In For Better or for Worse, store employee Kortney has owner Elly wrapped around her figure by crying that she doesn't have anywhere else to go, that she needs this job, and doesn't have any good role models.
Hobbes snarks, "One of us needs to dunk our heads in ice water." During another, Calvin says that the reason why he is an asshole is that he's part of a dysfunctional family with parents who never empower him, quoting a stream of psychobabble, and nothing he ever does is his fault. In one strip, Calvin tells his dad that he feels that his family isn't supporting him enough and should give him more his dad sends him outside to shovel snow and "build character". Sure his parents can be unsympathetic at times, but by 1980s standards they aren't abusive.
Calvin and Hobbes has this Played for Laughs sometimes when Calvin tries to make excuses for his actions or go Never My Fault, with his family telling him that blaming his upbringing is asking for trouble. Also see Oppose What You Suffered for individuals who, instead of turning abuser from their own abuse, turn protector instead. Vigilante Injustice also comes into play when a vigilante uses their abusive childhood an execute for fighting the villain. Compare and contrast Revenge Is Not Justice, when someone wants revenge for an injustice but is told that they have no right to hurt others and it won't bring any justice. For similar fan reactions for characters whose freudian excuses are supposed to earn them sympathy, see Unintentionally Unsympathetic.Ĭompare Freudian Excuse Denial, when the character themselves disputes that their past is what motivates them in the present. Compare Kirk Summation, Playing the Victim Card, and Shut Up, Hannibal!. Typically, on the "Firm Hand" side of Gentle Touch vs. Though said Abusive Parent can turn it around by Calling the Young Man Out if the child keeps blaming their actions on them, since while parents are responsible for how they raise their children, they have no obligation to be held accountable for their children's mistakes. Can be utilized in the trope Calling the Old Man Out where the child calls out an Abusive Parent for using their harsh upbringing as an excuse to abuse them. Often present if a character is He Who Fights Monsters, a Troubled Abuser, or another link in The Chain of Harm. Related to Freudian Excuse and Dark and Troubled Past. Handled poorly and it can seem like the hero is coldly dismissive of someone's trauma, or even make it come off like the narrative believing a victim deserved what happened to them. Like all tropes, an author has to be careful when using this one. In many cases both in Real Life and in fiction, what's actually needed is a Heel–Face Turn and atonement, and for the villain to stop hiding behind their Dark and Troubled Past. Note: This trope does not necessarily prevent Forgiveness and redemption it just states that evil acts are not justified. This trope never accepts Freudian Excuses as justifications. If it's a "justification," it means that the narration is giving the character the right to act that way. It's important here to differentiate "explanation" from "justification" in this trope: If a Freudian Excuse is used as an "explanation", then it's meant to give a reason why a character acts this way. (Bonus points if that very suffering is caused, directly or otherwise, by the accused's wrongdoings.) One way to accomplish this is a small round of Misery Poker, specifically by pointing out others who have suffered just the same, if not more, and still chose not to commit the same misdeeds as the accused. At the very least, an explicit statement must be made by the omniscient Narrator. Whoever gives the rebuke, there needs to be a voiced acknowledgment that the character's past doesn't justify their current actions. A character has to receive a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, a Kirk Summation, see that someone's Disappointed by the Motive, or some other kind of speech on why they're wrong. 
This trope only happens when there's an In-Universe acknowledgment of this. In essence, this is the sum of two Stock Aesops: "take responsibility for your actions" and "two wrongs don't make a right". This trope comes into play when a character (possibly even the character with the excuse themselves, if they're going through Character Development) acknowledges that their actions are wrong no matter what they have been put through, one bad action won't justify another.
Sometimes, characters that have gone through something horrible believe that they have the moral high ground or that they are in the right for their actions, no matter how evil they are or who the targets are. This trope is a standard Deconstruction of the Freudian Excuse.
0 kommentar(er)
