# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 238
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2025, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4769 "2025-03-08T01:30:24Z")
The good guy is chasing after some bad guys with guns. The GG isn’t sure where the BG went so they stop and look around. In the middle of a big open space. Always, fortunately, at a moment when the BG is not looking back at the perfectly placed target being made. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4770 "2025-03-08T02:53:12Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > This would probably be another thread, but to what extent can police and prosecutors benefit from the contributions of third-party illegal searches? And what if anything prevents the police from claiming the results of any illegal search came from “an anonymous informant”? There have been threads about it. Basically it’s a big “what if” that depends on the very specific aspects of each case. If the third party is seen to be acting as an “agent of the state” it would be excluded as if it was a cop who did the improper search. (Illegal search is a loaded term since there are many things that would be ruled improper without breaking any laws). If the third party is ruled to not be an agent of the state then it becomes a big “it depends.” ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4771 "2025-03-10T21:02:46Z")
Not as common as it used to be but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone get hit in the face with a pie. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4772 "2025-03-10T22:32:19Z")
For a while in the 1970s there was a trend of hitting professors (or other authority figures) in the face with a pie. There were even services that you could pay to do this. Said professors and authority figures were, by and large, not amused. The fad faded. But it wouldn’t have existed in the first place unless the trope of the Pie Fight didn’t already exist. See “Pieing” on Wikipedia, here: > **[Pieing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieing)** > > Pieing or a pie attack is the act of throwing a pie at a person. In pieing, the goal is usually to humiliate the victim while avoiding actual injury. For this reason the pie is traditionally of the cream variety without a top crust, and is rarely if ever a hot pie. In Britain, a pie in the context of throwing is traditionally referred to as a custard pie. An aluminium pie pan or paper plate filled with whipped cream or more typically, shaving cream can substitute for a real pie. > Brought to a w... ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4773 "2025-03-10T22:41:01Z")
In the UK we have a new version involving milkshakes and right wing politicians. I’m sure it would be even more popular if the shake machine at McDonald’s wasn’t always broken. > **[Milkshaking](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkshaking)** > > Milkshaking is the act of throwing milkshakes and other drinks at targets as a means of political protest in a manner similar to egging or pieing. The target of a milkshaking is splashed or splattered with a milkshake that is thrown from a cup or bottle. The trend gained momentum in the United Kingdom in May 2019 during the European Parliament election and was used against the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and right-wing political candidates such as Nigel Farage and Carl Benjamin, as we Th... ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4774 "2025-03-11T03:36:31Z")
And from Australia, [may I present Egg Boy](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-47862374) ! ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4775 "2025-03-11T05:53:34Z")
The government goes to a small town and forces everyone to evacuate in order to perform some illegal secret experiment and literally everyone just goes along with it immediately. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4776 "2025-03-11T15:04:58Z")
If the military showed up at people’s doors wearing hazmat gear, with a cover story such as there’s a poison gas leak, and anyone who sticks around will die a horrible death gasping and coughing out lung tissue, there might be one or two stubborn, ornery gits who refused to leave. But I’d guess most people would hightail it out of there toot suite. The couple stubborn ones would get a complementary stay in a government facility until the secret experiment was over. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4777 "2025-03-11T18:31:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But if he is found out- the evidence and likely the case is thrown out And the evidence in every case that cop ever worked. The appeals will be backed up for years. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4778 "2025-03-11T18:49:50Z")
100% true except the movie I was watching it was dudes in plainclothes handing letters to people on farms that said WE NEED YOU OUT OF YOUR HOUSE FOR TWO WEEKS and the farmers were like “Alright” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4779 "2025-03-11T22:07:35Z")
One rarely gets over a gunshot wound to the shoulder in days. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4780 "2025-03-11T22:21:44Z")
Nah, you hold your shoulder for a few seconds, maybe hunched over and walking with a shuffle for some reason, and then when those seconds are up you’re all good to punch people, climb a wall etc. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4781 "2025-03-11T22:47:56Z")
Of course being shot in the shoulder _hurts_, but that doesn’t actually disable you if you man up and push through the pain. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4782 "2025-03-12T01:06:02Z")
A 49ers rookie wide receiver, Ricky Pearsall, was shot in the chest near the shoulder just before the season began. The bullet missed anything important, and he was released from the hospital after one night and made his season debut in week 7 (51 days after). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4783 "2025-03-12T01:08:46Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Nah, you hold your shoulder for a few seconds, maybe hunched over and walking with a shuffle for some reason, Only if someone removes the bullet with a “plink”. The plink into a jar or emesis pan is what makes everything all better. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4784 "2025-03-12T01:21:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Asuka](#): > > > > A cop is investigating a suspicious location but doesn’t bother telling dispatch where he is, so when he’s inevitably killed the police can’t send backup to figure out why he isn’t reporting back. > > Yep. Or goes alone instead of with a partner. Which commonly happens during serial killer investigations. An officer will typically go to a suspects creepy house in the middle of nowhere by his/her self instead with a SWAT team. Also a lot of cases are solved by talking to a different serial killer or mental patient. Because the guy locked away for the past decade knows where he is. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4785 "2025-03-12T01:50:16Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Nah, you hold your shoulder for a few seconds, maybe hunched over and walking with a shuffle for some reason, and then when those seconds are up you’re all good to punch people, climb a wall etc From a _gunshot?_ You don’t just shrug off a thing like that; your arm will be in a sling for _one whole scene._ ---
**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:** [March 12, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4786 "2025-03-12T02:00:04Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Which commonly happens during serial killer investigations. An officer will typically go to a suspects creepy house in the middle of nowhere by his/her self instead with a SWAT team. The NBC series “The Hunting Party” has an interesting take on that. Because the whole premise of the show is that they are hunting serial killers who were supposedly executed and this can’t be revealed publicly, they’re limited in how much they can enlist local law enforcement, even with cover stories. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4787 "2025-03-12T10:14:18Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Of course being shot in the shoulder _hurts_, but that doesn’t actually disable you if you man up and push through the pain. That was a class in Basic Training “Sucking it up, and powering through a shoulder wound.” There’s a part II for those who have been treated by medics. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4788 "2025-03-12T11:30:40Z")
In Saving Private Ryan, a soldier had his whole arm blown off and picked it up with his other arm. Seems to me the pain from that would have been incapacitating. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=237) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=239)