Bill Conrad's Blog - Posts Tagged "values"
The Definition of Evil
Authors tap into their personal experiences to create story and characters. These experiences can be positive or negative. Within our negatives lies an element which we deem to be evil. This negative quality is beyond poor judgment and bad behavior. For me, the difference becomes apparent when a person embraces the negative and turns their back on the positive. Essentially, there is a joy in being bad.
Evil takes many forms in our lived and in our stories. The good detective hunting down the despicable criminal. The anti-hero Mad Max who saves a life one day and kills 10 people the next. The desperate Bonnie and Clyde criminal who are “just trying to survive” against the “man.” The trusted person who is a pedophile. The leader who removes subversive people to save society. The mental patient who “does not know any better.” Then there is the despicable Hannibal Lecter or serial killer Ted Bundy who enjoy torturing people to death.
Towards the lesser end of the evil spectrum is a “normal” person who appears to have bad judgment, but there is an element of evil contained within their core. For example, a best friend that steals from you. An alcoholic relative who rams their car through a crowd of people in a drunken rage.
People often justify their evil tendencies. “This is something that has to happen. I’m not enjoying this.” If we look at the deplorable people through history, the majority genuinely perceived their actions as good. “The bad people needed to die.”
Often an “honest” person feels they are performing good deeds with their deplorable actions. An extreme example is killing the “non-believers.” A less extreme example is a parent who constantly punishes their child to “keep them in line.”
The worst evil is when you realize that you, yourself are evil. You try to convince yourself that breaking your brother’s arm was an “accident.” That person looking back in the mirror is a drug dealer and not a “spiritual helper.” At one point, a person realizes that “breaking his arm was wrong.” From that time onward, this person must rationalize their existence. Sometimes a person can understand they are evil, make a change, apologize for the past and they try to make amends. I believe an evil person can become a good person. Other times, an evil person embraces their inner demon. “I like being a drug dealer.” “Breaking his arm felt good.”
Protagonists range from annoying to an ongoing deplorable level of evil that can only exist in outlandish fiction. Can a fictional character truly be considered evil? Stories are a collection of words and concepts that only become real when a reader thinks about them. Does this mean that a protagonist “brings out the evil” in a readers mind? In some ways, I think it does. Can a bad story corrupt a reader? There are many examples of bad people who got their inspiration from books or movies.
People are complex. They have a lot going on in their minds with a variety of backgrounds to guide them. People have witnessed actual events that range from acts of supreme kindness to unimaginable horrors. A good story will pull from experiences out of a reader's minds and allow the reader to visualize the story. This includes visualizing evil.
Let's explore two actual “evil” people from my life. This first is a former coworker. He is a pathetic man who overcame his incompetence by blaming others. I came into his crosshairs and suffered through his wrath. From my perspective, the result was hurt feelings and a messed-up project. I still harbor disdain for this individual all these years later. What did he think of me? I’m sure he felt that everybody around him was incompetent and out to get him. I was simply one of the people that upset him more than the others. He would likely summarize me as a non-team player.
Was he truly evil? At the time, I thought so. I have since thought about how evil this man actually was. He was suffering from severe arthritis and he took powerful medications. The medications had severe side effects including mental impairment. He was the only provider of a family with two children. I am sure he was under enormous pressure. However, there is no doubt he was fully aware of the medication effects and his poor job performance. However, we never asked for help, understanding or forgiveness.
The aspect of his personality that brought out the evil was his enjoyment to inflict pain. Rather than accept his circumstances and try his best to overcome them, he went out of his way to blame others for his shortcomings. When this happened, I felt his passion. He savored the success of his negative efforts. His actions were beyond poor judgment. Something else was present in that man. My guess is that this “evil high” distracted him from his own arthritis pain and prevented him from facing his own severe incompetence.
I based a protagonist upon this man. I copied the way he dressed, his bad decisions, the way he covered up his bad decisions, his supreme incompetence, low ethics, and the condescending way he spoke. My character served as a good foil. In retrospect, something positive came out of that situation. It’s fun to be a writer. Or is it budget therapy? Hmm.
