| abstract | - Most comedy is practically built around the Straight Man as the Only Sane Employee having to take heaps of abuse from other characters. This is most brutal when the other character is a well meaning but clueless Ditz who doesn't realize the inconvenience or frustration they're causing. Of course, our poor straight man takes it like a man rather than ask them to stop... or maybe they do. After repeatedly and politely asking them to do things differently and/or tone it down, the ditz seems to get a clue... and then proceeds to make things worse. At which point the Straight Man, having manfully endured more punishment than any sane person could endure, exasperatedly yells "Stop Helping Me!!", "Quit it!" or even "You're making things worse!". These words may seem tame, but they will cut the Ditz deeper than a dozen Hannibal Lectures being hammered in with "The Reason You Suck" Speech. Of course, they may well use a Precision F-Strike with exactly what they think of the ditz, which would hurt anyone. Her eyes will go wide, and she'll run off crying. Any third parties witness to the event will give the Straight Man the third degree and put the blame for it squarely on their shoulders. After a quick sermon or two, the Straight Man will find the Ditz, apologize and explain why they were so angry. And this time, the Ditz will understand why what they were doing was so damn annoying or obstructive, and promise not to do it again. Heartwarming "Aww!" optional. It's worth noting this trope is comparable to Kick the Dog. Maybe it's because the Straight Man, being pretty high on the Good-Guy-O-Meter, doing this is being unusually cruel compared to their normal behavior. It may also have to do with the Ditz being so innocent and vulnerable that acting verbally harsh towards them (not even abusive, just harsh) is comparable to kicking a dog. Sometimes, instead of being chastised for the outburst, the Deadpan Snarker or the Alpha Bitch will give a thumbs up to the Straight Man for making the Ditz cry, giving him all the reason he needs to realize the error in his actions. Stories on the idealistic side may even present a strange Double Standard in this regard: it's fine for the Alpha Bitch or Deadpan Snarker to insult anyone, but the Nice Guy character's slightest insult to another good guy is akin to a cardinal sin in terms of wrongness. Compare Rant-Inducing Slight: a person takes all kinds of abuse without complaint, but finally snaps over something that normally wouldn't trigger such a reaction. Contrast Hero Harasses Helpers, when the "obnoxious" person does actually help. See also Kick the Morality Pet. Examples of Minor Insult Meltdown include:
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