Archetypes, The Hero's Journey, and Why SJWs Hate Them Both

Defining Archetypes and the origin of the idea, from Platonic forms to the Hero's Journey, and examining why the SJW ideology rebels against them all
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[@virtualmask]

"The cynicism that regards hero worship as comical, is always shadowed by a sense of inferiority" ~ Yukio Mishima

[@CrossingFist]

Very well said. I think SJWs hate the hero's journey because it's all about striving toward ideals. The ideal man is a paragon of masculinity. The ideal woman is the epitome of femininity. We may not achieve those ideals, but we strive in that direction. Excellence is worth pursuing. SJWs fail to achieve perfection, and their response is to attack the idea of perfection. In addition, the hero is not a victim. Negative events are obstacles to be overcome which shape the hero. To people who fetishize victim hood, this is anathema. You need victims and oppressors in the SJW worldview. It's a philosophy of weakness and envy. Adults who never got past the stage of resenting the jocks/cheerleaders for achieving something they didn't.

[@Rosefire]

+CrossingFirst Great comments! "The ideal woman is the epitome of femininity." I find it fascinating, as a woman myself, because I'm reading from people's feedback about what qualities are considered ideal feminine ones. The two most popular ones are "beauty" and "compassion". SJW have attempted to tone down both, first by making female characters more "manish" i.e. shorter hair, flattened chest, no makeup. Beauty is considered superficial, though I do admit it is part of our nature to be attracted by physical appearance. And as women we do take pride in our efforts to make ourselves look beautiful and appealing to men. Second, female characters have been built up to be action heroes wielding weapons just like men. Silence is seen as a form of weakness/submission, passivity can be misinterpreted as a lack of affirmative action. Yet compassion has the ability to soften a heart of stone in many stories. The animated "Beauty and the Beast" does it well. In my favorite fairy tale "The Snow Queen", a child's virtue aids her in overcoming trials on her quest. Nor is this quality limited to women. In "White Fang" a man is able to tame and win over a dog who was beaten and abused by his former masters and he does so with tenderness and compassion.

[@chucknorris202]

Well said CrossingFist!

[@petrikokko1441]

Ideal=ideos=idea. SJWs live in a world of empty given labels without substance beyond what's given. They don't care about "victims", only victimhood which is why they ignore the real people behind issues and move from issue to issue without regard to the people behind. It is all about the labels.

[@The-Artless-Gallery]

@@petrikokko1441 this is why they're never happy unless they're miserable and are able to spread it to other people like a virus

[@daduronronron3955]

I find comfort in the fact that because of the nature of their ideals and how they achieve their brand of success they will never as a group achieve synergy. Because of their value system they will never truly excel as individuals or a group. Because of these two factors they may do well when everybody else has been guilted into giving them a pass, but their situation is not unlike the Japanese during World War 2. They did great until they awoke the great dragon. Even if there were more of them than us they would still loose.

[@disposium]

Thanks for this. So important to know how to let a hero live, and even more important to know how to let a hero die. Compare Johnson's treatment of Luke Skywalker with Peter Jackson's treatment of King Theoden (which was one of the few story elements I liked in Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings). Jackson takes a broken and suffering character and over the course of a couple of screenplays rebuilds that character into a hero for whom we can actually feel the pain of loss on his final battlefield. What did Johnson give us? Humiliation, bitterness, and a hologram with colored hair. And green milk dribbling down a beard.

[@nawalli]

Yes! I loved King Thoeden's character in the films. An excellent contrast with the terrible portrayal of Luke Skywalker in TLJ. As an aging person, I've already endured one battle with cancer, I look to the older characters in my favorite stories for inspiration: King Arthur rising to meet the challenge of Modred, Obi-wan facing Vader knowing he can't win, King Thoeden throwing off his weariness to face the greatest battle of his Age, these are the heroes that inspire and give me strength to face my challenges! Luke Skywalker had been a major inspiration as I moved from childhood and took on the challenges of adulthood. But Johnson's Luke? If I were to follow his example, I'd submit to cancer, make a video for my family and die. Shameful!

