Back when Twitter was fun, I joined a conversation about the alarming popularity of villains in US pop culture.
I pointed out that people get tattoos of villains, like the Joker (esp Heath Ledger's version), Walter White and Darth Vader.
I was questioned for suggesting that the power of story can convince people to align with villains because they're relatable. People were shocked by how "gullible" I am.
For my part, I think I underestimated the problem.
@sumpnlikefaith But I would like to warn people that this is _not_ a new phenomenon.
The word "hero" for instance didn't originally mean a good guy. It just meant someone powerful and able to do things normal people couldn't - and often their heroic acts were things like mass-murder or stealing, or tricking people, or causing a war.
There's always been humans who admire others for their ability to destroy, control, or manipulate others. They aspire to be the book on other's necks.
They think it's brave and powerful and masculine to be the bad guy, thinking: "The bad guy does whatever he wants. The good guys are constrained by values and principles, and who wants that? That's weak and feeble. Only stupid people have values beyond power, greed, and lust."
@sumpnlikefaith Good grief people have always aligned with a dark side. Robin Hood. Bonnie and Clyde. Even Al Capone who did a lot for Chicagoans.
@SaltyVeruca I don't disagree, there is a pull. A lot of this boils down to perspective, of course.
From the perspective of a poor, exploited person living in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood is a good guy. From the perspective of the establishment, Robin Hood is a menace.
Perhaps a key is maturing our collective recognition to what evil means, and what its limits are. Namely, are there attitudes and actions which are objectively evil? Or do we only have our subjectivity to guide us?
@sumpnlikefaith Well that's an ethics and philosophy degree. 😉
@sumpnlikefaith I blame DC. There, I said it. I stopped watching them when they made Batman dark.
@TrueBloodNet Marvel has addressed this in a more direct and nuanced way -- for example: "with great power comes great responsibility."
But Batman is a weird character -- a billionaire vigilante. To me, there is an inherent problem in ignoring the darkness in that story.
@sumpnlikefaith @TrueBloodNet A violent, mentally-ill, bag of PTSD loaded with wealth and privilege, who punishes individuals but doesn't stop them from continuing to do harm, ignores any laws or rules along the way, and doesn't accept that anyone knows better than he does.
My favorite Batman story is the Killing Joke.
@AskTheDevil @TrueBloodNet There is a profound level of cultural detective work going on in the world of Batman, and lots more available.
I'm looking up the Killing Joke -- I haven't heard of it before now.
@sumpnlikefaith There was always some sadness, but Batman was the story of a man controlling his anger, using that energy for good. The whole reason he was a hero was because he didn't let the sadness & anger consume him. It quickly spiraled into you can't tell who is really the better person. There are ways of examining sadness that don't involve turning someone into a bunghole.
With Marvel, turning to darkness always means needing to be rescued. Tony Stark was no saint. Very few are 'dark'
I do not know that you underestimated the problem. You might quite possibly have nailed it.
@sumpnlikefaith I've been complaining about that since Darth Vader stole the show in Star Wars.