Black and White Morality: Difference between revisions

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* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and its spinoff ''[[Angel]]'' both [[Playing with a Trope|play with this]]. Each starts out as a clear-cut example, but later seems to drift to somewhere between this and [[Black and Gray Morality]], with the protagonists ''usually'' doing the right thing, but not always, and most of the antagonists remaining [[Kick the Dog|dog-kicking]] villains. Also, despite usually being portrayed as good in the sense that they're well-meaning, the heroes of both shows often encounter situations that are portrayed as morally gray, leading them to disagree with each other on what the good course of action is.

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== Real Life ==

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* It's a common misconception that [[World War II]] was a case of this. In actually it was closer to [[Black and Gray Morality]] if only due to Joseph Stalin fighting on the Allied side, the Japanese internment camps operated by the United States and Canada(Through their internment camps were far more comfortable and humane, in comparison the hellish treatment received by those unfortunate to be captured by the Japanese.), and continuing moral debates regarding the bombing of Dresden, as well as the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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* The American Civil War is often seen as the heroic Union soldiers fighting to free the slaves from the "evil" Confederates. While it is true that Lincoln freed the slaves, the war itself was about much more than just the issue of slavery and there were quite a few Southerners who objected to it (including General Robert E. Lee). Also the typical idea of "freeing" slaves was a lot different from the modern one, in that even the most committed of abolitionists often argued that slavery, as bad as it was, did ultimately benefit the blacks. Racism was also still a huge issue on both sides.

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* A lot of early 20th century propaganda tried to give this impression towards major conflicts. Britain and Canada both tried to build up the Germans as monsters in World War I, World War II saw numerous propaganda films about destroying the Nazis, and throughout the Cold War there were American propaganda films demonizing the "Reds" (the Soviet Union).

== Religion/Mythology ==

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** And even some of the main characters, {{spoiler|primarily Katara,}} come close to [[He Who Fights Monsters|crossing the line]] more than once.

** Zuko [[Incredibly Lame Pun|alone]] is a subversion. It seems like the moral the show's trying to send is that life isn't so straightforward and it's important to remember that. Even Azula, the [[Magnificent Bastard|magnificent bitch]], gets sympathy. {{spoiler|After being betrayed by her friends, abandoned by her father, and given way too much power for her to handle, she has a mental breakdown that all stems from a perceived lack of love from her mother.}}

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== Real Life ==

⚫

* It's a common misconception that [[World War II]] was a case of this. In actually it was closer to [[Black and Gray Morality]] if only due to Joseph Stalin fighting on the Allied side, the Japanese internment camps operated by the United States and Canada(Through their internment camps were far more comfortable and humane, in comparison the hellish treatment received by those unfortunate to be captured by the Japanese.), and continuing moral debates regarding the bombing of Dresden, as well as the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

⚫

* The American Civil War is often seen as the heroic Union soldiers fighting to free the slaves from the "evil" Confederates. While it is true that Lincoln freed the slaves, the war itself was about much more than just the issue of slavery and there were quite a few Southerners who objected to it (including General Robert E. Lee). Also the typical idea of "freeing" slaves was a lot different from the modern one, in that even the most committed of abolitionists often argued that slavery, as bad as it was, did ultimately benefit the blacks. Racism was also still a huge issue on both sides.

⚫

* A lot of early 20th century propaganda tried to give this impression towards major conflicts. Britain and Canada both tried to build up the Germans as monsters in World War I, World War II saw numerous propaganda films about destroying the Nazis, and throughout the Cold War there were American propaganda films demonizing the "Reds" (the Soviet Union).