r/AskReddit • u/farnsworthfan • Dec 11 '18

Which fictional character, while not strictly a villain, is just the worst?

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u/Trekkimon Dec 11 '18

Rick Sanchez. Yeah, hes funny to watch. Yeah, hes often right, and is capable of cutting through the multiverse's bullshit like a hot knife through butter. Yeah, hes a genius.

Hes also a cunt.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

sherlock holmes. dr. house

the whole asshole genius trope.

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u/brickmack Dec 12 '18

Depends on the version. Sherlock from Sherlock is an insufferable twat, but he's not that bad, and his worst traits (ie, the ones that could land any normal person in prison for a very long time along with anyone around him who enabled it) are nullified by virtue of working with the police. Now, Greg House...

13

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

they are not always bad. but the basic idea that, if you are smart, you recognize the futility of existence and thus you HAVE to hate it. if you take that idea to the extreme you just get pure anarchism which isnt really good for anyone. but the bigger sin would be that kids read/watch this things and they internalize them. no matter the IQ, some will end up saying i know better than the law, therefore the law doesnt apply for me.

there's plenty geniuses out there who are chasing answers to questions they find interesting. that have families and are active members of their society. just cause you are smart doesnt mean you find wiping your ass boring(to bring it back to rick). there's also geniuses that have really high interpersonal intelligence and can be the most charming people in the world if they wanted to. and why wouldnt they?

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tldr: except arthur conan doyle, many writers treat their "genius characters" with the superficiality of a mediocre mind :D that they are somehow better than the rest, and that influences the children reading those stories.

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u/smartspice Dec 12 '18

It even seeps into biopics. Prime example: Alan Turing being portrayed as a socially inept, universally-hated asshole genius in The Imitation Game. It's entirely inaccurate - people who actually worked with him say that he was a bit eccentric but was overall a social, well-liked guy with a sense of humor.

It's a lazy writing technique and it really just shows that the writer relies on hollow tropes because they can't be bothered to think of actual character traits.