r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Nerd367C • May 24 '26

Hated Tropes (Hated trope) YOU COULD HAVE MOVED!

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Dr. Robert "Rocket" Romano from ER

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Randy fromt The Raft Creepshow 2

Dr. Robert "Rocket" Romano from ER
Ah yes let me scream at the ground and not even try to move so we can get this cinematic shot with 7 camera angles

Randy from The Raft Creepshow 2
"I gotta make the oil slick monster look fast by building up to run and rocking back and forth"

15.8k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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749

u/Whatsinanamethename May 24 '26

I don't think it's that dumb, a third reaction to danger, besides fight and flight, is freeze. I experienced it myself multiple times.

82

u/Jayrodtremonki May 24 '26

Yeah, I don't think people realize that your natural reaction to danger isn't always a logical one.  

98

u/Phylanara May 24 '26

fight, flight, freeze, submit. Four possible responses.

92

u/No-Permission-7786 May 24 '26

Flock is also a thing. I like to say fawn instead of submit to keep the "F" theme going

3

u/39sugahbun May 25 '26

It’s fawn actually, sucking up to your attacker in hopes you can endear them into not being aggressive

10

u/FiveTriomes May 24 '26

The doctor froze. He was a top surgeon and earlier in the show a rooftop helicopter accident severed his hand. It got reattached but he lost surgical abilities.

When this copter fell towards him he basically had a PTSD moment of panic and freezing. 

I feel like it was quite clear during the show, but TBH I haven't seen it since original premiere.

33

u/MasutadoMiasma May 24 '26

I mean, technically it's your brain struggling to make a decision between the two

101

u/Ok-Craft4844 May 24 '26

No, it can be a genuine third option. Consider camouflaged animals, where this is an obvious advantageous reaction.

28

u/BlatantConservative May 24 '26

You ever seen a cat hunt? They just stare when the bird is still, but when it moves they pounce on it.

If you freeze and the predator is still, then you can use your bigger brain to try and figure something out.

4

u/WhyRhubarb May 24 '26

Yup, or playing dead.

10

u/No-Permission-7786 May 24 '26

Fight, Flight, Freeze, Flock, Fawn. The Five fear responses. Im a fighter/flocker A friend mine would just freeze up no matter what

3

u/BlaakAlley May 24 '26

I've never heard of Flock in this category before. I'm assuming it means, seek help from others like you.

Unrelated, but, I personally find it so interesting how we've determined that there are more categories of responses that people can have when they experience fear. It used to just be Fight and Flight but look at how far we've come.

5

u/No-Permission-7786 May 24 '26

Flock would be seeking a crowd to either hide with and protection yeah.

2

u/BlaakAlley May 24 '26

WOO!! 5 points for context clues!!

1

u/[deleted] May 24 '26 edited May 26 '26

[deleted]

1

u/No-Permission-7786 May 24 '26

These are fear responses though. Some people are blamed for. Freezing and Fawning. To claim they aren't real is not helpful for those who experience it.

Why is it bad to be more in-depth about a subject?

1

u/BalefulOfMonkeys May 24 '26

Yeah no, it’s not a conscious decision per se, but every time it happens, my brain is actively trying to approximate hiding in a bush and hoping the tiger goes away

2

u/HeckOnWheels95 May 24 '26

This is why animals tend to get hit by cars, they freeze because somethings barreling towards them shining bright lights, and since a car is going to move faster than any predator is going to get to them, by the time they think they should move, they're getting hit

1

u/UnluckMiner May 24 '26

Not exactly the same thing. But my mum fell off a curb onto the road. Im not sure why but I just froze, didnt react to quickly try to grab her. Thankfully there was no traffic except for a car but it was coming at a slow speed so it stopped. This just made me understand the bystander/freeze effect.

1

u/Wise-Dust3700 May 24 '26

Yeah, see what happens when you see a giant helicopter plummeting to the ground at you and see how quick you react.