That said, I always get a little antsy when people talk about Rorschach's misaimed fandom, because I've previously encountered the attitude that anyone who likes Rorschach is either condoning his views, or missing the point.
Good heavens no! I tend to fangirl villains, myself - favourite characters of mine have included Servalan, the Master and Magneto. I understand how it's possible to find a character utterly fascinating without feeling like they're justified or like you'd actually want to know them in real life.
I'm more of a Veidt fan than Rorschach, myself. C. S. Lewis once said something along the lines of how it's easy to excoriate other people for sins you personally haven't been tempted by, and I think there's something of that going on here. If Rorschach is what happens when Kantian ethics go too far, Veidt is what you get when you take utilitarianism to the bitter end. I've found utilitarianism a seductive enough idea in the past that I can see where Veidt's coming from rather more. He's the sort of evil I could see myself going, and therefore more interesting to me.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Here via MF.
Date: 2010-02-21 07:41 pm (UTC)Good heavens no! I tend to fangirl villains, myself - favourite characters of mine have included Servalan, the Master and Magneto. I understand how it's possible to find a character utterly fascinating without feeling like they're justified or like you'd actually want to know them in real life.
I'm more of a Veidt fan than Rorschach, myself. C. S. Lewis once said something along the lines of how it's easy to excoriate other people for sins you personally haven't been tempted by, and I think there's something of that going on here. If Rorschach is what happens when Kantian ethics go too far, Veidt is what you get when you take utilitarianism to the bitter end. I've found utilitarianism a seductive enough idea in the past that I can see where Veidt's coming from rather more. He's the sort of evil I could see myself going, and therefore more interesting to me.