Straw Loser: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''I admit, I don't know what I'm talking about. I've never been laid.''
|'''Dorkwinkle''', ''[[Power Up Comics]]''}}
Sometimes, the easiest way to show how awesome and cool a character is to make sure there's others nearby who simply aren't as awesome. The
Most kinds of media have been known to use the
Long-form media can fall to this, too. A character who may have started off as a mild loser can become a
In extreme cases, can lead to [[Misaimed Fandom]] when the audience winds up ''sympathising'' with the
Has a great deal of crossover with the other categories in [[The War On Straw]], as it makes it especially clear which side is the one that's supposed to be made of straw.
See also: [[This Loser Is You]]. Just not you-you. As noted above about acceptable targets, often crosses over with [[Token White]]; contrast the [[Unfazed Everyman]].
{{examples}}▼
{{Noreallife|real people are not crafted for a specific purpose.}}
== Anime ==▼
* Dallas Genoard of ''[[Baccano!]]'' spends most of his time being so much of an asshole that the [[Noble Demon|sympathetic mobsters]] look nicer, and being such a loser that the [[Heroic Sociopath|heroic sociopaths]] of the cast look cooler.▼
* ''[[Clannad]]'' - Tomoya has his eternal buttmonkey Sunohara hanging off him -- a foil whose job it is to suck.▼
* Until they [[Took a Level In Badass]] in "Best Wishes", [[Terrible Trio|Team Rocket]] of the ''[[Pokémon]]'' anime had been this trope for quite a while. Need a newly introduced character (from Gym Leaders to just skilled normal trainers) to show their skill? [[The Worf Effect|Have them beat up Team Rocket]]!▼
* Subverted in Reinouryokusha Odagiri Kyouko no Uso when the designated [[Straw Loser]] (a skeptic whose life's work is to debunk the alleged "psychic powers" of the main character), is helped by the main character, into showing the audience that he treasures his wife's life more than proving that his opponent is a fraud.▼
▲{{examples}}
==
* Alltell wireless phone company's "My Circle" ads has Chad the Cool Guy squaring off against four other incompetent, malign, and nerdy representatives from Chad's competing phone companies.
* Rogers has commercials where a cool guy is always getting reception while the loser using another phone company keeps getting screwed by bad reception at critical moments.
* The Geek Squad competes against a company in their commercials called...well, the not Geek Squad guys.
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* Similar to the wireless provider example above, Pepsi has run several commercials over the years associating themselves with "cooler" music. The most famous of these, arguably, was a 2004 [[Super Bowl]] commercial with [[Young Future Famous People|Young]] [[Jimi Hendrix]] choosing between buying a soda from the Pepsi vending machine next to a guitar shop, or from the Coke vending machine next to an accordion shop (as we hear the opening bars of "Purple Haze" played on each respective instrument). Another one from 2003 featured Vanilla Coke and Pepsi Vanilla trucks stopped next to each other at a red light. The Coke driver is shown jamming to an [[REO Speedwagon]] song from the early 1970s. The Pepsi driver then flips a switch and his truck starts bouncing and blasting hip-hop all over the place, which everyone on the street obviously thinks is coolest thing ever. Definitely creates dissonance if you find REO Speedwagon much more enjoyable.
==
▲* Dallas Genoard of ''[[Baccano!]]'' spends most of his time being so much of an asshole that the [[Noble Demon|sympathetic mobsters]] look nicer, and being such a loser that the [[Heroic Sociopath|heroic sociopaths]] of the cast look cooler.
▲* ''[[Clannad (visual novel)|Clannad]]'' - Tomoya has his eternal buttmonkey Sunohara hanging off
▲* Until they [[Took a Level
▲* Subverted in ''[[Reinouryokusha Odagiri Kyouko no Uso]]'' when the designated
* Jason Biggs seems to have made a career out of playing this type of character, beginning with ''[[American Pie]]''. This can be seen as a form of [[This Loser Is You]] appeal to guys who see themselves as not too successful with women either.
* ''[[Meet the Robinsons]]'' - The Bowler Hat Guy is an [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain]] who lives in a run-down building, [[The Pig Pen|never showers]], never thinks his evil plots through, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|still has the handwriting of a kid]]. {{spoiler|This is deliberately done to show that he has never mentally moved on from one traumatic incident in his childhood.}}
* [[Elvis]] was the King of Rock & Roll, and thus the coolest guy alive by default...so it seemed forced and counterproductive in his (post Army) movies to make him ''look'' cool by having ''every'' other guy around him be an ineffectual goofball.
