Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Difference between revisions

[[File:Picture 2.png|link=Yotsuba&!|frame|[[Goldfish Scooping Game|Not even Yotsuba likes being pitied]].]]

 

 

An injured or suffering character is approached by another, eager to help, but the injured party is offended. This reaction of humiliation and resentment may be spoken, acted upon, or merely felt, but it is some variation on "I don't want your pity," or '''"Don't You Dare Pity Me"'''. This may be used as actual [[Stock Phrases]], but the reaction does not have to be verbalized.

 

Compare [[Think Nothing of It]], for when a character wants to avoid praise for admirable behavior, [[Leave Me Alone]], a common pharase also said by characters of this type, and [[Bad Dreams]], where the character's suffering is not displayed at all while he's conscious.

 

== Anime and Manga ==

** This was also Lucy's response to Kouta mentioning how [[Broken Bird|sad]] she looked during her childhood.

* In ''[[Fruits Basket]]'', Kyo himself invokes the trope {{spoiler|when Tohru sees his true form for the first time, lashing out at her in fear of rejection}}.

** {{spoiler|Akito}} invokes this {{spoiler|when Tohru offers her her friendship towards the end of the manga. She slaps Tohru and screams "Do NOT talk to me like you understand! Do you pity me? You can't deceive me! We can't reconcile... I'm... I'm dirty!" Tohru cries at this and says she's not perfect as well, that she also is in pain, and Akito panics and has a [[Villainous Breakdown]].}}

* Mai Tokiha in ''[[My-HiME]]'', ''especially'' in the manga.

** Also Natsuki in the manga. When she is fighting {{spoiler|her mother, Saeko}}, she gets a [[Hannibal Lecture]] saying that as Yuuichi has kissed and effectively chosen Mai, he is only helping her out of pity. Yuuichi then admits that he kissed Mai but asks if Natsuki has any objections to him helping her, causing her to punch him and accuse him of pitying him before kissing him and, her feelings settled, summoning her Child to fight.

* Toris aka Lithuania from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' [[Yank the Dog's Chain|doesn't have a good life]] since he works for Russia and is in a very weird and tragicomic [[Love Triangle]] with his boss and said boss's little sister, but ''hates'' telling others (even his old friend Feliks aka Poland) about his problems. {{spoiler|In fact, Poland learns about Lithuania's woes only ''by accident'', when he gets ready to sneak behind Lithuania when he's in the bath tub and happens to see the ''[[Good Scars, Evil Scars|massive]]'' [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|scars on his back]].}}

* May Wong from ''[[Kaleido Star]]'' invokes this trope on Sora Naegino twice. First, {{spoiler|after her [[Break the Haughty]] episode, when she thinks Sora will mock her for being abandoned by Leon and tells her to go away, when in reality Sora wanted to tell her that she flunked Leon's last test}}. Second, {{spoiler|when Katie asks a punished Sora (meaning, she's not allowed to perform for almost dropping out of the Stage) to challenge her during rehearsals, but Sora refuses and May even ''slaps'' her in the middle of her upcoming [[Heroic BSOD]]}}.

* Claire from ''[[Planetes]]''.

* Through the entire run of ''[[Airmaster]]'', Sakiyama Kaori had been caught in a [[Can't Catch Up]] dynamic with the titular street-fighter, Maki. No matter how strong she got—quickly going from being a joke to taking down championship-level wrestlers with a single attack—she still couldn't reach Maki's level, and every fight they had ended with Kaori unconscious or even near death. In the final episode, as Maki is on her way to face her final challenge against 'The Strongest Man,' Kaori challenges her one last time. She is at the peak of her power, even embracing a rage-powered near-[[Super Mode]], and yet Maki and the viewers know that she doesn't have a prayer. But when Maki says "I'm sorry, but... it'll take only one minute," Kaori literally explodes in fury, not at Maki's confidence in her own skills, which is well-founded, but in the pity inherent in the first part of the statement. Taken aback, Maki apologizes and recants. "One minute." (It takes barely ten seconds, but Kaori is smiling as she goes down.)

* ''[[Cyborg 009]]'' has Phil, the [[Hot-Blooded]] [[Anti-Villain]] of the Psychic Assassins arc, push his [[Proper Lady|soft-spoken and kindhearted teammate Lina]] away whenever she worries [[Ill Boy|because of his ailing health]]

{{quote|'''Phil''': "Shut up, Lina! You're not my mother!"}}

** {{spoiler|Fate's minion}} Homura pulls this on Rakan as well, when he briefly reads her mind and finds out {{spoiler|she's a war orphan taken in by Fate.}}

* [[Dark Action Girl|R]][[Ruthless Modern Pirates|e]][[Ax Crazy|v]][[Jerkass Woobie|y]] of ''[[Black Lagoon]]'' gets at least two of these during the series.

