BlackKnightX
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- Jun 8, 2021
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Too often we've seen protagonists from novels/web novels/movies/anime as losers. I get it. Having the character starts at the lowest point creates an opportunity for them to learn and grow. But if we're talking about relatability—which is very important—does it really work?
Whenever I hear someone speak against a cool or perfect character (only as perceived by most people; no human is perfect), they often say they're not relatable. And when asked why the loser protagonists, they'll say because they're relatable.
But, really? Does that mean most of the audiences are losers in real life? By that, I mean, just like the protagonists, they're at the bottom rung, the absolute worst. How many people in real life are like that? I don't think it's the majority at all. Most audiences are at worst just ordinary people who have friends and an acceptable social skill and are neither underachieving or overachieving; in other words, they're not really losers. In fact, I suspect lots of people among that audience are slightly above or above average in all those respect. Put simply, they're normal, everyday people.
So why makes the protagonists losers, outcasts, and sometimes bullied? Personally, when I see this kind of protagonist, I can't relate to them at all, rather, I'd feel pity for them. It evokes sympathy rather than empathy.
Yes, seeing someone worse than we are can evoke sympathy, thus makes us want to root for them, but we all know empathy is way more powerful than sympathy.
When we feel empathy, we see ourselves in the character and put ourselves in their shoes instead of pitying them from the superior standpoint. And when we're in their shoes, what they feel, we feel, what they experience, we experience as if we're there. Isn't that better? What's your thought on this?
Whenever I hear someone speak against a cool or perfect character (only as perceived by most people; no human is perfect), they often say they're not relatable. And when asked why the loser protagonists, they'll say because they're relatable.
But, really? Does that mean most of the audiences are losers in real life? By that, I mean, just like the protagonists, they're at the bottom rung, the absolute worst. How many people in real life are like that? I don't think it's the majority at all. Most audiences are at worst just ordinary people who have friends and an acceptable social skill and are neither underachieving or overachieving; in other words, they're not really losers. In fact, I suspect lots of people among that audience are slightly above or above average in all those respect. Put simply, they're normal, everyday people.
So why makes the protagonists losers, outcasts, and sometimes bullied? Personally, when I see this kind of protagonist, I can't relate to them at all, rather, I'd feel pity for them. It evokes sympathy rather than empathy.
Yes, seeing someone worse than we are can evoke sympathy, thus makes us want to root for them, but we all know empathy is way more powerful than sympathy.
When we feel empathy, we see ourselves in the character and put ourselves in their shoes instead of pitying them from the superior standpoint. And when we're in their shoes, what they feel, we feel, what they experience, we experience as if we're there. Isn't that better? What's your thought on this?