Unacceptable Targets: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"Some of the papers ran [[Old Media Are Evil|slanderous stories]] saying the nuns cohabited with the marchers, and I made a bad joke about how I'd come down to [[Nun-Too-Holy|get a little of that action]], and Harry Belafonte [[Neck Lift|grabbed me by the throat]]. [[Understatement|He was not amused]]."''
|'''Alan King''' on why you should rethink inviting a stand-up comic to your [[Civil Rights Movement|civil rights march]].}}
This is [[Unacceptable Targets
A [[Dead Baby Comedy]] will demonstrate its meanness (depending on the writers behind it) by mocking these mercilessly; this can cause the cancellation of particular episodes considered too offensive or tasteless. If Unacceptable Targets is somehow made funny, it almost always belongs to [[Crosses the Line Twice]] category. Not to say that there is no such thing as [[Affectionate Parody]]. Humor can be constructed in a way that reveres and respects its targets or makes them appear all the more awesome . Still, comedy is a difficult business and sometimes even jokes meant to be respectful can be misinterpreted. As a result, it can sometimes be better to simply not try.
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[[Sacred Cow]] is a [[Sub-Trope]] to this. Contrast with [[Acceptable Targets]]. Compare with [[Even Evil Has Standards]], [[Jesus Was Way Cool]], [[100% Adoration Rating]], [[The Complainer Is Always Wrong]], and [[Too Soon]]. Some situations can result in heavy [[Unfortunate Implications]], [[Double Standards]], [[Positive Discrimination]] and [[Values Dissonance]] in which [[The Rival]] or the counterpart of the Unacceptable Target can become an [[Acceptable Target]].
Can sometimes be difficult to separate from [[Once-Acceptable Targets]] in cases where the subjects in question were mocked at one time by one people in the dark annals of history. Perhaps a good rule of thumb to distinguish between the two is ''"Oh, you're mocking the [[Once-Acceptable Targets|Once-Acceptable Target]]? [[Values Dissonance|How behind-the-times you are.]] [[Hypocritical Humor|I will laugh derisively at you.]]"'' vs. ''"You're mocking the Unacceptable Target? [[You Monster!|YOU MONSTER]]!!!"''
For less serious examples, see [[Unacceptable Targets/Fictional Examples]].
{{examples}}
== People ==
===The deceased in general===
{{See also|Never Speak Ill of the Dead}}
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==== [[Real Life]] ====
* Incidentally this page itself was created on September 11,<ref>[[Don't Explain the Joke|of 2010.]]</ref> whom the victims of the 9/11 tragedy are good examples of this trope. The blog Get Real Philippines argued in an entry debunking [[Conspiracy Theories|conspiracy theories]] that the belief in one can be considered a grave insult and a disservice to those who died in the tragedy.
* If the individual in question was well-known enough and was generally respected, mocking any assassinated or tragically deceased leader or celebrity is considered ''very'' tasteless. Examples: [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[John F. Kennedy]], Robert Kennedy, [[Martin Luther King Jr]], [[Mahatma Gandhi|Mohandas Gandhi]], Anwar Sadat, [[John Lennon]], Itzhak Rabin
* When [[Richard Nixon]] died, it temporarily became acceptable only to remember positive aspects of his presidency such as opening relations with [[Red China]]. This lasted until some previously unreleased Watergate tapes were discovered, which revealed him to be an ''even bigger'' racist [[Jerkass]] than the ones presented during the investigation (including statements where he said he'd tolerate abortion in the case of mixed-race babies).
