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And Knowing Is Half the Battle: Difference between revisions
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[[I Thought It Meant|This trope does not refer to]] knowing a [[Puzzle Boss|specific strategy]] that makes it easier to defeat a [[Boss Battle|boss]].
{{examples
== [[Trope Namer]] ==
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== Film ==
* Parodied by ''[[Love Actually]]'':
{{quote| '''[[Hates the Job, Loves The Limelight|Billy Mack]]''': Kids, [[Drugs Are Bad|don't buy drugs]]. If you become a pop star they give you them ''for free''.}}
* In ''[[Looney Tunes Back in Action]]'', after Bugs Bunny explains the art technique of Pointillism, he says: "I think, when you go to the movies, you should learn somethin'."
* Steven Seagal's speech at the end of ''[[On Deadly Ground]]''
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* ''[[The Daily Show (TV)|The Daily Show]]'' parodies it with 'The Less You Know', a segment about censorship where the rainbow trail on the star logo is blacked out with redaction bars.
** It also parodied it with 'The More You Wish You Didn't Know' on a segment concerning the ACORN scandals.
* One of J.D.'s fantasies in ''[[Scrubs (TV)|Scrubs]]'' (also on NBC) parodies this with J.D. telling the audience why it's wrong to smother your kids, in a [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick|horrifyingly casual manner]]:
{{quote| '''JD:''' You had a tough day at the office. So you come home, make yourself some dinner, smother your kids, pop in a movie, maybe have a drink. It's fun, right? Wrong. Don't smother your kids.}}
* The other three "big four" networks have their own answers to NBC's "The More You Know" PSAs. As for TMYK, the logo at the top of the page is no longer used; they use a different one now, still with the star motif.
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** CBS has "CBS Cares".
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fun9s4lsPI8&feature=related Can't find that special holiday gift for the man in your life? Get him a prostate exam!] Not sure if this is [[Squick]], a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] or a [[Funny Aneurysm Moment]], but it's '''something'''.
** Fox has "Pause". ([[Incredibly Lame Pun|Get it?]]) The "Pause" segments are innovative because they are [[And Knowing Is Half the Battle]] clips that somehow [[What Were They Selling Again?|avoid imparting]] [[Lost Aesop|any knowledge at all]] except for the address of the segments' website.
* ''This Is the Life'' and virtually all of the now-disappeared religious anthology dramas that aired from the early 1950s through late 1980s. After the situation at hand reaches its resolution, an off-screen narrator (or sometimes, on-screen host, invariably a clergyman) will review a given situation, offer appropriate commentary and give a brief Scripture reading to recap the [[An Aesop|lesson of the day]].
* Indeed (through at least the early 2000s), many stations would offer a brief, pre-taped message from a clergyman from their broadcast area, usually an inspirational message or some other quick lesson on applying Christian values to daily life.
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* ''The [[Weird Al Yankovic (Music)|Weird Al Yankovic]] Show'' suffered from this phenomenon.
* ''[[Police Camera Action]]'' started doing from 2007 onwards at the end of the show. Even the episode ''Ultimate Pursuits'' had one, although that could be considered as [[The Parody|a parody]] of ''[[Back to The Future (Film)|Back to The Future]]'' (with the accompanying theme music). It's rare to see such things on a documentary...
* ''[[
{{quote| '''Tracy's Sex Doll:''' You know a lot of people look down on sex dolls. But as you saw tonight they save lives and bring families together. How am I such an expert? I’m Tracy Jordan’s sex doll!}}
* Spoofed by ''[[The Late Late Show]] with Craig Ferguson'', which ends every episode with a segment named "What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?" right before the ending credits. Quite often, the segment contains no lesson whatsoever, and on the occasion it does have one, it's never a serious one. "Lessons" have included a Spanish vocabulary word and "The kitten in the [[What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?]] graphic is a computer animation, not a video of a real kitten."
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== Theater ==
* The epilogue of ''[[William Shakespeare|Pericles]]'' can be roughly summarized as "Look at all these characters! The gods punished the wicked ones and rewarded the righteous ones!"
* Mozart's (somewhat) dark comedy ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' unexpectedly ends a night of ribald hijinks and catchy tunes with a final scene of the antihero (antivillain?) being dragged down to Hell. The rest of the cast then come onto the stage and [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|Break The Fourth Wall]], lecturing that [[Scare
* Most plays written in the 18th century had prologues that basically said, "this is a good play, you'll enjoy it" and epilogues repeating the moral of the play. Probably justified, since few people at the time actually went to the theater to watch a play - they went to see and be seen.
* ''[[The Matchmaker]]'' ends with Barnaby stating a somewhat facetious moral.
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{{quote| "This is [[Bill Cosby]] comin' at you with music and fun, and if you're not careful you may learn something before we're done. So let's get ready, okay? Hey, Hey, Hey!"}}
** ''The New Adventures of [[Zorro (Franchise)|Zorro]]'' (the 1981 version) featured the title character giving an epilogue each episode about Spanish-American history (focused on California).
** ''[[He-Man and The Masters of The Universe (Animation)|He-Man and The Masters of The Universe]]'' plus its [[Spin
*** The 2002 series ''did'' have morals, following in the format of the original series, but they didn't air with the American episodes; only the international releases. However, they do come on the DVD sets for the curious viewer. They also tend to softened the blow by always making it the exact lesson the episode as a whole was meant to teach you, rather than clumsily segueing into "yo, kids — don't smoke."
