The "B" Grade: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A straight A student has just received a report card... along with some distressing news: There is a B in one subject. This makes the student disappointed at having his/her perfect record tarnished, while others wonder what the big deal is, since they'd usually be content to get a B. When they truly understand how upset the person in question is, there usually is a pep talk reminding how great they are and an occasional stumble is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Compare [[Second Place Is for Losers]]. [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]] is often the character's response to "It's just a 'B.'" If your character isn't bright enough to be traumatized by this trope, then perhaps they'll balk at their [[F Minus Minus]].

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Ojamajo Doremi]] Sharp'': In the very first scene of this season, Hazuki has a terrible reaction to getting exactly ''one'' "Try harder" mark. This doesn't affect the overall plot, however.

* This is Ami's great fear in ''[[Sailor Moon]]''. Aliens coming to take all the energy out of their bodies? Ami's on it. [[Yandere]] not quite over the heroine's [[Love Interest]] and will stop at nothing to [[Murder the Hypotenuse]] ? Not a problem. [[Mad Oracle]] from the future manipulating a prince into doing his bidding, and eventually goes after Crystal Tokyo's princess? No problem. An A-minus on her final? Ami's crushed.

* [[The World God Only Knows|Keima Katsuragi]] gets upset on the very rare occasions when he gets less than a perfect score; not because he cares about the test itself, but because he has a deal with his teachers that let him play his [[Dating Sim]] games in class so long as he aces his tests.

* ''[[Time Guardian|Toki No Shugomono]]'' has Miu get a bad grade on a psychics test because she was adjusting her watch. This sets off the whole plot of the story.

 

== Film ==

 

== Literature ==

** This is, in fact, paid off when she has trouble on a Defense Against The Dark Arts "obstacle course", where a Boggart transformed into Professor McGonagall, who told her she ''failed'' everything. So at least she has some perspective.

*** Perhaps justified- after all, Hermione is Muggle-born and presumably Hogwarts is her only connection to the awesome world of magic. Wouldn't flunking out scare ''you''?

*** Harry's B-equivalent grade in Potions makes him worry that he won't be able to join the Dark-magic-fighting Aurors, and by extension, his defeating Voldemort could be that much more difficult. To be fair, he's been told that the professor for one of the classes required for certification won't accept people scoring below a certain (very high) level.

* In ''Dear Mr Henshaw'' Leigh gets an A minus on his dog assignment. His teacher says the minus is for not standing on both feet.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpog1_NFd2Q "What Teachers Make"] by the teacher and poet Taylor Mali:

 

== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[The Adventures of Pete and Pete]]'': Ellen gets a B in Driver's Ed, and spends the episode kissing up to the instructor. She eventually gets an A-.

* Paris from ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'' reacts badly to getting an ''A-minus!''

** Alex thinks his girlfriend will leave him for the [[Romantic False Lead]], who got an A from a professor who "never" gives them out, while Alex got a B. He gets over it when she stays with him, pointing out that he has a romantic side that the other guy lacks.

* In one episode of ''[[Parker Lewis Can't Lose]]'' ("Senior Jerry") Jerry Steiner gets promoted to the next class and manages to get the first (non-A(+)) B+ of his life; out of devastation he quits school and wishes to become a mason.

* ''[[Castle]]'' gently mocks his daughter who is studying for an exam on ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'': "Ironically, you will be ashamed if you ''don't'' get a big red A."

* It was (no pun intended) the B-plot ([[Monster of the Aesop|complete with Killer Bee Monster]]) in an ep of ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', where Billy got upset over the first B he ever made on a test. 

* There's an episode of ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' where Dexter comes home all worried about having to take his mother to see the principal. Dee Dee spends the entire episode wondering "whadja do? whadja do?" until Dexter transforms her into a copy of his mother, and takes her to the appointment, allowing her to find out from a tearful principal that Dexter got an A-minus on his last test. Of course, she immediately proceeds to go ballistic ("a lousy A-minus!?").

** Then Dexter tells Dee Dee if she just stops bothering him all the time then they wouldn't even gone through all the trouble of transforming Dee Dee into their Mom.

* In the ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' episode "Unfair Science Fair", [[Bollywood Nerd|Baljeet]] fears receiving an A-minus on his science project.

** When the entire group dresses up as their worst fears for a haunted house in "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", Baljeet dresses up as a failed math test.

== Real Life ==

* Graduate school. Depending on the program, 3.0 out of 4.0 is often considered the lowest acceptable grade, and funding has been severely cut for grade point averages that would make undergrads very happy. Students can get lectured about receiving 3.5 out of 4.0. Does not help keep grad students sane.

* The many, many, sad tales of kids who are grounded, beaten, or worse by overbearing parents who don't like it when their kids bring home B or C grades. 

* [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Asian%20Grading%20Scale&defid=3403390 This]. While not as drastic, still pretty much captures the mentality. 

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]

[[Category:School Tropes]]

[[Category:Truth in Television]]