* Sometimes beginner screenwriters tend to do
▲* Sometimes beginner screenwriters tend to do this -- where instead of writing a standard hero with a combination of strengths and flaws, they will have a [[Mary Sue|statically perfect protagonist]] with an overly-flawed, meant-to-be-unlikeable associate who is always wrong and needs to be put in their place and learn their lesson. Said lesson usually involves the designated scapegoat realizing how awesome the protagonist is compared to them.
== [[Literature]] ==
* [[Robert A. Heinlein]] likes to double up [[The War On Straw]] by making sure his [[Strawman Political]] is also an unimpressive, uncool human being, as does [[Ayn Rand]].{{verify}}
** How so?
* ''[[Harry Potter]]''
** Peter Pettigrew in, who is consistently portrayed in flashback as being a wimpy weasel who ''wets himself'' in the presence of his much cooler friends.
** Aunt Petunia is revealed, retroactively to be a
** The Slytherin House was mostly in the story to supply mean, cheating jerks who [[Planet of Hats|collectively]] hate the main hero and his cause and are beaten by him in Quidditch or in inter-House competition.
* Way back in 1632, natural philosopher Galileo Galilei was commissioned to write a book that would get the Catholic Church out of looking like it blindly supported Aristotle's dogma in a time when it was becoming increasingly clear that he was in serious error. He was told to make the book balanced, so he included a character who would represent all the old beliefs ... a ridiculous straw character based on his most extreme enemies. In a bizarre self-inflicted [[Stealth Insult]], Pope Urban VIII became convinced that the
* In ''[[The Talmud]]'', this plays out with the rival schools of the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai. The latter basically exists to be always wrong- whatever Jewish practice is, it will be the one endorsed by Hillel, and Shammai will take a position that wasn't adopted. Given this and the above example, it's probably fair to say that philosophical dialogues tend to attract this trope.
* Many of [[Socrates]]' interlocutors in [[Plato]]'s dialogues fall into this trope. Most notable is Thrasymachus from ''[[The Republic (novel)|The Republic]]'', who refuses to listen to anything Socrates says, and cries after he loses the debate.
* The popular 1990s kids' magazine ''[[Disney Adventures]]'' would feature as one of their monthly columns a "cool"/"not cool" comparison chart, based on a poll taken at a different American middle school or high school every week. [[The Man Is Sticking It to the Man|(Don't think too hard about a mainstream magazine trying to tell you what is "cool," by the way.)]] At one school, the examples of "uncool" things given by the kids included Barney the Dinosaur, golf, bell-bottom trousers, and the expression "Cosmic!" (which, believe it or not, [[Aluminum Christmas Trees|was an actual slang word back in the late '80s and early '90s]]). So, one of the magazine's artists summed all this up by creating a Straw Loser collage depicting [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|Barney playing golf in bell-bottoms while saying "Cosmic!"]]▼
* [[Jim Belushi]]'s brother-in-law on ''[[According to Jim]]''. Knows Latin word derivations? Check. Fatter than Jim? Check. Too dorky to get to go drinking with Jim? Check. Makes insulting remarks to Jim while the latter is asleep so he can feel important? Check. He actually makes Jim look cool.▼
▲== Live Action TV ==
* The U.S. government has paid TV networks to make sure that anyone using drugs was portrayed as a loser. ''[[ER]]'', ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'', ''Chicago Hope'', ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', ''[[7th Heaven]]'' and other shows had their scripts reviewed by the government and changes made so the network could pocket some cash.
▲* Jim Belushi's brother-in-law on ''[[According to Jim]]''. Knows Latin word derivations? Check. Fatter than Jim? Check. Too dorky to get to go drinking with Jim? Check. Makes insulting remarks to Jim while the latter is asleep so he can feel important? Check. He actually makes Jim look cool.
**
* This is supposedly part of the reason why Lalaine left ''[[Lizzie McGuire]]''.
* In terms of pure [[Flanderization]], this explains why Chelsea on ''[[That's So Raven]]'' ends up carrying the [[Idiot Ball]] so much.
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* And Harper on ''[[Wizards of Waverly Place]]'' seems to exist to sport ultra-dorky outfits so that Alex can look fashionable by comparison. Disney Channel just loves this trope, it seems.
