Mal's Heroism - Serenity to Serenity

POSTED BY: wytchcroft
UPDATED: Friday, April 25, 2008 18:27
VIEWED: 5707
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HOPERULES

Friday, April 25, 2008 4:19 PM

I guess my definition of someone who is selfish goes beyond someone who likes to tease people or who does what is necessary for survival in a brutal world or who is sometimes mean to the people he cares about because of his own issues. All these actions are the actions of character who behaves like a real and intriguing person. To me, however, they do not make a person selfish. For me a selfish person is someone whose sole motivation is what is easiest and best for himself. He has only his own interests a heart. I just don't see that as the case with Mal. He has his flaws. All characters that are realistic and attractive do. But I don't see selfishness as one of them unless as I said before it is the selfishness that ALL human beings have.

May have been on the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.

AGENTROUKA

Friday, April 25, 2008 4:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hoperules:
I guess my definition of someone who is selfish goes beyond someone who likes to tease people or who does what is necessary for survival in a brutal world or who is sometimes mean to the people he cares about because of his own issues. All these actions are the actions of character who behaves like a real and intriguing person. To me, however, they do not make a person selfish. For me a selfish person is someone whose sole motivation is what is easiest and best for himself. He has only his own interests a heart. I just don't see that as the case with Mal. He has his flaws. All characters that are realistic and attractive do. But I don't see selfishness as one of them unless as I said before it is the selfishness that ALL human beings have.

May have been on the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.

But how would what you call a selfish person not be that way for the same reasons: because of their own issues? No person is always and only selfish. I see Mal as often acting more selfish than many other people on his ship.

He doesn't just steal things no one else needs. He kills a person, brutally, for a dubious sense of safety: as if sending Crow into the engine made him any safer than not doing so. He enjoys hurting people just because they don't agree with is world view, as seen in his U-Day bar fight tradition. He doesn't give a fleeting thought about what Inara might need or want at that ball in "Shindig" it's all about baiting her and Atherton and then he's confused when she doesn't thank him for it? He doesn't once try to stop Tracey by simply telling him that thy have a plan, even though it endangers Kaylee, possibly because he had already decided to simply kill him.

Hell, Mal's anger at God is motivated by selfishness. You didn't do what I asked you to, now I hate you!

I am not saying selfishness is his only trait, or his strongest one, but he does have it. He is not a noble person.

For good reasons, as you say, but what is the point in saying "this amount of selfish is not selfish"? Selfish is as selfish does and Mal does do it enough.

I still love him, but it's just a fact. He's a selfish person. He is also a generous person. Parallel. One doesn't negate the other.

HOPERULES

Friday, April 25, 2008 5:50 PM

Ok, fine. I guess Mal could be considered selfish.

I guess I'm just uncivilized enough not to consider brutally and quickly killing a nasty thug who works for a psychopath and getting into a bar fight as signs of unusal selfishness.

I actually think Mal thought he was sticking up for Inara after Atherton grabs her arm like she was his property. Men, selfish idiots that they are, sometimes just don't know when to mind their own business.

I think everyone needs some selfishness in order to survive either emotionally and/or physically. If people are not selfish to one degree or another, the world would destroy them. The world is a pretty cruel place.

P.S. I think Jayne is way more selfish than Mal.

May have been on the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.

AGENTROUKA

Friday, April 25, 2008 6:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hoperules:
I think everyone needs some selfishness in order to survive either emotionally and/or physically. If people are not selfish to one degree or another, the world would destroy them. The world is a pretty cruel place.

P.S. I think Jayne is way more selfish than Mal.

I agree with you on both those counts.

I think my point is that every person is selfish and Mal, through particular circumstances, a bit more than recommended. Mal isn't bad. He could be, though, given the wrong incentive. He already is, sometimes. I love that about him. A much more useful character, one who actually does do the wrong things - and not for good reasons - because of fear or pettiness, and who has to face the consequences of those things, too. Tells us much more about ourselves than having the same thing packed into Grand Interstellar Heroics, like on my equally beloved but less amazing Farscape.

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