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I think a lot of people misuse "Moral Event Horizon", and IJBM
Here's how I understood the trope when I first read about it: it's when the villain does something really, really, REALLY horrible which makes it impossible for them to ever be redeemed and become a good guy. It's worse than dog-kicking, it's worse than killing one person or twenty people, hell, it's worse than Darth Vader slaughtering all of the Jedi because Darth Vader was eventually redeemed. To me, if somebody crosses the Moral Event Horizon, they're beyond redemption. Even if they want to turn over a new leaf down the road, nobody can ever forgive them for what they did before.
It's gotta be something really evil such as, say, having your daughter burned at the stake as part of a dark ritual to ensure your victory in an upcoming battle.
So when I look at a work's page and see that people have written things like (to use an example which I'm positive will not include spoilers for anybody because everybody knows this one) "Brutus crossed it when he stabbed Caesar", it bugs me. Yeah, that was a betrayal and a cold-blooded murder, but it doesn't mean that Brutus can't ever atone for his actions of that he's too far along the path of evil to ever turn back. It's been ages since I read that play, but IIRC Brutus felt guilty about it afterwards.
Anyway, for a lot of people it seems like crossing the Moral Event Horizon is just whenever a previously good character does something bad unexpectedly, and in my opinion it's supposed to be worse than that.
Comments
Wait, it isn't?
Well, whatever. I never liked the trope name "The Dragon" anyway.
See, it's stuff like this, that I think about it, and then I immediately think, that name sucks, I should propose a rename.
If this were 2009, I would immediately head to the rename forum (or whatever it's called now) and propose a rename, in this case on the basis that the term means something pretty specific outside of TV Tropes (i.e. a usually large reptilian creature of legendary status, of either of two designs depending on geographic origin), and also suggests nothing about the trope itself except possibly in a few specific stories, whereas even western dragons specifically are generally regarded as the primary antagonist with their tendency to burninate countrysides, kidnap damsels, and hoard treasure, rather than as a secondary antagonist to be overcome before facing the primary one. So it has a common definition that's off the mark, and also a common narrative usage that's also off the mark. Really the only place "The Dragon" has the meaning given in TVT is...well, TVT.
Then everyone would just shoot down my rename proposal, and you'd have "rename conservatives" telling me that it's already been in use for how long, and it's got so many wicks and inbound links, and so it just can't be changed.
Fuck them.
Edit: Well, actually, should I get involved in a rename debate on TVT? Like, now? On this trope name?
You can try.
I vaguely remember it being stated somewhere to be derived from that "Hero's Journey" stuff, but I don't remember if it was taken from there, or just that a similar concept shows up.
Fighteer's strong opinionatedness makes him unfit for the mod post, honestly. If I were a community manager I'd probably prefer to pick someone who's less likely to end up being personally involved in arguments like that, because it's honestly awkward to try to moderate an argument that you also act/seem like you have a stake in.
I remember when Fast Eddie was unhappy that it did, but somehow (I forget how) I convinced him to allow it. Probably something along the lines of "it's just there".
Over the years I don't think anyone's actually found this site through that sig link and then joined, anyway. Heh.
I also don't post much on TVT anymore. Just a handful of series-specific threads scattered around and a handful of OTC threads.
Here's your problem. You stepped on the wrong toes.
Apart from that, I've been under an impression that there is a notable diversity in viewpoints, at least in the area of international politics. Although, that might just mean a)
there's
too many non-Americans to just ban them all, b) Fighteer and his ilk is generally uninterested (as a participator) in the threads where this diversity flourishes (in other words: the topics raised therein rarely intersect with his personal wonks).
You know what? I think I still view Anglophonic forums through the lens of NationStates, where I haven't been actively posting since, dunno, 2006? Compared to it back then, to call TVT an echo chamber would be like calling a kid with a sling an armed assailant. So, seeing forums where Kermit Gosnell actually isn't regarded as an altruistic medical professional was a bit of a positive shock to me.
Oh, and by the way. TVT community these days seems to have got over these silly fads. You know, like LessWrong was at first, then feels like everybody fapped to Paul Krugman for quite a while. It seems there hasn't been anything of that sort for long enough to notice.
--edit--
Oh, and by the way (x2). Once in a while I edit the wiki, or browse the wiki for that matter, but I don't post on the fora anymore (sometimes I read a thread or two for what must be some kind of masochistic pleasure). I've taken a bit of a personal challenge before leaving, too. (For those who use "search posts by Troper".)
In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have written that review, but I was in a bad mood, and wanted to leave a token parting fuck-you.
Heh heh.
Holy shit, I had no idea you came from there. I didn't hang out much on the main Jolt boards, but NationStates was my life for a while.
Can't say I'm a fan of the new look.
Some of them are silly (Mr. Krabs being a CompleteMonster) but some of them do make sense to the story _____ I actually can't think of any examples that I would place as a MEvH moment.
Like, what the fuck does that have to do with glowing swords? Or an ancient order of heroes? OH DURR UNFORTUNATE IMPLICATIONS, there be no girls in your Jedi alliance! Black men aren't represented! Traditional male values are enforced in this dimension! unfortunate implicationsunfortunate implicationsunfortunate implicationsunfortunate implications
Hey asshole, the only assholes implying any of that shit aren't on the wiki anyway, which just leaves YOU. How about you quit clicking on that EDIT button until you can write something whimsical and entertaining? You fucking equal-to-humanity-in-every-way son of an agendered stereo-fucking cuckhold dragon fuckwaste?
Heh, funny you mention that, I remember an example that struck me as particularly dumb, in an entry on Papers, Please. You know, the game where you play as a low-level bureaucrat in a totalitarian state and people come to you with sometimes hilariously badly forged papers, up to listing the wrong sex. And now you are triggered, I guess. Hmm. But you know, at the moment I don't remember many examples, although I'm pretty sure I cringed multiple times reading YMMV entries.
A bit, yeah.
It comes with being invested in the community.
(It goes away with becoming divested from it, as well.)