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[girl & kat] It's good to be bad
Apr. 27th, 2009 02:33 amStar Wars, James Bond, Batman... you have to love stories with really
bad baddies. I don't mean some confused, misunderstood fellow who is a
good sort underneath. I mean the sort of person who, under no
circumstances whatsoever, would you ever want to give your last rolo
to. With such an individual, you can really get behind the hero as he
seeks to destroy him and watch with satisfaction as he's pounded to a
pulp and locked up for life... or at least until the box office decides
there has to be a sequel. It's like sadism with no guilt.
Yet, when you stop and consider it, is being the good guy really the
best option? Take, for instance, the case of Dolores Umbridge in the
later Harry Potter books. There is no denying that she is one nasty
piece of work. She terrorizes all the students at Hogwarts before
switching sides in a pin drop to throw her toad-like self in with
Voldermort's crowd. At the end of book 5, you do have the satisfaction
of seeing her carried away by centaurs to undergo alien-style anal
probing with hoofs (okay, so that was never actually specified, but you
find the idea a good one too, just admit it), but then she's rescued to
show up again in book 7 tourturing more people in the Ministry of
Magic. Finally, when Harry prevails, we are told she is locked up, but
is this really very satisfying? I tell you no! The prison is no longer
controlled by soul sucking beasts of darkness. It's probably run by an
ex-bus conductor named Stan who hands out free sundaes once a week.
Now let's pause for a moment to think what would happen if Harry had
lost. The lucky characters would be dead and then rest would be at the
mercy of the Death Eaters and Dementors (who, for the uninitiated have
names like "Lucius" in the first instance and don't even have names in
the second. Now that's scary).
So if you're in a situation where you have to pick a side, isn't it
worth taking a moment to think what would happen in all eventual
outcomes? If you pick the "goodies", then the reward if you win is
probably to return to your life and raise some chickens. If you loose
it's probably TOURTURE IN THE FIREY PITS OF HELL. On the other hand, if
you become a "baddie" then your reward for success is UNIMAGINABLE
WEALTH AND POWER versis a cosy prison cell with your own TV.
It's a tough choice, so pick carefully.
bad baddies. I don't mean some confused, misunderstood fellow who is a
good sort underneath. I mean the sort of person who, under no
circumstances whatsoever, would you ever want to give your last rolo
to. With such an individual, you can really get behind the hero as he
seeks to destroy him and watch with satisfaction as he's pounded to a
pulp and locked up for life... or at least until the box office decides
there has to be a sequel. It's like sadism with no guilt.
Yet, when you stop and consider it, is being the good guy really the
best option? Take, for instance, the case of Dolores Umbridge in the
later Harry Potter books. There is no denying that she is one nasty
piece of work. She terrorizes all the students at Hogwarts before
switching sides in a pin drop to throw her toad-like self in with
Voldermort's crowd. At the end of book 5, you do have the satisfaction
of seeing her carried away by centaurs to undergo alien-style anal
probing with hoofs (okay, so that was never actually specified, but you
find the idea a good one too, just admit it), but then she's rescued to
show up again in book 7 tourturing more people in the Ministry of
Magic. Finally, when Harry prevails, we are told she is locked up, but
is this really very satisfying? I tell you no! The prison is no longer
controlled by soul sucking beasts of darkness. It's probably run by an
ex-bus conductor named Stan who hands out free sundaes once a week.
Now let's pause for a moment to think what would happen if Harry had
lost. The lucky characters would be dead and then rest would be at the
mercy of the Death Eaters and Dementors (who, for the uninitiated have
names like "Lucius" in the first instance and don't even have names in
the second. Now that's scary).
So if you're in a situation where you have to pick a side, isn't it
worth taking a moment to think what would happen in all eventual
outcomes? If you pick the "goodies", then the reward if you win is
probably to return to your life and raise some chickens. If you loose
it's probably TOURTURE IN THE FIREY PITS OF HELL. On the other hand, if
you become a "baddie" then your reward for success is UNIMAGINABLE
WEALTH AND POWER versis a cosy prison cell with your own TV.
It's a tough choice, so pick carefully.