[@NeoSef]

The heroes journey is the antithesis of collectivism. It forces us to examine an individual on their own merits and brave the future through the force of that individual. It is potentially a frightening thing to consider, even though it is a liberating thing for an individual to discover who they are and where they are going, so because it is not 'safe' it must be shut down by a group hug mentality.

[@TGPDrunknHick]

I always thought that the heroes journey was about growth. of an individual, a group whatever. basically someone needs to grow because they aren't perfect. these people don't want to admit they have the same problems as everyone else and might need to grow as well.

[@Rosefire]

+Jake the Trenchcoat. Well said. We root for a character who is moral and doesn't allow a negative atmosphere to influence or permanently alter them. You're right that it is frightening and liberating to stand in solitude as an individual because you do not blame anyone else for your situation: the hero is willing to accept all of the punishments and consequences that come as a result of his own actions. At the same time, he can take pride in his accomplishments because he worked hard to earn them. There's no room for participant trophies nor is one needed.

[@geniusshock5255]

@@Rosefire Loving this!

[@kevintanza6968]

@@anandkhorana7033 Communism/Socialism is the cancer of Western society.

[@carlosimotti3933]

@@anandkhorana7033 collective and collectivism are not the same. Collective or "the collective" is a neutral term which refers to "the/a collectivity" somehow defined, and in no way conflicts with any individual effort or search, simply because a collectivity is a sum of individuals. Collectivism is an ideology, and specifically an ideology based on merely numerical assumptions disguised as morals, and on the minimum term reduction of society (or "collectivity") to an arbitrarily chosen minimum common denominator (only justified and existing based on the numerical assumpions as above), which ultimately leads to the deconstruction of society and barbarization of man. Cancel culture is a perfect example, and tool, for that: cancel collectivity in order to reach a ground zero of (externally and arbitrarily codified) collectivism

[@rudyvalle9022]

Too many people think archetypes and mythology is so far away from our modern world that they don’t realize they are actually living in it. They don’t realize they are using these mental constructs to understand the world they inhabit. It reminds me of flat earthers in how they completely ignore the obvious.

[@TheWretchedMammoth]

Back to the Future is my favorite Hero's Journey next to the OG Star Wars trilogy. Thank you for this video. SJW's and even normal people have no idea the craft it takes to write and work within the perimeters of the hero's journey; its as rewarding as challenging and not a lightsaber to be tossed over the shoulder.

[@arichutfles9550]

Yes. Who knew in the 80s that good stories would be such a rare commodity in the 2010s?

[@lordinquisitor6233]

Aric Hutfles same can be said for music

[@papermaniac]

Back to the future is also the paradox of the Grandfather.

[@Life-Row-Toll]

Well stated.

[@citycrusher9308]

Drew Manning. There are no ''sjws''. They are feminists. And whether they are normal or not doesn't matter. They are able to get away with ruining culture because women back feminists. And men try to sacrifice other men to pander to women. These guys who ruined Star Wars are pandering to women. The Hero's Journey doesn't resonate with the sexes equally. Women do not have to climb a mountain to bribe a man into marriage. So feminists - who speak for women - naturally want to degrade the value of the hero's journey.

[@cjhudson393]

The legend of the hero is important to us and people really need to stop changing our heroes for their personal gain and just let the hero go through his/her journey to help us as human understand what we need to do and not shoving it in our faces

[@SirSpoon]

Another awesome vid. I Sjw's hate old archetypes because they are the timeless ways people identify what is inherently wrong or right in the world. I think they show binaries (good and evil, light and dark) and sjw's prefer the post modern deconstruction of things. For them nothing is set in stone and everything needs to be taken apart to show there is nothing there. For them there is an emptiness below the surface. Archtypes illustrate a set of ideals that have transcended time and civilization throughout the world and can't seem to die. From Gilgamesh, to Bisclavert to Captain America, the archtypes just won't fade away and sjw's cannot stand that.

