Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I know that not all of you who read are in the U.S., but still, it’s vital that none of us who are decent people forget the scope of disaster that a few, evil people can cause–anywhere in the world. It’s not about religion, it’s not about politics, it’s about the acknowledgment that humans should try to work together, not tear each other apart, even when they disagree.
So, feeling my way to a question here … Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.
And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?
I guess I really never liked books with bad guys/villains. Sometimes they are okay but I don't normally read books like that. I guess I watch movies with bad guys more often, because really, what movie doesn't have a bad guy these days!
I don't like movies with terrorists, it's usually a very stereotypical terrorist and it just makes me upset. There have been some movies recently about people suspected of being terrorists because of their ethnicity etc. I haven't actually seen the movies so I'm not sure if they are or are not. I think the movie that I'm thinking of is Rendition? Does that sound right? That might be ok to watch.
Stereotypes? Villians are no longer that and neither are books. Think about it!
ReplyDeleteVillainy is not the right word