Skip to main content

Not Just Black And White

      Image via Pixabay


A lot of people have the notion that there exists only good or bad people in the world. Black and white. Someone is either purely good or purely bad. No grey areas in between. It's like in fairytales, where there's the hero and the villain. The hero is perceived to be good and virtuous. And the villain or the "bad guy" is the polar opposite of this.
Rarely do we see "good" characters whose flaws are highlighted. Or "bad" characters who also have good qualities. This black and white representation is harmful for many reasons. It can teach us that there are only two types of individuals in the world. It can lead to false ideas about what human beings really are. 
When protagonists and antagonists are represented as purely good or bad, it can lead people to think that someone who is a good person can never do wrong. In life, people make mistakes. That is at the core of humanity. 
No person on this earth is solely good or bad. Everyone, no matter what they are perceived to be, is human. People with good hearts can also do bad things. And someone who is villainous is capable of doing something altruistic. 
Nobody is too good to be bad and nobody is too bad to be good. For instance, Snow White is an innocent and pure character, but that doesn't mean she isn't capable of doing something wrong. And in turn, the Evil Queen is cruel, her motivations are unsavoury. But surely she can also be softhearted. 
So, in the world, we have all kinds of people. And no one should be placed in a neat little box. Human beings are complex. They're not simply black or white. They are grey, beige, lilac and every colour and shade in between. 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Poem by @writing_15_

      Photo source: writing_15_ I'd like to present a poem written by a friend of mine. She's fifteen years old and a very talented writer. You guys can check out her  Instagram . Writing_15_ also has a new  blog  where she posts her poetry, book reviews and short stories.  I watched you fade away,  slowly. Then all at once. Like I watched the petals of a flower, fall to the ground. Parts of you fell away faster than others.  Your sense of humour stayed, but your kindness fell of the stem.  You aren’t the same person you once were. Your petals continue to fall. You are slowly changing into nothing but a stem.  The water you need is no longer available, like the attention you no longer receive.  Your petals have fallen to the ground, leaving nothing but a stalk. You have changed, leaving nothing but a stranger.                               ...

Forrest Gump - Film Review

            Photo source: TV Guide A man named Forrest Gump narrates his life story to strangers who sit next to him on a bench. He grew up in Greenbow, Alabama and he was raised by his mother. Due to a curved spine, Forrest had to wear leg braces as a child. Many people look down on him because of his low IQ. On the school bus, he meets Jenny, who lets him sit beside her. They become best friends and Jenny defends him against bullies. Forrest's leg braces fall off as he runs from a group of taunting boys.  When Jenny and Forrest grow up, they lead polar opposite lives. The abuse Jenny suffered in her childhood at the hands of her father, inflicted wounds that followed her like a shadow. Forrest's love for her never wavers and he hopes to be reunited with her. Throughout his life, Forrest has unknowingly  influenced key historical events and served as an inspiration for many.  People often refer to Forrest as 'stupid'. Because of ...

Wit Heinings(An Afrikaans Short Story)

  Die trein kaartjie. Dis al waaraan sy kan dink. Die trein kaartjie; dis haar sleutel tot vryheid. Tot asemhaling, ja dit sal haar longe weer lug laat proe. Binne haar handsak – die glinsterende bottelgroen een wat sy verafsku, die een wat hy vir haar as geskenk vir hulle eerste huweliksherdenking gegee het (nie noodwendig oor die kleur, of die gehalte, of die prys nie, maar eerder oor die sentiment wat daaragter skuil) – tussen die voue, lê die vierkantige papiertjie. Sy vroetel met haar vingers binne in die bottelgroen mond, haar hand Jona en die 'geliefkoosde' handsak die vis. Uiteindelik voel sy die kaartjie– dit was darem nie ingesluk en weggevoer nie. En blaas saggies uit. Die agterkant van haar skedel raak aan die koel muur. Daar's niemand langs haar nie. Haar oë gaan toe en prentjiemooi beelde van 'n paradys neem haar verstand oor. Alleen lê sy op 'n goue strand, geniet die ligte somer briesie oor haar vel. Sal iemand haar as mal beskou indien sy nou '...