In this article I would like to take you on an inner journey. Put aside the tiredness of the day, take some time for yourself and give yourself a chance to think during (and after) the article.
We all know that, no matter who we are, we sometimes have extraordinary thoughts in our daydreams during the day. The suffocation of the day, the work, the worries, the responsibilities are always there, the brain sometimes wants to relax. Funny, far from everyday thoughts or thoughts that do not always come to mind.
Such situations are usually our thoughts outside the existing course of events, as we have just mentioned, they are unusual. Sometimes they are entertaining and fictional. They are far from reality, distracting and rarely thought about. Let’s ask one of them now: “If you had a magic lamp, how would you use your wish?”
I have researched the answers to this question and the most common answers are to be smart, to be rich or to be strong. There is one phrase that has stuck with me since I was a child: “Whatever you see as lacking in yourself is what you need most.” I think you can easily see this saying in the answers to this question.
But isn’t that logical? If I am weak, that is, if I have definitely felt the lack of it in my life in some way, I want to be strong. If I think I am not a very intelligent person (at least if I realise this), I want to be clever. On the other hand, if I am poor, I want to be rich, and if I am rich… Well, I would probably want to be even richer. What about the greed of the rich?
We said greed, but that is as natural as our seemingly simple but logical answers to the question. After all, there are some negative looking traits in every human being. So I cannot find it illogical that the rich want to get richer and richer. So let’s change the question.
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“If you wanted to be a superhero, what kind of power would you want?”
In my opinion, the answers to this question are more important than the above question and reflect the character of the person better. As a matter of fact, I have read that it is included in some job interviews. Because this time, instead of feeling the lack of it, we want to take it to the next level. Because we are talking about a desire that we know we will never have in our lives.
So it is obvious that the answers will be fictional. At this moment we no longer want to be stronger, we want to be strong like Hercules or able to carry the world like Atlas. We want to reach a level where we can dominate like the brilliant minds of mad professors. And when we’re rich, I suppose the touch of Midas would be nice.
If you’re thinking, “You’ve done it again, about the rich”, you’re right, that’s exactly what I’ve done. But this time there is an additional narrative, as you can see. Let’s put the two together and make them real. What would the sum of our realistic (reflecting our lack) and imaginary (reflecting our personality) desires make us? This is where a concept emerges: the anti-hero.
“What or who is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an anti-hero?”
Yes, it’s the opposite of the protagonist of the main story, isn’t it? It doesn’t always have to be that way, because the term actually encompasses a lot of moral and philosophical concepts. Because contrast can lead to conflict as well as balance.
Let’s remember the cartoons and fairy tales we watched when we were little. There were such fictions that we thought that the main protagonist of the story would always be good. After all, “the good guys always win”, right? I think growing up accelerates when we realise that this is not the case.
Think of “Tom and Jerry”, one of the most widely watched cartoons. We all wanted our cute little friend to beat Tom because we had learned the simple laws of nature that cats are superior to mice. Strangely, this was not always the case in the cartoon. When we realise that Jerry is better suited to the anti-hero typecast, the meaning of the cartoon obviously changes.
“Robin Hood”, our friend who “takes from the rich and gives to the poor”. Oh no, not the rich again! Wait, wait, this time they’re being robbed. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? At least it was when we were kids. But we realised that Robin Hood was an anti-hero when he went off on his own and dictated his laws to others. Is there anything “good” about “stealing”?
Photo by Aston Graham on Unsplash
So let’s ask: “If you were an anti-hero, what would you be like?
For decades we have watched various hero films, TV series, cartoons and read comic books. Personally, I still enjoy them. We have seen, learned and enjoyed countless unimaginable traits, enemies and concepts. There have always been main heroes who were always right, who defended “justice” and who were cheered on. I am sure you can think of many.
But, as we said at the beginning, there have also been those who have reflected our lack and our personality in our thoughts. These heroes are symbols that express our intention to be good. But what about the reality of life? Isn’t every effort we make to survive a representation of our lack (that is, our reality)? What or who exactly reflects this? It may not always be our protagonists who ask these questions.
This is where the anti-hero element really comes in. Think of superhero artwork where you can see the contrast. Batman and the Joker, for example, can be a good example of this. In fact, I think there are more detailed and contemporary productions that deal with the subject in its entirety.
Alan Moore’s “Watchmen”, a favourite of mine, makes a beautiful case against the superhero films that have been shown to us for years. We can see all our human and natural sides in all the heroes in the film. Because it deals with the fact that superheroes can be sad, penniless, misguided or change over time, it actually offers a production that can achieve a balance. After all, even though they are superheroes, each of them has human traits and characteristics (even a non-human character). Omitting them offers us films that we can call “popcorn”, and including them offers us films that we will want to question, both fantastic and close to reality, but in which the balance is sought.
Again, focusing on a recent production like “The Boys” would be a fitting example. Throughout the series we see two opposing sides of superhero teams trying to outwit each other for their own interests. Ultimately, it’s not the constant presence of the camera, but we, the viewers, who decide who is “better”, “superior” or more “ethical”. In a story like this, the character we’re talking about doesn’t necessarily have to be acceptable or in line with our beliefs.
When we talk about anti-heroes, we have to go into the moral and philosophical context, as mentioned earlier. You know the “Trolley Problem”, where there’s a train on tracks that split in two directions. There are five people on one side and one person on the other. You have to decide which way the train should go. Which is the more ethical choice? What is the “right” thing to do?
Here, in this moral dilemma, we can see the same thing in anti-heroes. Sometimes in life you have to make a choice and become part of a change. How effective are concepts like “good” and “evil” in explaining this scenario? How much do moral values vary on a personal level, turning a hero into super or an anti?
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
All work is ultimately designed to provoke thought. Even if it’s just a “popcorn”, there will be points where you need to question. Because while the plots may often be extraordinary, it is healthy and sensible to stay connected to the reality of life and our balance. After all, our human values are real.
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