[@humrH2360]

Ironically, SJWs themselves seem to only see things in the twisted myopic binary of "with us or against us", despite their constant preaching of "Subjectivity" and whatnot. Then again, it also makes sense that they also obsess over "deconstructing" timeless characters until they're nothing. SJWs themselves are practically void of any free will, independent desire and thought, and societal value. As folks like me always say: "SJWs. ALWAYS. PROJECT."

[@Rosefire]

+ RScarf1 So true. Speaking of deconstruction, Star Wars destroyed itself with the portrayal of Luke Skywalker in "The Last Jedi". Many stories successfully introduce the disgruntled hermit who is also the old wise master passing on his legacy to a new generation. But bringing Luke back as a bitter unsympathetic old man is incomprehensible, no matter how much dialogue in the film tries to validate his actions and philosophy. Nor does passing the baton to a Mary Sue character work. Rey is a SJW tin girl. She is "strong" and "empowered" contrasted to all the men around her who are depicted as cowardly, weak, or evil. The film tries to humanize her with "flaws" but Rey doesn't endure consequences for her actions--in contrast to Luke who lost a hand due to his recklessness in "Empire Strikes Back". There's no explanation for why she is so strong, not through her lineage or by earning strength through a master's guidance (she trains herself!). The attempt to "democratize" the Force by saying it's accessible to everyone (or worse, "The Force is female") without training or discipline is another crass attempt to destroy not just Star Wars but the foundation of all stories.

[@Rosefire]

+RScarf1 Well said. You are not the first person I have read with the review that "The Last Jedi" does not feel like a "long time ago" because of the injected narratives to modern-day social and political society. True that other stories (and especially in comics) can refer to contemporary society but the better stories are more subtle or at least go for timeless messages rather than specific ones. As a woman myself, I say that the media does no good degrading male characters in the attempt to raise female characters up. It's more deconstruction, tearing down society by pitting the sexes against each other. I disliked all of the female characters in the sequel trilogy. In contrast, Dave Filoni worked on two animated Star Wars shows ("Clone Wars" and "Rebels") and both brilliantly have dynamic male and female characters. If there is conflict or debate between characters, it is not about gender or social identity. Rather, story conflict is created when characters have different ideology and priorities.

[@petrikokko1441]

They represent a natural evolution of values.

[@petrikokko1441]

@SuperNavatar The archetypes don't say that. It is your interpretation of Trump.

[@mishaelcalhoun1165]

Sir, I did not want your video to stop.

[@LadyHawke78]

I absolutely love this video. I’ve always been a huge fan classical mythology and Jungian psychology. “The Odyssey” is probably my favorite story of all time and I discovered it when I was about 12yrs old. It didn’t matter that the main hero was a man. I loved the way Odysseus used his resourcefulness to get through his struggles. That story definitely taught me to trust my intuition.

[@Rosefire]

“The hero’s journey is a human experience”. I find that profound and enjoyed listening to your articulation of the journey, why it works, and why deconstruct leads to poor stories. My background in Jewish education helped define elements of the journey first in Biblical tales from childhood and then in fairy tales, comic books, and lately, Campbell’s writing. But it all began with Genesis when God told to Abraham to leave his home and venture off into the unknown. That is the call he cannot sway from as he takes his first steps not just into new lands but into his role as the world’s first monotheist. As toddlers, we're self-centered and want to be pleased all the time. Maturity requires respect for one's elders, diligence in work, and showing gratitude to others. So in the hero's journey I see the need to heed a mentor's words, the call to assist others in need, and the patience to improve one's character and/or skills during the journey. In pop culture, one of my favorite character moments is Bruce Wayne emerging from the pit in “The Dark Knight Rises”. He has been broken physically and emotionally by his enemy, so worn down that he could accept death and defeat. But at that moment in the abyss, Bruce Wayne acknowledges that he does fear death. The old man tells him the will to live is not a weakness and he must use as motivation. Bruce uses his will to live as a driving force to climb out of the pit.

