Implausible Deniability: Difference between revisions

← Older editNewer edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m update links
Gethbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
10,856 edits
m clean up
Line 1: Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{trope}}
[[File:spider_and_fly_2898.jpg|frame|link=http://www.shoeboxblog.com/?p=25333]]
[[File:spider and fly 2898.jpg|frame|link=http://www.shoeboxblog.com/?p=25333]]


{{quote|''"Circumstantial evidence, that's all you've got!"''|'''[[Calvin and Hobbes|Calvin]]'''}}
{{quote|''"Circumstantial evidence, that's all you've got!"''|'''[[Calvin and Hobbes|Calvin]]'''}}
Line 21: Line 21:


== Advertising ==
== Advertising ==
* A Starburst commercial features [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Ernie the Klepto]]. Ernie claims to have reformed from his thieving ways. A kid points out that Ernie stole his Starbursts. Ernie replies, "No, I didn't," while actually eating the candy. [[Too Dumb to Live|The kid accepts Ernie's denial though ]], allowing Ernie to steal the rest of his stuff.
* A Starburst commercial features [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Ernie the Klepto]]. Ernie claims to have reformed from his thieving ways. A kid points out that Ernie stole his Starbursts. Ernie replies, "No, I didn't," while actually eating the candy. [[Too Dumb to Live|The kid accepts Ernie's denial though]], allowing Ernie to steal the rest of his stuff.
** The kid is either ''really'' stupid, or Ernie is an [[Impossible Thief]], since he steals the kid's helmet, his bike, his Starburst, his dog, and his ''shirt''.
** The kid is either ''really'' stupid, or Ernie is an [[Impossible Thief]], since he steals the kid's helmet, his bike, his Starburst, his dog, and his ''shirt''.
* In the first of Troy Polamalu's Head and Shoulders commercials, one of his teammates asks if he's been using his shampoo, because it's for guys who want "thicker and fuller hair"; Troy's already impressive mane gets thicker and fuller each time the camera cuts to him when he denies it, until he sheepishly admits the obvious.
* In the first of Troy Polamalu's Head and Shoulders commercials, one of his teammates asks if he's been using his shampoo, because it's for guys who want "thicker and fuller hair"; Troy's already impressive mane gets thicker and fuller each time the camera cuts to him when he denies it, until he sheepishly admits the obvious.
Line 135: Line 135:
* A [[Running Gag]] in the dentist/spy sketch from ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'': "There is something going on here!" "No, there isn't!"
* A [[Running Gag]] in the dentist/spy sketch from ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'': "There is something going on here!" "No, there isn't!"
** And, of course, no one should forget the <s> Dead</s> Pining For the Fjords Parrot Sketch.
** And, of course, no one should forget the <s> Dead</s> Pining For the Fjords Parrot Sketch.
*** Which was once beautifully subverted in a stage version that took full advantage of the sketch's [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|over-familiarity]]: {{spoiler|after building up to the lengthy [[Implausible Deniability]] that forms the sketch's core, the shopkeeper amiably agrees with the customer, and gives him a full refund and a few holiday coupons to compensate.}}
*** Which was once beautifully subverted in a stage version that took full advantage of the sketch's [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|over-familiarity]]: {{spoiler|after building up to the lengthy Implausible Deniability that forms the sketch's core, the shopkeeper amiably agrees with the customer, and gives him a full refund and a few holiday coupons to compensate.}}
*** John Cleese has mentioned, as an early memory of recognizing something as absurd, a teacher who told his class a story about an ancient Greek wrestler who "won" a match by not letting go of his opponent even after he himself [[Critical Existence Failure|had died]]. [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|The idea being that if you just never give up, you can't possibly lose.]]
*** John Cleese has mentioned, as an early memory of recognizing something as absurd, a teacher who told his class a story about an ancient Greek wrestler who "won" a match by not letting go of his opponent even after he himself [[Critical Existence Failure|had died]]. [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|The idea being that if you just never give up, you can't possibly lose.]]
*** The Dead Parrot sketch is loosely based on a Car Salesman sketch that Michael Palin had previously done with Graham Chapman in ''How To Irritate People''. And '''that''' was based on a [[Real Life]] encounter Palin had with a car salesman who "had an excuse for everything" and refused to admit that there was anything wrong with a car, even as it fell apart in front of him.
*** The Dead Parrot sketch is loosely based on a Car Salesman sketch that Michael Palin had previously done with Graham Chapman in ''How To Irritate People''. And '''that''' was based on a [[Real Life]] encounter Palin had with a car salesman who "had an excuse for everything" and refused to admit that there was anything wrong with a car, even as it fell apart in front of him.
Line 209: Line 209:
== Music ==
== Music ==
* "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy. The evidence against the cheating character in the song includes marks the other woman left on his shoulder, ''videotape'' showing the two in the act of cheating, and his girlfriend being either in the house or ''in the room''. In the bridge before the last chorus, the other singer decides to just admit he cheated and apologize.
* "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy. The evidence against the cheating character in the song includes marks the other woman left on his shoulder, ''videotape'' showing the two in the act of cheating, and his girlfriend being either in the house or ''in the room''. In the bridge before the last chorus, the other singer decides to just admit he cheated and apologize.