** ''[[She Ra Princess of Power (Animation)|She Ra Princess of Power]]''.
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* ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (Animation)|Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers]]'' was very conscious about ''averting'' it (making it a rarity among the [[Animation Age Ghetto]]). This became one of the reasons it attracted an [[Periphery Demographic|older audience]].
* ''[[Super Friends]]'' - safety tips, magic tricks, science projects, you name it. Probably set the tone for all the others.
* ''[[Superman:
* Several PSA segments were prepared for ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'', another Hasbro property produced by Sunbow and Marvel Productions concurrent with G.I. Joe. The segments even used the "and knowing is half the battle" line (and the scripts from the G.I. Joe [[PS As]] almost VERBATIM), but they never aired. These were placed as unlockable bonuses in the [[Transformers Armada|Armada]]-based PS2 game, and are also available on some DVD releases of the show. The most hypocritical one had an anti-sexism message, at a time when there were no female Transformers, and came from Powerglide, who had an episode that season where a human woman fell in love with him (presumably, the PSA would have aired after that episode...).
** Parodied in an episode of ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' where Optimus Prime talks about prostate cancer.
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* ''[[Mister T (Animation)|Mister T]]'' ([[The Animated Series]] starring [[Mr. T]]) puts both the moral in the action story--and then reminds the moral of the story in the tag. Not that the show was intended to bore kids to death. Mr. T [http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Mister_T/Mystery_of_the_Golden_Medallion.aspx spins crocodiles over his head]. And [http://mrtshark.ytmnd.com/ punches sharks].
* ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (Animation)|The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]]'' parodies this in one episode. Erwin steals Grim's scythe and causes a lot of chaos with it. From their beaten up positions, two characters say to the audience "Remember kids, playing with scythes isn't cool or fun." "It's dangerous!" "So if you see a scythe, don't pick it up! Tell an adult immediately!" ...they then proceed to nod at the camera knowingly.
* In one early morning commercial on [[Nickelodeon]], Katara from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' gives a lecture about swimming safety, and how you should always have an adult around. This is a ''horribly'' [[Broken Aesop]] considering these are the kids who do everything with the oldest member being fifteen, from world travel, to swimming, to fighting, to [[Refuge in Audacity|completely unpunished]] [[Flopsy|insurance fraud]]. Also [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|Toph farts in the pool]].
** You should also keep in mind that when you have characters who can [[Making a Splash|control the very water]] around them, and [[Healing Hands|heal you]] if you do get hurt, drowning is probably not high on their list of worries.
* ''[[The Venture Brothers (Animation)|The Venture Brothers]]'' included a [[Very Special Episode]] about testicular torsion - an obscure and embarrassing medical problem to which Dean succumbed. The after-credits segment included the [[Animated Actors]] woodenly giving awareness lectures while reading off cue cards, in a very 'The More You Know' style.
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* ''[[Liberty's Kids]]'', a public-broadcasting educational series set during the American Revolution, initially included pieces of bogus news, reported by [[Benjamin Franklin]], in the middle of each program. These interludes, intended to teach (very) young viewers about life in the 18th century, were cut from non-PBS broadcasts to make room for commercial breaks.
* Spoofed in the ending of the ''[[Duck Dodgers]]'' episode: "The Fudd":
{{quote| '''Duck Dodgers''': That's right kids. [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|Stay in school, don't sass your elders and always color within the lines.]] Because if you're good and lucky, you'll grow up to be ''[[Anti Role Model|just like me.]]''}}
* ''[[Spliced]]'' parodies this with ''Knowing is Growing''
* Spoofed multiple times in ''[[Yin Yang Yo (Animation)|Yin Yang Yo]]''.
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* Viewers of ''[[Tenko and The Guardians of The Magic]]'' were taught a magic trick at the end of the episode by the real Princess Tenko, along with an occasional "The magic is in '''you!'''" message.
* ''[[King of the Hill]]'' often acknowledged social issues, but these were only used a couple of times. One was encouraging viewers to vote, another was about working to get Antonio López de Santa Anna's leg returned to Mexico.
* In ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'', this takes the form of the letters that [[The Smart Guy|Twilight Sparkle]] writes to her mentor [[The High Queen|Princess Celestia]] at the end of every episode. Unlike most others, this is actually implemented well into the plot, rather than being a random PSA disconnected to the events of the episode. (Arguably, they ''are'' the plot, inasmuch as the series as a whole has one at all.)
** In fact, so much so that in Part 2 of "The Return of Harmony", these letters (sent back by Celestia) gave her the resolve she needed to rescue her friends, power up the Elements of Harmony, and defeat Discord when all hope seemed lost. Even more impressive, she turns the aesop of ''that'' episode into an ''epic'' [[World of Cardboard Speech]]/[[Shut UP, Hannibal]] against Discord.
** Interestingly, Season 1 of My Little Pony has the EI rating, while season 2 does not. The production team apparently decided this change of rules ''awesome'', and thus made "Lesson Zero", an episode where Twilight is unable to learn a new lesson about friendship and [[Sanity Slippage|goes a little nuts]]. At the end of the episode, Princess Celestia tells Twilight she only has to write letters when she feels she has learned something and not all the time, effectively freeing this from being mandatory. This hasn't stopped the end-of-episode aesops as they still show up in subsequent episodes afterwards, but interestingly, though, fans and staff liked the idea so much that the writers also utilized the opportunity to allow ''other'' members of the mane cast to occasionally write their own letters to the Princess.
** This is given a hilarious subversion in [[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S2 E15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000|one episode]], where Applejack writes a letter just to brag that she already knew the Aesop.
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