http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouWouldntHitAGuyWithGlasses

Well, not in the face, at least.

King Candy: [pulls out a pair of glasses] You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? [Ralph grabs them and knocks King Candy on the head with the frames] You hit a guy with glasses... Wreck-It Ralph [pulls out a pair of glasses] You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? [Ralph grabs them and knocks King Candy on the head with the frames] You hit a guy with glasses... That, heh...that's...well played.

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A common Stock Phrase, and a Tempting Fate trope: whenever any fictional character tries to invoke this, the odds are pretty good that he's about to get hit. The usual reaction is the attacker will immediately pull the glasses off, and then sock his opponent, but other variations are not unheard of.

In real life this was a legitimate concern in the past, but today anyone worrying about being blinded by broken glasses — or for the assailant, having their knuckles cut up — will be glad to hear that technology has marched on. Currently (at least in the US) the lenses of virtually all glasses are made of one form of plastic or another. Due to this and other properties of the plastics used to make lenses, the lenses of modern glasses are nearly shatterproof. In fact, excluding the occasional exception, (such as Ray-Ban sunglasses, where the non prescription lenses that come with the sunglasses are usually made of glass) in order to get glass lenses made someone needs to specifically request them, (and be prepared to wait at least several weeks while the lenses are made) or have vision issues that make them unable to adequately use the plastic lenses.

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For anyone with poor eyesight, Hold My Glasses is still a good idea prior to a fight, because while the lenses may not shatter, the frames that hold the lenses are not the most durable of objects, and no one wants to be stuck in a Blind Without 'Em situation.

Compare Wouldn't Hit a Girl, Wouldn't Hurt a Child, and Would Not Shoot a Civilian for similarly other people that it is generally deemed bad form to harm. Also this trope is not about whether you're considering hitting That Guy With The Glasses.

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Examples

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Anime & Manga

Comic Books

Comic Strips

Fan Works

Films — Animation

In Mr. Bug Goes to Town, Swat tells Mr. Beetle, when it is revealed that he lied about killing Hoppity, that he shouldn't hit him because he's wearing glasses. He chases him off-screen where nothing is seen but a lot is heard.

King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph tries to pull this on Ralph. Ralph proceeds to literally hit King Candy over the head with the frames. King Candy: You hit a guy You hit a guy with glasses. That, heh, that's well played...

Films — Live-Action

In Batman (1989), The Joker (Jack Nicholson) whips on a pair of fake glasses and makes the appeal, in the typical inappropriately comedic in timing Joker way, but Batman decks him in the face anyway. Fun Fact: One especially stupid TV edit cuts out the entire climax after this point and goes straight to the Joker falling to his death

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. While playing dodgeball: Simon: Glasses! Glasses! You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?! [Gets hit by a dodgeball] Right in the pancreas.

Groucho Marx says this in Go West (and, yes, the guy would).

Shemp does this to avoid getting hit by Moe in The Three Stooges short "Who Done It?" Of course, Moe does it anyway without bothering to remove the glasses.

In Vivacious Lady, the Apt. Manager (Franklin Pangborn) says that he has glasses, but they're being fixed, reminding Peter (James Stewart) that he shouldn't hit a man with glasses.

Sidewalk Stories: The artist resorts to this when the much bigger rival artist is about to pummel him, whipping out glasses that he apparently had staged for that purpose.

Literature

Live-Action TV

Music

Pro Wrestling

Video Games

In the standard ending of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Cranky Kong insults the protagonists' performance, and they surround him, apparently to beat him up. As they close in, Cranky puts on a pair of glasses and says the line.

One of the motorcycle gangers Ben fights in Full Throttle will say this at the start of the battle, though it sounds more like a taunt than a plea for mercy.

Web Videos

In episode 4 of ''SUPERCAST, Marshall states this trope when an executive is pointing a gun at him, in the process stealing Chip's glasses and making a rather iconic face which provides the page image. The executive doesn't care.

Western Animation