Three years ago, our house got robbed. The traumatic experience harshly affected my family. A year later, they caught the person. Joey Ramos is a despicable man that committed several crimes. I was one of many people who testified against him. He was convicted and they are asking for 140 years.
In the courtroom, I faced my accuser. I could see the evil in his black eyes. [They were actually black. I absolutely could not see any white and I could feel his hate. It was very unnerving.] This man truly had no soul. He only existed to steal, cause pain and corrupt others. By the rules of society, he is the definition of evil and for me, he is the supreme proof that evil exists.
Am I going to base a character upon him? Absolutely not. He is far too bad for my style of writing. Readers would encounter with a vastly evil character with no positive attributes. However, I’m aware that other writers choose to use characters of this nature. He could easily be the despicable criminal that a great police officer chases. Or the criminal equivalent of Hannibal Lecter who likes to steal.
But wait. Joey Ramos is real, and he really affected me. Taking an objective approach, he is not that bad when compared to a fictional person like Hannibal Lecter or the real-life serial killer Ted Bundy.
For me, such an evil character like Hannibal Lecter are impossible for me to relate to. I cannot alter my mindset enough to think like Hannibal Lecter. There has to be at least one foot in the real world. When I develop a character, they need a motive beyond embracing evil. Perhaps a bad circumstance they are attempting to overcome.
Is it ethical to write about an evil character? In past blogs, I stated that I am a deeply ethical person. However, my stories contain death, torture, murder, and hardship. My first book is about a 500-year-old murdering psychopath. In this [well-written] book [you should buy] [right now] [please!] I attempt to justify her existence. Essentially my story attempts to make her less evil. At very least, I attempt to justify the evil within her own mind.
Overall, my main characters are good, and I expose them to evil. Sometimes the evil stays around. However, the evil deeds are not rewarded and evil characters are not embraced. Why? That’s just who I am.
My goal is writing is to make a story that entertains the readers while retaining my ethical boundaries. In order to appreciate the bright positive parts, the negative parts must be experienced. A good story explores evil while good people do not. Within my own life, I try my best to be a good person and suppress my evil tendencies. When I find that I have crossed the line, I do my best to make amends.
It is clear that I allow myself to write about evil. Am I propelling the evil concepts that I write about? Hey, bad people here’s an idea. Go read Bills book and learn how to kill. At least get yourself in the mood. Hmm.
Would that make me slightly evil? I read books and watch movies that have evil characters. I play video games where I “kill people.” That’s me clicking the mouse button to shoot a gun. I fully comprehend that I’m no saint and I have regrets over my past negative actions. Does that make me at least some percentage evil? Dang… That’s certainly something to think about.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...
Evil takes many forms in our lived and in our stories. The good detective hunting down the despicable criminal. The anti-hero Mad Max who saves a life one day and kills 10 people the next. The desperate Bonnie and Clyde criminal who are “just trying to survive” against the “man.” The trusted person who is a pedophile. The leader who removes subversive people to save society. The mental patient who “does not know any better.” Then there is the despicable Hannibal Lecter or serial killer Ted Bundy who enjoy torturing people to death.
Towards the lesser end of the evil spectrum is a “normal” person who appears to have bad judgment, but there is an element of evil contained within their core. For example, a best friend that steals from you. An alcoholic relative who rams their car through a crowd of people in a drunken rage.
People often justify their evil tendencies. “This is something that has to happen. I’m not enjoying this.” If we look at the deplorable people through history, the majority genuinely perceived their actions as good. “The bad people needed to die.”
Often an “honest” person feels they are performing good deeds with their deplorable actions. An extreme example is killing the “non-believers.” A less extreme example is a parent who constantly punishes their child to “keep them in line.”
