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{{trope}}
{{quote|''...Government is staffed with mostly well-intentioned but incompetent people... Conspiracy theorists reverse this: They think government is evil-intentioned but supremely competent. That's crazy-talk, Count Chocula.''
|'''Jonah Goldberg'''
Except in parodies, all villains in fiction are magically immune to the problems of bureaucracy, logistics, and bad luck. Their powers are so strong that this even transfers to their lowest minions. This trope is the opposite of the much less common (and [[Reality Is Unrealistic|much more realistic]]) [[Dystopia Is Hard]].
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** As [[Isaac Asimov]] pointed out in his review of ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (which he thought was overrated), while the economy of Oceania is in shambles, the television sets (which always have to be switched on) seem to work all the time.
*** That's because the economy is in an artificial shambles. The Party seems to figure that (above a certain class level, at least) people who don't know where their next meal is coming from are easier to keep in line.
**** [[All There in the Manual|Goldstein's book]] makes it clear that the sole purpose of the endless world war in 1984's world is to destroy the inevitable economic surplus created by industry that might allow the population to revolt
* Also noted by [[Terry Pratchett]] in ''[[
* [[C. S. Lewis]] played with this... [[In Space|In Hell!!!]]. The Lowerarchy in ''[[The Screwtape Letters]]'' is largely held together by fear of retribution, because demons hate everything good, including efficiency, but acknowledge that their plans rely (for the moment) on certain "good" qualities remaining in play. Every so often something [[Goes Horribly Wrong]]... or awesomely right, if you're one of the good guys.
* Lewis acknowledges this again in ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' book ''[[The Horse and His Boy]]'' (set during the reign of the kids). [[The Evil Prince]] Rabadash is angered when Susan rejects his marriage proposal but knows that his country's massive armies can't cross the desert to reach Narnia. He decides to collect 200 horsemen in an attempt to kill the King of Archenland (Narnia's neighbor) and gain a foothold. Even then it apparently takes the better part of two days to get the men ready.
** [[Subverted Trope|That's actually pretty good]] for a muscle
*** By comparison it would take longer to plan a proper Church picnic which of course has no wasteland to cross and no hostile resistance.
* The Barrayaran government in [[Vorkosigan Saga]] is a zig-zag. It is not really fascist, but is definitely [[Insistent Terminology|authoritarian.]] However the military is generally efficient, and the Imperial Security [[Badass Army|certainly is.]] Of course it's efficiency is rather spotty; it's economy and technology is suboptimal although that is at least excusable by it's previous isolation and the scourging of an invasion. It is to be noted that Barrayarans though they are flawed are not villainous.
**The Cetagandans are closer to a straight example. They are plagued with internal troubles and seem to have come to the end of their expansionist ability.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Evil Tropes]]▼
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▲[[Category:Evil Tropes]]
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