Just Get Off My Back, Man!

AMC was showing The Road Warrior last night. I've never watched it the whole way through. Still haven't, actually. I lost interest after Max' nice car got totaled. The movie did highlight something I realized I hate in fiction. It's that point when the protagonist's character is questioned by someone else because they won't do what that person wants.

In the case of Road Warrior, it was the leader of the group with the fuel extolling the virtues of he and his group, while claiming Max is like the "garbage" out there. Which is to say, Max is nothing. This because Max was going to take his car, and his fuel, and set out. Which was the agreement he made with them, mind you. He got them a tanker truck to haul their fuel, and they gave him his car and plenty of go-go juice for it. He played it straight with them, which is not something they could expect from the fellows waiting for them outside.

But because Max isn't willing to throw his fate in with their lot, he's garbage*. Nevermind the fact their lot were ready to kill him, kill his dog, and just take his car when he brought their wounded guy back. Other than that, though, they're a swell bunch. Civilized as all get out. Credit where credit's due, he does let Max leave unharassed, and describes Max as an 'honourable" (that's how my closed captions spelled it) when questioned on it.

It's not an uncommon turn in stories. I'd happened across A Few Good Men the night before, right about the time Demi Moore's telling Cruise he's a used car salesman with a rank. Which is pretty funny, considering she told him earlier he couldn't abandon Downey and Dawson because whatever lawyer he would be replaced with wouldn't be good enough. And when I say "earlier", I mean 30 seconds ago.

I imagine it's prevalent because it lets writers have an unlikeable, possibly amoral protagonist for awhile. Then they get to write a satisfying scene where the protagonist is called on their indifference to other's suffering, and then the change-of-heart. Plus, it's a common tactic in real life. If you can't butter a person up to do what you want, try guilt tripping them into it.

It's a shitty thing to do. It says I don't care about this person enough to respect their different point of view, and that they're only of importance as long as they do what I want them to. If they won't, then I'm going to castigate, and browbeat them, either to try and force them to do what I want, or else just make myself feel superior.

I don't think people try it on me very often, but I hate the idea they would. I'm a contrary sort at the best of times, so there's a decent chance that approach will make any second thoughts I was having fly out of my head in a blaze of "No, fuck YOU." The funny thing is, it usually isn't necessary. I seem to be quite good at guilting myself into doing the "right thing", to the point I help people out when I'd rather not waste the time, precisely because I want to stave off the internal guilt firestorm I'll unleash on myself otherwise. Yeah, I have issues, I know.

At any rate, it's something I hate seeing in stories, because I get that feeling the complaining character is trying to sacrifice the protagonist for their cause, and I'd really prefer the protagonist simply ignore them and go about their own business. Or at least make the decision to help on their own, without someone else dropping their issues on top.

* We could discuss what it means that they needed some of that "garbage" to save their butts, since it's a safe bet none of that bunch could have gotten that truck on their own. It could, if I wanted to tie it into the other movie I'm bringing up, relate to Colonel Jessup's tirade about how they need him up on that wall. You don't approve of him or what he does, but you need him there to do it if you're going to live safely. Which is a little ends justify the means for my tastes. It could also be taken as not being your actions that define, but the reasons behind them. You do ugly things, but in service of others, rather in for yourself.