The worst evil is when you realize that you, yourself are evil. You try to convince yourself that breaking your brother’s arm was an “accident.” That person looking back in the mirror is a drug dealer and not a “spiritual helper.” At one point, a person realizes that “breaking his arm was wrong.” From that time onward, this person must rationalize their existence. Sometimes a person can understand they are evil, make a change, apologize for the past and they try to make amends. I believe an evil person can become a good person. Other times, an evil person embraces their inner demon. “I like being a drug dealer.” “Breaking his arm felt good.”
Protagonists range from annoying to an ongoing deplorable level of evil that can only exist in outlandish fiction. Can a fictional character truly be considered evil? Stories are a collection of words and concepts that only become real when a reader thinks about them. Does this mean that a protagonist “brings out the evil” in a readers mind? In some ways, I think it does. Can a bad story corrupt a reader? There are many examples of bad people who got their inspiration from books or movies.
People are complex. They have a lot going on in their minds with a variety of backgrounds to guide them. People have witnessed actual events that range from acts of supreme kindness to unimaginable horrors. A good story will pull from experiences out of a reader's minds and allow the reader to visualize the story. This includes visualizing evil.
Let's explore two actual “evil” people from my life. This first is a former coworker. He is a pathetic man who overcame his incompetence by blaming others. I came into his crosshairs and suffered through his wrath. From my perspective, the result was hurt feelings and a messed-up project. I still harbor disdain for this individual all these years later. What did he think of me? I’m sure he felt that everybody around him was incompetent and out to get him. I was simply one of the people that upset him more than the others. He would likely summarize me as a non-team player.
Was he truly evil? At the time, I thought so. I have since thought about how evil this man actually was. He was suffering from severe arthritis and he took powerful medications. The medications had severe side effects including mental impairment. He was the only provider of a family with two children. I am sure he was under enormous pressure. However, there is no doubt he was fully aware of the medication effects and his poor job performance. However, we never asked for help, understanding or forgiveness.
The aspect of his personality that brought out the evil was his enjoyment to inflict pain. Rather than accept his circumstances and try his best to overcome them, he went out of his way to blame others for his shortcomings. When this happened, I felt his passion. He savored the success of his negative efforts. His actions were beyond poor judgment. Something else was present in that man. My guess is that this “evil high” distracted him from his own arthritis pain and prevented him from facing his own severe incompetence.
I based a protagonist upon this man. I copied the way he dressed, his bad decisions, the way he covered up his bad decisions, his supreme incompetence, low ethics, and the condescending way he spoke. My character served as a good foil. In retrospect, something positive came out of that situation. It’s fun to be a writer. Or is it budget therapy? Hmm.
Three years ago, our house got robbed. The traumatic experience harshly affected my family. A year later, they caught the person. Joey Ramos is a despicable man that committed several crimes. I was one of many people who testified against him. He was convicted and they are asking for 140 years.
In the courtroom, I faced my accuser. I could see the evil in his black eyes. [They were actually black. I absolutely could not see any white and I could feel his hate. It was very unnerving.] This man truly had no soul. He only existed to steal, cause pain and corrupt others. By the rules of society, he is the definition of evil and for me, he is the supreme proof that evil exists.
Am I going to base a character upon him? Absolutely not. He is far too bad for my style of writing. Readers would encounter with a vastly evil character with no positive attributes. However, I’m aware that other writers choose to use characters of this nature. He could easily be the despicable criminal that a great police officer chases. Or the criminal equivalent of Hannibal Lecter who likes to steal.
But wait. Joey Ramos is real, and he really affected me. Taking an objective approach, he is not that bad when compared to a fictional person like Hannibal Lecter or the real-life serial killer Ted Bundy.
For me, such an evil character like Hannibal Lecter are impossible for me to relate to. I cannot alter my mindset enough to think like Hannibal Lecter. There has to be at least one foot in the real world. When I develop a character, they need a motive beyond embracing evil. Perhaps a bad circumstance they are attempting to overcome.
Is it ethical to write about an evil character? In past blogs, I stated that I am a deeply ethical person. However, my stories contain death, torture, murder, and hardship. My first book is about a 500-year-old murdering psychopath. In this [well-written] book [you should buy] [right now] [please!] I attempt to justify her existence. Essentially my story attempts to make her less evil. At very least, I attempt to justify the evil within her own mind.
