A few weeks ago, I finally watched Equalizer 3 on my streaming service. At only $5.99, it was hard to pass up since I enjoyed the previous two so much. No sooner than the credits rolled, I felt inspired to write about a subject that’s been on my mind for years. Before I get into that, allow me to share what brought me to this point.
In 2010, and as the zombie craze swept over the country, The Walking Dead streamed directly into our living rooms -and countless were addicted… I didn’t jump on the bandwagon right away, but I did eventually give in and check it out. I too wound up as another statistic to TWD fandom. I was hooked.
Then the recurring theme began to wear me out. Episode after episode. Season after season, the group had to suffer endlessly because the protagonist Rick Grimes had to follow some personal code of what was right and wrong – no matter how many of the group he was responsible for were either murdered or zombie food. Once Negan was allowed to live, I was done. I couldn’t take the nonsense any longer.
But it’s not just that show. Lord no. Grimes’ character trait is found in countless story plots. Too many times audiences watch the death and suffering of innocent people because the hero has to make sure their choices allow him/her to feel good about themselves under the guise of “we’re not like them.” Dozens of people die needlessly so you can eventually… place them in jail? Are you f*king kidding me?
It’s as though they have to continually martyr themselves through the sacrifices of their friends and loved ones. The martyrdom forms afterwards when the hero is left behind to suffer the loss and guilt of allowing it to happen… repeatedly. All while the entire situation could have been avoided had they made different choices when they had the opportunity.
Basically, the world must suffer indefinitely so “the good guy” can feel better about himself.
I call bullshit. I’m tired of it. I’m sick of good people suffering either because those who can do something, do nothing – or because enough people will not band together to do what everyone knows damn good and well needs to happen.
It’s like the judicial system in the real world. Sure, Johnny has victimized a dozen people and has been in and out of jail his entire life… But he has rights and deserves a chance. A chance? At what? Adding more victims to his list? Is it barbaric to remove a virus from a healthy organism? Who makes the determination on what’s considered a virus? In my opinion, the criminal does when they commit the crime.
If a dog continually bites people, they put it down. If a lion continually raids a village killing its inhabitants, they hunt it down and exterminate it. Why does society continue to allow the repeated victimization of itself? Because that’s what we’ve been taught to believe is the right thing to do? If you have the ability to stop the criminal and choose to do nothing, does that not make you at least partially guilty for their future crimes?
Last time I checked, I’ve never made it to a point in my life where I felt good about having my shit stolen and do nothing in hopes that one day they’d either give it back or, at minimum, feel bad for their actions.
I have never believed as though humanity was best served by allowing criminals to live their entire life in a prison, where many continue to conduct business as usual while their victims suffer in a prison of the criminal’s making.
It’s ridiculous. It’s nonsense… Yet it continues to exist. Why? Mostly because of money and power. Prisons are not for the benefit of mankind. They are a privately owned and operated business that line the pockets of their owners. There’s no money to be made if there are no prisoners. That’s also why there’s no sensible rehab programs. Prisons need customers – just as pharmaceutical companies do. There’s no profit unless there’s suffering.
I’ve never understood why people stand by and watch as someone else is brutalized or requires help in some way -simply because the bystander don’t want to get involved – until the bystander becomes the victim, in which case they wonder why no one intervened to provide assistance.
So when shows such as Law Abiding Citizen, John Wick, Punisher (Jon Bernthal version), and Equalizer came out, I was instantly hooked. While the main character in each show is called to action in different ways, they all go about their task with determination, focus, and precision.
Although I neither agree nor support the actions of how Clyde went about punishing those in the judicial system in Law Abiding Citizen, he was proving the point that the system was broken and instead of doing the right thing, people were more concerned with their own egos/stats/jobs. Clyde’s entire family was wiped out and one of the perps was back out on the streets because the DA made a deal that improved his stats and helped him on his own career path. That’s only justice to those who are being paid to determine it, not those who suffer from the crime.
Before my rant, I went looking for what type of person the world needed more of. After some online research efforts, I was unable to identify the exact personality type that matched what I’m looking for… So I made one up.
The Dark Hero.
The dark hero is best exemplified by Robert McCall’s character. He feels things deeply, but isn’t violently unhinged like Punisher. He’s not an assassin like Wick. McCall tries to find peace within himself and the world he lives in, but will protect and defend those around him with extreme prejudice. There’s no holy diatribe of self righteousness before he sends them to jail. There’s not multiple chances for the enemy to exact revenge on those he protects because he feels the need to keep his moral compass nice and shiny. There are no messengers to run and prepare the bigger bad guys for the coming storm.
McCall is the harbinger of justice and death. Although he often provides a moment for the bad guys to do the right thing, he knows ahead of time how it’s going to go – because the bad guys do not have guilt for what they do. They operate on ego, greed and the belief they are the master of their domain. Bad guys believe they are lions when they’re actually vermin who chew away at the fabric of humanity.
Does McCall kill everyone who commits a heinous crime? As seen in Equalizer 2, he does not. Although what the guys did to their intern was criminal, he didn’t kill anyone… but he did leave a very lasting impression on every single person in the room. And I’m willing to bet had they gone to jail without his brand of justice, the same lesson would not have been achieved.
With all of that shared, I do want to be clear on what I’m getting at.
I’m not suggesting a world full of vigilante justice or even necessarily for people to commit crimes against criminals. There are too many people who would never do the homework and end up hurting the wrong people or involving friendly fire. I also don’t believe the public should be out executing the person who stole their car or wallet. Broken bones? Well, it’s hard to steal something if both your hands are broken.
What I do suggest is that you try to help when you see an 87 year old man get knocked down because someone is trying to steal a buggy full of pressure washers from the local hardware store – because that old man ended up dying from complications arising from the bones that were broken when he fell.
I’d like to live in a world where people offered a helping hand instead of a live feed to their social media platforms. By not wanting to get personally involved, you increase the odds of everyone being involved. Ask Peter Parker how that went for his Uncle Ben.
Lastly, who is to say how things would have gone had a few hundred people inside two separate planes made a choice other than the one they did one fateful day? The third plane took a different route because a different choice was made. Did over 4k people die because no one wanted to get involved inside the other two? Before anyone gets offended. I am neither speaking ill of the dead or casting blame on the victims. What happened was a terrible, unimaginable tragedy, but one that could have been avoided as proven by the actions inside the third plane. That’s what I want people who read this to come away with. I’d rather go out fighting for my life even with a slim chance of survival, than waiting for my inevitable extermination while praying someone else will do something.
When predators are allowed to run wild, it turns everyone into prey.
Off The Rails 