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.

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