Why Is the Good vs. Evil Plot Line Still so Popular, and Will the Fascination Ever Die?
Something that has been a big theme in this class so far and will most likely continue from this point on is the fact that a good portion of the movies that are incredibly popular in pop culture contain the plotline of "good vs. evil." This theme of good vs. evil is something that has been around in the stories and myths of our world for thousands of years, and the fact that it continues to be such a strong plotline in the stories that so many people enjoy today in 2019 makes me think it may never fall out of popularity. Before I started thinking about it a little more in-depth, I had a few questions surrounding this topic:
Why is it that the good vs. evil plotline has continued to be such a popular topic for so many years and will we ever be able to move away from it or will it always be so popular?
Once I thought about it and did a little bit of digging, the good vs. evil theme is most likely so popular due to society's fascination with justice for wrongdoings. Looking back all the way to biblical times and the stories that they were told during these times, it is obvious that the main theme in them is "If you go against God, you will not prosper and there will be consequences." This theme can also explain the typical good vs. evil plotlines that are so popular in our pop culture today.
Although sometimes you can make the argument that people just like these films or books because they like to root for the bad guys, the main character that is most liked in these pieces of fiction is the good guy character. If you look at what the good guy character's main goal normally is in these pieces, you will most likely notice that the good guy wants to force some type of justice upon the bad guy for whatever bad thing they have done or will possibly do. We even read comics or watch movies today that have the word "Justice" in their title ie. "The Justice League" or another called "The Avengers" whose characters only goals in life are to serve justice for the betterment of others and of society. This strongly relates back to what can be seen within religious mythology from the Bible and other cultural fables in which a character has done something that is considered bad and must be punished for it, usually by somebody else who is considered "good."
Take the story of David and Goliath for example, if you replaced the characters with a superhero and an evil villain instead of a young boy from a small town and a giant man in an opposing army, David and Goliath could sound like something that could be popular in today's superhero-loving pop culture world.
This certain draw towards justice has clearly always been around, and the fact that it still continues to be such an influential theme today, makes me think that as long as the fascination with justice exists, people will have an attraction to the good vs. evil storyline.
This is a very interesting question to think about, and I agree that as long as we are fascinated with justice for wrongdoings, it will never go away. However, I think this fascination with justice also connects to the doctrine of seeking to validate a purpose in life. Like for example, when we are unsure about something, even if we are unaware that we are seeking for an answer the message is always there, but in a way that attracts others to unite to such identity as it is often known in pop culture. My question is how does this fascination shape religion, and does it define that identity that people choose to uphold, whether they believe in a higher power or not?
ReplyDeleteTotally! "Good vs. Evil" is in many ways THE theme of culture and of religion (and of pop culture). It will be interesting in the next couple weeks to compare different visions of good and evil (particularly the 1970s Superman vs. the 2000s Batman). The topic is so important because, to go back to our "Big Gods" reading, people in ever-larger social groups need to make sure everyone is cooperating. Sociology tells us that making sure everyone behaves well is a major task, something that law, politics, and indeed religion all work towards.
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