, too?

From YMMV.RWBY Ice Queendom

  • Harsher in Hindsight: During Ruby's first tour in Weiss' dream, she goes into an SDC factory where Ruby not only notes that the workers seem to be more like slaves, but that it's noted that the SDC grew strong because the employees performed cheap labor. This scene suddenly became uncomfortable when 50+ employees at RoosterTeeth were quietly laid off, among them being Kdin Jenzen, the voice actress for Shion. Making this even worse was how the dub for this episode came out the day after Kdin came forward about how she was harassed for her being transgender and how she was underpaid.

What I would add is that, as mentioned here, the Kdin situation is new and ongoing, so I would suggest that the last sentence "Making this even worse was how the dub for this episode came out the day after Kdin came forward about how she was harassed for her being transgender and how she was underpaid." be removed for being an ongoing situation.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Nov 3rd 2022 at 8:37:35 AM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
maxwellsilver Since: Sep, 2011
#6012: Nov 4th 2022 at 6:53:40 AM

From The Simpsons S 11 E 1 Beyond Blunderdome

Pretty sure the President, Vice President and the entire Senate were not brutally murdered on January 6.

maxwellsilver Since: Sep, 2011
#6013: Nov 4th 2022 at 7:47:47 AM

This entry on Falling Down was deleted back in May, then added back by The Red Red Kroovy with minor changes a week later without a comment.

Original:

  • Also during the Whammy Burger scene, a woman spits out her food in a panic when Foster walks up to her, causing him to remark to the manager "I don't think she likes the special sauce, Rick." In 2017, McDonald's held a one-day promotion where they brought back a special sauce that they hadn't had in their stores in almost twenty years (namely, the Szechuan sauce they carried as part of a promotion for Mulan), thanks to a show starring a character named Rick turning that sauce into a Memetic Mutation — leading to packed lines, flare-ups, and fights at many McDonald's locations across the country, not unlike when Foster pulled out his gun at Whammy Burger.

New version:

  • From the same scene, there's Foster's line "I don't think she likes the special sauce, Rick." In 2017, McDonald's brought back their limited-edition Szechuan sauce for a promotion to tie in with the renewed attention it had gotten from being featured in a memorable scene from Rick and Morty, but due to demand far outstripping supply, many McDonald's locations became the scene of riots and embarrassing behavior.

TantaMonty Since: Aug, 2017
#6014: Nov 4th 2022 at 10:39:20 AM

Continuing from this ATT:

  • Hilarious in Hindsight:
    • Allen Leech's character says he has "limited experience" with homosexuality. A couple of years later, he stars in Bohemian Rhapsody; another LGBT themed biopic, this time playing a gay man himself.
    • Matthew Goode and Allen Leech's presence was already amusing, considering their roles in Downton Abbey. But Tuppence Middleton (Helen) would appear in the 2019 film, playing the love interest of the latter.

Cut for being pointless actor trivia?

BKelly95 Tame Racing Driver (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Tame Racing Driver
#6015: Nov 4th 2022 at 11:17:28 AM

[up] It would help if we knew what work that was for.

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
PalacePosy from In a beautiful place out in the country Since: Feb, 2022 Relationship Status: Crazy Cat Lady
#6017: Nov 5th 2022 at 3:14:04 PM

From YMMV/Led Zeppelin:

  • "When the Levee Breaks" after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and... the levees broke. When the levee broke, the people of New Orleans didn't have any place to stay. The song is actually about the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, as it is a reworking of a Delta blues song from that era, but these days it's hard to associate the image of levees breaking with anything but Hurricane Katrina. Harsher still, the fact that A Perfect Circle covered it a year before the tragedy.

This feels like a shoehorn. It's specifically about a different tragic flooding, and levees breaking and people being displaced has occurred with other catastrophic storms. Saying one can only think of Katrina with that imagery is like saying one can only think of 9/11 when listening to a song about buildings falling. Also, as mentioned in they example, neither they nor A Perfect Circle were the first to sing the song.

Edited by PalacePosy on Nov 5th 2022 at 3:14:55 AM

costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
#6018: Nov 5th 2022 at 4:54:17 PM

[up][up][up][up][up]The examples you brought up seem like stretches in terms of similarity for the reasons you brought up.

Edited by costanton11 on Nov 5th 2022 at 8:12:15 AM

ElBuenCuate Since: Oct, 2010
#6019: Nov 5th 2022 at 6:19:00 PM

[up][up] I agree that it is a shoehorn and should be deleted.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#6020: Nov 5th 2022 at 6:29:48 PM

Recently there was news of a upside down painting which reminded me of an episode of Arthur in which Binky realized a painting was actually hung upside down. Would this count as Hilarious in Hindsight?

Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#6021: Nov 5th 2022 at 6:51:57 PM

[up] Wasn't that based on a previous real life incident where an abstract painting was hung upside down?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#6022: Nov 5th 2022 at 6:55:36 PM

[up](x4) I'm leaning on that being a shoehorn personally.

[up][up]I guess, though I think it would help me (and I can imagine others) determine if it's an example if you present a write-up. (For the record, I haven't watched Arthur in years outside of a few clips.)

EDIT:[nja]

Edited by RandomTroper123 on Nov 5th 2022 at 6:55:58 AM

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#6023: Nov 5th 2022 at 6:57:36 PM

[up][up]I was thinking that as well if it was based on real events. I guess i have to look it up.

PalacePosy from In a beautiful place out in the country Since: Feb, 2022 Relationship Status: Crazy Cat Lady
#6024: Nov 5th 2022 at 7:24:20 PM

Deleted the "When the Levee Breaks" example.

BigJimbo Since: Dec, 2017
#6025: Nov 6th 2022 at 2:13:46 AM

YMMV.Rat Man 1989 has the following Hilarious in Hindsight entry:

Absolute lack of context aside, I'm pretty sure the pope came to get this nickname because of the comic, not that it was a coincidence as it would imply. Permission to cut?

Edited by BigJimbo on Nov 6th 2022 at 2:13:56 AM


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