Now that my mind is relaxed
Feb. 27th, 2008 04:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crankyoldmanI forgot how awesome my Wednesdays were, minus the 7:30 am lab. Actually, the very fact that I have one discourages me from my desire to sleep later as the week goes on. I always cave on Friday, though, because I don't have class until 10:30 and sleeping til 9 won't kill me. Breakfast ends at 9:30, it works.
Need to send an email to work to let them know when spring break is (which is soon) because I'm one of those losers that will actually probably be working through it. XD Not just "work" work either, but probably get a good chunk of my project actually written. This is the plan.
Anyway, I finished Watchmen last night, and now that I've fully had time to grok it all, I've got a slight ramble.
Now, anyone who knows me well enough knows that I have a thing for sociopaths. I wouldn't say quite an obsession, because that would probably be more than a little unhealthy. XD It goes to well, my obsession with morality, and justification and a few things like that. Ever since I decided to discontinue being Catholic, I've wondered exactly how people justified their moralities, precisely why some things are more or less taboo across the board (killing being a big one, which probably is why the sociopathicness is interesting).
It's all well and good if you have a comfortable relationship with your morality, and I'm cool with that. Mind you I'm trying to approach this somewhat objectively, but I'm human.
Whether or not it's true in real life, I keep finding fictional characters that are well, otherwise bad people that manage to function in the world to varying degrees of success. And I find it somewhat fascinating. I mean, sure, you could argue that "anyone can justify anything" but the lengths that some of these characters go to in order to not only keep doing what they do, but to keep themselves alive? Amazing, really.
Like, since I've started watching Dexter, I can't help but admire his father a little. Sure, upon discovering his kid was a crazyhead, most people would argue get him therapy, but there's something to be said for instilling some kind of boundaries. And what are ethics and morality besides boundaries at the core? Knowing when to say when. Dexter manages to function because he doesn't forget the rest of the world (though he clearly doesn't think much of it), and has a fixed ritualism.
It's kind of eerie to think that your average normal person has a kind of ritualism to most things that they do. Sure, it doesn't involve killing people, but there are similarities. This could be more an indication on the realm of fiction, but still. I wonder.
Rorschach was interesting because his ritual was becoming something else. He called his mask his "skin" and "face" on numerous occasions. When he's not in costume he writes in a journal, keeps to himself, and is otherwise unremarkable. While his masked self is constantly running from the police, his normal self only gets bothered by the landlady, who complains about his bad hygiene and cleaning habits. His philosophy, though, is something that most people will find crazy. Just about every typical moral indiscretion (specifically Judeo-Christian indiscretions) is on his hit-list, not for any small reasons, though.
While yes, it's your typical vigilante complex, you see later that he almost needs this other identity, this moral superiority, yet no fear of "getting dirty". He simply cannot accept the world as it is, simply cannot keep himself from reacting to it. And he actually thinks of the other costumed heroes as his friends (at the very least, Nite Owl, omg BFF!) because there is a similarity there. He's offended when they give up, both at first and well... later. But I won't spoil that. Go read Watchmen. Now.
Also, as a side note, I wish there were more Rorschachs and fewer whiny anti-heroes, but that's me.
Really, seeing this pop up more (or rather, maybe I'm subconsciously seeking it out, heh) just makes me think a lot. I'm not much of a relativist, I tried, it didn't work. I can't help being judgmental of some things (and to some extent, I think we need to be judgmental... but prejudiced, well, that's an entirely different beast). But I can't help but find myself a little morally grey at times. For the most part, I'm of the mind that laws are good because they have the intent of keeping the most people alive and happy (except for the silly smoking laws, but I won't get into that).
Gotta wonder about civilization when the writers make the sociopaths more understandable that typically functioning people. Makes me wonder if the Romans had the modern equivalent of crime writers back in the day. XD
~ Cendri
P.S. I recall in some comment thread on some io9 article where someone was like "why am I always more drawn to the villains?" and someone replying, "They're less hypocritical and annoying about the things they do than the 'good guys'?"
Am I the only person that finds a statement like that unfair? Considering that your typical villain only has to answer to the voices in their head, while your typical good guy has to answer to a deity, their gov't, or any number of things?
