• SuperDuper@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Patrick Bateman

    Tyler Durden

    The Joker

    The triumvirate of movie characters that edgy incels worship without actually understanding what they’re about or the fact that none of them were ever meant to be idolized.

    • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      Authors: “I have taken all of the worst personality traits and put them into the most egotistical and narcissistic sociopath villain ever! Readers will surely hate their guts!”

      Teenage boys: “Damn, this guy is so cool!”

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Somewhat similar:

        Heinlein in 1959: writes extremely militaristic and some would say fascistic book with tons of xenophobia and racism projected onto an alien race

        Paul Verhoeven in 1997: “Jesus fuck! That’s a BIT much for today’s audience!” directs over the top parody of fascism and militarism, including deliberately annoying and explicitly jingoistic infomercials

        Most people’s reaction in 1997: “Huh! I never knew Paul Verhoeven was a literal nazi!”

        • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          HP Lovecraft: I will ensure no white women marry black or Italian men by writing the Cthulu mythos as a warning against interracial marriage

          2020s: Cthuwu lmao put it in another video game

      • crackajack@reddthat.com
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        9 months ago

        These characters represent the repressed feelings of many who feel under pressure by authority so they are exalted in the eyes of particular people, such as teenagers and young adults. Bateman, Joker and Tyler Durden have the common denominator of going against the norms so many feel related and entranced.

        • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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          9 months ago

          broke: idolize people whose bad experiences drive them to hurt innocents

          woke: idolize union workers who have shootouts with exploitative mining companies

          • explodicle@local106.com
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            9 months ago

            The Joker: “Hey guys look at me I’m anarchy! Anarchy is chaos! The villain! And the good guy is a billionaire.”

      • PP_GIRL_@lemmy.worldOP
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        9 months ago

        Conversely though there’s a very strong argument to make that media creators are not the end-all-be-all on how their content should be interpreted. Not saying that any of the characters in the above comment should be idolized, but “this character is the bad/good guy because the author says so!” isn’t a great way to analyze media, either.

        • Heidur@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I get you point in a broader context, but this is just terrible both siding when we’re talking abot Tyler Durden and Patrick Bateman

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Yeah, there’s manyfaceted characters open to interpretation and then there’s characters written explicitly to scare people by being fundamentally against the norms and principles of humanity.

            Then again, being unironically fascist is back in style just as the last people old enough to remember WW2 first hand are dying, so clearly all bets are off as far as norms and principles of humanity goes 🤷

    • SuckMyWang@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      They’re cool - but they’re awful people. Tends to lend itself to conservative thinking in it’s the people who can’t handle my opinion (which must be right) who are weak and therefor wrong. Basically an attempt justify selfish asshole mentality

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Patrick Bateman isn’t even cool, though, only on the absolute surface. It’s a first person account of not just a sociopath, but a sociopath who’s EXTREMELY insecure and otherwise neurotic. Dude has absolutely no chill.

        If he wasn’t a murderer who works out, they would have called him a soy boy cuck 😂

      • Delphia@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I once posted on facebook.

        “Contrary to the memes of Tommy Shelby some of you post, you are not running an empire and dealing with betrayal, you have a shit job and your mates are fuckwits.”