* Despite being basically a walking punchline before his death, for about six months after [[Michael Jackson]] died it was considered ''extremely'' poor taste to bring up his bizarre appearance or
* The death of a child by any means is also never to be mocked. Just ask T.J. Lane [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b629buOHLbw
* Neither is the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting worth mocking either. Leonard Pozner, whose son Noah got brutally slain in the shooting, was peppered by countless death threats and slander by the likes of [[Alex Jones]] alleging that his son either did not exist or was a paid crisis actor as part of a conspiracy to stage a mass shooting in order to give pretext for stricter gun control laws and thus, at least as far as conspiracist gun nuts are concerned, deprive them of their constitutional right to enjoy their disturbing obsession with firearms. It didn't help that the Pozners are Jewish, thus making them an easier target for antisemitic bigots to pick on them. As what Alex Jones and others have learned the hard way, with at least one namely a certain Lucy Richards sent to jail over criminal threats she made "[[Sarcasm Mode|to find out the truth]]", mocking or otherwise trivialising the tragic deaths of children is a line '''never to be crossed''', and Pozner has since dedicated his life to make sure his son's legacy would never be tarnished through his non-profit organisation the HONR Network, where he and a team of volunteers extend aid to victims of conspiracy theorists and seek litigation against libel and misinformation directed towards victims of mass shootings and related tragedies.
* In 2023 Filipino comedian and host Joey de Leon made a number of social media posts throwing shade at the ABS-CBN television network whose broadcast franchise was revoked in 2020, allegedly due to political reasons owing to the network's coverage of former president Rodrigo Duterte. When a Twitter user pointed out how De Leon and his fellow ''[[Eat Bulaga!]]'' hosts were forced off-air due to [[Executive Meddling]] by their former employers TAPE, Inc., De Leon replied, "Yes it is true, but what was also lost was Franchise M. Get it?" alluding to both the ABS-CBN broadcast shutdown and the late rapper [[wikipedia:Francis Magalona|Francis Magalona]], who was part of the ''Eat Bulaga'' cast prior to his death in 2009. [https://entertainment.inquirer.net/502629/joey-de-leon-criticized-over-francise-m-joke This did not sit well] with fans of Magalona who saw de Leon's tweet as a slap in the face and a mockery of the rapper's memory.
* The OceanGate ''Titan'' incident–where an undersea tour to the wreck of the RMS ''Titanic'' turned tragic as the submersible imploded leading to the deaths of all onboard–was widely publicised and talked about on traditional and social media, leading to darkly humorous [[Memetic Mutation|memes]] mocking OceanGate and perceived incompetence on their part, including but not limited to the sub's [[The Alleged Car|shoddy construction]], its use of an off-the-shelf game controller and concerns from experts, as well as [[Game Mod|mods]] depicting the sub in ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'' and ''[[Roblox]]'' among others. Given the tragic deaths of the ''Titan''{{'}}s passengers, the [[Schadenfreude]] displayed by internet users over OceanGate was also widely criticised as callous, insensitive and [[Too Soon|poorly-timed]] as well.
===Survivors of a tragedy===
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===Military Servicemen and Servicewomen===
Watch what you say about the military, especially around loved ones of soldiers and Marines who've died while serving. This is also a specific version of the deceased in general and survivors of a tragedy, considering that it is very likely that they will see people die first hand, not to mention they may even get severely injured or even lose their lives serving.
==== Poetry ====
* Lampshaded while explaining why they're an Unacceptable Target, at the end of "[https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_tommy.htm Tommy]" by [[Rudyard Kipling]]:
{{quote|For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! "
But it's " Saviour of 'is country " when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An 'Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!}}
===People who have gone into space===
Space travel is dangerous, and the requirements to make a career out of going up into space are [[Incredibly Lame Pun|astronomical]]. You have to be in peak physical condition, possess high intellect, endure months of specialized training, and the potential for disasters during any launch, mission, etc. can strike in the blink of an eye. The sacrifices throughout the years of astronauts, regardless of their nationality is nothing to take lightly. Much like the aforementioned case with the shell-shocked seniors, modern astronauts are around to provide a counterpoint to the mockery, and in some cases, will not deal with it for very long.
===Anyone Who Puts Their Lives on the Line in General===
The world can be just as dangerous as space, so it takes a lot of [[Dare to Be Badass|bravery]] for someone to put for lives on the line to ensure the safety of others, knowing one move can be fatal, even a [[Fearless Fool|foolish one]] deserve some credits. Many occupations like police, doctors, military and even stork clerks have dangers. Those in these fields know their lives are charge and deserve respect for doing so.