** Harper's outfits go so far beyond "ultra-dorky" that they actually [[Crosses the Line Twice|wrap back around to being cool somehow]]; certainly one has to be impressed by her willingness to wear some of these creations, and this is recognized in-story: there is an episode wherein Harper gets an internship with a fashion designer. A better example of this trope lies in how socially awkward Harper is generally. This is not so much to make Alex look cool by comparison as to make Alex look good: anyone whose best friend is such a social misfit and outcast [[Pet the Dog|presumably cannot be all bad]].
* The TV series ''[[Fame]]'', full of good-looking artistic characters, in later seasons had one minor character who was fat and dumpy and played something called the flugelhorn (a real instrument, but look at the dorky name). He was given all the "wrong" views just to make it clear to the audience. The most [[Egregious]] case was when the school protested having an ROTC program
* Pretty much anyone who's a guest on the ''Jerry Springer'', ''Dr. Phil'' or similar shows.
* ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'' - Carlton Banks was the
* In general, [[Nerds]] in high school sitcoms fall under this. [[Saved by the Bell]] was a particular offender, where the nerds were treated as subhumans who existed to be mocked and provide entertainment for therein for the main cast.
* ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]]'' - [[Hollywood Nerd|Wesley]] (who is definitely not [[Creator's Pet|that]] [[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Wesley]]) to his [[Black and Nerdy]] friends Dave and Connor.
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* Jerry on ''[[Parks and Recreation]]'' is a subversion of sorts. He's [[Butt Monkey|constantly abused]] by the rest of the cast, who see him as an overweight loser with no life. The joke, essentially, is their continual to failure to notice that he's actually a perfectly normal middle-aged guy who has his life more together than any of them.
* Cliff Clavin is an unpopular, put-upon, mama's boy mailman who's only really good for spouting dubious trivia at the ''[[Cheers]]'' bar. Cliff's [[Heterosexual Life Partners|best friend]], the fat, lazy Norm Peterson gets more respect than him.
* Trina Vega on ''[[Victorious]]''. Unattractive [[Hollywood Homely|despite being portrayed by]] [[Daniella Monet]]? [[Hollywood Tone Deaf|Horrible Singer]]
* [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]] in ''[[Blackadder]] II'':
{{quote|'''Blackadder:''' It is said, Percy, that the civilized man seeks out good and intelligent company so that by learned discourse he may rise above the savage and closer to God.
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* Much and Allan-a-Dale from ''[[Robin Hood (TV series)|Robin Hood]]'' were often characterized as this throughout [[Seasonal Rot|series three]], seemingly as a way of making [[Damsel Scrappy|Kate]] and [[Replacement Scrappy|Tuck]] look good in comparison. This included both of them acting extra clumsy, mucking up several outlaw plans, and getting laughed at for not knowing basic general knowledge (including not knowing how to count). Given that Much and Allan were highly popular characters, and that Tuck and Kate were the [[Replacement Scrappy|Replacement Scrappies]] to Will and Djaq, two ''genuinely'' intelligent characters, this tactic achieved nothing except to make the fandom loathe [[The Scrappy|Kate and Tuck]] all the more.
== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==
* In ''[[The Iliad]]'', the Greek soldier Thersites is described as deformed, ugly, and annoying, and his most important role in the story is to openly criticize King Agamemnon and then be beaten by Odysseus for his arrogance. Under some interpretations, Thersites' ultimate purpose is to discredit those who opposed the Trojan War.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
** More specifically it allows them to showboat at all; the Generals are washouts by all metrics, so the Globetrotters are free to goof off without worrying about the Generals beating them by playing a serious game. Against actual competitive teams, the Globetrotters can and do play a serious game, and do quite well at it.▼
▲* The popular 1990s kids' magazine ''[[Disney Adventures]]'' would feature as one of their monthly columns a "cool"/"not cool" comparison chart, based on a poll taken at a different American middle school or high school every week. [[The Man Is Sticking It to the Man|(Don't think too hard about a mainstream magazine trying to tell you what is "cool," by the way.)]] At one school, the examples of "uncool" things given by the kids included Barney the Dinosaur, golf, bell-bottom trousers, and the expression "Cosmic!" (which, believe it or not, [[Aluminum Christmas Trees|was an actual slang word back in the late '80s and early '90s]]). So, one of the magazine's artists summed all this up by creating a Straw Loser collage depicting [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|Barney playing golf in bell-bottoms while saying "Cosmic!"]]
