In Defense of Disney Villains #2

This is the second installment for my defense of Disney villains.

There is a consistent bias in Disney movies. Then hero/heroine's motivations are always presented as superior to those of the antagonist. They assume that the hero/heroine is justified in their actions, while at the same time completely failing to consider the motivations of the villain!

I will again attempt to present the motivations a Disney villain in a fair and unbiased manner.

Gaston: (Beauty and the Beast)- Just a romantic family man

Gaston had a simple dream. A wife. Children. Some pets. To fill France with beautiful people (now seriously, when is that a crime?). He had money, good genes, the respect of his peers; all that he had left to achieve was marriage to a beautiful woman.

This dream was crushed when the one woman he found truly beautiful turned him down flat. He tried everything he could think of to woo her, but she claimed that she would rather read her books and hope for "adventure."

Gaston's love for her was strong, and he refused to leave her to become a lonely spinster. He sought her out again, while at the same time offering to give her father the psychological assistance he so desperately needed. It was then that the sad truth was revealed: the woman he loved had succumb to the delusions which she had obviously inherited from her father. She was in love with an animal! He did what he knew he had to do in order to save her. He faced her delusions head on.

Gaston was no villain. He was man with simple desires who was willing to do all that was necessary to earn the love of a woman. And what spells love like whipping a village into a riotous frenzy and storming a castle in order to murder a creature who offers no resistance?

Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony

I'm going to continue posting about some of the seven deadly sins. I've chosen another sin which I believe is usually misunderstood/ignored.

Heaven knows why I care about this stuff so much...

Gluttony
"All I want..."
Gluttony is placing too much value on physical feelings. It pushes you to get the feeling again, again, again. The action which creates these physical feelings was originally beneficial (i.e. eating), but gluttony twists this simple act past its beneficial intentions.

Gluttony doesn't always come in large portions though, it can take the form of luxury as well. As C.S. Lewis suggests in "The Screwtape Letters", it often takes to form of "all I want." "All I want" is tea at exactly the right temperature. "All I want" is an egg properly boiled.

While it might seem that this is un-gluttonous, thinking this way means you are still placing excessive attention on a physical feeling. You are valuing that perfect feeling, rather than the nutrition of the food or the feelings of the cook.

Don't think that gluttony only applies to food either. Remember, this is any physical feeling.

In Defense of Disney Villains #1

I love classic Disney movies. But I have become increasingly aware of a consistent bias in these films.

Hero/heroine's motivations are always presented as superior to those of the antagonist. They assume that the hero/heroine is justified in their actions, while at the same time completely failing to consider the motivations of the villain.

In order to right this grievous wrong, I will attempt in these blogs to present the motivations of several villains in a fair and unbiased manner.

Governor Ratcliffe: (Pocahontas)- Dedication to country

The fifteenth century had just begun, and all the world's greatest powers rushed to the New World to lay claim to it and its resources. England was falling far behind her competitors. How could this nation maintain her greatness? With the help of great men, willing to leave their home and comforts behind to brave oceans, disease, and deadly natives to save England from obscurity. Men like Governor Ratcliffe!

Once they landed in the New World, he watched as his crew slowly lost sight of their goal. How could he achieve fame and glory for his nation when his men wanted to drop everything over some teenage tree-hugging native? Even in the face of opposition, his dedication to country gave him the clarity of mind to make the unpopular decision and attempt to wipe out an entire tribe of peace-loving Indians.

Seven Deadly Sins: Greed

I've decided to start writing blogs about one of my other interests which I spend a lot of time thinking about.
The Seven Deadly Sins.


(It may seem odd to be fascinated by something so negative. It probably is. However, I have found that understanding this has helped me find sin in my life which I hadn't even thought about before. It's all very challenging.)


First off, I'd like to write about one which I think is most often misunderstood.

GREED

"Keep a hold. Don't let it go. Don't ever let go."


This has often been mistaken for lust. While lust over-values aquiring things, greed over-values keeping things. And these don't have to be physical things. Oftentimes it is information or time that greed latches on to; it doesn't want to share with other people.

If there is something which you think you can not live without, you've found greed. Greed avoids risk or adventure as a way to prevent this loss. I learned this from C.S. Lewis' Narnian Chronicle: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, during which an exploratory voyage is constantly assailed by temptations to turn back or stay put in order to prevent the loss of their lives or possessions.

Eventually greed becomes obsessed with clinging to the temporary trappings of this planet. A greedy person, and their possessions, become completely useless.