* Tatsumasa Oda from ''[[Slam Dunk]]'' is the poster-boy for this trope.

* Shadow Link holds this attitude toward Princess Zelda at one point, in the [[Zelda Manga|manga adaptation]] of ''[[The Legend of Zelda (manga)|The Legend of Zelda]]: [[The Legend of Zelda Four Swords|Four Swords Adventures]]''.

* Envy from ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' will NOT let anyone pity him. So much so that in the manga, [[Death by Irony|Envy]] {{spoiler|[[Driven to Suicide|commits suicide]]}} because of it, specifically because Ed, the one he hates the most, is showing it to him.

** Averted in the manga when Miles, in a [[Secret Test of Character]], reveals his Ishbalan ancestry to Ed and accuses him of the crimes the Amestrians committed to the Ishbalans. Ed, who was a child during the war and is only half-Amestrian, counters that Ishbalans burnt his hometown and killed Winry's parents, which surprises Miles, who said he usually did get pity as an answer to that question.

* As shown in the above picture, even ''[[Yotsubato|Yotsuba&!]]'' has one, though played for laughs; the title character's failure at the [[Goldfish Scooping Game]] inspiring the event.

* At one point in ''[[Code Geass]]'' {{spoiler|Lelouch}} tells {{spoiler|Euphemia}} "STOP IT! STOP GIVING ME YOUR PITY! SPARE ME YOUR CHARITY! THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO ACHIEVE ON MY OWN! AND SO FOR THAT, I SHALL STAIN YOUR HANDS WITH BLOOD, {{spoiler|EUPHEMIA LI BRITANNIA!}}"

* ''[[Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru]]'': Uzuki does ''not'' like it when Yuki pities him.

* ''[[Welcome to The NHK]]'': Elena in the Manga when Yamazaki tries to give him money so he can get a sex change operation.

* Claes from ''[[Gunslinger Girl]]'' does not tolerate sympathy from anyone concerning her situation within the Agency (handler is dead, is confined as a tech tester). In an inverse, she doesn't give sympathy to the girls or even tolerate their angsting, as seen when Angelica becomes self-deprecating after her blunders in the mission in the mountains.

{{quote|'''Kakashi:''' "Sakura isn't the kind of person who mocks someone out of pure cruelty. But she also dislikes the idea of Ino taking pity on her".}}

* The reason for Kazuma and Fumino's marriage in [[Faster Than a Kiss]]. In the extremely brief backstory, she originally refuses his offer to take her and her little brother into his home, not wanting to receive "vague sympathy". Only when he agrees to marry her instead does she accept. Then [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* Vegeta from ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' hates it when Goku and the others show him pity. He thinks it's a sign of weakness.

** Frieza takes it a step further, and uses Goku's pity in a last-ditch attempt to kill him.

* Don't treat [[Ace Pilot|Ayase]] from [[Guilty Crown]] differently just because she happens to be wheelchair-bound. She will surely [[Incredibly Lame Pun|kick your ass]] if you do.

* ''[[The Idolmaster (anime)|THE iDOLM@STER]]'' - Chihaya shuns anyone who dares to come close to her during her [[Heroic BSOD]].

* In ''[[Gundam Seed]]'', Flay takes it ''really bad'' when she feels Kira is spending time with her rather than his parents because he pity her as an orphan. Previously, she was the one acting as Kira's only moral support.

 

== Comic Books ==

** Sunnier nothing, his step-brother Atom-Smasher derides Damage for essentially being "Vanity Smurf with superpowers". Damage's face was healed by Gog, so Damage spread Gog's message, all the while showing off his "perfect face". This leads to a [[Kick the Dog]] moment when Damage destroys Atom-Smasher's (originally Damage' and A.S.'s father's) house full of priceless memories because he didn't want to be "linked to a dwarf". When Gog dies, Damage's face gets re-scarred and is this all over again.

* DC's The Ray foolishly caused his father to go into respiratory arrest and saved him with mouth-to-mouth. The father immediately berated him for his stupidity, but the Ray ignored him in his relief that he was alive, which was so great that he [[Manly Tears|started to cry]]. His father realized it, stopped the scolding, and tried to put his arm about him. Ray angrily shrugged it off. (A second attempt was more successful.)