==== [[Web Comics]] ====
* Used in-universe in ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja|Dr McNinja]]'', with "Nasaghasts" that ruthlessly hunt down and destroy anyone who threatens or tries to harm an astronaut. Doesn't matter why you do it—if you do something mean to an astronaut, you're going down.
==== [[Real Life]] ====
* Moon landing conspiracy theorists have fallen to the bottom of the conspiracy theory hierarchy in recent years, making the holdouts appear even more detached than the norm. When one such theorist is Bart Sibrel who approached Buzz Aldrin and breached the subject [[Sarcasm Mode|in the most professional and respectful fashion he could think of]], [
** Even better. {{spoiler|The guy tried to press charges and the judge dismissed the case after seeing the video claiming it was self defense and pointing out the only injury done was to his pride.}}
* The surge of negative remarks towards front-line workers who risked their lives during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] have also led certain governments to impose penalties to those who would dare harass them or landlords who refuse lodging.
=== [[Mister Rogers]] ===
Perhaps because of his inspiration to many people across the internet when they were kids, [[Mister Rogers]] is given this treatment across the internet. [[Berserk Button|Try to make fun of this man]] and the hive mind will ''eat you alive.''
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==== [[Live Action TV]] ====
* A rare subversion: Fred Rogers liked Eddie Murphy's parody of his own show, "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood." To be fair, it was an [[Affectionate Parody]], not deliberate and malicious mockery. Apparently, Eddie Murphy caught up with Mr. Rogers and told him, "You understand, we only do it because we love you."
==== Magazines ====
* ''[[MAD]]'' made some jokes at his expense once (the "MAD Nasty File") which, given how they usually mock celebrities, seemed tame. The article claimed Rogers "...cannot possibly think as slow as he talks, or he'd still be deciding what to have for breakfast yesterday", and "...is possible the only celebrity in show business who buys sweaters at K-Mart."
==== Music ====
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==== [[Web Comics]] ====
* ''[[
==== [[Western Animation]] ====
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==== [[Real Life]] ====
* [[Fox News|Fox & Friends]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29lmR_357rA cite a University study] regarding [[Mister Rogers]] and, essentially, say he ruined the children watching by giving them a sense of entitlement. All you need do is read the comments on the video for just how much hatred viewers had for the hosts by the end of it.
* One [[Urban Legend]] shows that some folks will slander anyone; the rumor states that he was a Vietnam veteran, and according to some, was rather brutal towards enemy combatants. His ever-present sweaters supposedly concealed tattoos. Some even claim the military service was part of a plea bargain for violent crimes. Of course, this was all completely untrue; for one thing, Rogers was born in 1928, and thus was too old to have served in the Vietnam war. Also, he was working as a puppeteer during the war, so it's not like no one knows where he was at the time.
* There is a popular myth that when [[Mister Rogers]] car was stolen it was reported on the news the same day, and the next day the car was back with a note of apology and a fresh coat of wax.
* One of the reasons Westboro Baptist Church is so hated is because they are willing to attack him.
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===Lèse majesté===
In many countries that have royalty, insulting the king, queen, or their family is forbidden by law. In some of these, most people won't actually care much, and you'll get you a fine at most if the authorities notice - but in other countries, such as Morocco and Thailand, doing so will also get the population upset with you, and can end you up in prison for several years.
====Dictators====▼
▲===Dictators===
Like the above, in many countries and empires that are ruled by a dictator or emperor, saying anything bad about the leader or their family is a huge crime and doing so will definitely lead to very serious repercussions. In Imperial China for instance, even saying the Emperor's real name was a capital crime.
* The Imperial China one deserves a bit of elaboration, as it even extended to certain spellings of the emperor's name (aka style names). Laws were even enacted at points in time (and were later rescinded) to [[Obvious Rule Patch]] any possible exceptions or loopholes.
