Heros can be nasty!!!

jubileerocker · Feb 25, 2009

I'm sitting here watching 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' they just caught someone and the girl started cussing Beth. Beth got in her face screaming at her. They both just sat there screaming at one another.

I know this was a question about cussing in novels and I said it was a villian's trait. Well I've always loved 'The Punisher' but seeing a real life example just shook me, I always seen Beth as such a sweetheart, my mind has just been changed.

WOW!

dpaterso · Feb 25, 2009

How is grandstanding for TV cameras "real life"?

And we may have different definitions of "heroes" -- these folks ain't cleaning up the streets of Gotham to keep its citizens safe from evil.

/just my opinion

-Derek

jubileerocker · Feb 26, 2009

I know it's part acting but when you have a camera in your face day in and day out you start forgetting it's there if you're not talking to it. I just feel like law enforcers, emts, and firefighters put their life on the line, fot that I feel they are heros

JJ Cooper · Feb 26, 2009

Armed forces and emergency services are considered by many as heroes, and I know quite a few with a colourful vocabulary. In fact, I find it unusual when I come across one who doesn't swear on occasions. I don't mean every second word is a cuss, but swear words place in converstaion to emphasise a point rather than just for the sake of saying one.

And, under pressure, I've found that generally it's the quieter ones who explode.

JJ

sunandshadow · Feb 26, 2009

Have you read the trope wiki page on antiheros?

tehuti88 · Feb 26, 2009

My heroes regularly have nasty traits. Even the cop ones. Should I say especially the cop ones? My cop characters are almost always spectacularly messed up in addition to being really good guys. Meh. It's what makes characters human and believable. Nobody is perfect.

The "wise mentor" of the MC in my fantasy serial once traded his unborn daughter for more power, and he's been known to occasionally smack the (teenage female) MC when she acts up. Despite that he's a good guy. Mostly.

maestrowork · Feb 26, 2009

People are just people, and swearing doesn't make a person "bad." Sorry, I swear, and I'm a good person.

People cuss and do nasty things under pressure sometimes. They are real.

I don't understand why sometimes people expect their heroes to be saints or boy scouts. And do villains have the monopoly on nastiness?

Claudia Gray · Feb 26, 2009

I've known plenty of people who swore like sailors and were wonderful human beings.

And I've known plenty of people who never swore who weren't wonderful at all.

maestrowork · Feb 26, 2009

ClaudiaGray said:
I've known plenty of people who swore like sailors and were wonderful human beings.

And I've known plenty of people who never swore who weren't wonderful at all.

Amen.

Wayne K · Feb 26, 2009

ClaudiaGray said:
I've known plenty of people who swore like sailors and were wonderful human beings.

And I've known plenty of people who never swore who weren't wonderful at all.

Good thing I have a mouth like a Teamster.

Red-Green · Feb 26, 2009

I'm not clear how swearing even qualifies as "nasty." Damn it.

DMarie84 · Feb 26, 2009

JJ Cooper said:
And, under pressure, I've found that generally it's the quieter ones who explode.

JJ

Ha. That would be me :Ssh:

. Normally I tend to try and maintain a calm face (even if I am seething underneath) and then later explode. I tend to try and vent when I'm alone, though sometimes it builds up so much that I unleash my pent up rage on my poor unsuspecting husband...

My MC tends to have a rather explosive temper especially after provoked. The one who does the provoking is the same way and my critique group has said that "he's a jerk."

I suppose then I'm doing something right, since that's what I wanted to portray in the beginning.

I think the tendency of human nature is to have a darker side. Some people are better at hiding/controlling it than others.

jubileerocker · Feb 26, 2009

Yeah it's common sense I just couldn't picture it in my writing for some odd reason but this is all true which makes me feel like my mind is fake, for some reason it wasn't processing it

tehuti88 · Feb 27, 2009

DMarie84 said:
I think the tendency of human nature is to have a darker side. Some people are better at hiding/controlling it than others.

Definitely. (I'm a Jungian, can't you tell?

)

I'm a very shy, quiet, meek type around people--never speaking up, never making eye contact, going out of my way to avoid any sort of conflict--and I try very hard to be courteous and polite, but I have a nasty temper--just ask my parents, who have to live with me--and when I get upset, I get ROYALLY upset.

I've always wanted to be the sweet friendly girl who everybody adores but it's just not in me. I have a really nasty streak. Despite that, I try to be a good person.

Same with most of my good-guy MCs.

I think the OP wasn't so much equating swearing with nastiness, as just showing surprise that somebody who rarely lost their temper suddenly did so--shattering expectations. I remember (being somebody who doesn't swear in real life) the one time I monumentally lost it and swore at my dad, he looked so shocked his eyes nearly fell from his head.

maestrowork · Feb 27, 2009

I'm one of those cool, nice guys who rarely lose their temper but when push comes to shove, will do so in a very nasty way. I've been nasty on several occasions (especially when dealing with assholes and irresponsible salespeople).

So watch out for the quiet ones!

50 Foot Ant · Feb 27, 2009

The opposite can also be true.

If the character (or person) spikes their speech with profanity all the time, and when angry suddenly goes to calm, collected, correct (Queen's English) speech with no contractions...

Watch it.

Yeah, the profanity angle startled me, I thought we were going to be talking Jack Bauer nasty. LOL Talking...

"WHAT'S IN THE BOX!" nasty.

Heros can be nasty!!!

jubileerocker

Let's do the time warp again

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

jubileerocker

Let's do the time warp again

JJ Cooper

.

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

tehuti88

Mackinac Island Fanatic

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Claudia Gray

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Wayne K

Red-Green

KoalaKoalaKoala!

DMarie84

I wish I had a time machine

jubileerocker

Let's do the time warp again

tehuti88

Mackinac Island Fanatic

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

50 Foot Ant