Misused: Free The Frogs

Free the Frogs is supposed to be about being against the killing of frogs for a dissection experiment, or the releasing of those frogs. However, it is misused for freeing any captive animal from any situation and attracts Zero-Context Examples.

From Sandbox.Free The Frogs Wick Check:

• 15 correct (30%)
• 6 not frogs but involves dissection (12%)
• 7 not frogs and not dissection (14%)
• 24 unclear/ZCE (48%)

Edited by LaundryPizza03 on Dec 15th 2020 at 12:03:10 PM

Opening.

While I have no ideas for a better title currently, I do think that this trope’s definition should at least be expanded a bit to include any animal, not just frogs.

Also, assuming there’s enough examples overall that don’t involve dissection, maybe we could draft a supertrope for “animal trapped in order to be used by humans is set free” in general?

Edited by jandn2014 on Jan 15th 2021 at 6:08:58 AM

Yeah it definitely has a lot of misuse. I would support a rename at this point really.

Dunno if this is any good Save The Specimen? That at least makes it clear that the animal/frog is a test subject. I know it’s frog specific (?) but this something I have seen with other animals too.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jan 15th 2021 at 3:07:24 AM

I think Save The Specimen is a good name, and I don't see any reason why this should be specific to frogs if other animals are used (in the wick check, the only "wrong" part of six of the wicks is that they involved dissection subjects that weren't frogs).

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 15th 2021 at 5:27:17 AM

for Save The Specimen.

I agree that this doesn't need to be limited to frogs, but can include any animals used for scientific experiments or education.

Edit: Save The Specimen is an okay name.

Edited by Snicka on Jan 15th 2021 at 6:55:48 PM

Save The Specimen

I support Save The Specimen

I like Save The Specimen

I also like Save The Specimen.

Save The Specimen

Save The Specimen From Science, to clarify the specimen is saved from being experimented on, as opposed to saved from an unrelated danger, to be experimented on?

I guess we are ready for a single prop rename crowner? I will make it if so.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jan 16th 2021 at 1:22:41 AM

Here, h2h

(Went with a single prop to rename as a last-minute other title came in; also so more people can suggest names if they want)

Edited by Synchronicity on Feb 9th 2021 at 3:11:01 AM

Shouldn't we have also used the crowner to decide whether this gets expanded to include specimens other than frogs?

I mean, maybe, but you could also make the argument that they're allowed via Tropes Are Flexible anyway.

I dislike the proposed name, because the word "specimen" also refers to mineral samples, as well as to sample banknotes, checks, and stamps.

Maybe it should be something like Disrupt The Dissection instead.

I like that better, per what you mentioned.

That kind of sounds like the dissection is already ongoing and is interrupted while the students have forceps already in frog guts, tbh.

Rescued From Dissection?

^ I thin that sounds better

I think that might be too narrow. The trope also includes freeing class pets.

I have to wonder how accurate the wick check actually is. Looking at it, it only counts frogs and dissection as the proper definition, but the trope description does not limit the trope to frogs or dissection.

There are also examples about "freeing animal that that would have been eaten". (I can think of another in The Boys (2019).) Tropes are flexible, or does the title need to reflect that?

And I can think of another, the restaurant lobster example in the "not frogs and not dissection" folder of the wick check. (ETA: okay, I think I misread your post.)

I guess the first thing to do here is to go through the wick check again, and see how many of the "misused" examples fit the broader definition on the page, and how much misuse is left after that.

Edited by Twiddler on Feb 11th 2021 at 4:13:54 AM