A big part of the problem, which I don't see acknowledged very often, is that #writers who create #antiheroes generally know exactly what they're doing.

They know a substantial part of their audience will identify with these characters. They know many fans will see the bad behavior as desirable, and while most won't have the guts to act that way in real life, some will. They know the awful things the characters do will make them appealing, not as cautionary tales or examinations of the ugly parts of the human psyche, but because they're "dark" and "gritty" and "edgy." They know over-the-top caricatures are one of the quickest ways to get lauded as "realistic" by audiences and critics.

And whether they know it or not, they're very often living out their own fantasies. Consider for example David #Mamet, who after decades of building a reputation as an unflinching observer of the worst excesses of #masculinity, has now shown that he desperately wants to be the protagonist of his own stories. He won't do it, of course, but he takes great satisfaction in imagining he could. There are many others, most lacking Mamet's fame but with the same Walter-Mitty-as-played-by-Christian-Bale nest of snakes in their heads.

Writers who are confronted with this accusation usually don't take it well. I get that, because I've been one of them. But if we're going to make a big deal about looking into the abyss, our own motivations are a good place to start.

https://charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/im-tired-of-anti-heroes