With Due Respect: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

Conversely, may sometimes be used to show that the senior is about to engage in a reckless or not-by-the-books action.

 

Contrast [[Right in Front of Me]]. See also [[That's an Order]].

 

* The first couple of episodes of ''[[Gundam Wing]]'' show that [[Rebellious Princess|Relena]] is pretty good at this, or at least has had lots of practice. A variation occurs in the first episode, where she's backhandedly polite to an [[The Federation|Alliance]] officer.

{{quote|'''Officer:''' We have been waiting for you, Mr. Darlian. A military car is waiting for you outside. Please proceed quickly.

* In the English dub of the first ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' anime, Riza responds to Roy's statement that State Alchemists do terrible things that make most of them not much better than [[Complete Monster|Shao Tucker]] by saying "With respect," and indicating that his argument based on adult reasoning would be lost on Ed.

 

* This occurred in the first appearance of the Banzai Battalion in ''[[2000 AD]]'':

{{quote|"Why is it, sergeant, that whenever I hear 'With respect, sir', I know there's insubordination coming?"}}

'''Catman''': Bane, Jeanette says to go **** yourself! }}

* In the [[Iron Man]] annual while Tony Stark was running SHIELD; after Tony outlines his plan to depose the corrupt leader of Madripor, Maria Hill's response: "With all due respe-- no, screw the pleasantries. Are you '''insane?'''"

 

== Fairy Tales ==

{{quote|''Next - speaking with all submission and reverence - I do not purpose to let myself fall be low [[Royal Blood|the race of my ancestors]], who from all time have been famous and illustrious, nor do I wish to debase the crown you wear by taking for [[Blue Blood|a husband one who is our inferior]]. You, my beloved father, have begotten four daughters, of whom you have married three in the most honourable fashion to three mighty kings, giving with them great store of gold and wide domains, but you wish to dispose of me, who have ever been obedient to you and observant of your precepts, in an ignoble alliance. Wherefore I tell you, to end my speech, that I will never take a husband unless I can be mated, like my three sisters, to a king of a rank that is my due.''}}

 

{{quote|''"With all due respect, Chaplain Morteus, Michael would not want a rat's head nailed to the wall!"

"Why does 'With all due respect' sound like 'frak you', Vincent?"'' }}

 

== Film ==

{{quote|'''Ricky''': With all due respect, I didn't know you underwent an experimental procedure to have your balls removed.

'''Dennit''': ...''excuse'' me?!

'''Ricky''': Yes it does! It's in the Geneva Convention! Look it up! }}

* Used in ''Che Part One'' (about Che Guevera). When Che is visiting New York, he learns of a bomb threat against him. Che tells his personal security guard that he wants his guard to ride in a separate car (so his guard will be safe), but his guard says, "With all due respect, I should ride with you."

* [[Apollo 13]], after one of the NASA guys says this could be the biggest disaster NASA's ever experierenced.

{{quote|'''Gene Kranz:''' With all due respect, sir, I believe this is going to be our finest hour.}}

 

== Literature ==

** In [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[Gaunt's Ghosts]] novel ''His Last Command'', Commissar Kanow tries to bludgeon into Junior Commissar Ludd that there is no need to investigate the story of certain "deserters and heretics", even though some of it could be corroborated; Ludd still demurs. Which is why {{spoiler|Gaunt and his team take [[Hostage Situation|Kanow hostage]] and, when he [[If I Wanted You Dead...|cannot be reasoned with]], get Ludd to contact their higher-ups.}}

*** In ''Blood Pact'', when Maggs tries to persuade Gaunt to tell him more of what is going on, he offers "with enormous deference" that since he has Maggs and no one else it might be advisable.

** [[Horus Heresy]] examples:

*** In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''Horus Rising'', Torgaddon is telling one of Eidolon's juniors Tarvitz how Eidolon's actions, blowing up certain trees, produced beneficial effects. One of Tarvitz's juniors, Bulle, requests permission to speak; Tarvitz [[Think Nothing of It|tries to get him to keep quiet]], but Torgaddon overrules him, and Bulle reveals that blowing up the trees had been Tarvitz's action, and Eidolon had rebuked him for it, until [[Glory Hound|he realized what it had done]]. Torgaddon strictly informs his superiors that if Bulle is punished for this, he will punish them.

**** The author was recycling an identical scene in his "Ambassador Chronicles".

*** In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''Legion'', when Alpharius says they can not leave what they have [[The Promise|sworn to do]], Soneka objects that they do. When everyone looks at him, he is more diffident but points out that they act with relentless pragmatism about everything.

*** In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''Fulgrim'', Caphen questions Solomon's orders.

{{quote|''Sir, without wishing to appear impertinent, are you sure that's the right choice?''}}

* In [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]' ''Whose Body'', a junior doctor takes it upon himself to say at the inquest that he thought the dead man might have lingered several days, although Sir Julian Freke says he died at once. The junior doctor is very diffident about it, but [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] points out that this is evidence: The young doctor had to be very certain to go against such an eminent authority.

** This is doubly important because {{spoiler|Dr. Freke was [[Detective Mole|the murderer]].}}

*** Subverted once; Commander Vimes, making a point about how orders are supposed to work, orders Detritus to shoot a man in cold blood. Detritus first hesitates, then refuses, then essentially tells Vimes the troll equivalent of "stick it up your ass"; he amends "With respect" to this last one. The subversion being that, because Vimes is a very good boss, Detritus actually does respect him, and he really only got away with saying something so offensive because he was proving Vimes' point.

