Turn the Other Cheek: Difference between revisions
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So that bastard stole your lunch money? Next time he is in desperate need of money, just give him more than he needs. This also counts if Bob has just done lots and lots of horrible things to Alice, but while Alice is pissed, she cannot fully hate Bob for something he has done in the past. A character forgiving something truly horrible can also count, but only when they don't make the other genuflect repeatedly for it. Another version is to [[Kill Me Now or Forever Stay Your Hand|put oneself completely at the mercy of someone not-very-nice]], basically [[The Power of Trust|daring them to prove themselves as unworthy of trust]].
The villain's reaction is a very good indicator as to where on the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism]] the story is placed. Their reaction can be any of these: A [[Heel Face Turn]], [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good|absolute astonishment]], [[Ignored Epiphany|sad rejection]], [[Evil Laugh|ridicule]], [[Moral Event Horizon|a bullet to the head]], or a combination of the above. When a character does this repeatedly, it can produce various results and if they keep doing it despite suffering, it shows them as a [[Honor Before Reason|hero of moral fortitude]] or a [[Martyr Without a Cause]]. Sometimes it takes several tries until the villain is won. Just one [[Heel Face Turn]] is usually enough justification for any number of Turn The Other Cheeks performed by a hero. Even if it causes them only suffering, some heroes become [[Doomed Moral Victor
When it works, this is one of the few (if not, the only) things that can stop the [[Cycle of Revenge]].
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[[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused with]] [[Mooning]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Dr. Tenma in ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'' seems to hold this attitude in general, and {{spoiler|he eventually saves the life of the main villain, knowing full well what he's done}}.
* In ''[[Bleach]]'', Orihime heals and revives the two Arrancar girls (Lolly and Menoly) who seconds ago bullied her for ''stealing Aizen's attention'', after getting brutally mauled by Grimmjow. Brutally subverted that both girls are very much [[Ungrateful Bastard|Ungrateful Bitches]] and still tries to attack Orihime out of jealousy.
* Keitaro in ''[[Love Hina]]'' seems to do this a lot to all the girls (except Shinobu of course). In fact it might be fairly common in Unwanted Harem shows.
* Belldandy of ''[[
* Yomiko Readman does this for Nancy in ''[[Read or Die]]''.
* Much of ''[[Naruto]]'''s plot ends up like this. {{spoiler|Konoha ninja kills Nagato's parents, who wreaks his revenge on Konoha, and is then hunted down by Naruto... who ends up understanding the whole mess and decides not to kill him back, preventing a [[Cycle of Revenge]].}} He commits suicide anyway by {{spoiler|bringing everyone he killed back to life}}.
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** Another explanation of "turn the other cheek": if a man considered someone to be inferior and he decided to strike him, he'd use the back of his hand; if he considered him equal, he'd use his palm. Basically Jesus was saying that if someone gave you a backhander, turn the other cheek to force him to use his palm.
** There is also the interpretation that offering someone the chance to slap you again is a way of showing them that the original insult didn't work, and the slapper has failed in his attempt to embarrass the slappee. As this is usually the fastest way to take the wind out of a bully's sails, turning the other cheek is probably a much better idea than slapping back. Certain Christians interpret this as an endorsement of nonviolent resistance (i.e. civil disobedience).
***Isn't attempting to embarrass the slapper spite, which is simply another form of vengeance?
** Another facet to this: In that period, the left hand was still looked upon as unclean, and one could only slap anyone, even the lowest of the low, using the right hand. Turning one's other cheek was essentially to '''dare''' them to slap you using the ''unclean'' hand, which, being unthinkable, left only one other option, to take it as a dare to backhand the victim, which arguably would be just as big of a shame tainting the aggressor if he "accepted" the unspoken dare. It was essentially a wordless taunt of "go ahead and hit me again. Show everyone watching what a cruel monster you are." So in some regard it's simultaneously an endorsement of nonviolent resistance/civil disobedience '''and''' a display of being a [[Badass Pacifist]]. '''Cool!'''
**In point of fact what Jesus said was, "Vengeance is mine." In other words he was taking responsibility for vengence himself(like any patron takes responsibility to avenge his clients). But he was not rejecting vengeance per se. Furthermore when he died he [[Fridge Brilliance|paid wergild]] and part of the price of getting his wergild for ''your'' sins is to accept the wergild paid for the sins of others.
* A similar sentiment is expressed by the writer of the Book of Proverbs, albeit in a more cynical fashion: "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you." Proverbs 25:21-22. This is less about being doggedly nice so much as lording your moral superiority over an enemy who has fallen under your power.
* The Bishop of Digne at the beginning of ''[[Les Misérables]]''. Jean Valjean has stolen his silver, and when the police catch him and bring him to the bishop, he confirms Valjean's story that it was a voluntary gift, and adds his even more valuable candlesticks on top of the silver. True to trope, Valjean does a [[Heel Face Turn]] as consequence. Valjean then does the same for [[Inspector Javert]], but Javert can't handle it {{spoiler|and commits suicide}}.
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* It didn't work in a [[Harry Turtledove]] story where Britain had been conquered and after some tough fighting the Germans had defeated the British Army in India. Non-violent protest proved not to work so well when attempted with an occupying power whose officers are willing to order the machine gunning of your protest march and whose superior officers and government regard that as a fine method to deal with civil disturbance.
