PT 1. so I finished S3 of my 100 rewatch and I've kinda come to a revelation? Like, I'm always thinking right wrong, black white. In my head It was like "lxa bad pike bad etc." like the people portrayed as bad who people talk about as bad i see them that way but as I was rewatching I noticed that some of Lxa's and Pike's decision I understood, agreed with even. And I've noticed that these characters are so grey, and my opinion of them can be grey too. And I think a lot of ppl in this fandom---
PT. 2 — need to understand this. Like some people hate O so much because of the bad things she’s done, and the darkness. Same with Bellamy. But like, these characters are so not black and white. They make bad decisions, evil even. But that doesnt mean they are awful people. This fandom would be so much more peaceful if we could all accept that.
I totally agree. It’s very easy to think only in black and white. We’ve been trained to. But this show is NOT black and white.
And I think in connection with that is the understanding that all those gray characters are gray because they come from different perspectives and different backgrounds. They have different needs and different understandings of the world. Someone who is a villain to the main character is a hero to her people. That doesn’t mean that they are forgiven for hurting others or being selfish or cruel or abusing their powers, but it does mean that in order to understand them, you have to recognize the validity of their identities and humanity. Having a valid POV doesn’t mean you are right, but it means you have a right to consider your own perspective and needs.
And yet, that doesn’t mean that your perspective is the only right one, because all the others are valid, too. Your perspective might actually be both valid and wrong, like Octavia, in many cases.
In short.
The 100 is full of multiple perspectives that change the way you can see the characters and story.
And the 100 fandom is full of multiple perspectives, and more than one can be valid and true at the same time.
We need to practice accepting that there can be multiple interpretations of the same material and allowing other people their interpretations.
It might also be a good idea if we recognize that our OWN perspective might not be right just because it’s ours and we feel and believe in it.
With all the gusto we go after how wrong other people are, we should use the same intensity, if not more, on our OWN judgment, questioning our own biases, double checking against canon or facts or the dictionary. If you reduce your argument down to attacks on the other person’s morality, chances are you’re not examining your own position at all. If you’re making them evil (or whatever term is your version of evil) for not agreeing with you, then you’ve somehow decided that your opinion must be the opposite of evil and all that is good and moral. Which means it’s black and white and unquestionable. Which doesn’t fit this show and doesn’t fit reality, either.
Our POVs are valid. But we can also be wrong. No one is immune from misinterpretation or jumping to conclusions or being emotionally compromised. I include myself in this. That’s why I try not to judge before I have the facts, and why I say stick to the text, and why I check the dictionary, and google everything I’m not certain of and sometimes things I am certain of. Just to make sure I’m not getting carried away with my own perspective.
Stick to the text. Accept the validity of multiple perspectives. Check yourself.
