Let's Hear it for the (Bad) Boys... Guest Post from Ems

Why are the bad guys SO alluring?!

Believe me, this is a question that I ask myself frequently. See, I always have the most crazy sympathy for the bad guy in pretty much anything. I watch movies and want the bad guy to win (most of the time) or at least get some good hits in on the hero (does it drive anyone else crazy that the good guys come away with no damage so many times?! Hello, LAME!).

I find myself having a sort of sick fascination with old-time mobsters. Surely they were just misunderstood, right? They weren’t *really* all that bad, right? That’s when my practical side kicks and smacks me around a little bit. So really, it’s just fantasy bad guys that truly have my sympathy.

Just once, I want the ugly stepsister to get a dance with Prince Charming. Just once, I’d like to see Maleficent take down Sleeping Beauty’s castle (just once, mind you, because SB is my favorite fairy tale of all time and I’d really hate for that to change). Just once, I’d like Gaston to get the girl.

I know, I know. They were JERKS. They were the most horrible people ever and I’m rooting for them?!

There’s just something about the villain.

They can be bad. They can be open about it. They seem to be a lot more in touch with reality (Can we even talk about reality in a fairy tale-themed post?! Yes. Yes, we can.) and their own emotions. They don’t have to hide behind a screen of singing woodland animals and pretend that all is right with their world. They don’t have to hide, period.

I like that. I like the idea of being able to be REAL. I like the idea that things aren’t always peachy and things don’t always have a happy ending. Sure, the Disney villain never does, but man, they go down fighting! They don’t just sit back and wait for their fate to come running up to embrace them.

Sure, they’re not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but dammit, they have heart! They’re not afraid to go after what they really want.

Also, I’m a firm believer that we all have a little bit of a bad guy lurking inside. We want to be the person who isn’t afraid to have emotions. We want to be the guy who goes after what we want. We want to not lie down and be a doormat.

Really, if we’re going to learn anything from fairy tales, maybe take a closer look at the villains.
All in all, I don’t think the bad guys are such a bad bet.

~ from Ems @ Ems Reviews Books

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