* ''[[Star Wars]]: Obsession'': Asajj Ventress tells this to Obi-Wan as she battles him, and notes that he no longer has pity in his eyes as she dies. (Or does she?)

* ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]]''. The trope can be applied to the main character with his discussion with Nick Fury after the Clone Saga. Although its either a [[Subverted Trope|subversion]] or a [[Justified Trope]]. Or both as the case may be.

* In Archie's [[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Sonic Universe]], could be Scourge the Hedgehog in issue 29. The pitiers sing "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" and state that they're only doing this because they feel bad that they're happy he's getting hurt, not them.

 

 

== Films -- Animated ==

* ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'': I don't want your apology. I want my scroll! Interrupting a [[Sympathy for the Devil]] moment, for that matter.

 

== Films -- Live-Action ==

* In ''[[Midnight Cowboy]]'', where Dustin Hoffman's character refuses all attempts to help him over the course of the movie. Moral? {{spoiler|He dies on the bus to Florida.}}

* ''[[In the Heat of the Night]]'':

* In ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]'', Sally's reaction to Harry's explanation for why he {{spoiler|had sex with her}} is... less than favorable.

{{quote|'''Harry''': But you looked up at me with these big sad eyes; "Don't leave, Harry," "Hold me a little longer, Harry..." I mean, what was I supposed to do?!

* In ''The Crossing Guard'', ''[[Jack Nicholson]]'s'' character falls into a spiral of despair and anger after his daughter gets killed by a drunk driver while crossing the street. He delivers [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKqx5XFqWzw this] to his wife when she expresses her pity for him.

* Parodied in the second ''[[Scary Movie]]'' with Dwight, a wheelchair-bound cripple, who gets offended every time someone offers to help him with anything. He does this even when it makes no sense or is ridiculously hard to do by himself, such as giving ''[[Screw Yourself|himself]]'' a blowjob and going up two flights of stairs.

 

== Literature ==

* There's a variant in one of the later ''[[Campion]]'' novels by Margery Allingham. Campion conceals the fact he has amnesia and that one of his few memories is of how much he loves Amanda because he can't bear the thought of her choosing him out of pity.

* [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]' Harriet Vane found it difficult to accept [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] because he had fallen in love with her after she had been arrested for murder and was in serious danger of execution.

* In ''[[Sorcery and Cecelia]]'', at the beginning of her Season, Kate has no partners at her first dance except for one who seemed rather distracted during the dance and immediately afterward claimed his dance with her sister, making the sister's magniminity a little too blatant for Kate.

* In [[Robert Asprin]]'s ''[[Myth Adventures|Hit or Myth]]'', Aahz makes or breaks heavy promises to his family in order to rejoin his apprentice Skeeve and finds out that Skeeve is evidently coping [[Just Fine Without You|just fine without him]]. Skeeve quickly realizes how crushing this is, but other characters happily burble about how well Skeeve is doing before coming to belated awareness. Panic-stricken, they look to Skeeve to convince Aahz that [[I Can't Do This by Myself|he really is still needed]], and they aren't saying so out of pity.

* Scarlett O'Hara in ''[[Gone with the Wind]]'' is an example. She cannot stand being pitied. At one point in the novel, Rhett claims that she cannot stand pity and sympathy because she sees them as a sign of weakness.

* Belle in [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' breaks up with Scrooge when she realizes that his personality has changed and his love of wealth now overshadows any feelings he has for her. When Scrooge points out that he has never asked to break off their engagement, she rejects it as pity or a sense of obligation.

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Jayfeather]] of ''[[Warrior Cats]]'' is not the happiest cat around, mostly due to how much he's pitied because of his blindness. Don't be too nice to him, or he'll think you're pitying him. And don't mention his blindness, but then again, [[Hair-Trigger Temper|don't seem like you're trying to avoid it, either]].

** In ''[[Wolfblade]]'', Ragnar at one point thinks of helping Haegr to his feet and gets a warning glance that keeps him silent.

* ''[[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]'': ''[[The Thrawn Trilogy|Heir to the Empire]]'': After [[Tsundere|Mara Jade]] reveals her origins to Luke, she lets him know that she doesn't need his sympathy. She gets it anyway!

** Funnily enough, she grows to admire this quality, although the only people she'd ever admit that to are her husband and son (Luke and Ben, obviously).

