# Types of people who only exist in movies and TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616 "2010-06-10T03:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/21 "2010-06-10T11:22:20Z")
> [@Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](#): > > I have a friend who is convinced spies do stuff like this in real life. Maybe there are, but I have never heard of them. Well, obviously, that’s because they’re good at it. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/22 "2010-06-10T12:28:45Z")
Women who work in professional law enforcement jobs as detectives or senior level technicians but dress in tight fitting jeans, plunging tops, and fuck me pumps as if they are ready to hit the clubs. Men who work in professional law enforcement jobs as detectives or senior level technicians but dress in tight jeans, athletic shoes, and t-shirts. People who continuously and aggressively mouth off to superiors but remain employed. People who are easily and completely knocked out with a single blow to the head Monologuing criminals ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/23 "2010-06-10T12:29:40Z")
Ninjas and pirates. And by pirates I mean the swashbuckling (heh) 18th century pirates that sing and dance and go on merry adventures. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/24 "2010-06-10T12:34:12Z")
Famous Spies. After the first couple of movies, everybody seems to know who James Bond is (“You’ve just killed James Bond!” Tiffany Case emotes in _Diamonds are Forever_), which would seem to be a serious liability in that profession. And I’ll second **MEBuckner** ’s > [@](#): > > professional private detectives who regularly solve murders. , amending it by removing the “regularly”. I heard Ed McBain talk about creating the 87th Precinct novels because non-police detectives, he said, didn’t solve _any_ murders, something I’ve seen re-iterated on this Board. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/25 "2010-06-10T12:48:57Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Another example would include the Evil Overlord, with his secret base, army of mooks, spies infiltrated into every major country, in control of some superhigh-tech device with which he threatens the world (tho I’d love to see someone try). It could be argued that a lot of world leaders qualify as real examples of this character. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut7316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@Peanut7316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut7316)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/26 "2010-06-10T12:56:58Z")
Lab technicians who can accomplish two weeks worth of work in a 15 second montage (which is supposed to montage an hour). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/27 "2010-06-10T13:05:11Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > The woman half of a couple will be in a fancy restaurant; they start arguing; the woman gets up and stalks out in a huff. ( I always think, couldn’t she have waited until AFTER her $100 meal?) if very irate, the woman dumps some vessel of food or drink in the man’s lap before bugging out. I saw this once. She didn’t throw a drink in the guy’s face, but she flounced out and the guy went after her. The lobsters that arrived soon after looked mighty tasty. They never did come back. I guess makeup sex is better than lobster. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/28 "2010-06-10T13:28:40Z")
Doctors who run all their own tests, and even take their own Xrays. And dotors who break into a patient’s “House.” ---
**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:** [June 10, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/29 "2010-06-10T13:31:29Z")
> [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](#): > > Ugly girls who take off their glasses and let their hair down and are transformed into a gorgeous woman that no man can take his eyes off of. Likewise, only in TV/movies do you see a gorgeous girl being treated as ugly or frumpy because she’s wearing glasses and her hair is slightly frizzy. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/30 "2010-06-10T13:35:47Z")
The honest “little” guy who wages a tough, savvy political campaign against ultra-powerful moneyed interests, and triumphs with the overwhelming grass-roots support that the people’s admiration for his spirit and virtue has engendered. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/31 "2010-06-10T13:39:36Z")
> [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > The honest “little” guy who wages a tough, savvy political campaign against ultra-powerful moneyed interests, and triumphs with the overwhelming grass-roots support that the people’s admiration for his spirit and virtue has engendered. You mean Rand Paul? ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/32 "2010-06-10T13:52:32Z")
> [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > The honest “little” guy who wages a tough, savvy political campaign against ultra-powerful moneyed interests, and triumphs with the overwhelming grass-roots support that the people’s admiration for his spirit and virtue has engendered. The Democratic Senate candidate from South Caroline might be an example of that, other than his arrest for stalking a co-ed. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/33 "2010-06-10T14:00:23Z")
> [@astro](#): > > People who are easily and completely knocked out with a single blow to the head Isn’t this much more likely than the opposite cliche, though, where two people trade kicks and pucnhes for ten minutes? I mean, unless you’re a trained fighter, or are otherwised experiences at taking hits, espeicially to the face/head, you actually _are_ very likey to go down in one or two punches. Maybe not unconcious, but you will be on the floor in pain wondering what just happened. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/34 "2010-06-10T14:08:24Z")
> [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](#): > > Evil twins who look exactly the same except they have facial hair. Not to mention cousins who look like identical twins. Okay, maybe that happens [in real life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tsar_Nicholas_II_%26_King_George_V.JPG). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/35 "2010-06-10T14:11:01Z")
Yeah, but in movies it seems like bonks to the head can be delivered as precisely as anesthesia. In fact someone often says, “He’ll be out for an hour or two”. When in reality, a blow to the head in unpredictable. I had a friend who was clubbed on the back of the head with a pistol just like in the movies. It fractured his skull and gave him a concussion, but it didn’t even knock him down. He just shook his head and handed over his wallet. Later the cops insisted he get himself checked out, because he was just going to go home to bed. Good thing he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/36 "2010-06-10T14:11:35Z")
> [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](#): > > Ugly girls who take off their glasses and let their hair down and are transformed into a gorgeous woman that no man can take his eyes off of. This is pretty much my girlfriend. > [@needscoffee](#): > > Attractive streetwalkers. Wacky neighbors. There are attractive streetwalkers, but they’re usually/always cops. As for wacky neighbors…visit my 'hood sometime. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/37 "2010-06-10T15:03:03Z")
High school students who regularly pull off elaborate schemes and pranks and make fools out of their superiors but manage not to get expelled or otherwise receive anything more severe than an after school detention. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/38 "2010-06-10T15:13:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Famous Spies. > > After the first couple of movies, everybody seems to know who James Bond is (“You’ve just killed James Bond!” Tiffany Case emotes in _Diamonds are Forever_), which would seem to be a serious liability in that profession. So, if they never make a movie about me, now you know why. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/39 "2010-06-10T15:23:35Z")
Lawyers with one case. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616/40 "2010-06-10T15:32:03Z")
Socially awkward, unattractive and unproductive guys, who mostly talk about offensive and sexual topics, and manage to get attractive girls to fall in love with them. That’s every movie ever written by Kevin Smith. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/types-of-people-who-only-exist-in-movies-and-tv/542616.md?page=3)