* ''[[America (The Book)|America: The Book]]'' uses the trope for a C-Span drinking game.

'''Blaine''': The tactful way, the polite way to disagree with the Senator would be to say, 'That turns out not to be the case.'

'''Renner''': Hey, I like that. Anyway, the Senator's wrong.

* In Jack Campbell's ''[[The Lost Fleet|Courageous]]'', Captain Desjani uses this when Geary says he doesn't want to talk.

* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Prospero's Daughter]]'', Mab frequently starts off with "Begging your pardon." {{spoiler|At the end, he says it to Prospero, and then withdraws it, not letting habit trump his new freedom.}}

* A non-insulting version occurs in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s ''[[The Guns of the South]]'', where a Confederate private stops Robert E. Lee (who is the Confederate President) from entering a room by saying "With due respect sir, I should go first in case there are any traps." The narration [[Lampshade Hanging|even notes]] that he uses "the self-conscious tone all junior officers use when dressing down their superiors".

 

== Live-Action TV ==

'''George Costanza:''' Well, I wish I could say the same, but I must say, with all due respect, I find it very hard to see the logic behind some of the moves you have made with this fine organization. In the past twenty years, you have caused myself, and the city of New York, a good deal of distress as we have watched you take our beloved Yankees and reduced them to a laughingstock, all for the glorification of your massive ego.

'''George Steinbrenner:''' Hire this man! }}

* ''[[24]]''

{{quote|'''Jack Bauer''': ''With all due respect, Mr. President, sixteen hours ago your people were willing to hand me over for dead, and I did not hesitate.''}}

'''Encino Man''': I'm doing the best I can.

'''Doc Bryan''': Sir, it's not good enough. }}

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

{{quote|'''[[Pointy-Haired Boss]]''': Alice - I've noticed a disturbing trend - the solution to the problem is always the ''last'' thing you try.

'''Alice''': With all due respect, are you using your skull to store old rocks or what?!

'''[[Pointy-Haired Boss]]''': It's a good thing you said "with all due respect". }}

{{quote|'''Dilbert:''' "I'd like permission to keep a plastic plant in my cubicle."

'''Cubicle Police:''': "Permission denied! Plants attract bugs! If I can't tell it's fake how will the bugs be able to tell?"

'''Dilbert:''' "With all due respect, bugs are way smarter than you."

'''Cubicle Police:''' "Oh yeah? I'd like to see them do this job!" }}

 

== Radio ==

* In ''[[Old Harry's Game]]'', Scumspawn starts a sentence with "with respect" when protesting about being disintegrated, and Satan calls it "a meaningless form of words that people use just before they tell you you're talking bollocks". The Professor then says Satan is only disintegrating Scumspawn because he feels threatened by a demon growing as an individual, to which Satan replies "Well, with respect..."

 

 

* Played straight ''and'' lampshaded in ''[[Mass Effect]].''

*** There's a little more to it then that, a subtext you can pick up on if you notice what Kaidan's doing in the game's opening and where he's usually found. Kaidan is Fleet, not Marine, by training. He's trying to keep [[Interservice Rivalry|interservice shenanigans]] from breaking out.

**** Actually, Kaidan is a marine.

* Lampshaded, in the [[Halo]] level "Shut up and get behind me... Sir"

 

* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' provides the page image, from [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20020815.html this strip.]

** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0487.html With all due respect, we have a system for deciding such things -- one presided over by ACTUAL beings of pure Law and Good]

 

== Web Original ==

* Played for Comedy (like everything) in [[Manwhores]] with the ever uncouth Randy: "I mean this with the greatest amount of respect for your girlfriend, but she was a bitch with a capital *unt."

 

== Western Animation ==

* Played with on ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' with "Permission to say that's crazy, sir." [[What Happened to the Mouse?|He never does get permission...]]

* In one of ''[[Family Guy]]'''s many cutaway gags, Cap'n Crunch wants a mob boss to order a hit on a rival cereal mascot for spreading damn lies! My cereal does not cut kids' mouths! ...with respect.

 

== Real Life ==

* [[Richard Feynman]] recounts how he got on the Manhattan Project. Having forgotten that he was talking to Niels Bohr, Feynman contradicted him. Bohr had him assigned because Feynman spoke his mind.

* [[Truth in Television]] - the military tries to teach that good officers listen to what their subordinates are saying, especially since the American system is that officers are generalists while enlisted men are specialists. The way it's supposed to work is that once the subordinate or subordinates have finished giving ''information'' (and in the case of experienced subordinates speaking to inexperienced superiors, also advice), the officer in command then ''decides''... but unless the situation is such that there's no time to talk about it, the senior is supposed to first listen, then act. Likewise, the junior is supposed to first offer whatever relevant information they have that their superior does not already possess, then shut up and do what they're ordered to.

* In the US military today, this could be considered an apology before disagreeing with a superior officer or NCO, but does not eliminate anything that the person may say that would otherwise, be disrespectful, such as "With all due respect, you're a moron."

** Additionally, respect is a two-way street. If the senior person breaches the boundaries of respect first, the subordinate may get away with the same breach of respect.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Narrative Devices]]

[[Category:Servant Tropes]]

[[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]]

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]