====Mustafa Kemal Ataturk====
In Turkey, it is illegal to insult the name of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is considered to be the greatest hero of the Turkish people. In other words, this trope is backed ''by law''. Ironically enough, ''censoring him out'' is illegal even if it is done to avoid making anything offensive about him.▼
===Muhammad===▼
▲In Turkey, it is illegal to insult the name of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who is considered to be the greatest hero of the Turkish people. In other words, this trope is backed ''by law''.
Culturally, attacking [[Muhammad]] is one of the big no-nos in Islam, like the case with Ataturk in Turkey. Even displaying an image of him is pretty taboo,<ref>Some people didn't get the memo stating 'political cartoon =/= idolatry' in the West - or did get it and considered it a case of [[Values Dissonance]].</ref> since it also runs into the general creed on not depicting people or even animals in some parts of Muslim faith. Notably, however, this doesn't extend to most of the Western world, which has precipitated a load of conflicts recently and usually ends up with the artist in question being threatened with a fatwa proclaiming their death.<ref>Or actual arson.</ref> Opinions are divided over whether to portray Muhammad or not is acceptable however, even between Muslims. Some, namely Shia Muslims, are fine with artistic depictions of Muhammad so as long as said depiction does not venture into idolatry or are done in bad faith. As a matter of fact, many of the paintings and illustrations depicting Muhammad were made by ''Muslims for Muslims'', who certainly drew them in good faith and with reverence to their Prophet. Others, particularly the Sunni denomination who take up an overwhelming majority, take umbrage and virulently oppose such practices, preferring to leave the Prophet [[The Faceless|faceless]] and dismissing those who drew Muhammad as having committed a sin. And there are also those who take the no-idols rule [[Up to Eleven|to the extreme]] and ''declare any and all artwork of humans and animals as idolatry'', case in point the Taliban who notoriously banned television and other forms of media during their regime under the belief that it promoted idolatry according to their ideology.
Due to sharply divided opinions over the issue, [[All The Tropes]] has chosen not to provide an image for the [[Muhammad]] article out of respect to Muslims who wish to not have their Prophet illustrated in any form; the equivalent page on [[The Other Tropes Wiki]] however has a portrayal of him from 1300 C.E., albeit based on consensus from other tropers and Muslims who were consulted over the painting and agreed to its use.
==== [[Western Animation]] ====▼
▲===Muhammad===
* [[South Park]] has lampooned pretty much [[Equal Opportunity Offender|everyone and everything on the planet]], at one point or another, including the show and the creators themselves. However they ran into issues when it came to lampooning Muhammad. Parker and Stone went for lampooning the fact that he's not an acceptable target, instead (particularly because 5 years before the Muhammad taboo was back in the limelight, he had been depicted with no repercussion!). Of course, the second episode of their 200th anniversary two-parter had all mention of Muhammad's name censored by the network, along with the speeches at the end (which didn't even mention Muhammad.) Comedy Central went so far as pulling it from ever airing again - they won't even let it be streamed on the show's official website. You can find it [https://web.archive.org/web/20120107114629/http://xepisodes.com/south-park/season-14/episode-6-201/ here
===[[Jesus]]===▼
Directly attacking or insulting [[Jesus Christ]] is considered one of the big no-nos of Christianity. That doesn't mean people refrain from doing it, and it doesn't mean there isn't an entire religion that inverts Christianity out there (there is), but it does mean that doing so is something that will also precipitate a load of conflicts in any society with a large Christian population, especially if said Christians are of [[The Fundamentalist]] persuasion or are or are influenced by [[Moral Guardians]]. Though while you could more or less get away with parodying or trivialising Jesus and Christianity, doing the same thing with the Holy Spirit would land you in '''very hot water''' as it is considered a grave, [[This Is Unforgivable!|unforgivable]] sin according to Matthew 12:31.<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A31&version=NIV Matthew 12:31]</ref>▼
This is a large reason why [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]] and especially [[Jesus Was Way Cool]] exist: the former sidesteps (sometimes quite well, other times so sloppily as to create [[Unfortunate Implications]]) the idea of a direct attack on Jesus by creating a Jesus [[Expy]] to be attacked. The latter exists as an attempt to separate Jesus from either the perceived view of Christianity and/or from religion itself.▼
The [[Monty Python]] film ''[[Life of Brian]]'' was often accused and caused (understandable) furore from religious groups as the film appeared to mock Jesus and His teachings; while the Pythons did consider directly lampooning Jesus and the New Testament in much the same vein as ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'', with one proposed sketch in which Jesus' cross is falling apart because of the idiotic carpenters who built it and He angrily tells them how to do it correctly, the Pythons eventually conceded despite being non-believers as Jesus was "definitely a good guy" and they saw nothing worth parodying in His teachings: "He's not particularly funny, what he's saying isn't mockable, it's very decent stuff", said Idle later. They instead settled with satirising organised religion and political movements using the New Testament setting as a framing device and Brian Cohen as the reluctant Messiah. Also adding to Python's credit was that the troupe conducted extensive research on the source material, and during the scenes where Jesus Himself appears in the film on the Mount speaking the Beatitudes (played by [[Kenneth Colley]]), He is portrayed with respect and with a genuine aura around Him as an obvious foil to Brian and his follies.
