Actually Irredeemable Characters

It’s been upgraded :wink:

1 Like

If it can be repressed, it csn be logically restructured.

Basically, teach them that the emotional cues are the points where people instinctively manipulate each other, and society comes with manipulative cues that are deemed an obligation to the whole. In order to fit in, you learn the pattern and otherwsie treat peiple kindly. Itd best to err on the side of caution.

Its the same reasoning why nerve damage isn’t an excuse to grip people hard enough to bruise them or pain insensitivity isnt an excuse to feed people food hot enough to burn them. Nor is blindness an excuse to go drive a car.

The problem is that culturally we have two extremes that boil down to individualism: my offense matters most or who carss if youre offended. Same source for both. Asking people with a lack of empathy to deal with both selfish types at the same time is asking for them to quit trying.

2 Likes

Oh, definitely! In fact, reading is said to increase empathy:

There must be other ways to increase it as well, and for all I know maybe there are drugs or surgeries now that can increase it. But in my experience, when people have little empathy, they don’t seem to want to increase it at all. I guess there’s nothing in it for them to make them want to exert the effort…? ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯

1 Like

Thats where you push for fitting innbetter, even if it’s only to get your way without a fight.

2 Likes

I think it is important to distinguish the many types of people without empathy, because there are many, but I think a lot of people with such a problem aren’t even able to recognize it as being a problem.

3 Likes

I’d probably get labeled as “lacking empathy” because I don’t read it well, on first exposure. But I don’t lack empathy. I have to think a little more. So to me, that label is very…sticky?

2 Likes

How about grey / borderline evil characters that do not change because humanity / human nature proved their philosophy correct.


^The Night Manager quote.

2 Likes

That is 100% the kind of story I’m talking about, but these kinds of stories are fairly rare.

1 Like

That type is supposed to scare us because they are wholly rational and we can easily agree with them. Rational evil has to have a major paradigm shift to change, and that’s the proverbial Come to Jesus speech or a Damascus Road 2x4. Taking the foundation of a person and shifting it to something not so…miserable is an uphill battle.

1 Like

You two are basically describing what kind of story Akagi is right now.

1 Like

A character who, whenever given the opportunity, constantly makes the wrong choice. And by wrong, I don’t just mean selfish. I mean actively harmful to innocent people.

Egomaniacal characters, especially when their motivations are something like money, or revenge, or social climbing. Power-hungry characters who only want to get to the top of a mountain made out of bodies (literally or metaphorically).

2 Likes

i’m with JLO as far as believing there is no such thing as an irredeemable person. but i think stories where an “evil” character (especially a protag) don’t get redeemed could be interesting.

2 Likes

I will remember that for later…

1 Like

not ominous at all .-.

1 Like

Wanna watch a certain anime seriess with me at 8pm EST? :awesome:

1 Like

i’m gonna be asleep then :sob:

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.