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Irrational self-belief is one of the reasons why bad people are so affected by their culture, says Kevin Wynter, a professor of media studies at Pomona College. “In a repressive society like ours, which encourages people to cultivate good consumerism, people who reject the trappings of capitalist rhetoric or who act according to moral principles against the ruling people, will be happy in the ways that we do. maybe not everyone will want to admit it openly,” he says.
Today, traditional notions of villains have been replaced by complex, sometimes disturbing, concepts that various groups consider acceptable or threatening. Wynter believes this has led to a “bad world afterwards.” Tech moguls (Elon Musk), politicians (Mayor of New York City Eric Adams), podcasters (Joe Rogan)—for many people, they are the biggest criminals of our time (and heroes, for others). They are anti-establishment. They want to disrupt the “system”.
“There are few, if any, villains who so brilliantly combine magic, wealth, and power as Donald Trump,” Wynter adds. “Despite his newest threat, Elon Musk – who, to some, is a bully to others, is the cowboy of the future.”
It’s a future thing, you never know how it will unfold, or who will like it. For some, artificial intelligence was the cardinal antagonist of 2024. In Hollywood and the sports industry, AI presented itself as than the actual riskas many workers were concerned job loss.
Others, feeling lost as social media is changing so much, point the finger at digital gentrifiers. “I’m angry that everything about the Internet that was fun and useful 10 years ago is broken now. This site, obviously,” Tracy Chou, a developer, has been sent on X. “Comments are astroturf lies. research and imagination. there is no place to share with friends & family without the influence/meme/polarized content that continues to feed.”
In such a time unprecedented like oursfor all the frustration and chaos, the re-focus on criminals doesn’t sound so surprising when you consider that it’s a huge part of society. Villainy has been around for a long time in the cultural imagination — American mythology, after all, is built on the idea of mavericks, mavericks, and underdogs — but in 2024 it’s gone beyond the main character.
Why? It may be that the villain, more than the hero, offers a different form of purpose, one closer to reality, one that sees our world as it is right now – very despicable – and responds accordingly.
What I can say for sure is that the villainy has no real credibility. Eventually they eat everyone. In December, it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery canned Sesame Streetlong-term children’s program. Understandably, the election did not go well. On Bluesky, the current TV show, @valhallabackgirl shot through the anger that many people have experienced this year. “I think this is my bad news,” he said he wrote.