Overall, my main characters are good, and I expose them to evil. Sometimes the evil stays around. However, the evil deeds are not rewarded and evil characters are not embraced. Why? That’s just who I am.
My goal is writing is to make a story that entertains the readers while retaining my ethical boundaries. In order to appreciate the bright positive parts, the negative parts must be experienced. A good story explores evil while good people do not. Within my own life, I try my best to be a good person and suppress my evil tendencies. When I find that I have crossed the line, I do my best to make amends.
It is clear that I allow myself to write about evil. Am I propelling the evil concepts that I write about? Hey, bad people here’s an idea. Go read Bills book and learn how to kill. At least get yourself in the mood. Hmm.
Would that make me slightly evil? I read books and watch movies that have evil characters. I play video games where I “kill people.” That’s me clicking the mouse button to shoot a gun. I fully comprehend that I’m no saint and I have regrets over my past negative actions. Does that make me at least some percentage evil? Dang… That’s certainly something to think about.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...
Different Values
Last week, I was riding my mountain bike and stopped to ask a fellow bike rider if he needed help. The innertube had blown, and he was replacing it. So, I balanced the bike as he completed the repair. After pumping it up, he tossed the old tube far into the brush (plants), thanked me, and rode off.
I thought, “What the heck? Don’t litter, you jerk!” But, of course, my calm attitude prevented me from verbalizing such brash statements. Yet, this attitude did not inspire me to trudge into the bush, pick up the old tube, and properly dispose of it.
The guy seemed nice and probably had outstanding qualities, but a flaw in his values makes littering acceptable. Does this make him good, bad, or equal to the other people who litter? Hard to say. Alright, truth. I think he is a bad person because we all know that littering is wrong.
Our society comprises all kinds of people with values that span the rainbow. When we encounter people who contradict our moral code, it’s challenging to interact with them. Often, the law gets involved. After all, we make laws to uphold the general values we all agree on. Littering is one such law.
Of course, my four regular blog readers know this and are now wondering what this has to do with writing. Wow, this is really turning into a common theme. My topic of the day is about creating characters. The bad guy always has poor values, and the good guy has outstanding values.
Yet… What if my “good values” are not that great? I have read several books where the author’s values differ from mine. A good example is when an author uses uncomplimentary descriptions (like racial slurs) or excessive profanity.
What do I do about such material? Simple, I stop reading. Readers gravitate to the books they like, and this choice relates to their values. Yet, sometimes an author will hook us, and we accept the poor character values.
However, I have a dilemma, and I suspect other authors have this same issue. It is challenging to create characters with values that are outside their own. For example, “Sam threw his trash on the street.” I hated writing this sentence because it required me to break my moral code. What about an anti-hero who is good but litters? Yeah… No. As a result, my characters have a limited range. This is a problem because I can only take the story too far. How about a deep dive into a character addicted to heroin? That is not going to happen.
I suppose it is good to push our boundaries, and perhaps the best writers can put their morals far aside. However, I am not there yet, and setting aside my morals is a low priority. Maybe that is a good problem? At least I keep my blogs clean. I mean, they are not full of litter.
I thought, “What the heck? Don’t litter, you jerk!” But, of course, my calm attitude prevented me from verbalizing such brash statements. Yet, this attitude did not inspire me to trudge into the bush, pick up the old tube, and properly dispose of it.
The guy seemed nice and probably had outstanding qualities, but a flaw in his values makes littering acceptable. Does this make him good, bad, or equal to the other people who litter? Hard to say. Alright, truth. I think he is a bad person because we all know that littering is wrong.
Our society comprises all kinds of people with values that span the rainbow. When we encounter people who contradict our moral code, it’s challenging to interact with them. Often, the law gets involved. After all, we make laws to uphold the general values we all agree on. Littering is one such law.
