The good/evil dichotomy is a well-used trope in American pop culture. It’s a lazy way to explain stories and conflict without confronting the complexity of morality. The bad guys are bad because they are evil. Likewise, the good guys are good because they are good. How they stepped into these roles is often irrelevant and unexplained. The conflict between the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) is a continuation of the age-old tug of war between good and evil. In a way, characters that embody good and evil begin to disappear as characters. They transform into an abstraction of good or evil, a metaphor that is less human, or perhaps something that transcends human control. Of course, everyone knows that in reality, people aren’t only good or only evil, and to believe otherwise is naïve. The definitions for good and evil vary across cultures, and believing your personal morals should be practiced by everyone is self-centered and oppressive. There is gray space, yin yang, and ambiguity, and artists often recognize this and break the trope of good and evil, deconstructing and reconstructing it. There is also danger in unquestioningly believing in the good/evil dichotomy. An antagonist who embodies evil becomes so abstracted and so inhuman that they are no longer like us. We are not expected to relate to evil incarnate: we are supposed to denounce, disparage, and defeat it. This mentality assumes that we have no evil within ourselves, and therefore cannot possibly relate to an evil character. This is a disservice to an audience who might otherwise benefit from reflection on their own values and “evils”. My favorite example of how abstracted evil is rehumanized is the KKK scene in Django Unchained, when the KKK members rally before their raid and complain about how their hoods don’t fit. Usually the KKK’s hoods transform them into an icon of fear, something anonymous and inhuman, a force of terror. By contrast, Django Unchained unhooded the KKK members and ridiculed them with absurd, petty bickering. The KKK are no longer an abstracted evil, but instead a gang of people. Yes, they are violent and racist and horrible people, but they are still people, which makes them more similar to the audience. Viewing the KKK more as humans and less as an abstract plot device transforms them from paranormal to insidious, a different kind of horror that forces audience members to confront the uncomfortable truth that KKK terrorism was/is created and fueled by humans. Another great example of a rejection of the good/evil dichotomy is the anime Mushishi. Mushishi is a compilation of stories about humans inadvertently interacting with mushi, which are invisible spirits. The mushi don’t have ulterior motives or even consciousness; they float, drift, and exist devoid of morality. Various mushi can infiltrate or latch on to a human (often accidentally), causing disease and possibly death, but never with intent. Sometimes humans exacerbate their mushi-associated ailments, but it’s ambiguous whether they were controlled by the mushi or acting of their own will. Mushishi is a quiet vignette of the ambiguity of human suffering: neither good nor evil, both inside and outside our control. It’s all the shades of gray that are missing from many pop narratives, and I love it. Why I am so fascinated by the rejection of the good/evil dichotomy? Part of it might be the emphasis on harmony in Chinese culture and the practical rituals of Confucian thought, and my perspective might be an effect of my cultural upbringing. I have never been too concerned about whether my actions are inherently good or evil. What is more important is their practical effect on myself and others, and how that compares to my personal intents and morals. I take a sort of pride in taking responsibility for all the shades of my morality. To do otherwise would be dishonest. Interestingly, I get the impression that Christianity is especially concerned with the good/evil dichotomy, and how various things are defined in relation to what the church deems good and evil. A lot of American culture and politics are still based in Christian thinking. As someone who is not Christian, maybe I’m just disagreeing with a societal trope because I’m actually part of an outgroup. I mean, Mushishi is Japanese, not American. Anyway, I still think it is worthwhile to deconstruct tropes that we automatically accept due to their pervasiveness. Good? Evil? How about both. How about neither. Wouldn’t that make for an interesting story.
