Sympathetic Villains in fiction have ruined us.

We're told to believe that there's A Reason for people doing the worst shit; that even genocide and abuse is happening "For Love." (MCU Thanos sucks.)

So when we see real evil, we look for texture and depth. We crave it.

1/9

I see it on a personal and societal level. You can see it in profiles of racists and bigots; in calls to understand and reach out. If everything happens for a reason, then the Worst Things need even more of a reason, right?

What if the reason is just flat and sad? (It is.)

2/9

Our favourite Villains have a PLAN. There's a method; they want to prove a point or reorder society. They're doing something horrible, but they're invested.

What we're seeing in 2020 is rampant and common: Absent Evil. They don't plan to be around for the aftermath.

3/9

Some believe it in the Rapture/Doomsday sense; when the world ends, they can get to the good part: The afterlife. But way more simply know that with enough money, they don't have to Deal With Us Anymore.

They want to grab wealth then cash out. That's the entire plan.

4/9

Universal Income? Guaranteed social safety nets for everyone during a pandemic? Fuck you; what about their profits?

You can't appeal to someone who lives their life a fiscal quarter at a time. The ENTIRE plan is to not be a part of your world anymore. It's their afterlife.

5/9

They have private jets on standby and own property in non-extradition countries. Bailing when things get spicy is always the last step of the plan. Consequences aren't.

They'll move to a gated residence and earn a country's GDP sitting on boards you've never heard of.

6/9

If this year feels especially demoralizing for you (it does for me!), here's why: Our monsters are hollow. We need to accept this and stop adding depth and pathos to their actions that they don't deserve.

They will make things worse until profits dip, and then leave.

7/9

We are watching lives and livelihoods get calmly exchanged for another week of strangled profits for people who will NOT be around to face the consequences of their grift.

I see political reps do everything short of saying "Giving you money is the last resort." In Canada.

8/9

Our Villains aren't Sympathetic. They're single-minded. They're extracting maximum wealth from us and building tiny fiefdoms with their spoils.

We need to stop looking for depth and realize they'll kill us to get an inch closer to early retirement. They already have.

9/9