Of course, my four regular blog readers know this and are now wondering what this has to do with writing. Wow, this is really turning into a common theme. My topic of the day is about creating characters. The bad guy always has poor values, and the good guy has outstanding values.
Yet… What if my “good values” are not that great? I have read several books where the author’s values differ from mine. A good example is when an author uses uncomplimentary descriptions (like racial slurs) or excessive profanity.
What do I do about such material? Simple, I stop reading. Readers gravitate to the books they like, and this choice relates to their values. Yet, sometimes an author will hook us, and we accept the poor character values.
However, I have a dilemma, and I suspect other authors have this same issue. It is challenging to create characters with values that are outside their own. For example, “Sam threw his trash on the street.” I hated writing this sentence because it required me to break my moral code. What about an anti-hero who is good but litters? Yeah… No. As a result, my characters have a limited range. This is a problem because I can only take the story too far. How about a deep dive into a character addicted to heroin? That is not going to happen.
I suppose it is good to push our boundaries, and perhaps the best writers can put their morals far aside. However, I am not there yet, and setting aside my morals is a low priority. Maybe that is a good problem? At least I keep my blogs clean. I mean, they are not full of litter.
ABC Afterschool Special
Entertainment has changed so much since I was a child. I fondly remember waking up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and turning on the big Motorola television in great anticipation of the upcoming cartoons. Of course, 6 a.m. was far too early; the only video was the test pattern. Then the national anthem came on, followed by the early morning news. Boring!
The first cartoons of the day were awful, but then the magic started. Scooby-Doo, Bugs Bunny, Rocky, and Bullwinkle were my jam. Just writing that last sentence fills me with wondered memories. However, the magic faded by 10 a.m. because regular television took over. BOO!
For the rest of the week, there was not much for a kid to watch, with one exception. The ABC network had what they called an Afterschool Special. They intended these dramas for children and teenagers. For that audience, the production quality was surprisingly high because most shows aimed at kids had low budgets. I remember one awful show called Wonderbug. It was about a dune buggy that drove teenagers around during their adventures. Just thinking about it still makes me shutter.
ABC ran the series from 1972 until 1997. What set it apart was the thorough analysis of painful topics, including drug abuse, bullying, mental illness, physical/mental disabilities, crime, AIDS, race, and bad parents/siblings/teachers/friends. I wanted to learn more and found:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Aft...
From the above, here are some plots:
Episode 32: The neighborhood youth gang agrees to bully and torment the new kid on their 17th Street turf.
Episode 33: 13-year-old Kate deals with the sudden death of her younger sister.
Episode 67: After their mother passes away, a 12-year-old girl assumes responsibility for her two younger brothers, Johnny and Roy.
Episode 72: Teenager Nancy Parks stumbles upon a case of child abuse. Their overworked mom beat and emotionally abused her new boyfriend’s younger brother.
Episode 73: A blind, developmentally disabled infant with cerebral palsy is left in the care of an elderly English woman who refuses to let him die.
These hour-long specials usually left me shaken by their message. “What if I was in a car accident and could not walk like the boy in the show?” These stories brought big issues into my tiny world, causing me to think about consequences, other people’s problems, and life-changing events.
Afterschool Specials were often a topic for my friends, and I distinctly remember one had the same issue. His sister was a bully, and he did not know what to do because she was much older.
I am sure the Afterschool Specials helped many kids talk about genuine issues and made them more aware of people with problems. However, many of the shows were difficult to watch. For example, it was hard for me then to face the fact that a disabled person should be treated normally. In real life, (back then) I wanted to look away. This is the show’s greatest legacy. It taught kids to be respectful, understanding and speak up about problems.
The Afterschool Specials were an anomaly. They could have produced “The ABC Afterschool ROCK-OUT Hour,” and kids could have listened to the newest disco music back in 1972. Yet, ABC leaped controversy and produced something extraordinary.
I think some of my good values came from watching these shows. But what about kids today? Where do they learn hard lessons? YouTube? Tic Toc? No, that entertainment spectrum teaches them important lessons like playing Minecraft and eating Tide Pods. What about movies? They are intended to entertain, not educate, instill values, or explore problems.
