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Why does 'I just want to be Badass' get deconstructed?:
It seems that this trope get deconstructed a lot but why does it often deconstructed? Some organizations such as the military exploit this desire so that can get more recruits. While it works for some people, I often read from martial arts blogs that this isn't always a good thing as achieving this kind of badassery will only give you different problems. Being badass won't make your being badass won't make all your problems go away and it won't impress anyone. Is that one of the reason why this trope gets deconstructed? Because many people seem to realize that they are not as 'badass' as they thought and they just insecure?
Comments
Ignoring the buzzwordiness of "deconstruction" here, I'm guessing it's fun to shit on poeple's escapist fantasies or something. At least, it sounds fun to me.
I suppose they want to see the audience's wish fulfillment get crused or at least show them why it isn't a good idea.
Wow. Been some time somebody tried to speak in tropetalk. Feels like somebody's bit behind the curve, if I understood the meaning of that expression. You know, one of those cases of "spot the newbie".
GAP's no newbie. GAP's been posting here once in a blue moon waaaay back, all the way since the original IJBM.
Ain't that right?
^^ GAP's account is older than yours, ya know.
That makes sense, although you probably need to look for statements from whoever writes these things for a definitive answer.
Heh heh, that just would mean we're still left with "behind the curve". But yeah, after the recent trollery I failed to recognize a genuine JustBugger.
I'd say, apart from shittin' on people's escapist fantasies, the other point is to show what comes along with the kind of being badass that appears in escapist fantasy. You know, like having your foster parents dead by stormtroopers or so. The other way might be a sort of encouragement, I guess, you want to be badass then better get to work right now. Heh. I guess.
Heh, I kinda miss tropespeak, actually.
I don't.
Same. Sorry, it hurts to hear it now.
Well, if it helps any, I miss it in a "this was an interesting curiosity" way.
That said, why two separate links for the last sentence? Since they both link to the same thing.
Re the thread topic:
I think this happens because this trope is right along the intersection of the "desired results in wishful thinking" and "things that are barely probable". In real life, taking big risks tends to lead to bigger rewards, for oneself and for one's team, but it's also correlated with bigger dangers, which means that a good amount of that high-risk attitude doesn't actually yield useful results. But we would love for them to! So there's a psychological tug-of-war between "I want it to happen" and "it probably won't happen".
It's like the forum glitched and delayed thread posting three years into the future. I don't dislike tropespeak, but I'm no longer used to reading it, specially not outside TVT (it's kind of a code switch thing).
I know Badass is subjective although is that desire to become better than what you are wrong?
Well I think being "badass" isn't just about bettering oneself; it's more specifically about trying to triumph over and exude dominance over "others" (be they obstacles, circumstances, or people).
I always wondered what would happen if the audience gets their wish and the characters gets their badassery?
The fuck you talking about.
I think it depends on the specific context. You'll need to provide an example.
I was wondering what would happen if Cloud actually became the SOLDIER he desired to be instead of an infantryman who only pretended to be SOLDIER? Or what weould happen if Raiden managed to become Snake at the end of MGS2?
Write fanfiction and find out.
He'd be Zack, probably.
This was asked TVTropes forums:
But does a non powered human saving a someone from a burning building any more badass than someone like Superman doing it?
The fuck you talking about.
'Badass' is nothing more than stylism. Superman will look cooler with the right special effects and a witty oneliner, everyman will look better with a hyperbolic description on the Awesome Moments page and set to schmaltzy background music.
The post was referring to Batman and Superman and how somehow Batman saving civilians from a burning building was more badass than Superman doing it.
That seems to be arguing very narrowly based on the assumption that Batman is portrayed as a "badass normal" -- i.e. someone who technically doesn't have superpowers. But in this case, it's someone whose ability emulates superhuman ability through use of technology and gadgets, and is for all intents and purposes portrayed as a superhero anyway.
If random Joe Schmoe off the street saved civilians from a burning building, then people might find him to be more "badass" than Superman if only because no one has the expectation that Joe Schmoe is going to save civilians from a burning building but everyone already expects Superman to do it. But that's because we crave new experiences and yadda yadda human psychology yadda yadda.
Me, I think it's because as humans, we all tend towards escapist fantasy by nature, and thus going against that instinct seems to be more interesting than the reverse, especially because it forces the audience to see just how a concept like "badass" usually works when you apply reality to it.
I don't think that a bad thing sometimes, but too much of it can be depressing. On the other hand, always playing up to the desire of the audience to see badassery happen can get stale, and too much of his can be desensitizing and violate the suspension of disbelief.