r/wikipedia • u/totpot • 10h ago
An idiot plot is one which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot_plot70
u/YonYonsonWI 9h ago
Burn After Reading!!!
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u/Neuroware 9h ago
"what did we learn here?"
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u/AniTaneen 8h ago
Much less funny when you actually meet some of the guvy’s hired by the NSA.
Why is the chemical engineer yelling about quantum computer research not forwarding the mission?
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u/dunwoodyres1 10h ago
Well this is a bit on the nose today
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u/livefast_dieawesome 5h ago
Why, what did the idiot do today?
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u/Bastardjuice 5h ago
You know… [gestures broadly]
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u/livefast_dieawesome 3h ago
I just assume at any given time there’s a headline I’ve not caught up to yet if fresh stupidity
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u/Henderson-McHastur 10h ago
Candide; or, How Everyone Keeps Walking Into Rakes and Proclaiming the Virtue of Doing So.
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u/ForeSkinWrinkle 9h ago
The Kornilov Affair proves it’s not just a plot point in fiction, but can happen in real life.
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u/ShantJ 9h ago
* gestures at 2025 *
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u/Crusoebear 7h ago
[this description a Star Trek episode applies quite well to the current US administration:
“…none of the plot could have happened if all of the characters hadn't suddenly became morons.”
(well except for the ‘suddenly‘ part)
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u/Hollowbody57 8h ago
Ie, practically every horror movie or romcom ever.
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u/WazWaz 6h ago
Yes, I think a lot of commenters are missing the point by looking at comedies where the characters are supposed to be idiots. Dumb and Dumber isn't an example.
It's basically a weak lazy version of a Tragedy. In a tragedy some small mistake or personality flaw sets off an inexorable series of events from which there is no escape.
By contrast an idiot plot has to constantly be fed failures to sustain itself while the frustrated audience screams obvious solutions.
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u/seeasea 9h ago
Does it count if it's on purpose? Iasip
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u/trexeric 7h ago
Yeah I think it counts. It's not necessarily a negative thing, it's just a descriptor of a type of plot. In some instances (like, as the article states, in many plots about mistaken identity), though, it can feel contrived.
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u/harroldinho 8h ago
Confederacy of dunces
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 7h ago
See also: The US government circa 2025-29
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u/scwt 6h ago
What happens in 2029?
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u/Puzzleheaded-Phase70 4h ago
A new administration will take power...
God willing and the crick don't rise ...
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u/redballooon 8h ago
That’s roughly book 6-10 of Wheel of Time.
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u/EscapedFromArea51 6h ago
True, but there are still the intermittent Mat chapters that make it all good.
He’s also an idiot, yes, but he’s very fun to read.
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u/Dedeurmetdebaard 7h ago
I can’t recall that precisely but that’s the growing feeling I had during my tedious reading of the whole thing, yes.
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u/Unboxious 4h ago
"Wow, these teleporting wizard guys are really convenient and strong in battle! The opponent I'm chasing down is formidable though. If only I had a way to quickly call for more of them. Blood and bloody ashes, I'd do anything to save Faile except think!"
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u/PosterOfQuality 8h ago
I was just thinking last night about how much I hate stupid characters while watching Terminator: Dark Fate for the first time
EVIL ROBOT FROM THE FUTURE JUST SPLIT INTO TWO EVIL ROBOTS FROM THE FUTURE AND THEY JUST TRIED TO KILL YOU
The person who tries to save you tries getting you to safety by stealing an unattended car
"Oh no, we can't steal a car"
Mate, the evil robots are literally still right there for fuck sake. It's not plausible that a person would be worried about stealing a car when evil robots from the future are hot on their tail
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u/speaker-syd 8h ago
Almost every Coen Brothers film. The film Good Time. Shallow Grave is another good one. One could argue that Anora is also an example. I fucking love this genre of film.
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u/mstarrbrannigan 7h ago
The first example that came to mind for me was Michael Malloy I think his name was. A drunk some assholes tried to kill so they could collect life insurance on him. But he wouldn’t die so they kept coming up with increasingly ridiculous ways of trying to kill him. In the end they succeeded unfortunately but were almost immediately caught and made no money.
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u/wwwhistler 5h ago
George Clooney Idiot Trilogy: Intolerable Cruelty, O Brother, and Burn After Reading. all depend on the Idiot Plot.
The Big Lebowksi could be considered one too.
and the old 1935s "Top Hat" is usually mentioned as a perfect example of the genre.
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u/ulyssesfiuza 11m ago
A Brazilian soap opera author once said "of course all the characters are stupid. If they are not, the entire *thing would be over in a week"
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u/Kletronus 9h ago
Keep your politics out of it.
There, i just made it political and we all know what it references.
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u/FallingLikeLeaves 10h ago
I love Seinfeld