Brightburn: crafting an evil generation
A disclaimer is in order before I proceed with this article. No, I have not watched Brightburn. But I have watched the cultural shift over the last decade or so from hero-centric to villain-centric fiction and this review of Brightburn confirmed my concerns: Plugged In Online Brightburn review As creatives in media, whether that be film or books or audio, it is our responsibility to realize the impact our work has on future generations. Are we creating the culture that we want to live in? Or are we drowning our children in such a negative outlook of humanity that they have lost all faith in it?
Are we looking to the good or to the evil? We know that the answer is not in the evil and yet this is what an increasing percentage of our media does explore. What if we looked to the evil?
I have long said that the books that made the greatest impact on me were those which gave me a hero to look up to who was more than I am. Exploring the evil for the sake of shock value is it hindrance to the growth of any future leader. Historically those who were fascinated by evil became evil themselves.
There is a very simple truth here: we become what we eat, we become what we read, we become what we watch, and we become what we listen to. We become the sum of those that we associate with, and we become the balance of those that we study and look up to.
When you read Harry Potter do you want to be Harry, or are you drawn to the vileness of Lord Voldemort? When you watch Star Wars do you find yourself rooting for Luke Skywalker, or are you drowning in the darkness of the emperor and Darth Vader?
Great writers know that we do not follow trends. We create them. We are writing the culture of the future into existence. We are writing to the generations of the future. Our work is immortal, to a degree, and the responsibility weighs heavily upon us.
I hope that it weighs heavily upon us all.
Thankfully there is still a lot of original content being produced that lays out a bright future. A better look at humanity. A future full of hope and not of fear. As for me, my novels are an exploration of the greatest that we can be. The greatest that we were created for.
We need awareness raised as to how creative content impacts younger minds. And, even, the effect it has on mature ones that are fairly steeped in evil content. It affects us all whether or not we want to admit it. Everything should be done in moderation. Everything should be considered with wisdom.
Q: What kind of world will today’s Brightburn-like content create?