[@yonaloveshak3865]

My Hero Academia is a good example of the hero's journey story, which is why it is so popular.

[@javelinmaster2]

Other good factors are that it adapts the manga well and that fans don't have to wait a long time for each new season. Attack in Titan made fans wait for 4 years (only for the 3rd season to be 1 year later) and thus lost a lot of popularity.

[@yonaloveshak3865]

What I like most about that show is that it is not just the main character that goes on a hero's journey. There have been several so far that have been given that opportunity. Heck, even characters that seem irredeemable at first (looking at you Endeavor) are given a chance to overcome obstacles and improve themselves. It is inspiring and makes me want to improve myself too.

[@nckiller8666]

True

[@30alex30clubpenguin]

@@javelinmaster2 if I remember correctly the mangaka of Attack on Titan, said he wanted the the 3rd season to be different from what was in manga, because people didn't like the bad pacing and focus to much the politics instead of moving the story along.

[@javelinmaster2]

@@30alex30clubpenguin I thought he wanted changes because the pacing was terrible in the manga around that point.

[@MaverickhunterXZero]

Spider-man has always been one of my favorite hero journeys. A lesson learned the hardest way is not easily forgotten. Through one random act, his world was changed forever. Miles is so lackluster. Not only did he not learn such a lesson, but after the event that got rid of the ultimate universe, his parents are back to life. He never had to deal with the losses Peter had or the sacrifice. Another would be Iron Man. A creation of something that would go on to make him a great hero out of a necessity for survival. It's why no matter how hard they want it, they can't replace Tony with RiRI as hers was created out of a petty need to be superior.

[@xlrouge]

The most resonant hero’s journey to me its Neo’s. Also Luke’s.

[@evertonporter7887]

David's story from a simple shepherd boy to king over Ancient Isreal is for me the classic hero's journey.

[@rayvenkman2087]

The Hero's Journey teaches us many important life lessons like bravery, compassion, kindness and plain heroism. These SJWs are the opposite of those as they are intolerant, hateful, downright petty and so on that's reflected in the characters they created. Luke Skywalker in OT started off as a bit whiney and impatient in ANH like most young people would but over the course of the trilogy, he begins to mature as a person with him being more humble in his skills and learns to open his mind to the concept of the force as something that surrounds all of life. He was the only person who believed there is still good in Darth Vader where even Obi-Wan doubted he could turn him to the light and it was his love for his father that Anakin finally reawakens for all these years to finally defeat the Emperor as the chosen one. He finally let Anakin be free for the first time in his life as he was dying, telling him he was right about him and the last thing he heard was that his son won't leave him behind. The Jedi Order; especially the council fell because they didn't possess what Luke had and that was emotions, something they forbid which ended up biting them in the ass later. They were also paranoid about the dark side and that's how Darth Sidious was able to bring them down. Luke knew that as long as you don't stray too far to the dark side, it should not be feared as this corruptive essence that and in fact should be understood in order to truly understand the Force. Achieving balance for one's self. In fact in the Legends EU, he leads a New Jedi Order is free from the problems that plagued the old order for years up to it's demise. It promoted it's members to form relationships and even express their feelings without being looked down for it. That's why Luke in TLJ is not the Luke we've come to know, he's a poor parody of him who easily gives up and even once attempted to kill his nephew because he sensed the dark side in him. Going against what Luke as a Jedi was all about and that was he leads a new way of the Jedi that isn't governed by paranoia or distrust. Aspects that caused their downfall in the first place.

