Ass in Ambassador/Playing With
Basic Trope: A Jerkass diplomat.
- Played Straight: Bob comes from Tropestan as an ambassador to Cloudcuckooland. He gets drunk and insults the Emperor, hits on the emperor's wife, and puts his elbows on the table.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob uses the flag of Cloudcuckooland as a napkin and a tissue at the dinner, as well as doing all of the above.
- Bob commits not only a faux pas, but a felony.
- Downplayed: Bob's not the easiest guy to get along with, but he's a nice person deep down
- Inverted: Bob remains on his absolute best behavior while at the imperial palace of Cloudcuckooland.
- Justified:
- Bob Did Not Do the Research on proper behavior; what to him is funny or a minor faux pas at worst is seen as extremely rude and threatening in Cloudcuckooland.
- Bob is simply a Jerkass, and/or Too Dumb to Live, regardless of where he is or whom he is with.
- Subverted:
- Bob burps at the dinner table, but quickly excuses himself.
- Bob is not a diplomat, but merely a tourist.
- Double Subverted:
- Only to learn that "excuse me" is not the proper response to a burp in Cloudcuckooland.
- But his behavior is still very rude and ignorant, and still reflects poorly on Tropestan.
- Deconstructed: Obviously, not the best thing for foreign relations, or preventing Cultural Cringe.
- Reconstructed: Bob publicly (and without making lame excuses) apologizes for his bad behavior. The emperor of Cloudcuckooland accepts the apology, and they start over.
- Parodied: Tropestan and Cloudcuckooland are enemy nations, so Bob's rude behavior makes him a hero back home.
- Lampshaded: *sigh* "Foreigners..."
- Averted: Bob does not visit Cloudcuckooland, or interact with any political leaders from there.
- Enforced: "Let's have our Funny Foreigner be a diplomat who makes a Crazy Cultural Comparison thanks to Small Reference Pools."
- Invoked: Bob drinks a strong liquor offered to him at the dinner that does not exist in Tropestan, and loses his inhibitions and sense of appropriateness.
- Defied: Bob (even despite being very drunk) remembers he's supposed to be impressing the emperor, and so does his best to remain on his best behavior. He also took the time to study up on etiquette in Cloudcuckooland.
- Discussed:
- Conversed:
- Played For Laughs: Bob gets booted out of the country by the emperor. Literally.
- Played For Drama: Bob's actions start a war.
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