Something from “who deserves to be redeemed” discussion I’ve noticed
Ok, a lot of it is unfortunately about what characters someone considers attractive.
But it seems when you take that out, there’s a more social class based element to it.
In Ste*ven Un*verse, the main consensus by those unhappy with it seems to be the lower class gems deserved redemption, but the Diamonds did not.
And I think maybe a lot of this discourse is thus reflecting real life issues with the American Justice System.
We see the rich and powerful get off easy, while the poorer get excessively punished; and I think that dissatisfaction is drifting into how people consume fiction.
Of course the issue of who you consider an “elite” and who is “oppressed” can get tricky as fictional power structures don’t always line up to have an easy real-life modern equivalent.
(See Hordak being simultaneously a conqueror and a piece of military equipment, and how that’s leading to confused feelings; or the Diamonds .)
When more is revealed about a villain, whether audience members will reframe them as part of the oppressed and deserving can depend on how much the villain resembles real life oppressors.
Slave owners? Tend to get lots of backlash at their characters being developed or given a redemption arc.
I personally can’t be too judgemental at people getting upset when fiction seems to reflect rather than give an escape from stuff like this. I can and will however judge any bad behavior they engage in after lashing out in anger.