▲== Video Games ==
* ''[[Street Fighter]]'' - Dan. Nothing says ''loser'' more than a crybaby palette-swap in a pink gi who can only dish out wussy attacks and taunts. Compared to the other more notable fighters, he is the most likely to have his ass-kicked. Even when he wins he cries. Though those are obviously [[Manly Tears]].
** This is even worse in the [[Street Fighter (comics)|UDON comics]], as anytime he appears its just to get a butt-kicking by his opponent and humiliated thoroughly.
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*** Not to mention that he's still a highly trained martial artist who can shoot fire out of his hand and could likely kick the bejesus out of 99.9% of people who ever played a ''Street Fighter'' game without breaking a sweat.
== [[Web Animation]] ==▼
▲== Web Animation ==
* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'' - In the Strong Bad Email "fan club" and the 'toon "Crystal Fortress", Strong Bad apparently uses vacuum-cleaner eating habits and talking with one's mouth full as shorthand for Straw Loserdom. Not surprising, as one of his least-liked costars is [[Extreme Omnivore|the King of Town]].
* "Mah Freen Amy" in ''[[Arfenhouse|Arfenhouse: The Movie]]'' is a self-described "fukkin retard" who believes that "PUIRRRPOL IZ k00l!!!!!!111"
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100822085556/http://www.drunkduck.com/Powerup_Comics/index.php?p=309522 This] ''[[Power Up Comics]]'' strip, from which the page quote comes, with the character Dorkwinkle who is a parody of how many webcomics overuse this character type.▼
* In a less-[[Lampshaded]] example, there's [https://web.archive.org/web/20110111070547/http://dummcomics.com/index?sid=913 this] (Link Broken) [[Face Palm]]-inducing offering from ''Dumm Comics''.▼
== [[Web
▲* [http://www.drunkduck.com/Powerup_Comics/index.php?p=309522 This] ''[[Power Up Comics]]'' strip, from which the page quote comes, with the character Dorkwinkle who is a parody of how many webcomics overuse this character type.
▲* In a less-[[Lampshaded]] example, there's [http://dummcomics.com/index?sid=913 this] (Link Broken) [[Face Palm]]-inducing offering from ''Dumm Comics''.
▲== Web Original ==
* Douchey Mcnitpick, an unwashed, perverted [[Basement Dweller]] who stands-in for all the [[Fan Dumb]] of [[That Guy With The Glasses]].
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In a similar case to the Jon Arbuckle example, [[Daffy Duck]] was [[Flanderization|Flanderized]] into being perhaps one of the unluckiest [[Looney Tunes]] characters ever and was paired up with [[Bugs Bunny]] in several cartoons to show how much more cunning and savvy Bugs was compared to Daffy. This version of Daffy was originated by [[Chuck Jones]] and would go on to be used by everybody after that, abandoning Daffy's old 'screw-ball' character.▼
** In ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'', Daffy is [[Genre Savvy]] enough to use this trope to his
* Patrick can be considered this to ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', especially in later seasons. Spongebob is frequently shown to be a brainless irritance to everyone around him, though often looks rather down to earth and clever compared to Patrick, a [[Too Dumb to Live]] [[Lazy Bum]]. Squidward seems to work as one for either of them
==
▲
▲* In a similar case to the Jon Arbuckle example, [[Daffy Duck]] was [[Flanderization|Flanderized]] into being perhaps one of the unluckiest [[Looney Tunes]] characters ever and was paired up with [[Bugs Bunny]] in several cartoons to show how much more cunning and savvy Bugs was compared to Daffy. This version of Daffy was originated by [[Chuck Jones]] and would go on to be used by everybody after that, abandoning Daffy's old 'screw-ball' character.
▲** In ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]'', Daffy is [[Genre Savvy]] enough to use this trope to his advantage--he purposely gathers a circle of friends ([[Porky Pig]], Marvin the Martian and Pete Puma, to be precise) who are so lame that ''he's'' the cool one and proceeds to do everything in his power to keep Bugs from joining the group.
▲* Patrick can be considered this to ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', especially in later seasons. Spongebob is frequently shown to be a brainless irritance to everyone around him, though often looks rather down to earth and clever compared to Patrick, a [[Too Dumb to Live]] [[Lazy Bum]]. Squidward seems to work as one for either of them in that, despite being far more intelligent and sane, is the universe's defining [[Butt Monkey]], with Spongebob and Patrick often playing [[The Fool]] against him.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Foil]]
[[Category:Loser Archetype]]
[[Category:The War On Straw]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
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