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Cruel to Be Kind: Difference between revisions
quote cleanup, italics, removed redundant examples parameter, added detail to music example, corrected "Most medical procedures" to "many".
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Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (quote cleanup, italics, removed redundant examples parameter, added detail to music example, corrected "Most medical procedures" to "many".) Tag: HHVM |
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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"I must be [[Trope Namer|cruel only to be kind.]]
''Thus bad begins and worse remains behind."''|'''Hamlet''', ''Hamlet'', Act 3, Scene 4, 177–179 }}
A situation where something sounds, appears, or feels like it is absolutely horrible or evil is actually an act of kindness. Essentially, it is a misunderstood action by the characters, who believe the action is being performed for nefarious purposes, while it is actually being performed to assist.
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{{examples
== Anime and Manga ==
* In ''[[Bleach]]'', Matsumoto finds this to be one of Gin's most endearing attributes. He always did what was best for Matsumoto, even if it ended up hurting her or others. After {{spoiler|the final battle Gin disappeared, leaving nothing behind for Matsumoto to use as a keepsake. She understands that he did this because a keepsake would have made her linger in the past; without it, she has to move on}}.
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* ''[[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]]'': Bella deliberately picks a fight with her dad, using some of the same words that her mother did when she left him, before storming out of the house, so that James won't go to her house and kill her dad.
* [[Jeeves and Wooster|Jeeves to Bertie]]. He snarks at Bertie, manipulates him, gives him the cold shoulder when he most wants sympathy, gets him into trouble, and destroys his stuff. Why? Because he cares.
== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[Sliders]]'': In one episode, our heroes pop into a new universe to find a woman trying to force her child off of a high balcony. They try to stop her, but she succeeds in pushing him off... only to have him sprout wings and fly around. The woman shrugs at the confused protagonists, saying "It's the only way they learn."
* ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'': The episode "A Private Little War''. Mr. Spock is using a form of self-hypnosis to concentrate all of his metabolic activity into healing a wound. As he tries to fight his way out of it [[Hit Me Dammit|he asks Nurse Chapel to hit him]], because the pain will help him back to consciousness. This leads to some confusion for Mr. Scott who doesn't understand that the slapping is actually helping Spock.
** The episode "A Taste of Armageddon" has Kirk destroy the computers that are used to prevent all out nuclear war.
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== Music ==
* Not surprisingly, this is the subject of Nick Lowe's 1979 hit "Cruel to Be Kind"; the narrator's girlfriend uses the title phrase to justify the way she treats him ("It means that I love you"). Some of the lyrics are vaguely Shakespearean-sounding ("...cruel to be kind, in the right measure..."), which might mean it was directly inspired by the line from ''[[Hamlet]]'' that serves as the page quote.
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== Real Life ==
*
** Similarly, veterinarian procedures are very likely to be interpreted as an attack by the animal.
* Unlike [[CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable]], actual CPR is an emergency procedure ''for a reason''. Part of the reason we have [[CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable]] is because in live action media, demonstrating correct CPR techniques for the sake of showing what is correct and avoiding aforementioned trope could actually seriously harm the actor it was being done on. Among other things, the pressure of well-done chest compressions are enough to not only restart the heartbeat, but it can break the person's sternum, the rescue breathing can be enough to cause vomiting, and the combination usually causes a lot of pain for the resuscitated person later. The person doing CPR is most likely well aware of the potential consequences, but performs the procedure anyway because it can save that person's life, but only if it is done in combination with calling for qualified medical aid. CPR alone only guarantees a 2% chance of survival.
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