NEM 220604 - Malice and Villainy

Welcome to Never-Ending Musings! A weekly collection of thoughts from SK Kage.

Humanity is capable of heinous acts of despicable nature, but I choose to believe we are intrinsically good. This does not in any way mean we cannot entertain and engage in the downfall of those we oppose, defy, or otherwise stand against. Many, many reasons exist why we might do these things, not the least of which is that which we fight would curtail our freedom, ruin our lives, or even take them.
However, there are very few individuals I would classify as a 'villain.' I hesitate to call an enemy a villain because of the added overtones of the term. A bloody, heart-breaking war may not have a clearly defined villain. Tragedies, in my experience, are often bereft of one. I expect many will disagree with my characterization and different perspectives are fundamental to discourse. I will distill my school of thought to this:
A person can be malicious, but only a villain can intend malice.
Maliciousness in pursuit of an otherwise beneficial goal is not acceptable in a enlightened society (and no society we have yet is truly 'enlightened' in my view). The protagonist seeking vengeance is still considered the hero for they remove a blight upon the world in so doing. That being said, justified acts of malice occupy a grey area of morality, which is ground I typically dislike treading.
Villains do not enjoy the benefit of the doubt by lounging in the middle of a moral spectrum. Their endgame is suffering, veiled or not. Their desire is to take more for themselves by punishing others. It is not enough to marry selfishness and callous disregard. Disregard must evolve into hate.
In my opinion, whether a villain is redeemable or not is immaterial because your first response is the same: prevention. Do not suffer a villain's actions. If you would spend energy saving the more dangerous elements of society, save those in the moral quagmire between good and evil.
- SK

The Evil Enders, AeM

When danger lurks, give 'em the works. Weapons forged for the flames of righteous fury available to the honest and true! Find us in the heart of Aemark City.
They're a little... aggressive on their 'righteous' fury. Some of their weapons are quite unnecessary.

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