EPTWithout opposition there would be no chance for heroics. We admire the qualities of heros but often forget they would not cast any light in the absence of the darkness of malefice.
In the real world there is no such clear distinguishment of heros and villains. I hold the belief that the majority of people are raised under good values, have instilled in them good morals, and belong on the side of “goodness”. As for the adversary, these usually come in the form of criminals – people who break the law to acquire self gain at the expense of the pain of others. In most every criminal case, the miscreant has simplistic and short sighted goals, usually in the end to steal money. Is that truly the extent of “evil” we experience in society? Where are the crazy, honourable, insightful antagonists who have a rational underlying motive to achieve long-sighted goals? They are mostly limited to the products of movies and imagination.
But of course there have been. The immediate example of course is Hitler. He had grander visions than hoarding money and luxury. He wanted to change the world to make it, in his sense, better. Let me make it perfectly clear I am not a Nazi supporter. His goals and visions were ghastly and unjust. I just use this case as an illustration.
Having said that most people are “good”, where do I fit in the picture? If you’ve read the extent of my previous blogs, I’m sure some of you have come to the conclusion that I am a veritable asshole. I am well aware of this perception, and for the most part agree. Yet that does not label me a degenerate gangster. Modern crimes, whether responsibility is claimed by the low-level felon or untouchable organized crime boss, are all dishonourable acts of idiocy. They are committed by those that lack the proper moral fibre to abide by the rules of conduct that aim to keep society fair. These simple minded hooligans are therefore worthless scum to be exterminated.
That went a bit off track there. Returning to my point, I remember someone posted once on TL a survey for everyone’s Dungeons and Dragons defined alignment (ie. Lawful, neutral, chaotic and good, neutral, evil). That was my first introduction to that system, which I found quite interesting. I am sure most people would not associate themselves as evil, and would normally reserve that designation for criminals. Everyone considered themselves either good or neutral. But what about someone who appears like a nice guy on the surface but harbours much more sinister and dire motives inside?
I suppose its better to altogether avoid the trap of exclusively using the classification of good and evil. My point is that from my own independent mind, I embrace many values and ideas that would not be very acceptable in the common morals of modern “good” society.
One example is racism. Simplistic media portrayals of the proper attitude towards this issue is to treat everyone of all skin colours equally. While the ulterior motive is to avoid harsh forms of discrimination among different races, the resulting message is ridiculous. Say I am walking down a sidewalk late at night with no one around. I come across a Chinese woman and cross paths without any concern. Then I walk past a black man and my senses immediately pick up on full alert, getting ready to run or defend as necessary. Other more cautious or vulnerable “racists” might go so far as to cross the street to walk on the other side of the road. Yes, it definitely sucks for the black man who means no harm. But anyone from personal experience would understand that that subject is more likely to display aggressive, dangerous behaviour. I do not understand the perceived furor over racial profiling (the tendency for cops to investigate blacks more closely than other races). It is simply statistically more likely that this demographic would do something dangerous. Blacks are over-represented in prison population not because society is racist, but because they are the ones committing the violent crimes. One could accuse me of being racist, and I would not deny that. If that is what drawing conclusions from statistical trends is called, then so be it. Better than being a mindless bandwagoner in societal propaganda with good intentions but flawed implications.
I think my issue is that I am inherently a good guy. As a small child I was praised for my thoughtfulness and generosity towards others. Later on, my parents would say, “What happened to the old (name)?” as they recognized my leanings towards assholeness. I craved a good world but was disappointed in what I saw in the ugliness and inelegance of society and lost hope.
One of my all time favourite questions: Do the ends justify the means? For me, in my world of black and white, yes, definitely. I can stand some sacrifice if the end product is close enough to perfection. Such epic boss figures have existed in history, one that particularly stands out for me being emperor Qin Shi Huang.
I lack the tragedy and personal strife that people like to see in villains as driving forces behind their motives. I guess I’ll never measure up in terms of dramatic value in that respect. Some may find my imagination and fantasizing to be overblown and childish. Like everything else, as always, I am well of aware of that. But I would not attribute my thoughts to be products of media influence. I draw such conclusions from independent reasoning and observation. I enjoy shows such as Code Geass not because that’s where I get my ideas from, but rather it is a entertaining manifestation of many of the values I hold myself. It is refreshing to know that others in the world have an understanding of some my beliefs. Emperor Charles was awesome heheh. All Hail Britannia!
