# Fictional examples of "punished for succeeding"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001 "2024-10-20T17:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/21 "2024-10-20T20:35:59Z")
In the _Simpsons_ episode “Brother from Another Series,” Sideshow Bob catches his brother Cecil in the act of attempting to embezzle money from Springfield’s new hydroelectric dam project…and is arrested for his trouble, because (per Chief Wiggum) “this looks like the work of crazy old Sideshow Bob.” ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/22 "2024-10-20T21:29:11Z")
There’s the mediocre Keanu Reeves movie _Chain Reaction_ where the bad guys try to suppress the existence of a miraculous energy system. > [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > In _Anthem_ by Ayn Rand, in a dystopian (presumably post-apocalyptic) future, the hero rediscovers/reinvents (it’s been a while since I read it) electric lights. And in _Atlas Shrugged_, all of the bad people oppose Hank Reardon and Dagny Taggart’s railroad made out of miracle metal. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/23 "2024-10-20T21:46:38Z")
_The Jerk_. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_kWzI4bU6ao/maxresdefault.jpg ""Opti-Grabs" (edited down from "The Jerk")") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kWzI4bU6ao) ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/24 "2024-10-20T21:55:51Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > **King Lear** (Shakespeare) Huh?? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/25 "2024-10-20T22:00:05Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > Huh?? King builds a successful kingdom, tries to pass it to his kids and the kingdom and him get wrecked. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/26 "2024-10-20T22:01:09Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > King builds a successful kingdom, tries to pass it to his kids and the kingdom and him get wrecked. That’s an innovation? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/27 "2024-10-20T22:02:34Z")
I guess not. I forgot that part and mistook the OP to mean someone punished for their success. My fault. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/28 "2024-10-20T22:15:12Z")
There’s an old movie called _No Highway in the Sky_. Jimmy Stewart plays a scientist who discovers a defect in a new model of airliner, and believes they will fail after a certain number of flight hours. He takes actions to try and ground the planes and call attention to the problem. He is ostracized, and, if I remember correctly, even threatened with committal to an asylum. At the end, the defect is confirmed and his reputation is redeemed. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/29 "2024-10-20T22:16:00Z")
Wait? _Idiocracy_ is fictional? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/30 "2024-10-20T22:30:48Z")
Who thought _1984_ and _Idiocracy_ would become visionary and prescient? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/31 "2024-10-21T02:53:00Z")
The BBC show _Endeavor_ is a prime example of this. There seem to be a lot of British shows where the lead is impeded by incompetence. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/32 "2024-10-21T03:07:30Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Someone works out a better way of doing something, only to discover that everyone invested in the status quo is either uninterested or actually actively opposed to any innovation that will overturn the apple cart. **Dr. Evil:** Scott, I want you to meet daddy’s nemesis, Austin Powers. **Scott:** What, are you feedin’ him? Why don’t you just kill him? **Dr. Evil:** No, Scott, I have a better idea. I’m going to place him in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death. **Scott:** Why don’t you shoot him now? I mean, come on, I’ll go get a gun. We’ll shoot 'im together. It’ll be fun. BANG! Dead. Done. **Dr. Evil:** One more peep out of you and you are grounded, mister! And I am not joking! ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/33 "2024-10-21T03:42:07Z")
It happens in the novel [\> Exultant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exultant_(novel)): > Pirius is a fighter pilot stationed at the front. When a battle turns to disaster for the Coalition forces, he disobeys suicide orders to stand and fight, choosing instead to risk survival. In a desperate gamble to outrun a pursuing Xeelee, Pirius captures a Xeelee fighter for the first time in history. Returning to base via FTL travel, he arrives two years previous to the battle, when his younger self is still a cadet. Rather than being lauded as a hero, both instances of Pirius are court-martialed for disobeying orders. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/34 "2024-10-21T18:45:45Z")
Sting’s cameo in “The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen” > **[Sting's cameo in "The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAd7EMfQrck%2F)** > > Fun movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/36 "2024-10-21T19:41:02Z")
I was going to suggest this too - not only did the ark go from being lost, to basically lost again, but also, the whole adventure would have worked out the same if Indy had just stayed home, let the Nazis find the ark and skip straight to the melty bit. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/37 "2024-10-21T19:55:12Z")
In **The Ring** - MAJOR SPOILER After an arduous search for the little girl / ghost entity who seems to be the cause of freaky deeky deaths, our heroine finds herself at the sight of the girl’s own death ,where she learns the girl was mistreated and thrown down the well were she languished for a week before dying. She is then laid to rest, having communicated the sad story of her life and murder. The next morning after the ordeal, she tells her young son that everything is ok now; they got the girl out of the well and she will get a proper burial. The kid freaks out and says “You _saved_ her? You weren’t supposed to _save_ her!!!” Turns out she is now actually free to continue her ghostly shennanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/38 "2024-10-21T20:59:03Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I was going to suggest this too - not only did the ark go from being lost, to basically lost again, but also, the whole adventure would have worked out the same if Indy had just stayed home, let the Nazis find the ark and skip straight to the melty bit He did save Marion from being tortured and probably murdered by Toht, so there’s that. After that, the Nazis would have been looking for the Ark in the wrong location thanks to incomplete information. Indy should have had the patience to just wait until they gave up. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/39 "2024-10-21T21:04:07Z")
Fictional example I finally remembered: “Slow Sculpture” by Theodore Sturgeon. A genius is cynically dismissive of humanity after a lifetime of his useful ideas being ignored, viewed with suspicion or suppressed. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/40 "2024-11-11T16:13:29Z")
Split this topic on November 11, 2024, 4:13pm UTC A post was merged into an existing topic: [Everlong88 Cornfielded Posts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everlong88-cornfielded-posts/1010082/49) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001/41 "2024-10-21T23:25:37Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > He did save Marion from being tortured and probably murdered by Toht, so there’s that. How did Toht locate her? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictional-examples-of-punished-for-succeeding/1009001.md?page=3)