▲==== [[Western Animation]] ====
▲* [[South Park]] has lampooned pretty much everyone and everything on the planet, at one point or another, including the show and the creators themselves. However they ran into issues when it came to lampooning Muhammad. Parker and Stone went for lampooning the fact that he's not an acceptable target, instead (particularly because 5 years before the Muhammad taboo was back in the limelight, he had been depicted with no repercussion!). Of course, the second episode of their 200th anniversary two-parter had all mention of Muhammad's name censored by the network, along with the speeches at the end (which didn't even mention Muhammad.) Comedy Central went so far as pulling it from ever airing again - they won't even let it be streamed on the show's official website. You can find it [http://xepisodes.com/south-park/season-14/episode-6-201/ here,] but its being a TV rip means the bleeps are still in place.
===The Virgin Mary===
While Her role as Jesus' mother is downplayed somewhat by some Christian denominations as just an ordinary woman who happened to give birth to an extraordinary son ([[Martin Luther]] believed that Mary should be held in highest reverence, though he does not agree with the concept of veneration), Catholics venerate Her ''in such high regard'' that scoffing Her off or trivialising Her would unsurprisingly result in outrage from them. Cue the likes of [[Madonna]] and [[Lady Gaga]] who used the Virgin Mary and other religious imagery as part of their edgy stage persona and out of [[No Such Thing as Bad Publicity|shock value]], and the leagues of irate Christians who take umbrage to such use of Mary and the Rosary as part of Madonna and Gaga's acts. Even [[Katy Perry]], who is herself no stranger to controversy, took issue and tweeted "Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling fart jokes." when outrage ensued over the use of Marian imagery in "Alejandro". It helps that Perry is a practising Christian and has previously released a gospel album under her real name.
Some have also objected to the common British epithet "bloody" (as in "Bloody hell!") as insulting to the Virgin Mary.
▲===[[Jesus]]===
===Clergy===
▲Directly attacking or insulting [[Jesus Christ]] is considered one of the big no-nos of Christianity. That doesn't mean people refrain from doing it, and it doesn't mean there isn't an entire religion that inverts Christianity out there (there is), but it does mean that doing so is something that will also precipitate a load of conflicts in any society with a large Christian population, especially if said Christians are of [[The Fundamentalist]] persuasion or are or are influenced by [[Moral Guardians]].
Though this has somewhat been downplayed over the years, no thanks to negative stereotypes of priests as [[Pedophile Priest|depraved kiddie-diddlers]] feasting on altar boys, making fun of clergy was (and still is) a big no-no in some societies especially those with a devoutly religious population such as the Philippines. The now-defunct [[Hays Code]] for one had a specific ruling forbidding filmmakers from depicting priests and ministers in a less-than-flattering light, and noted tour guide Carlos Celdran was arrested in the Philippines (albeit controversially) as per the "offending religious feelings" clause of the Revised Penal Code for disrupting a Holy Mass at the Manila Cathedral by donning a [[Jose Rizal]] costume and holding up a "[[Noli Me Tangere|DAMASO!]]" placard in protest of the Philippine Catholic Church's perceived interference with the passage of the enacted Reproductive Health Bill.
