What Other Guys?: Mary Sue and the Entitlement Problem, Part I

In a recent piece for The Atlantic, Luke Eppin ponders the connection between the fixation on 'self-esteem' in certain segments of American culture and the proliferation of media (particularly children's media) that emphasises character's self-actualisation over other attributes or goals. Although I disagree with one or two of the examples, and think there is definitely merit to the 'don't listen to the haters, go after your dreams' narrative, I do think his core thesis is right on target.

My coauthor insists that part of my annoyance with these plots is that I come from what he calls ' The Scottish Hivemind'-- more precisely, from cultural backgrounds where the good of the group is as important (if not more so) than the good of the individual. More precisely, I think my annoyance stems from the fact that the character's goals-- which don't usually have any benefit to the group-- are supposed to be seen as a priority, and a good enough reason for the character bailing out on everyone around them.

Honestly, I think having the character pursue a 'weird' or 'impossible' goal which benefits the community-- maybe inventing an electric harvester or taking down the corrupt town government or building a library or whatever-- is immediately more sympathetic than a character pursuing some rather random 'self-actualisation' that separates them from the group. If it's established a character has a particular talent (more on that later) and their struggle is to get those around them to recognise it and help them succeed, that's somewhat different. However, having the character latch onto a fairly random goal just to prove that they're 'different' and 'special' and 'above' mundane jobs and hard work makes the character less of a talented misfit to root for and more of a spoiled brat.