* In [[Brian Jacques]]'s ''[[Redwall]]'', [[Impoverished Patrician]] Squire Julian of Gingivere disdains his ramshackle estate and repels Matthias's sympathy because he knows nothing of loneliness or [[Good Old Ways|trying to preserve standards]].

* In ''[[Dragaera|Iorich]]'', Loiosh knows better than to extend psychic sympathy when his boss is getting beaten up, as Vlad just wants to ride out the pain until it's over.

* During ''[[X Wing Series|Wedge's Gamble]]'', one of the Alderaanians who was off-planet when [[Earthshattering Kaboom|it was destroyed]] explains that many Alderaanians feel this trope, hating the thought of pity, but at the same time feel the need to remind people of their loss.

* The narrator of ''[[Jakob the Liar]]'' (not in the [[Robin Williams]] movie)

* Raistlin Majere of the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' books absolutely ''hates'' to be pitied.

* In ''[[The Full Matilda]]'' by David Haynes, Matilda refuses the pity of whoever [[Second Person Narration|"you"]] is when she tells the story of how at the age of 16 {{spoiler|slept with the senator her family worked for so she could secure her father a house of his own.}}

* In ''[[Daughter of the Forest]]'' by [[Juliet Marillier]] Red literaly says this to Sorcha.

* In [[Gene Stratton Porter]]'s ''[[Freckles]]'', Freckles, returning from town where Angel and her father treated him as an equal, breaks down and cries on his return trip. He's not sure what it means but he's afraid it's pity.

* In the [[Savannah Reid]] novel ''Buried in Buttercream'', when Savannah's having a rough time because she and her friends are having some psychological issues from her being shot a couple months ago, and now her wedding had to be canceled a ''second'' time (first because an arsonist burned the building she was supposed to be married in, second time because someone was murdered at the place), she tells her Granny to not say any pitying, kind words because that will make her just fall apart.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

{{quote|''Don't tell me what I can't do.''}}

** Said by Jack in the season 3 Finale, "Okay, I'll tell you what... you do this... you get my father down here. Get him down here right now and if I'm drunker than he is you can fire me. Don't you look at me like that. Don't you pity me."

* Subverted in the first episode of ''[[Foyle's War]]'': DCS Foyle approaches Sgt. Milner, who is recuperating after having his leg shot off in the Battle of Norway (and is consequently a little shell-shocked and shaken) and asks for his help in investigating the case. Milner bitterly replies that he doesn't want Foyle's pity. Foyle immediately responds that he doesn't have ''time'' for pity he's trying to solve a murder of an unpopular German woman with, thanks to [[World War II]], a severely reduced staff in an atmosphere of fear and chaos, and is approaching Milner because he's a trained police officer and Foyle needs all the help he can get, but if Milner wants to lie around uselessly feeling sorry for himself, that's Milner's problem. Milner eventually agrees to help.

** Kara uses almost these exact words on Lee in the Season 2.5 episode "Scar".

** As does Gaeta in Season 4.5's "Blood on the Scales".

* After the study group in ''[[Community]]'' learns that Jeff is living in his car, they attempt to offer him a place to stay. "The next person who offers me charity or pity gets mentioned by name in my suicide note," Jeff responds.

** Pierce Hawthorne takes this trope to an extreme; he hates the idea of anyone pitying him for his age and his mostly lonely, miserable life, but is otherwise so desperate for attention that rather than accept their pity and sympathy he'll act out in more destructive ways to the point where he eventually makes everyone so sick of him that pity's the ''last'' thing they end up feeling towards him for him, which usually ends up with him ultimately being even lonelier and more miserable.

* A variation in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. Buffy tearfully reveals her mutually-abusive sexual relationship with Spike to Tara. She begs Tara to ''not'' forgive her; not out of anger, but because she's so disgusted with herself that she doesn't think she deserves pity.

** Played straight with Xander and Faith in season 3. Xander is one of the first people to reach Faith after she runs away following her accidentally killing Deputy Mayor Finch, and tries to offer her his support on the grounds that 'they have a connection'. Tragically, Faith misunderstands him -- what Xander is referring to is that he more than anyone else in the cast understands Faith's emotional scars (like Faith and unlike Buffy, Willow, or Cordelia, Xander is a victim of child abuse from alcoholic parents). What Faith ''thinks'' he's referring to is their one-night stand several episodes ago. Angered at what she perceives to be a ploy to take advantage of her emotional distress to get in her pants, she attempts to kill him. [[Big Damn Heroes|Then Angel shows up with a baseball bat]].

