Comically Missing the Point: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"I started to walk down the street when I heard a voice saying: 'Good evening, Mr. Dowd.' I turned, and there was [[Not-So-Imaginary Friend|this big white rabbit]] leaning against a lamp-post. Well, I thought nothing of that, because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name."''

* ''Divine Diva'' by Daniel Gagnon. The famous singer Iolanda is dying; the President, corrupt head of a corrupt and crumbling government, repeatedly calls her, pleading with her to return to the stage and revive both of their glory days, and making a thousand excuses as to why the political situation isn’t his fault. Iolanda tells him she’s rejected her earlier life of hedonism and extravagance and at last found love, in the person of Francesca, the humble young woman who cares for her. Francesca bluntly tells the President his faults. The President, denied Iolanda by death, tries to instead win over Francesca, but without ever admitting wrongdoing: having completely missed the point of what Iolanda values in her, he tells her that he’ll gladly listen to her talk of corruption and starvation if she’ll only have dinner with him at a fancy restaurant. He gets the only possible response when Francesca hangs up on him.

* In the Tiffany Aching subset of ''[[Discworld]]'' books, Tiffany's father takes great care to keep the clock on the mantelpiece set properly. He does this by looking at the clock tower in town each time he visits the market, remembering how it looked all through the slow, miles-long trek home, and then adjusting the Achings's clock to match what he'd seen. (It's mentioned that, since he gets up at dawn and works until it's dark, it doesn't really matter what time it is, but then, why try to set it at all?)

{{quote|'I should imagine they'd give you a cigarette.'

'A cigarette?' said Fred.

'I think they prefer you to stand up straight, sergeant.'

'Fair enough. No need to be sloppy just because you're a prisoner.' }}

{{quote|'''Moist:''' Yes, I think I shall put that off for a day or two, dangerous people to tangle with.

'''Wizard:''' Indeed. I understand some of those sopranos can kick like a mule. }}

* A [[Running Gag]] in the ''[[Adrian Mole]]'' books is self-proclaimed intellectual Adrian completely missing the point of whatever book he's reading. For instance, after finishing ''[[Animal Farm]]'' he declares "From now on I'm treating pigs with the contempt they deserve. I am boycotting pork of all kinds."

* The Sci Fi novel ''[[Malevil]]'' has an amusing example: Fulbert of La Roque and Emmanuel of Malevil are having a pissing contest over who has authority in the region after [[World War III]]. Religion is their primarily weapon, Fulbert appoints himself priest of La Roque and so Emmanuel is elected as priest of Malevil. When Fulbert announces he is appointed as ''Bishop'', Emmanuel decides to respond with sarcasm and his own ridiculous claim. He digs out ''600 year old documents'' from the [[Hundred Years' War]] claiming that the Lord of Malevil is [[Feudal Overlord]] over La Roque and that he inherits the title and power by virtue of owning the property before the war. His friends unfortunately rally under the idea that they now have the "legal" right to overthrow the evil priest.

{{quote|'''Ron:''' [[Lampshade Hanging|She needs to sort out her priorities]].}}

:* This said, being expelled from school probably ''is'' a [[Fate Worse Than Death]] to Hermione. And if Harry and Ron thought about it, it would be for them too.

* ''[[Supernatural]]'s'' Castiel is made of this trope, at least whenever dealing with the quote-happy smartass Dean.

{{quote|'''Castiel''': I don't understand that reference.}}

 

== [[Music]] ==

* Zero in ''[[Beetle Bailey]]'' lives this trope. Usually.

 

* [[Older Than Feudalism]], from ''[[The Bible]]'':

** It is a common theme for a prophet to accuse religious leaders of doing this because they were more interested in being [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]]s than in being [[Good Shepherd]]s.

{{quote|'''Micah 6:7-8:''' ''Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn [for] my transgression, the fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? ''}}

::: Samuel then went to the Amalekite king Agag and "hewed him in pieces," saying (implicitly), "''this'' is the point, you idiot! Just ''why'' did I ever make you king?"

:* Jesus said it very well when speaking of the Pharisees who forgot the meaning of the law was to show mercy and faith in Matthew 23:24 'Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.'

* Grobnar Gnomehands, resident [[Spoony Bard]] and [[Cloudcuckoolander]] of ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'', is the ''king'' of this trope. One memorable incident has him meet [[Neverwinter Nights|the previous game's]] bard, the kobold Deekin Scalesinger. It's fairly well known in the D&D mythos that [[Fantastic Racism|kobolds hate gnomes]]. Deekin sings a piece of doggerel about butchering gnomes, and ''Grobnar turns into a music critic''. [[Neverwinter Nights 2/Funny|The exchange has to be read to be believed.]]

 

* Masayuki occasionally in ''[[A Profile]]'', though it's not always played for laughs. But one that ''is'' goes like this:

{{quote|Masayuki: So, you have multiple personalities, huh? Awesome, I can have a threesome this summer!}}

* The Judge from the ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' games falls into this trope many, ''many'' times. From case 5 of this first game, this is his response to being told that a witness was using another character as his "puppet"...

{{quote|'''Judge''': Wait, you mean [[Manipulative Bastard|the witness]], a man of his stature... [[Literal-Minded|plays with puppets]]?}}

'''Egon:''' No, Ray, [[Captain Obvious|''Mrs. Rogers'' is Wat]].}}

:* This quickly becomes an [[Explain, Explain, Oh Crap]] moment, seeing as they told Mrs. Rogers to go to the Firehouse, where they assumed she'd be safer...

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