Why I never claimed to understand villain as a teenager

Introduction of the origin

It was the last period of the day at my school so the teacher was at ease and the students were restless to go home. My batch mates around me were talking about movies and as usual, I was sleepy a bit and my head was down to the bench. Suddenly their discussion turned to movies and they were discussing "Dark Knight" which was one of my favorite movies as Batman is my favorite superhero of all time.

I started listening to them and suddenly one of them said something like 'Joker was the real hero of that movie. Joker is misunderstood' and pretty much everyone agreed with him and argued how he was 'misunderstood' by society or how society mistreated him, and how he was forced to turn into a villain which is not his fault. I found that quite unreasonable and curiously asked why they do think so. The answer was quite similar like Joker has the guts and potential to do anything but society forced him to do so. Once I disagreed I was labeled as 'Boomer' and 'Grandpa' which was temporary and I didn't take it seriously either.

Even on social media, you might end up encountering these creatures being a fan of the JOKER personality.

Counter Arguments and answers:

When I first discussed it I faced questions like 'it was all normal" or "it should be fine as they grow older" which is fine in some aspect. But overlooking the potential impact of idolizing villains during adolescent period may neglect the formative years when values are shaped. There has been countless studies showed the impact of character among adolescents.

For example this research, "Impact of media violence on aggressive attitude for adolescents". These studies has numerous findings like:

• Repetition of violence related activities in movies could form negative cognitive among adolescents with high trait aggressiveness.
• According to the study, exposure to violent media on a regular basis may cause adolescents with high trait aggression to develop aggressive cognitive schemas, which may later manifest as aggressive and antisocial conduct.
• The findings also showed that boys and girls differed in their sensitivity to aggression when it came to the effects of media violence.

Why do edgy teenagers claim to understand them?

Now anyone might ask what is the harm in that or Why am I overreacting on that part? The simple answer is that this is problematic and I witnessed it many times and noticed some similar trends to those who are edgy enough to claim 'I understand the villain, Bro'. But why so?

Thanks to the guy who played the character. I wish teenagers and movie freaks could limit the craze limited to the movie only, but only problems arise when they start to justify the act of the villain character, worship the identity, and sympathize with his situation. But there are more other reasons to discuss:

• Rebellion and nonconformity: Edgy teenagers often distance themselves from real and mainstream social values. Claiming the notion of understanding villains and going against societal morals and notions separate them

• Seeking attention: I have seen this trait in many teen agers and classmates who just want more attention and spotlight on them to shock their adults or peers with a different notion. They see it as a chance to stand out differently.
• Skepticism about morality: It is pretty normal for them to question the morality they were taught and not see any real application of it. Diving into the villain character they try to grapple with moral ambiguity and complexities or green and red.
• Fascination associated complexities: Villains or negative characters in movies are often portrayed with complex characters and motivations. Some teenagers might be drawn to this complexity to justify it with their inner struggle and condition
• social media: The online platforms are standing on a leg to change the perception of teenagers since they are the easiest to influence. Facebook groups and pages that produce content related to "Literally me" are te culprits in promoting these characters. When someone sees already so many people are influenced by the negative role then they start to think it's normal and try to follow whatever the character tries to preach.

The real problems

Villains in movies often involve in illegal acts, displaying a shallow persona in order to create dramatic situations. Let’s consider Joker, an infamous villain. His life was filled with numerous struggles, abuse and loss of a loved one. Society detached him and led him to extreme loneliness and hopelessness. His only mission was to make sure to impose the same level of suffering among society and people.

Amidst the growing epidemic of loneliness especially among teenagers, some may find Joker relatable and justify his actions, blaming the society for its role to. In this situation it is crucial to emphasize that people are responsible for their own choices and actions.

Teenagers who idolize joker might find his character reasonable and accept his cruel actions for satisfaction and empowerment. It is essential to understand that real life demands constructive solutions rather than constant violence and harmful answers.

Joker portrayal of mental instability might seems heroic to some teenagers which leads them to admiring and accepting the character as well. However, it is important to understand that fictions differ from reality and embracing positive role models with empathy can be the real answer to any obstacle.

Why I never claimed to understand villains

Evil is evil no matter what. You might have a serious struggle in your life and I have sympathy for that. But why should I sympathize with the act you had done or you are doing? Crime is a choice. Everyone has trauma in their life but if we start taking revenge just because something bad happened on our life then society would be shattered and this world will no more in it's existential status.

solution to this

It's pretty simple. Those who follow these shallow characters lack heroes in their life and found no one beside them when they were in trouble which made them think about the morals they were taught in school. They feel lonely and feel there is no one to listen to their voice. Parents and elders need to take care of this before it's too late. Promoting movie literacy is important as well among teenagers to make them realize that something on the screen doesn't have to exist in real life too.

Conclusion

This problem might not be seen as a mainstream problem and teenagers who are worshipping these villains will understand this later on in their life and who knows maybe will find it silly as well. But they need to understand the difference between film and reality.