* Is [[Played for Laughs]] on ''[[Chappelle's Show]]'', when a handicapped man falls down and refuses help. He gets a round of applause after he gets back up and orders his meal.

* On ''[[Newhart]]'' when maid Stephanie is afraid her wonderful temporary replacement will become permanent, and she tries to impress Dick by making his office “sparkle as never before.” Unfortunately, the replacement maid has made the place spotless and there is nothing for her to clean. Dick balls up a piece of paper so she can empty the trash, only to be told that she doesn’t want his charity.

* In ''[[Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger]]'', this is initially Yellow's response to any overture at comradeship from Red, since Red had replaced Yellow as the leader of the Gaorangers.

* A variant from ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'': when Garak discovers the Odo is suffering the effects of a devastating illness, he opens his mouth to say something, but Odo speaks first, telling him, "If I don't want pity from the woman I love, Garak, I certainly don't want it from you." Garak then smiles, turns, and leaves.

{{quote|''[the Missing Words headline is "(Lack of item price) surprises many customers about bar codes"]''

'''David:''' ''[reading autocue]'' To be honest, it doesn't bother me that prices aren't included in bar codes, because, over the years, I've come to know the prices of every single Ready Meal for One.

'''David:''' ''[waving his hands]'' The pity's worse! }}

* Subverted in an episode of ''[[Castle]]'', when Castle has been feeling insecure about the fact that his daughter Alexis is no longer the little girl she used to be and is gradually moving away from reliance on him and into adulthood, as evidenced by her getting a boyfriend. At the end of the episode, Alexis 'happens' to casually suggest that they go out for a meal and hang out, the way they used to when she was little. Castle pegs immediately that she's been informed of his earlier insecurity and that he's essentially being offered a 'pity-date', but he's willing to take it at that point.

** Ignasi, a [[Heart Trauma|heart patient]], was sent to the hospital after an incident at a playground. He didn’t like the fact he has to be carried in a wheelchair and thought the doctors were overacting to his condition.

** Cristina, admitted for an eating disorder, agues with her sister, Carol, after Jordi, a cancer patient from Andorra, was given a piece of apple. Cristina offered the apple to Jordi and tries to explain to Carol that he was just trying to help her.

 

== Music ==

* "Pity" by [[Drowning Pool]].

 

== Poetry ==

{{quote|''So, when thine own dark hour shall fall,

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

* After Daniel Bryan’s brutal put down, AJ Lee found herself in the mist of a nervous breakdown, took her [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH671ZJQrGA rage out] the [[Natalya Neidheart|available person]]. For what, her opponent felt bad… and that turns out to be a mistake.

 

== Theatre ==

** The reason, however, is that Glinda asked him to, and she specifically cited the chair as the reason she'd find it attractive, so, close enough.

* In the Act One Finale of ''[[La Cage aux Folles]]'', Albin the drag queen sings I Am What I Am, defending his way of life, which includes the lines

* Aldonza's [["I Am" Song]] in ''[[Man of La Mancha]]''

* [[Hamlet]]

{{quote|'''Ghost:''' My hour is almost come,

 

== Video Games ==

* {{spoiler|Skuntank}} to the player character in ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]]'': Explorers of Darkness/Time''.

* Edgeworth to Phoenix in case 3-5 of ''[[Ace Attorney]]'', after he faints because of an earthquake and the defendant escapes from him; echoing the same reaction he had in the 4th case of the first game, where his aversion to earthquakes is explained. Fortunately, his adopted sister Franziska is around to whip some sense into him. [[Whip It Good|Literally]].

* The final boss of ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic II]]'''s response to a [[Last Second Chance]]: "You will not show me mercy! I will see you break before you do!"

* In ''[[Baldur's Gate]] II'', {{spoiler|Jaheira's immediate response to finding Khalid's mutilated corpse}} is to instantly rebuff all and any attempts at consoling her, stating clearly that "the only voice I want to hear... [[Killed Off for Real|Is no more]]."

* In ''[[Disgaea: Hour of Darkness]]'', Flonne takes pity on <s>the 'Dark Adonis' Vyers</s> Mid-Boss as he has no one to make his lunch for him, but he asks her to stop as "That sends a sharp pain to moi heart!"

