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Both Sides Have a Point: Difference between revisions
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'''Tevye''': You know... you are also right.|''[[Fiddler On the Roof]]''}}
Alice is faced with two different opinions: Bob strongly believes in one thing, and Charlie in another. The easiest choice would be to simply pick a side-- decide that Bob is right or that Charlie is right. But Alice won't do that. The second easiest choice would be to simply remain neutral and urge them to [[Agree to Disagree]]. But Alice won't do that either. And she will neither [[No Except Yes|pretend that the two opposing views are actually the same thing]], nor [[From a Certain Point of View|conclude that it's merely a matter of perspective]]. Finally, she will not engage in some extreme mental acrobatics, [[Doublethink|simultaneously but separately agreeing with both opposing views]].
All that is left for her, then, is something much harder: to try her best to see both sides fairly, and value the merits of each side's arguments.
In [[Real Life]], this process can be very stimulating and rewarding, and it is also necessary for people to truly coexist in a a decent manner. In fiction, it can serve to enrich the morality of the setting and avert [[Black and White Morality]].
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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In [[Karakuridouji Ultimo]], the protagonist Yamato learns he is the cause of an apocalypse in the near future. (This is part of the premise, so it's not really a spoiler.) Yamato chooses to avert this by finding every person in the world who would be involved in the event and understanding their points of view so that he can choose the best possible action once the time comes.
* A lot of [[Studio Ghibli|Hayao Miyazaki's]] films are based on this kind of premise. He dislikes the limiting assumptions of a lot of conventional media that evil exists and must be defeated by good.
** [[Princess Mononoke]] is perhaps the best example of this, with every character having a reasonable explanation and motivation for their actions. San is harsh and violent - but only wants to protect her home, family and the natural world. Eboshi wants to kill the god of the forest - but is a benevolent leader, good to her people and kind to lepers and you can fully see why her people are willing to die for her. The protagonist Ashitaka is [[True Neutral|completely neutral]] and genuinely wants the best for everyone. Even if the consequences of their choices are ultimately negative, you can see why they did it.
== [[Fan Fiction]] ==
* ''[[Renegade (fanfic)|Renegade]]'': [[Word of God]] is that the conflict between [[Command
== [[Film]] ==
* The entire film ''[[Fiddler On the Roof]]'' runs on this trope. Tevye is caught in the clash between the traditional world and the modern world. He's a really smart guy, but poor and uneducated. He tries his best to be fair and see both sides of the situation, with many inner monologues about "on the one hand [...] but on the other hand". In the page quote above he gets ridiculed for not simply picking a side when two guys who both have valid ideas stick to parroting slogans at each other instead of making more nuanced arguments for their causes.
* ''[[The Social Network]]'' is done this way, and the characters themselves reach this conclusion: None of them is truly unsympathetic, and they all have more or less valid claims and complaints.
* In ''[[Team America]]'', both 'dicks' and 'pussies' have a point, according to Gary's (plagiarized) speech at the end. The 'assholes' on the other hand, just make everything worse for everyone.
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== [[Literature]] ==
* [[Felsic Current]]
* The Sheriff of Nottingham is able to do this to ''himself'' in ''In A Dark Wood'', Michael Cadnum's [[White and White Morality]] retelling of [[Robin Hood]]. Halfway through the book, he is able to recognize that although Robin Hood is an outlaw, he is also a [[Chaotic Good|good man]]. It isn't until the end of the book that he is able to find a point of reconciliation between this and his duty to uphold the law.
* ''The Audacity of Hope'' by [[Barack Obama]] use this trope as a cornerstone for much of it's portrayal of the political landscape.
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Done on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in the episode ''The PTA Disbands'' when Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel are trying to convince the parents at a PTA meeting of their respective positions. Mrs. Krabappel argues that Skinner's budget cuts are harming the education the parents' children are receiving, and that they need the resources to do their job. The parents are inclined to agree with her until Skinner points out that the school is on a very tight budget as it is, and for the school administration to get what the teachers are asking for they'd have to raise the parents' taxes. That gets the parents complaining about taxes being high enough as it is, and the debate between Skinner's and Krabappel's positions ends up going back and forth. The episode ends by Skinner and Krabappel deciding to [[Take a Third Option]] and rent out the school's cloakrooms to the prison system to raise extra money, although the writers don't provide an answer to the taxes vs. education quality debate.
* ''[[South Park]]'' uses the [[Golden Mean Fallacy]] a lot to find a middleground between two opposing sides, ultimately arguing that each side is partially correct.
* The animated TV adaptation of ''[[The Lorax]]'' does acknowledge that a lot of people would lose their jobs if the Thneed factory shut down.
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