That only leaves books. However, today’s kids do not want to read about depressing topics. Plus, modern parents shelter their precious children from problems. What mother will buy her child a book like Episode 67, where a 12-year-old girl assumes responsibility for her two younger brothers? The teacher would call child protective services if they saw their student reading such a book.
Something big is missing from children’s education that was present when I was young because society no longer tolerates exposing our children to painful topics. This is unfortunate because, in this complex world, we need more than ever for our children to be exposed to reality in a safe and supportive manner.
You’re the best -Bill
July 05, 2023
Hey book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.
The first cartoons of the day were awful, but then the magic started. Scooby-Doo, Bugs Bunny, Rocky, and Bullwinkle were my jam. Just writing that last sentence fills me with wondered memories. However, the magic faded by 10 a.m. because regular television took over. BOO!
For the rest of the week, there was not much for a kid to watch, with one exception. The ABC network had what they called an Afterschool Special. They intended these dramas for children and teenagers. For that audience, the production quality was surprisingly high because most shows aimed at kids had low budgets. I remember one awful show called Wonderbug. It was about a dune buggy that drove teenagers around during their adventures. Just thinking about it still makes me shutter.
ABC ran the series from 1972 until 1997. What set it apart was the thorough analysis of painful topics, including drug abuse, bullying, mental illness, physical/mental disabilities, crime, AIDS, race, and bad parents/siblings/teachers/friends. I wanted to learn more and found:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Aft...
From the above, here are some plots:
Episode 32: The neighborhood youth gang agrees to bully and torment the new kid on their 17th Street turf.
Episode 33: 13-year-old Kate deals with the sudden death of her younger sister.
Episode 67: After their mother passes away, a 12-year-old girl assumes responsibility for her two younger brothers, Johnny and Roy.
Episode 72: Teenager Nancy Parks stumbles upon a case of child abuse. Their overworked mom beat and emotionally abused her new boyfriend’s younger brother.
Episode 73: A blind, developmentally disabled infant with cerebral palsy is left in the care of an elderly English woman who refuses to let him die.
These hour-long specials usually left me shaken by their message. “What if I was in a car accident and could not walk like the boy in the show?” These stories brought big issues into my tiny world, causing me to think about consequences, other people’s problems, and life-changing events.
Afterschool Specials were often a topic for my friends, and I distinctly remember one had the same issue. His sister was a bully, and he did not know what to do because she was much older.
I am sure the Afterschool Specials helped many kids talk about genuine issues and made them more aware of people with problems. However, many of the shows were difficult to watch. For example, it was hard for me then to face the fact that a disabled person should be treated normally. In real life, (back then) I wanted to look away. This is the show’s greatest legacy. It taught kids to be respectful, understanding and speak up about problems.
The Afterschool Specials were an anomaly. They could have produced “The ABC Afterschool ROCK-OUT Hour,” and kids could have listened to the newest disco music back in 1972. Yet, ABC leaped controversy and produced something extraordinary.
I think some of my good values came from watching these shows. But what about kids today? Where do they learn hard lessons? YouTube? Tic Toc? No, that entertainment spectrum teaches them important lessons like playing Minecraft and eating Tide Pods. What about movies? They are intended to entertain, not educate, instill values, or explore problems.
That only leaves books. However, today’s kids do not want to read about depressing topics. Plus, modern parents shelter their precious children from problems. What mother will buy her child a book like Episode 67, where a 12-year-old girl assumes responsibility for her two younger brothers? The teacher would call child protective services if they saw their student reading such a book.
Something big is missing from children’s education that was present when I was young because society no longer tolerates exposing our children to painful topics. This is unfortunate because, in this complex world, we need more than ever for our children to be exposed to reality in a safe and supportive manner.
You’re the best -Bill
July 05, 2023
Hey book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:
Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
These books are available in soft-cover on Amazon and eBook format everywhere.
