The Paradoxical Relationship: Humans Are Drawn Towards Immoral Behaviour
The recent release of the movie Skyfall has excited millions of viewers with the return of their favourite action hero. But just why is James Bond so popular? It’s because he’s a rebel. He does what he wants and only what he wants. He opposes authority, lies through his teeth and is not afraid to kill a couple of people along the way. In short, James Bond is the archetype of unethical behaviour, and yet we still idolize him. From our entertainment to our memories, immoral behaviour is what catches our attention and what we choose to indulge in. I believe that we, as humans, are paradoxically drawn to those very actions we seek most to discourage; we are attracted to immoral behaviours.
The entertainment district is a smart one. They know what characteristics capture the attention of viewers and which ones don’t. That is why we can see a clear pattern in our movies. Some blockbusters of 2012 include: The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall and the Avengers. All four feature “against the grain” heroes, all four features violence and all four are not completely ethically sound. The fact that viewers are crazed about these kinds of movies speaks to something about our own morals. In our quest for good morals, we are somehow more attracted to immoral actions than moral ones. Something my friend said to me with the release of Black Swan sums up this point nicely, “I wanted to see Black Swan because it sounded badass, then I heard about the lesbian scene and now I HAVE to see it.” It is these “badass” movies that capture the most viewers, earn the highest rating and excite the most people. The more unprincipled behaviour, the more we lust for it. We, as viewers, do not want the stereotypical good guy because we do not connect with them. We are more drawn to protagonists who are less principled because they excite and entertain us. This clearly tells me that humans are inadvertently drawn to exactly what we forbid our children to do.
Our addiction to unethical
The entertainment district is a smart one. They know what characteristics capture the attention of viewers and which ones don’t. That is why we can see a clear pattern in our movies. Some blockbusters of 2012 include: The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall and the Avengers. All four feature “against the grain” heroes, all four features violence and all four are not completely ethically sound. The fact that viewers are crazed about these kinds of movies speaks to something about our own morals. In our quest for good morals, we are somehow more attracted to immoral actions than moral ones. Something my friend said to me with the release of Black Swan sums up this point nicely, “I wanted to see Black Swan because it sounded badass, then I heard about the lesbian scene and now I HAVE to see it.” It is these “badass” movies that capture the most viewers, earn the highest rating and excite the most people. The more unprincipled behaviour, the more we lust for it. We, as viewers, do not want the stereotypical good guy because we do not connect with them. We are more drawn to protagonists who are less principled because they excite and entertain us. This clearly tells me that humans are inadvertently drawn to exactly what we forbid our children to do.
Our addiction to unethical