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I think I just dislike the use of redemption arcs by libs.
I think libs really want to see the reactionary people in the real world to have redemption arcs because they can’t reconcile that most politicians, and wealthy people in general would see them dead before giving up power.
Liz Cheney speaking out against Trump doesn’t make up for the harm she actively causes.
So I guess I really hate the idea of singular redemptive acts that don’t examine the harm done or what it would take to actually undo harm.
Thank you! It just feels so reductive. I like redemption arcs when the character does everything in their power to make things right and undo harm. Doing a nice thing once doesn’t undo harm.
It’s what really bugged be about Snape, indicating a fundamental misunderstanding JKR has about politics. Snape didn’t just make Harry’s life miserable. He joined a fascist analog group and only had second thoughts when a girl he liked (who happened to be a minority in the setting) was targeted. He didn’t have any sort of remorse for the pain he caused others. He was just a selfish chud who gleefully enabled the fascist behavior of his students as a fucking teacher. It bugs me so much because there are students of his who fought and died as fascists and he did nothing to stop while they were eleven years old. Him doing the bare minimum and not siding with the genocidal maniac isn’t noble.
That’s how libs like JKR see the world - you don’t have to use your power or influence to make your surroundings better. You can actively cause harm up to your dying breath, but if you donate a portion of your rental properties, you can make up for it.
Fuck that noise.
Stormblood expansion
“Now that we’ve overthrown the evil empire, let’s bring in the capitalists who constantly joke about how cutthroat and amoral they are to rebuild!”
I like to imagine that my Warrior of Light had a completely different idea about where the revolution was heading, and wound up getting betrayed by the libs.
I like good redemption arcs that examine harm and healing harm. Zuko faces the wrong he does, though a lot of it is depicted as more personal than for the harm of his actions against the lives of innocent people throughout the world. It’s not perfect, but I feel like it does enough to make for a compelling and thoughtful arc.
I think a lot of people who want to see Azula redemption arc want her to still be the person she is because they like her being evil. So it comes off as a more shallow redemption arc. They don’t want her to change as a person and I think that’s a general flaw with recent attempts at redemption arcs in media. They don’t want them to change or reflect on their actions.
I think there’s merit in allowing people to have a path back.
I think there’s two limits:
- If they haven’t received consequences in the first place
- If their material actions are too heinous.
I also think the idea people are pre-determined to be evil or good is a more harmful idea imo. We are mostly products of our environments, it’s eugenics shit to believe otherwise (on the whole, there are exceptions obviously)