Maybe that's just me. Then again, I'm pretty even as far as my liking of good and bad, so. XD
Need to send an email to work to let them know when spring break is (which is soon) because I'm one of those losers that will actually probably be working through it. XD Not just "work" work either, but probably get a good chunk of my project actually written. This is the plan.
Anyway, I finished Watchmen last night, and now that I've fully had time to grok it all, I've got a slight ramble.
Now, anyone who knows me well enough knows that I have a thing for sociopaths. I wouldn't say quite an obsession, because that would probably be more than a little unhealthy. XD It goes to well, my obsession with morality, and justification and a few things like that. Ever since I decided to discontinue being Catholic, I've wondered exactly how people justified their moralities, precisely why some things are more or less taboo across the board (killing being a big one, which probably is why the sociopathicness is interesting).
It's all well and good if you have a comfortable relationship with your morality, and I'm cool with that. Mind you I'm trying to approach this somewhat objectively, but I'm human.
Whether or not it's true in real life, I keep finding fictional characters that are well, otherwise bad people that manage to function in the world to varying degrees of success. And I find it somewhat fascinating. I mean, sure, you could argue that "anyone can justify anything" but the lengths that some of these characters go to in order to not only keep doing what they do, but to keep themselves alive? Amazing, really.
Like, since I've started watching Dexter, I can't help but admire his father a little. Sure, upon discovering his kid was a crazyhead, most people would argue get him therapy, but there's something to be said for instilling some kind of boundaries. And what are ethics and morality besides boundaries at the core? Knowing when to say when. Dexter manages to function because he doesn't forget the rest of the world (though he clearly doesn't think much of it), and has a fixed ritualism.
It's kind of eerie to think that your average normal person has a kind of ritualism to most things that they do. Sure, it doesn't involve killing people, but there are similarities. This could be more an indication on the realm of fiction, but still. I wonder.
Rorschach was interesting because his ritual was becoming something else. He called his mask his "skin" and "face" on numerous occasions. When he's not in costume he writes in a journal, keeps to himself, and is otherwise unremarkable. While his masked self is constantly running from the police, his normal self only gets bothered by the landlady, who complains about his bad hygiene and cleaning habits. His philosophy, though, is something that most people will find crazy. Just about every typical moral indiscretion (specifically Judeo-Christian indiscretions) is on his hit-list, not for any small reasons, though.
While yes, it's your typical vigilante complex, you see later that he almost needs this other identity, this moral superiority, yet no fear of "getting dirty". He simply cannot accept the world as it is, simply cannot keep himself from reacting to it. And he actually thinks of the other costumed heroes as his friends (at the very least, Nite Owl, omg BFF!) because there is a similarity there. He's offended when they give up, both at first and well... later. But I won't spoil that. Go read Watchmen. Now.
Also, as a side note, I wish there were more Rorschachs and fewer whiny anti-heroes, but that's me.
Really, seeing this pop up more (or rather, maybe I'm subconsciously seeking it out, heh) just makes me think a lot. I'm not much of a relativist, I tried, it didn't work. I can't help being judgmental of some things (and to some extent, I think we need to be judgmental... but prejudiced, well, that's an entirely different beast). But I can't help but find myself a little morally grey at times. For the most part, I'm of the mind that laws are good because they have the intent of keeping the most people alive and happy (except for the silly smoking laws, but I won't get into that).
Gotta wonder about civilization when the writers make the sociopaths more understandable that typically functioning people. Makes me wonder if the Romans had the modern equivalent of crime writers back in the day. XD
~ Cendri
P.S. I recall in some comment thread on some io9 article where someone was like "why am I always more drawn to the villains?" and someone replying, "They're less hypocritical and annoying about the things they do than the 'good guys'?"
Am I the only person that finds a statement like that unfair? Considering that your typical villain only has to answer to the voices in their head, while your typical good guy has to answer to a deity, their gov't, or any number of things?
Maybe that's just me. Then again, I'm pretty even as far as my liking of good and bad, so. XD
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Yeah, I do look at those issues........
Date: 2008-03-01 01:01 am (UTC)