* The second variation is played with in [[Discworld]]'s Small Gods. When the god Om gets his powers back, he and Brutha have a minor disagreement over some new laws. Om comments on how he can simply blast Brutha into a little smear on the floor, and Brutha cheerfully agrees that he could, couldn't he? And how Brutha would have absolutely no way of defending himself, whatsoever. Om grumbles that it's not right for someone to use defenselessness as a defense.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130825014316/http://www.101zenstories.com/index.php?story=44 This Zen parable] - a thief entered the house of a priest who was meditating and threatens him, the priest tells him where the money is, asks him to leave enough for the priest to pay taxes and makes sure the thief thanks him when he leaves. A few days later the thief is arrested, but when the police ask the priest to testify against him, the priest tells them that he gave the thief the money and the thief thanked him. The thief still goes to prison, but when his sentence is over he comes back to learn Zen under the priest.
* Subverted heavily in [[Aesop's Fables|Aesop's fable]] "[[The Farmer and the Viper]]". The titular farmer shows compassion to the snake, but his [[No Good Deed Goes Unpunished|good deed]] [[Just for Pun|comes back to bite him]]. The moral? [[Family-Unfriendly Aesop|"Kindness is thrown away upon the evil."]]
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== Music ==
* The protagonist of the Kenny Rogers song "[[The So-Called Coward|The Coward of the County]]" is this, until the Gaitlin boys go after his wife. They soon find out why this is a [[Beware the Nice Ones|seriously bad idea]].
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
* Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are both famous for practicing nonviolent resistance against oppressors. While this didn't make the people that oppressed them pull a [[Heel Face Turn]], it allowed everyone else to see a clear moral contrast between the peaceful protesters and their barbaric tormentors, which drastically swayed public opinion in their favor.▼
* It didn't work for Nelson Mandela in South Africa. When Mandela realised this, he moved to Plan B, sabotaging industrial targets, making sure nobody got hurt. Plan C was to be active resistance against the military, although he was imprisoned before that came to pass.▼
* Ditto with Burma: the monks are pretty much dead now and Burma is the North Korea of Southeast Asia now.▼
** Myanmar got better.▼
* Some early Christians took this [[Up to Eleven]], following almost a manic desire to be martyred. There is a Roman record where an official so freaked out by this behaviour that after executing few Christians for refusing to follow the Roman customs, he disgustedly told the rest to kill themselves if they were so eager to die, and let them go.▼
* An amusing historical example is told of Governor John Winthrop in the [[The Colonial Period|Massachusetts Bay colony]]:▼
{{quote|On one occasion it was reported to him that a man had been stealing from his store of winter's firewood, and he was urged to punish him. "I will soon put a stop to that bad practice," said the governor sternly. He sent for the offender. "You have a large family," he said to the offending culprit, "and I have a large magazine of wood; come as often as you please, and take as much of it as you need to make your dwelling comfortable." Then turning to his accusers, he said: "Now I defy him to steal any more of my firewood."}}▼
== [[Theatre]] ==
* Ferrovius in ''[[Androcles
== [[Video Games]] ==
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** The one time Eric Raymond got arrested he was released the next day, citing that lawyers can practically do anything you pay them enough. Chances are even if Jem did have the Misfits arrested Eric would have them out in no time flat. What's more infuriating is that the one time they actually were arrested, in ''KJEM'', they weren't responsible.
* [[Strawberry Shortcake]]: All three versions, but especially the first two.
▲== [[Real Life]] ==
▲* Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are both famous for practicing nonviolent resistance against oppressors.
**Which by definition makes this [[Subverted Trope]]. Propagandism, even propagandism in a good cause is a ''weapon'' and therefore not nonresisting. Furthermore Ghandi was trying to gain control of the Indian state which ruled and still rules by force of arms like every other state and therefore can hardly be said to have had nonviolent ends.
▲* It didn't work for Nelson Mandela in South Africa. When Mandela realised this, he moved to Plan B, sabotaging industrial targets, making sure nobody got hurt. Plan C was to be active resistance against the military, although he was imprisoned before that came to pass.
▲* Ditto with Burma: the monks are pretty much dead now and Burma is the North Korea of Southeast Asia now.
▲** Myanmar got better.
▲* Some early Christians took this [[Up to Eleven]], following almost a manic desire to be martyred. There is a Roman record where an official so freaked out by this behaviour that after executing few Christians for refusing to follow the Roman customs, he disgustedly told the rest to kill themselves if they were so eager to die, and let them go.
▲* An amusing historical example is told of Governor John Winthrop in the [[The Colonial Period|Massachusetts Bay colony]]:
▲{{quote|On one occasion it was reported to him that a man had been stealing from his store of winter's firewood, and he was urged to punish him. "I will soon put a stop to that bad practice," said the governor sternly. He sent for the offender. "You have a large family," he said to the offending culprit, "and I have a large magazine of wood; come as often as you please, and take as much of it as you need to make your dwelling comfortable." Then turning to his accusers, he said: "Now I defy him to steal any more of my firewood."}}
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
[[Category:Turn the Other Cheek]]
[[Category:Virtue Index]]
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