rdfs:comment
| - In a society where people, by and large, agree not to engage in random acts of violence with each other, a story can be restricted by the fact that, well, everybody's kind of agreed not to engage in random acts of violence with each other. The Glove Slap is an end-run around this. The process of slapping someone with a white, preferably lacy glove is in itself so polite and dignified that it somehow seems socially acceptable that the natural outcome of the slap is a Duel to the Death. Compare with Throwing Down the Gauntlet, this trope's Real Life predecessor. Examples of Glove Slap include:
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abstract
| - In a society where people, by and large, agree not to engage in random acts of violence with each other, a story can be restricted by the fact that, well, everybody's kind of agreed not to engage in random acts of violence with each other. The Glove Slap is an end-run around this. The process of slapping someone with a white, preferably lacy glove is in itself so polite and dignified that it somehow seems socially acceptable that the natural outcome of the slap is a Duel to the Death. Well, that's the theory anyway. A long time ago, the trope might have been used like this. But these days it's only the stuff of laughter and parody. Chiefly, no doubt, because the chances that the duel will actually be fought are low. Most of the time this trope is used in such a way that accents the absurdity of the formality. Characters who otherwise have no problem with overt acts of hostility will treat the glove as being somehow significant while still recognizing that The Glove Slap means that everything is now no holds barred. Historical, or appropriate futuristic or fantasy, settings can still play this in earnest, particularly among the elite. Compare with Throwing Down the Gauntlet, this trope's Real Life predecessor. Examples of Glove Slap include:
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