this is vaguely related to the string theory related post from a day or two ago, it's all bazinga science folks TL;DW string theory is a big thing because people that read pop science really liked it and it took a long time for physicists to come out in force and say "this is untestable garbage"
There's absolutely nothing in the process of writing fiction that requires the assigned protagonist to keep returning each episode without any actual lasting consequences except cynical momentum, fan expectations, and the capitalist drive for more of the same for the sake of profit.
To me, the Thermian Argument doesn't count. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxV8gAGmbtk
There really isn't any truly mandated actual higher purpose to why Rick Sanchez keeps getting tut-tutted at instead of actually having lasting consequences besides the baseline of generic self loathing while continuing to commit atrocities for edgy comedy purposes.Roiland and Harmon decided what the fiction's reality is, up to and including "because multiverse, all of these mass atrocity antics have understandable character motivations because surely the audience should be expected come to the same philosophical conclusions and have enough sympathy for Rick to continue enjoying his mass atrocity antics."
That's awfully presumptuous. I don't find that fun, even in concept, especially not as a Rick Sanchez nihilist. Maybe a cape twirling tyrant in a campy fantasy setting, but no, your claim isn't universal. Furthermore, normalization of ultraliberal notions of "everyone would surely be a nihilistic mass murderer if only they had the means" is societal poison.
The reason Rick doesn't face consequences is because he is rich and white and powerful. Same reason all the people in real life don't.
I think sales and fandoms show that most people are attracted to the notions of being perfectly liberalized from every possibility of consequence. That is laudable that you don't like it, but hardly consequencial.
Yeah, great. How many episodes in how many seasons does that very unique message need to be repeated, outside of profit motives? As art with a message, it's cynically stagnant by now and has been for some time. There's only so many times a piece of fiction can say "this is bad actually and we don't condone it" while still basing its entire purpose for continued episode production on pushing out more and more of what is supposedly bad actually and presenting it with entertainment purposes before it's just a cynical and ideologically bankrupt :brrrrrrrrrrrr:
That sounds an awful lot like "Leftism is about defeatism and the more defeatist the more leftist it is." :lenin-sure: I know capitalist realism is a helluva drug, but come on.
Sounds like a very fancy way of saying "let people enjoy things" which by that same tiresome notion could be applied to Fox News (legally defined as "entertainment" now after all, to escape liability), NewsMax, and for that matter cryptofascist influencers like :heated-gamer-moment: because it's surely inconsequential to find their influence destructive therefore do nothing lol amirite? :agony-minion:
Of course. It is the dialectic. Meat is delicious. Veganism is morally and ethically correct. So we must develop a synthesis acknowledging pleasure is not sufficent.
Power fantasies are fun. You have the antihisis. So again we have the dialectic and it does no good to deny it. It is complicated by art of this style being a hedonistic exercise.
You make the claim that everyone of significance must by necessity crave meat. Ironically, that's an idealist claim that ignores the dietary habits and preferences of people in cultures that really don't have that same urge or drive to crave le epic bacon that you're implying everyone must.
Power fantasies can exist without endlessly indulging a pedophilic sex pest (and maybe worse) and his union busting asshole buddy's redundant particular power fantasy. Power fantasies can exist without that exact blend of pop nihilism, cynicism, and glorification of such things thereof.
You're making too many presumptions of how things MUST be, all based upon what you are used to now.
I am not saying how they must be. I am saying how they are. In these contexts I have no significant power to change anything, it does seem important to me to be aware of the facts as they exist so if I ever get a chance to fix anything I will understand what is going on and would be able to make better decisions. I dunno if that is optimistic or fatalistic to be honest.
You're taking me here now. :debord-tired:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is%E2%80%93ought_problem
Revolutions of the past succeeded in spite of defeatist/fatalistic opinions in their midst. We ought to aspire to a better world or what the fuck is the point of leftism?
In the context of the sad man on a TV show being sufficiently sad or not? Maybe you are right because I cannot say. I feel like Rick is sufficiently sad to inspire me to feel leftist emotions. Like, watching him suffer from alienation and hurt others gives me reason to think of my solidarity with others.
No one is immune to propaganda, and it's especially clear here when you're saying that the murderously creepy sad man simply must be that way because that's the will of the fictional character's owners, and you went further than that and said that Harmon mistreating and underpaying his workers and thwarting their unionization efforts simply is and therefore must be how things will go.
Society can be improved somewhat, and it could very well start among the working class of the capitalist realism propaganda entertainment we've been talking about.
Even in the fiction I don't think that's true. No amount of Thermian Arguments will convince me that he's really that sad compared to the countless people he's hurt and destroyed. Also, it's all conveniently conjured fictional messaging based upon what the owners decided that was funny and then continued to profit from showing more and more of that with no lasting actual consequences presented for the ongoing sad funny atrocity man.
Even if that wasn't the case, what you got out of the show is clearly not what the majority and dare I say the intended target audience got out of it, which was "nihilistic sad atroctity man is funny watch him do more funny atrocities haha that therapist was a (slur) for scolding based atrocity god wasn't she IM PICKLE RIIIIIICK" :so-true:
Pickle Rick was the writer directly insulting those people. The joke is that there's no joke, Rick turns himself into a pickle and acts like it's a major accomplishment to get out of a social engagement. Morty immediately sees through this and Rick is left screaming Pickle Rick while a disappointed Morty walks away.
There's not much you can do to tell these people that the things they value in Rick are actually really horrible traits that hurt Rick and everyone he cares about.
The show is a money printer fueled by blue curtain admiring toxic fans at this point, so because of the pressures of capitalism and the personal ideology of Roiland and Harmon, of course the invincible godlike atrocity enjoying sad man will continue escaping lasting permanent consequences for his actions.
If Rick actually died or was replaced as the main character because of lasting consequences, that would put off much of that fandom but those that remained would stop gobbling up the RICK IS BASED ACTUALLY messaging because he wouldn't be there continually feeding it with presence and screen time.