[@Natboy129]

I remember bringing this up in a livestream of yours were i mentioned id never really realised the benefits of archetypes and the tradional tropes and structures of story telling because my whole life ive pretty much only seen things try to deconstruct them. Thanks to you I can finally realise what was frustrating me with all of these kinds of stories, and basically the fact the majority arent very good since they strive too far away from these structures.It has always fascinated me that the most classical, well remembered stories were remembered despite being "generic" and formulaic (such as Star wars, Avatar the last airbender, etc.) and i think i understand why now. They never worked outside the tropes to create something unique, they worked within them to create something with real value. And ironically, the best subversions people try to emulate still follow these archetypes and the heros journey, only changing things slightly and subtly along the way to create a more unique story.

[@AlitaMovieUpdates]

I think Mighty Morphing Power Rangers count. Zordon became their mentor. This is just about the only heroes journey that stuck with me since I was a child. Maybe the Ninja Turtles count too.

[@Indigo_Boi757]

This was great! I was a bit lost as to how SJW's would even go about forgoing this as a storytelling tool and then soon as u said "Rian Johnson" and that "subvert your expectations" drivel I was like ohhhhh that mess, gotcha 👍🏽 And as a writer I would be so lost without the hero journey concept bcos not only does it give u a structure and neat little map to keep your story flowing but it also helps u know what happening with ur hero emotionally and what beat to hit when in order to really get the most bang out of your story.

[@brianmccarthy6903]

Thank you for explaining why the last Jedi did not resonate with me. At least that movie helped me to discover a whole community of people on youtube who feel the same way!

[@eldermillennial8330]

Mucking around with archetypes has been a major issue lately. Trying to ram a specific message through a story without organically weaving it harmoniously into an archetypal framework is, by definition, simply propaganda. Steven Universe is the worst example of this lately, and Frozen and Maleficent were others, but you also see shows that were MOSTLY all right, hitting almost all the right notes, except, little nuggets of Postmodern nonsense are pigeonholed in that are out of place, like taking an otherwise perfect gothic cathedral and painting one or two gargoyles to look like clowns. The finale of “Adventure Time”, a series that I had enjoyed immensely, hit me with two of those, and they were linked. In most hero’s journeys, if they don’t end in tragedy, he get’s the girl, or at least A GIRL in the end. Instead, two of the girls he had been trying to potentially get, get each other instead (and this hit’s the average parent between the eyes like a ball from deep left field), and he gets... no one. That we know of. So, we get to see the first lesbian kiss in a children’s cartoon and the otherwise classical hero must live his life alone, as far as the ending let’s us know? I suppose he, technically, already DID live out the hero’s happy ending in the Pillow Fort episode, but it still leaves an empty, unresolved feeling. As for that kiss, I’m a Libertarian and all, but sneaking things like that in without parental consent is...troubling. Its a weasel propaganda technique.

[@darthdank1993]

Is it possible what looks like cultural rewiring and conspiracy is less sophisticated? That its abused kids who grew up collectively with what was once rare personality disorders and now cant compete or even reason since they never received treatment. Their large numbers along with over validation and knowledge of media made them a collective force determined to change the rules , since they see normal as whats decided...not true. They group together trying to change the rules thinking they are the balanced ones by attacking the ones with skills or personalities they don’t understand ( thinking they are frauds to expose)and trying to make them look defective or abusive to entrap them, thus escaping what they lack and fear the most, boundaries and consequences. I was heavily abused decades ago by a group of people who didn’t make sense they didnt see their behavior as abusive...and it took awhile to process this new type of bully. What you describe reminded me of this discovery. Maybe its no longer relevant and im wrong. They arent evil just lost. They are in theory our social karma for not accepting responsibility for the weakest among us or willing to defend social boundaries.

[@MrRobot-0]

Yah sjw's arent evil per say, they are like lava, destory anything it touches and dont change its ways, lava is not evil but i wont swin on it.

