Sunday Confession: Duality VS. FIGHT EVIL WITH GOOD

So, I've seen quite a few TV shows or movies (many of them I like!) that have virtuous heroes against baddies, who just like being bad.

For instance, my daughter just started watching She-Ra: The Princess of Power on Hulu. Princess Adora, long lost sister to Prince Adam (He-Man), fights the evil tyranny of the Horde, ruled by Hordak, by becoming She-Ra with a magic sword.

Sexy, Blonde, Virtuous, and Sexy It's such a clear-cut evil vs. good show, that there is no nuance, not really with the villains. Even by having Adora a member of the Horde herself in the beginning, seemed like an artificial attempt to add depth to a character who really is one-dimensional. She simply "had not seen" the Horde being mean to people, but as soon as she sees an old man get thrown into a lake, she does a 180 and has no trouble fighting against the people who raised her. (Side note, I also think it's funny that these evil villains can at most "stun" their victims but they never seem to kill them.)

Horak: Evil or Just Misunderstood? I know it's a kid's show, and I know it's supposed to be fun. I get that. I enjoyed watching it with my daughter personally. I'm merely pointing out the stark unnatural contrast of good vs. evil, and the lack of nuance.

I noticed the same thing in Captain Planet. In it the baddies are just out to pollute simply because they like filth. Captain Planet sets out to be a show about the environment, but it fails to make the final connection in between Verminous Skumm burning coal and making acid rain, to the very electricity that is powering the viewer's television to watch the show. Also, what is Mr. Skumm's bottom line? Is he burning coal just for fun or is he making any money by doing so?

Green mullets are HAWT. The truth is, the environment is in danger, not because two dimensional villains burn coal just because they like "filth," but because powerful corporations are providing cheap, dirty electricity to consumers who are only too willing to purchase it. Besides, it's a lot easier to tell people to sort out their garbage for recycling, than point out that their way of life, at a fundamental level, is raping the environment. It helps avoid cognitive dissonance. ;)

The point of all this is that in the novel I'm trying to write, I want to put a spin on the whole good vs. evil thing. People will point out two sides of the same thing and try to separate the one from the whole. It's the whole idea of yin and yang. There's a balance of opposite qualities in everything. Even at a quantum level, particles behave like waves and vice versa. Neither can exist without the other. Just like death and life are inherently connected, and one can only be if the other is.

In my story, the theme has a lot to do with what happens when things are "unbalanced." When one part is seen as "good" and the other as "evil," is when the trouble begins. I have a long way to go with this, but I look forward to finishing... eventually.