* In ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'' the Samurai Boss Boomer grumbles that he doesn't want Mario's pity after him and the other good guys trounce him, and instead offs himself by cutting the chandelier he was standing on during the boss fight. Granted, it's hard to tell exactly if Mario was offering pity when his only form of communication is [[Heroic Mime|jumping up and down]].

* In ''[[Sword of Mana]]'', after you defeat Devius, Julius' voice is heard and he offers to heal him. Devius' pride is so offended by this that he declares {{spoiler|he'd rather die than accept Julius' pity, ''and then does''}}.

* This, along with "...leave me alone...", are the last words of the [[Big Bad]] ({{spoiler|Parliamentarian Batiste}}) in ''[[The Spirit Engine 2]]''.

** It's also possible to play [[Iron Woobie|Shepard]] this way.

* ''[[Persona 3]]'': Ken Amada doesn't want any sympathy for being an orphan, {{spoiler|he's too busy plotting revenge and plans on committing suicide afterwards because all he gets is sympathy now.}} Played for the destructive as he realizes that while he feared being alone, he exactly did just that, even though there are [[True Companions]] around to help him.

* In ''[[Silent Hill]] 2'', the mentally unstable and cynical Angela tells James not to pity her when he reaches out to her, claiming that she's "not worth it".

* Surprisingly, {{spoiler|Hanako}} of ''[[Katawa Shoujo]]''. {{spoiler|She is well aware that her being [[The Woobie]] is why Hisao is initially interested in getting closer to her. She doesn't like the idea of him and Lilly seeing her as a child that needs protecting.}} For the most part she doesn't say anything about it {{spoiler|[[Beware the Quiet Ones|until her bad ending]]}}.

** Similarly, {{spoiler|Emi}} has a similar distaste for "white knights", but is much more outspoken about it.

{{quote|'''Lilly''': If you'd pitied us, I would have been quite offended.}}

 

* In ''[[Sabrina Online]]'', Sabrina learns a bit about her boss, Zig Zag, and her [[Dark and Troubled Past]] ([[Abusive Parents|molested as a child by her father]], among other things). When Sabrina tries (awkwardly) to offer sympathy, Zig Zag launches into a tirade about how that kind of pity is exactly why she doesn't tell anyone about her past: She is who she is, refuses to use any [[Freudian Excuse]]s, and ''hates it'' when someone tries to on her behalf.

* Galatea, [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20080902.html here,] in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]].''

* In ''[[Precocious (Webcomic)|Precocious]]'', Autumn [http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2009/07/16 violently rebuffs] Max when he attempts to turn his extravagant birthday party into an actual pity party for her.

* [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=673 This scene] from ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]''.

** [http://wapsisquare.com/comic/notmyproblem/ calling her pathetic] -- ''that'' gets a reaction.

 

== Web Original ==

* In ''[[Tales of MU]]'', Sooni's slave-cum-friend Kai endures extreme abuse from Sooni, including frequent beatings ({{spoiler|once nearly to the point of death}}) and being forced to dress up in ridiculous cosplay. Whenever any of the main characters try to show any sympathy for her, she reacts with rage. It's later revealed in a bonus story that {{spoiler|Kai comes from an extremely impoverished background and always dreamed of getting an education, and although Sooni as good as kidnapped her (with an implied reward to her family) Kai is willing to accept anything as long as it means she can continue going to university.}}

* [[The Nostalgia Chick]] has a big breakdown in Spooning With Spoony after being raped by the titular character. The next episode later, she's dragging Nella everywhere to dance and shooting laser beams at her with delight. Two years later, she flinches and tries to hide her face when she's near Spoony and it's obvious she's nowhere near over the rape.

 

== Western Animation ==

* [[Queen|Freddie Mercury]] was criticized for hiding his HIV status until hours before his death in 1991. However, since the music was meant to be praised for the work involved rather than sympathy over his fatal condition, Mercury kept quiet about it considering that news reports about the situation was dangerous at the time to discuss in a public matter.

* When wrestler, [https://youtu.be/Tcc1BNir33A James Myers] AKA George "The Animal" Steele, was dying of Kidney failure, he recorded his final video with the opening "if you're watching this, I am dead and I am with Jesus. Bye-bye" in a cheerful matter. Knowing he was going to die, Myers opted to look on the positive side. Even those with terminal illness who knows when [[Your Days Are Numbered| they're dying]], still doesn't mean their sense of humor has to go.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Love Tropes]]

[[Category:Sadness Tropes]]

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