I have been noticing a lot while we have been down in Florida that there is this fascination with evil. A friend of ours had a shirt that said something like, "Who needs a God when you've got a Satan!" We spoke to another girl on the shire on a faire day who was telling us that she is evil. She could not be convinced otherwise, she was evil. She had the black eye liner and deep mope lines to prove it. She is not the only one. Lots of people really really like the bad guy, so why this fascination with evil and being dark and brooding?
I think part of it is that people really do not think about what they are saying and what it actually implies. A lot of the images we think of as evil, like Darth Maul here, i am going to face it, they look really cool. But, it is not really what evil is. Evil in the real world is not just wearing cool make up and a black cape and kicking butt and taking names. Real world evil is much more exemplified by the Senator Palpatine role to stick with Star Wars analogies. Evil is the creepy politician in the background pulling strings and shutting down factory towns to line the pockets of his cronies. Evil is the adult who takes advantage of a child and abuses them because of their position of power. Hitler was evil. I really think that most of these people who claim to be evil do not revel when they think about these things. Does the person who likes Satan hear that her nephew was molested by their local preacher and go, "Yeah Satan!" Does the evil girl from the faire wake up in the morning to find her car stolen and raise the devil horns in the air and cheer, "Yeah evil!" Does the guy who is an evil dude who can't be contained find out his boss is closing down the plant to ship jobs to a sweat shop in Asia and say, "Yes dude, that was so evil!" I really don't think so. But, those are the things that the bad guys really do.
I think what it comes down to is that people are mostly addicted to the mope. We have created a culture that loves to think life sucks. We find the brooding vampire and gaunt pale moping guy sexy. We also idealize the selfish. These two things are coming together to create a pretty miserable society. Very few people are actually decent to each other and we are addicted to our sadness.
We here at the Lords of Adventure (the sword fighting show i do with my buddy John Williams) have fully embraced being good guys. We are also really addicted to the air we breathe and living life to the fullest. I definitely see it taking people by surprise and they don't really know how to deal with it. One thing is for sure, they love it. Being positive and embracing the side of the light is kind of addictive. We have found that on occasion, we will say something like, beautiful morning today! When the mopers have sent us back a "Why is it a good day?" We reply with a truth that is really really primal and deep, "The choice is yours."
That is deeply deeply true. You can choose the type of day you have, you can choose to wallow, or you can choose to live your life deeply and with meaning. Smiling and being positive is actually a lot sexier when you are around it for more than about 2 minutes.
True words never have been said. I agree with you fully. It might sound kind of funny but I believe what we watch on TV as children has a huge influence on what kind of person we become. I look back on the cartoons I watched as a kid, He-man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and others in that 80's through 90's era, and in every one every episode had some clear message or some triumph that you learn from. In today's cartoons I see less and less of that. Its almost like today we are more concerned in hiding jokes in the cartoons to keep it interesting for adults. Then we have children watching cartoons that are strictly for adults, Family Guy, South Park, Futurama, and anything on adult swim, and instead of getting good life lessons they are learning things and seeing things they don't need to learn or know till they are old enough. We as a society need to bring back lessons in cartoons and get rid if the adult humor in kids shows. .....when can I expect the lords of adventure cartoon
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't an infatuation with evil, per se. The issue is that in our heavily Christianity-influenced society, what is considered evil has been expanded.
ReplyDeleteMuch like "Satan" in Laveyan Satanism, evil is anything that is "sinful". Which, when it comes down to it, is just about everything that might be fun, entertaining, or feel good.
So when people say they are evil, or love evil, or do evil things, chances are more likely that they're talking about something as harmless as enjoying sex. I don't think they are, as you put it, moping. Or even attracted to the mope. It's hedonism they crave. And hedonism is evil.
Even people who are bad people (liars, cheaters, etc), won't admit to it. This is not the evil they embrace. They've just grown up in a world where enjoying yourself, finding happiness in indulgence rather than chastity, is a bad thing. And instead of going the route of Catholic guilt, they choose to embrace it.
That's my humble opinion, anyhow. :)
Every day I wake up is a good day. I had a boss once who asked my why it was a good morning, so I told him. I almost died in 2009 from a blood clot and bilateral pulmonary emboli. So, any day I am awake and breathing is a good day, no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, though I missed your show, I really enjoyed The Lords of Adventure during the parade. The last day, I even stepped out with my drum to play for John, because he was so much fun. Next year, you'll be an expert percussionist "playing the sticks."
Thank you guys for being the "good guys," and making it fun!
I think you, TJ, and Maygin hit on some important psychological aspects of the love of evil. I have some more. Evil is viewed as powerful and unapologetic. This appeals to those who feel weak and inept in life--the perpetually self-conscious. Also, it appeals to those who don't feel "good enough to be normal". I put that in quotes b/c it's only a self-perception. They don't measure up to the good people (plus being good is hard), so they say they're evil--they figure they must be! It's one or the other in this society, right? This all, at least, is my understanding of your typical evil-loving young person. They grow out of it when they see that we're all gray, and evil is sick.
ReplyDelete--Amber