In a social media-driven age where being perceived to be of high-moral character hangs in high priority, a new sort of modernized version of the tale of Narcissus has become realized– one that leaves the user infatuated with staring at the charability in the reflection of their phone screens. It’s as though possessing an overdosed progressivist mindset has transformed into a ridiculous pageant competition in which the winner is awarded a plastic trophy that is only as meaningful as the material it’s made out of. And even though plastic, these clout-chasing nominees are only inclined to compete in the first place for the shininess of the trophy, instead of what the trophy supposedly signified. Yet, in feigning this woke-persona getup for the sake of tiresomely establishing an ethically-conscious appearance, a line between genuine public concern and logical thought is often blurred, ultimately lending a hand in the decline of modern media literacy.
Across TikTok, many of these activist-clowns are offering their enlightened insight of classic pieces of literature featuring problematic protagonists such as 1984, A Clockwork Orange, and Catcher In The Rye, with a good deal of these posts proposing the cancellation of these texts entirely, as apparently depicting deeply flawed characters is equivalent to the encouragement or justification of their behaviors. However, this wave of reprimanding media that divulges in deeper subject matters has even brain-fried the way the general public digests films as well, such as the case with Oppenheimer. While the Christopher Nolan film pivots on grappling with immense guilt felt by J. Robert Oppenheimer for constructing the lethal, atomic bomb used in World War 2, a popular criticism from the woke-infused minds was that the film was actually nothing more than a pro-American anthem, plastered in red-white-and-blue war paint, that attempts to justify and romanticize the US’ decision to embark on nuclear war tactics. With this type of opinions circulating across the platform, it’s evident that this odd desire to unwaveringly carry a banner of pride for one’s own sanctity is watering down our ability to critically think in a way that dives deeper down than just the shallow end in a kiddie pool. This sub-group of people who are so engrossed in their slacktivism agenda are only hollowing out the piece of media’s substance in a way that completely distorts the novel or film’s true intent, obfuscating the idea that portrayal of flawed characters automatically correlates to the endorsement of their actions. At its core, broken characters or darker narratives typically have a purpose to them; the broken pieces of these anti-hero protagonists like Holden Caulfield or Alex from A Clockwork Orange carry a heavier weight to them that reveals the broken pieces of our own societal faults. Thus, rejecting media with toxic characters simply because the climate of 2024 is anti-toxicity, is just such an underdeveloped, infantile response. If you truly believe that every piece of media needs to focus on the “power of positivity” and similar bubble-gum narratives you can go back to kindergarten and read a picture book or sit on the couch and watch Sesame Street, but don’t try to spread your superfluously politically correct sermons across Tik Tok as if you are of a higher spiritual being with esoteric knowledge, because it actually only spreads a reduced, chewed-up interpretation of the piece of media in question.
As Tik Tok continues to increasingly amass competitors in the Wokery Olympics, it only serves to consistently generate these Preacher Complexes, in which every individual is trained to morally out-perform each other, one scrupulous magic trick at a time in order reach the top of this imaginary pyramid of praise for being such a respectful human being. Yet, these individuals are so desperate to reach the moral high-ground simply to boast about the height of the mountain they’ve scaled, rather than actually caring about the issue they claim to be passionate about. It’s as though they’re all just playing a disgusting game of who can collect the most halos to dress upon their head so the common, feeble-minds beneath them can applaud them in awe for the righteous glow they carry, as if the sheer prospect of being a figure capable of dancing around in their unfounded ideological superiority deserves to be honored in such a pristine light.
Of course, due to its influential property, criticizing problematic aspects of any piece of media and the messages they support is crucial in this day and age, since there are definitely a vast array of novels and films that contain a plethora of questionably gruesome or vile scenes that only serve to exploit the trauma of others or humor the twisted minds of the author or director. However, in aimlessly associating negative behaviors of characters or narratives with the advocacy for negativity in general for the purpose of wanting to attain the most considerate position possible, people’s depth perception of a piece instantly becomes two-dimensional. Unfortunately, at that point you are not “morally conscientious”, you are just insufferable.