while i’m thinking of SU discourse, one thing that makes me sad is that SU defense posts are often kinda… bad?
not because the show is bad, but because sadly, many fans seem to have been slowly brainpoisoned over time to kinda agree with the premises laid out by its worst critics, they just think you should give the show the benefit of the doubt anyway. they agree with common bad faith talking points, they just dismiss its seriousness with an attitude that boils down to “c’mon, it’s a diverse kids’ show, give it a break.”
…which, to the committed hater, kinda makes for a weak defense!
part of why i consider doing a Great Big Defense Video someday is because i would not meet those ranters halfway at all. i would actually question their premises instead of taking them for granted. i don’t fall for “redemption bad”, or “the characters need to be more traditionally sympathetic to Earn their redemption”, or “too much redemption.”
if anything, SU should have more redemption, for even more unlikeable people, because it rests on a principle of restorative justice, not on the mercy of / personal, emotional forgiveness of the victims, which can in fact contradict what is best for society and what is moral. you being a victim doesn’t mean your sense of justice is always correct. that is the tough pill to swallow steven experienced in homeworld bound - seeing how the diamonds were 100% doing good for society and improving people’s lives, while also having complex and trauma-induced negative personal feelings about them.
that’s really good and well-written, actually. and you almost never see it in traditional redemption narratives! those are usually all about the forgiveness of the victims: gaining an individual’s trust. being at their personal mercy. the protagonist’s “choice” over whether to forgive. like how often AtlA is defended by saying it’s about aang’s culture and individual “choice” in whether to kill. or saying zuko’s is a good redemption because he suffers enough to be sympathetic, so we’re attached to him and he’s friends with our protagonists.
it all becomes personal, emotional, their fates at the whim of our heroes… those individuals given authority to decide that for everyone. there’s no wider sense of societal gain, morality or principle in that kind of of redemption. the moral authority of our main characters is never in question.
in SU, we’re moving away from that kind of protagonist-centered morality and teaching people how victims hating a criminal or “bad” person doesn’t mean that’s right, or that they should die. people can heal and better themselves without your permission. showing that restorative justice is good, even for those you don’t personally forgive. and that throughout it all, even if you don’t decide the fates of others, your feelings still matter and should be acknowledged. you deserve healing, even if you’re denied vengeance. so yes, more redemption please, for people steven doesn’t like, and we add 5 every time you complain.
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