Lifestyles of the Good and Evil

In My Humble Opinion
1

My brother and I were having a bit of a discussion this evening about the relative merits of being a hero or a bad guy.

On the one hand, we have the Bad Guy[sup]TM[/sup] who gets to live like a king, laughs a lot and generally has a good time. He gets to sit stroking a cat and keep lots of other pets. He has lots of helpers and loads of beautiful women hanging around him all the time.

OTOH, you have the Hero who has to work really hard to get into the Bad Guy’s[sup]TM[/sup] base, he only gets the girl at the end, has to fight dozens of Henchmen[sup]TM[/sup] and always gets captured and beaten/tortured.

Against this, the Bad Guy[sup]TM[/sup] has a limited life expectancy (depending on how long the film is and how likely there is to be a sequel), he runs out of ammo, his plans are always flawed and his most trusted allies turn against him.

The Hero, however, never runs out of ammo, always lives, gets the girl and manages all this in the nick of time. But he will have to do it all over again in the sequel.

Is it better to live a life of fun and luxury while it lasts, or to endure the tortures and the pain for that moment of glory.

We did not decide one way or the other. What are your opinions?

2

BTW, sorry if this is in the wrong Forum.

Was not sure if it was too mundane, a poll or a debate.

Rick

3

Moderator’s note:

Looks like classic opinion stuff to me–or as the less charitable have put it, “Debate Lite”. (Harumph!) Ya done fine, RickQ!

TVeblen,
for IMHO

4

The Bad Guy(BG) and the Good Guy(GG) usually have one overwhelming flaw, which is invariably fatal for BG, and almost fatal, but overcome, by the GG. For the BG, the flaw usually centers around uncontrollable anger and a nasty habit of indulging in exposition when time’s a wastin’. The GG flaw usually centers also around some aspect of temper which results in the GG being an outsider. The GG will always struggle with one or more personal demons, and the heroic vanquishing of these demons will result in the GG carrying the day eventually.

A secondary GG flaw is the Beloved Other(BO). This usually takes the form of a woman, a child, or, more rare, an animal. The BO will be used at some point as leverage against the GG. The fate of the BO can go either way. In many cases, the BO is saved in the face of overwhelming odds at the last moment. If this is the case, then the BO must be wrested from hearth and home near the end of the story.

In other scenarios, the BO dies at the hands of the BG. If the BO dies, it must occur near the start of the story, and is best revealed through flashbacks of happier times. These flashbacks require soft-focus lenses, as we all recognize that this is how memories look. The GG must be shown laughing with the BO in the flashbacks, but must never laugh outside the flashbacks, as life now weighs far too heavily upon our cynical, world-weary protagonist. Death of the BO is then used as a catylyst for righteous revenge by the GG. Please note: If the BO is sacrificed to the story, then a replacement BO must be waiting in the wings as a reward for the GG upon completion of the said revenge. This surrogate BO can take the form of either a puppy or a supermodel.

As has been pointed out in other threads, the GG must vanquish the BG, but not to the point of death. Death can only occur after the BG is seemingly vanquished, but, showing great adaptability, finds a suitable way to lash out once more at the GG, thereby allowing the GG to slay the BG without appearing vicious and cold.

Which would I want to be? Probably the GG. Get to indulge all my bloodthirstiness, but in a way that allows me to still appear to be doing the right thing. Plus, if my BO dies early in the story, then I get to swat Cindy Crawford on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper, and french kiss a cute youthful canine. Or something like that.