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Comedic Sociopathy: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. [[Crosses the Line Twice|Comedy is when ''you'' fall in an open sewer and die.]]"''|'''[[Mel Brooks]]'''}}
[[Comedy]], as has been noted before, ain't pretty.
[[John Cleese]] once noted, when talking about ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', that comedy is very much like [[Tragedy]], the only difference being that comedy lacks sympathy towards the character. This is often because the character in question does not particularly merit sympathy; Basil Fawlty, for example, lives a life full of hardships, annoyances and general misery, but because he is antisocial and offensive towards his guests and staff often with little provocation (and that most of his misery is caused by his own actions), you find yourself laughing at him rather than mourning his misfortune. If Basil Fawlty were a decent person rather than an [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]], ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' would be a depressing exercise in watching a man tortured undeservedly.
We sometimes laugh when we see someone else get hurt. [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/schadenfreude Schadenfreude] is a staple of humor, there's no question about that. But [[Slapstick]] is only acceptable in limited doses these days, and people just don't throw around banana peels like they used to. And so, in order for humor to be committed, writers must turn to the psychological equivalent.
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A subtrope of the [[Out-of-Character Moment]]. See also [[Heroic Comedic Sociopath]], a character who does this all the time and loves it. This trope is what the [[Sadist Show]] lives off of. This may result in [[No Sympathy]] in situations where the character is clearly deserving of it. [[Too Funny to Be Evil]] coupled with [[Rule of Funny]] is the basic principle that allows this trope to work. Compare to [[Laugh with Me]] or [[Cringe Comedy]].
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== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' has Belldandy herself, who is a goddess, [[The Messiah]], [[Friend to All Living Things]] (and nonliving things!), and [[The Empath]]. Belldandy is not omniscient, but she is powerfully sensitive to emotions, and always knows just the right thing to say or do to give everyone else the epiphanies they need to triumph. She is beautiful and compassionate and perfect in every way...except to Keiichi, the man she loves. With Keiichi, she literally cannot distinguish love from the flu. She says exactly the wrong things to cause Keiichi to panic about others finding out her secret, and never notices his fear or flusteration. She embarrasses him, throws unintentional jealous fits that cause earthquakes and paranormal activity, and generally causes as much stress and mayhem for Keiichi as the villains, or at least the other good guys. Belldandy is a victim of Comedic Sociopathy of the highest order.
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