** Interestingly, this has resulted in the concept of the "Shaggy Defense", which goes "It wasn't me", no matter how implausible that statement is. (Originated from [http://www.slate.com/id/2191876/entry/2191877/ press coverage] of the 2008 trial of R. Kelly, and has since spread to legal circles because there wasn't a simple term for such a defense<ref>"Alibi" has a much narrower meaning when used in law.</ref>.)
** Interestingly, this has resulted in the concept of the "Shaggy Defense", which goes "It wasn't me", no matter how implausible that statement is. (Originated from [http://www.slate.com/id/2191876/entry/2191877/ press coverage] of the 2008 trial of R. Kelly, and has since spread to legal circles because there wasn't a simple term for such a defense.<ref>"Alibi" has a much narrower meaning when used in law.</ref>)
* "That's My Story" by Collin Raye. Similar to the Shaggy song, the singer sticks to his story of spending the night in his hammock, even in the face of his wife pointing out that she took it down a week earlier, then breaks down and apologizes... for having spent the night playing poker with his friends, with [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|no women around, nuh-uh]].
* "That's My Story" by Collin Raye. Similar to the Shaggy song, the singer sticks to his story of spending the night in his hammock, even in the face of his wife pointing out that she took it down a week earlier, then breaks down and apologizes... for having spent the night playing poker with his friends, with [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|no women around, nuh-uh]].
* Apparently a chronic habit of the girl from verse three of C+C Music Factory's "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm". Either that, or she honestly doesn't know the definition of "virgin".
* Apparently a chronic habit of the girl from verse three of C+C Music Factory's "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm". Either that, or she honestly doesn't know the definition of "virgin".
Line 352: Line 352:
* There's an old story by Chuck Swindoll about a old man he knew who could never admit he was ever wrong. One memorable example was when he went into a shop and noticed a newly minted horseshoe, which had just been pulled out of the fire and was now cooling off inside a water tub. Old man reaches inside to pick it up and immediately burns himself and drops it. The shopkeeper asks, "That horseshoe was hot, wasn't it?" The old man responds, "No, it just doesn't take me very long to look at a horseshoe."
* There's an old story by Chuck Swindoll about a old man he knew who could never admit he was ever wrong. One memorable example was when he went into a shop and noticed a newly minted horseshoe, which had just been pulled out of the fire and was now cooling off inside a water tub. Old man reaches inside to pick it up and immediately burns himself and drops it. The shopkeeper asks, "That horseshoe was hot, wasn't it?" The old man responds, "No, it just doesn't take me very long to look at a horseshoe."
* During the 2011 Libyan uprising, a government official went on television to say that there was no uprising taking place in the country. Said [[Sarcasm Mode|non-existent]] uprising had been going on for six months by the time he got on TV, NATO is enforcing a no-fly zone, and numerous worldwide news stations are covering it.
* During the 2011 Libyan uprising, a government official went on television to say that there was no uprising taking place in the country. Said [[Sarcasm Mode|non-existent]] uprising had been going on for six months by the time he got on TV, NATO is enforcing a no-fly zone, and numerous worldwide news stations are covering it.
* In Italy a driver was caught driving in the wrong direction for 30 km on an highway. The driver denied it.
* In Italy a driver was caught driving in the wrong direction for 30&nbsp;km on an highway. The driver denied it.
* In one routine, comedian [[Chris Rock]] claims that this is the ''proper response'' when a man is caught cheating by his wife. Deny everything, no matter how much evidence she has...even if she catches you ''in bed'' with the other woman, deny that it was you. Because, as Chris says, "sometimes it works."
* In one routine, comedian [[Chris Rock]] claims that this is the ''proper response'' when a man is caught cheating by his wife. Deny everything, no matter how much evidence she has...even if she catches you ''in bed'' with the other woman, deny that it was you. Because, as Chris says, "sometimes it works."
* Sometimes a topic can be politicized to such a degree that denial of something is taken as an article of faith, despite extremely well-documented proof of otherwise. While there are many examples in this list that are fairly uncontroversially true where people have the freedom to say them and not be arrested for it, there are some issues that in some parts of the world are pure [[Flame Bait]], documentation notwithstanding. For example, [[Global Warming]] denial is extremely common in [[The United States]], and [[World War II|Holocaust]] denial is extremely common in [[Useful Notes/Arab-Israeli Conflict|the Arab world]]. In these particular social circles, for reasons of ideology rather than documentation, these topics have developed extremely inflamed passions such that [[Implausible Deniability]] is considered a fundamental litmus test for social acceptability and inclusion. Ironically, even the [[Global Warming]] article here at All The Tropes has a [[No Real Life Examples, Please]] [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|disclaimer]].
* Sometimes a topic can be politicized to such a degree that denial of something is taken as an article of faith, despite extremely well-documented proof of otherwise. While there are many examples in this list that are fairly uncontroversially true where people have the freedom to say them and not be arrested for it, there are some issues that in some parts of the world are pure [[Flame Bait]], documentation notwithstanding. For example, [[Global Warming]] denial is extremely common in [[The United States]], and [[World War II|Holocaust]] denial is extremely common in [[Useful Notes/Arab-Israeli Conflict|the Arab world]]. In these particular social circles, for reasons of ideology rather than documentation, these topics have developed extremely inflamed passions such that Implausible Deniability is considered a fundamental litmus test for social acceptability and inclusion. Ironically, even the [[Global Warming]] article here at All The Tropes has a [[No Real Life Examples, Please]] [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|disclaimer]].


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Implausible_Deniability"