Evil as inefficient
If we watch the bad guys in movies we notice that they are always inefficient. They may have created a space ship that can lift them into space, but they never launch it at the right time. The good guys always have that 10 seconds to save the earth. Something about this shows an inefficiency and an insight into the capitalistic system in which we as Americans live.
Being inefficient is considered bad. We see working hard as getting ahead of other people who well; are lazy. When a bad guy in a movie is about to do something they always seem to have some slight time delay. A delay which I admit could also be for the story line, but a time delay which teaches something to the people watching the movies.
Good guys are effective and efficient in almost everything they do. Somehow the capitalistic way of view will result in a positive outcome. Yet if we look at real life this is not always true; and of course this becomes muddled in subjectivity. Being good is inefficient. In fact being moral and perfect demands more from us and thus is something that we would rather not do if we can in some way get past it.
Media as Reinforcement
It is interesting to look at the Media not as a creative force but as a reinforcement to the core value aforementioned.
By showing moral people as being efficient they are showing quite the opposite. It is easier to be immoral and evil because in the end this will bring us more pleasure and happiness. The moral guidelines that keep us in check our are own; check the group thinking idea.It takes reinforcement to push these values on individuals as a whole. A pause before shooting is acceptable to most people when watching a movie. It would seem less realistic to people if someone pauses before they shot someone else. This is of course not how it happens in real life. Even military training says shoot first and ask questions later. In doing so however we can see a very distinctive view about how the world SHOULD be. The good guy will sometimes mutter something for dramatic effect, but the good guy never builds a space ship and gets ten seconds to fulfill his goals :). He shoots and he scores! Bad guy is gone and everyone is just happy. This is a maximization of efficiency in a system that is purely utilitarian/capitalistic.
Want to explore this a little more? Watch movies like Sin City vs pretty much any James Bond movie pre-Casino Royal.
Gaming
It takes someone with an objective look at history to take on who we consider the bad guys in history. Fighting as the Nazi's vs an American side can be hard for people who are overly subjective about the teams they play as. Sometimes I have seen this in individuals who were raised in such a patriotic environment that they feel sick to examine all sides of history. This is not to condone the actions; but it takes a careful eye to view all sides of a conflict in an OBJECTIVE PATH in order to get down to what really happened; and thus learn from history.
In gaming we gain a good perspective on this. We can take on the roles of the bad guys and realize that, "Hey I want to win this freaken battle!" At that stance we forget the subjective feeling about the war and look across the table at our opponent and think about how to win. In doing so we are reexamining the values which popped up during the study of the subject in a rather objective environment. Taking this to heart one can find that in war; as with in any group conflict; there really is very little ideology at heart. Instead we can see it as a sick and twisted game; where people are trying to outplay the others for the pure love of it. Why did the Germans not retreat? Why would they, they thought they were right; but most importantly they thought they could win!
Sports
A great example can also be derived from any sporting event in which one attends. The idea of good and bad is subjective to the fans of the game. There is always that one person standing up who has the other teams jersey on at home. He is isolated; and looks inefficient. At one hockey game I can recall the opposing person doing a contest with someone with the home jersey on; at the end they hit the person with the other jersey on with a pie. Root for the home team indeed.
But gain a new perspective on this and we see that both sides have their reasons to be there and to try to win. They are there to win. The people who root for that team want them to win because they are there to win. In doing so they hope that the other side hesitates and is inefficient. They draw on that conclusion from the media; bad guys are slow and inefficient; and in doing so will yell at bad calls that were not in their favor, or throw things at the other team who have done things in a way which is predictable to most; but unheard of to those in a subjective trance! Attend a sporting event which is not local; a soccer/football ga
me such as Mexico vs Hungary or some teams which have no bearing in the nation which you are in. And look at the fans act and play on the calls. With no overwhelming support from either side who is the bad guys? The good guys? And what can we consider objective? Does this idea continue onto the real world? Absolutely, people will not hesitate to shoot that 3 pointer even if they are surrounded by a crowd of angry fans. They do it to win; they do it for sport; and most importantly they do it because they were taught to.Conclusion
Next time you are watching a movie or playing a game watch the enemies you fight. Do they hesitate? Do they stand around giving the good guy time to think; and ergo be more efficient? The most realistic movies seem to be those which are able to show life as what it is; gritty and inefficient for both sides. Where people are not lagging in order to show a moral quality but maximizing their effectiveness in a way which was taught to them through their own cultural standards! Yes, ergo we are to blame for our own murder rates.
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