One bizarre (and perhaps disturbing) aversion was that of then-presidential candidate [[Rodrigo Duterte]], where he was quoted as making [[Precision F-Strike|an obscene remark]] towards [[The Pope|Pope Francis]], specifically when Duterte joked about getting stuck in traffic due to the Pope having a papal visit in Manila in 2015. Unsurprisingly, people and especially religious groups took umbrage, with one priest lamenting how Filipino values have "gone down the dregs", but somehow Filipinos [[Values Dissonance|still rooted for him]] to be elected president despite his brutish demeanour and callous remarks towards the Catholic Church.
▲This is a large reason why [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]] and especially [[Jesus Was Way Cool]] exist: the former sidesteps (sometimes quite well, other times so sloppily as to create [[Unfortunate Implications]]) the idea of a direct attack on Jesus by creating a Jesus [[Expy]] to be attacked. The latter exists as an attempt to separate Jesus from either the perceived view of Christianity and/or from religion itself.
== Animals ==
Animal abuse is a terrible thing, and in some circles it is just as unforgivable to mock and abuse animals as it is people.
=== Real Life ===
* Nothing makes [[4chan]] Anons move fast to ruin people as people harming pets, specially kittens and puppies.
** Just ask Kenny Glenn, who posted a video of himself and a friend abusing a cat on [[YouTube]]; after a link to the video was posted on /b/, he was identified mere hours later by /b/tards who compared the video to photos on several social networking profiles to find out his name and location, reported him to his local police, and got him, along with his friend, arrested on animal abuse charges that same week.
* Never EVER post videos of throwing puppies into a river. [http://valleywag.gawker.com/5626105/4chan-on-the-hunt-for-puppy+throwing-girl /b/] and [[Michael Bay]] will find you.▼
** If you thought Kenny got it bad, Cheyenne Cherry (who microwaved a kitten and thought it would be fun to post about it online) got it even worse, as they not only managed to doxx her and send to her jail, but also sicced several animal groups on her. .
▲** Never
* A U.S. Marine serviceman named David Motari learned a lesson about not messing with innocent little animals the hard way when outrage ensued over a video of him throwing a puppy off a cliff while he was serving in Iraq.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/12/marine.puppy/ Puppy-throwing Marine is removed from Corps]</ref> It didn't take long for irate netizens to issue death threats against the now-disgraced serviceman and his family,<ref>[https://www.heraldnet.com/news/monroe-marine-in-puppy-throwing-video-discharged/ Monroe Marine in puppy-throwing video discharged]</ref> and at least one comedian parodied the incident by role-reversing it with the dog throwing the marine off a cliff in retaliation.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZLxcv6yeSk Puppy Throws Marine Off Cliff]</ref>
* Fetishising over a bunch of animals getting torched, mutilated or otherwise stomped upon isn't going to do you any favours either. A couple named Dorma and Vicente Ridon in La Union, Philippines received a life sentence over a series of videos with scantly-clad girls doing all sorts of unspeakable acts against animals for the sake of [[Squick|sick]] [[Fetish Fuel|fantasies]]. Not helping matters was that the models in these videos were [[Paedo Hunt|underage]], thereby garnering the Ridons child abuse charges as well.<ref>[https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/regions/09/29/14/couple-animal-crush-videos-gets-life-term Couple in animal 'crush' videos get life term]</ref>
* [[Clint Eastwood]] is a known lover of animals, and he and his wife keep several animals that they've rescued on their ranch, and Mr. Eastwood loves talking about how much he loves them, and how much he despises people who abuse animals. So put it this way: if you abuse animals, [[Clint Eastwood]]--[[Dirty Harry]] himself—will find you and punish you.
==[[Once-Acceptable Targets]]==
Some [[Once-Acceptable Targets]] can also be Unacceptable Targets at times, although not always.
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