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Knight9910 Since: Jan, 2001
Jul 7th 2013 at 4:24:24 PM •••

Cut the following:

  • Miracle On Thirty Fourth Street this man had the post office send him letters addressed to Santa Claus so clearly ladies and gentlemen he must be Santa Claus because the post office is so awesome. Also shame on you for trying to have him committed into an asylum!
    • Not so much that the post office is awesome, as the argument that the post office is part of the US government, and if they recognize the man as Santa, it must be true (at least as far as the courts are concerned).

Where, exactly, is the Chewbacca Defense here? I'm really not seeing it. Really, this seems more like a case of the troper simply disagreeing with the movie's decision, rather than any sort of indiscretion on the part of the movie lawyers.

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Necronmaximara Since: Feb, 2018
Aug 7th 2021 at 1:39:21 AM •••

That is the problem with claiming something is the "Chewbacca Defense" - anything a person doesn't like can be called it. Never mind the whole premise hinges on a TV show (which are notorious for getting how courts actually work wrong) and ignores relevant facts in the actual case - poor chain of evidence, prosecution spending way too long on DNA evidence which is better to *exclude* a person than include them, showboating by the prosecution (OJ wearing the glove was the _prosecution_'s dumb idea)

Necronmaximara Since: Feb, 2018
Aug 6th 2021 at 4:21:10 PM •••

The one problem with this trope is the example is seriously flawed. Legal Eagle (an actual lawyer) in "Real Lawyer Reacts to South Park Chewbacca Defense" points various legal errors in the episode.

Similarly, Legal Geeks (a pair of e-Discovery attorneys) point out in "A Legal Analysis of The Chewbacca Defense" that odds are a Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict (JNOV) - effectively overruling the jury's verdict would come from the judge. As they say at the end of their piece "In Chef’s case, the copyright violation should have entitled him to a judgment as a matter of law." Never mind Chef would have the option of appeal.

BenOfHouston Since: Oct, 2015
May 16th 2019 at 6:32:44 PM •••

I think we should probably cut discussion about the Green New Deal and all other "sound good" law proposals. They are made to sound good, but are either objectively impossible or too absurd to even consider as legitimate proposals. Proposing a great sounding but unpassable or impossible bill and the mockery thereof isn't really this trope.

GreyAngel Since: Sep, 2011
Sep 23rd 2011 at 12:11:18 AM •••

This can get really interesting in real life, often overlapping with Insane Troll Logic. I used to be a debater and ran into a team who said things like, "Statistically, black men have been shown to jump higher." It was a Curb Stomp Battle.

Any other people actually run into people who use this?

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captainsandwich Since: Jan, 2012
Feb 28th 2012 at 6:39:56 PM •••

Sometimes this works not because the person that hears that chewbaka defense gets confused, but because they think its Insane Troll Logic, and that any attempt to convince the user (or audience) otherwise is a waste of time.

super_big_mac Since: Nov, 2013
Aug 12th 2016 at 4:15:30 PM •••

At one point, I think used a Chewbacca "Attack" during an English class, because we (as in, a pair of two) were supposed to show what Logos, Pathos, and Ethos meant. My partner was a girl who didn't want to do anything, so asked me to do all the talking. I asked her if she knew anything about video games, and she said that she didn't.

When it was our turn to give a response, I started by saying "Pathos" and then launched into a fast-paced spiel about how video games make you more violent, citing the Columbine attack, amongst other things, and even citing some cases where people blamed video games for the crimes they committed, amongst other things. After saying "Ethos" I started half-explaining, half-ranting about how video games were terrible, and you should feel extremely sorry for these poor, misguided souls who would have never done a single bit of wrong if games didn't exist, upon which I immediately switched to "Logos," detailing (with quotes and stats from actual studies I'd been researching) how none of that could possibly be true, because the US' crime rate had actually dropped almost 13% since video games were first introduced, alongside the facts that numerous studies proved that no one actually became more angry or violent just from playing video games.

It left the whole class rather slack-jawed, and I finished up by saying "and that's why video games are a great educational tool for us to use, and why schools shouldn't take a student's phone or laptop away just because they're being used in class."

I got sent to the office, but I did get an A.

Knight9910 Since: Jan, 2001
Jul 7th 2013 at 4:23:26 PM •••

Another ZCE:

Knight9910 Since: Jan, 2001
Knight9910 Since: Jan, 2001
Jul 6th 2013 at 2:22:34 PM •••

Removed for the moment.

Remember Fan Myopia. When someone can expand on and explain how this is an example then they should do so before putting this back up.

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MithrandirOlorin Since: May, 2012
Jul 8th 2012 at 9:23:31 PM •••

"It makes even less sense if you consider the Chewbacca doesn't live on Endor" Originally the Wookeis where supposed to play the Ewoks role. And why is Endor called a Moon anyway? We don't see it orbiting a Planet?

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Fireblood Since: Jan, 2001
Jul 3rd 2013 at 9:15:34 PM •••

It's confusing. Supposedly it's like Yavin 4, a moon of a larger planet (which we don't see in the films). They do call it the "sanctuary moon of Endor". It's being the moon of Endor apparently got mixed up with being Endor itself.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-Philip K. Dick
TheGunheart Some nights I rule the world... Since: Jan, 2001
Some nights I rule the world...
Jun 15th 2011 at 3:50:23 PM •••

Could someone add the whole speech to our Quotes page?

"If you're out here why do I miss you so much?"
blackcat MOD Since: Apr, 2009
Mar 12th 2010 at 6:14:12 PM •••

Why is the trope called Chewbacca Defense? Is this a pre-existing term or is it from the picture on the page from South Park?

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mikekearn Since: May, 2009
Jan 31st 2011 at 1:41:05 PM •••

The trope name stems entirely from the South Park episode. It is, however, notable enough of an example that even the Other Wiki has it as an article.

"I will not succumb to temptation, unless she's cute."
Adrenfreak Since: Jan, 2001
Oct 21st 2010 at 1:58:47 PM •••

The comment I just added may be natter (on the electricity point on the bottom). However, I haven't slept in awhile and I'm not really all here. If so, please remove and smack me.

118.208.220.83 Since: Dec, 1969
May 18th 2010 at 7:21:49 AM •••

The Nifty: Cut this:

  • That whole "Swiftboat" debacle in the 2004 could also count as well. Basically, a conservative group managed to make John Kerry, a war hero, look unpatriotic compared to George W. Bush, who very well may have used his family's connections and wealth to get a cushy assignment during the Vietnam War. The flip flopping controversy, where John Kerry was made to look indecisive because he changed his mind, again might count.
    • Um, the point of the "debacle" as you call it, is the claim, supported by eyewitness testimony, that Kerry got his purple heart by exaggerating his accomplishments. Then when the war became unpopular, he started making, probably false, accusations of war crimes since being seen as pro-war would not be good for his career. Later still, when the country was again pro-military he dusted up his old medals so he could run as a war hero.
      • I don't think My Lai is an exaggeration.
    • Also on that note, liberals' habit of screaming "Swiftboating" whenever an independent conservatives group presents evidence that disputes their statements or criticize their policies also counts.
      • If you're a conservative group, by definition, you're not independent. QED.
        • That's not really the case; you can be conservative, but not Republican, and thus Independent; there are actually quite a few conservatives dissatisfied with the Republican party.
      • I have a toy frog, so my political views are more valid than anyone elses.
      • Hitler also had a toy frog, your views are therefore invalid.

For reasons of natter. Seriously people, is it really so goddamned hard to avoid this crap? if you don't like an example, either cut it or ignore it. This Justifying Edit crap has got to stop.

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