[@kingsadvisor18]

You are absolutely correct. I thought the exact same thing when I saw Rian Johnson put an entire scene in to denigrate Po Dameran in TLJ. The are the antisocial outcasts lashing out at society

[@juancholo7502]

I think for the rank & file "sjw" you are right. They feel hurt in some way, emotionally, mentally, physically, etc... &/or have seen it happen to others. They seem to want to strike out at the society/system that did this or at least permitted this to happen & tear it down. I am not so sure the "Leaders" of the movement aren't more malevolent, but I could be wrong.

[@darthdank1993]

Just for the record this wasn’t meant to be a blanket statement for all. Nor was this meant to defend or reject anyones politics. Just that this pattern can also fit the unaware as much as it might fit some directly aware. If they don’t understand their own actions, they might respond to well to communication more applicable to them.

[@arichutfles9550]

Darth Dank Great observation! I think that this is the thinking of a certain selection of SJWs.

[@robsmoviecollection3715]

A lot of the fantasy movies from the 80's had the classic hero's journey-The Last Starfighter, Krull, Dragonslayer, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Beastmaster.

[@Doutsoldome]

A movie that came to my mind after watching this video is _Rollerball,_ from 1975, with James Caan. Gloossing over details, the story revolves around a game designed to be so brutal, that no one could thrive long enough to become a hero. This was supposed to be a lesson for the people. But then, of course, the protagonist, Jonathan, manages to get there despite all odds, becoming the hero he was not supposed to be. A beautiful message, cleverly done.

[@RealRoknRollr3108]

That chart at 10:42 - Put Marvel's Blade (movie version) in there - fits perfectly.

[@GodOfOrphans]

By far and away my favorite Hero's Journey story is "Asura's Wrath" I think it's because seeing someone with similar anger issues to mine directing that anger towards something productive is what makes it resonate with me more so than any other hero's journey I've experienced.

[@JesusRamirez-lc4hz]

Hesse’s “Siddhartha” meant the most for me. I first read it in 1999, right before The Matrix came out. Consequently, I saw that movie a bunch of times in the theater. I enjoyed drawing comparisons between the two stories and how they both drew from Campbell’s work on the Hero’s Journey.

[@sandradermark8463]

Chuy Z Who would be Kamala's counterpart in The Matrix? And Kamaswami?

[@1992holycrap]

Hearing you talk about this makes me interested in hearing your thoughts on shows like "Steven Universe" and "Star vs the Forces of Evil."

[@Unicron4ever]

Funny thing is, there's a massive difference between Feminists and SJW's. Feminists, like me, want the Hero's Journey to be expanded and present female role-models to young girls, so they can identify with ideal women and work to better themselves to resemble those women... SJW's want to say: there are no heroes, everyone is the same, everyone is perfect like they are, no one needs to improve themselves. LIST OF FEMALE CHARACTERS who followed the Hero's Journey: - Lt. Helen Ripley (Aliens series) - Jem (Jem & the Holograms)... Funny how I adore this example: she became iconic, because Matel's CEO's removed the show, because they said she was a bad role-model. Having a billionaire lead a multinational conglomerate as Bruce Wayne, during the day, and fight crime at night as Batman was OK... But having a billionaire lead a multinational music company as Jerrica Benton (a woman), during the day, and be a pop-star with a secret identity at night, as Jem, was WRONG. Now THAT was patriarchy and f*ck those CEO's. That show was awesome! - Red Sonja (featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, because the movie was supposed to be Conan III, but they couldn't secure the rights correctly) - Revan (Knights of the Old Republic)... Because, back then, the gender of the character was unknown and I was terribly disappointed when they decided that the Canon would be male... Mostly because I think the love story with Bastila Chan sucked! - Sarah Kerrigan (Starcraft & Starcraft 2): a perfect example of an overpowered female character DONE RIGHT (unlike Rey from Star Wars) - Ahsoka Tanoh (Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels) - Captain Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek Voyager): was already an accomplished woman, but had to reinvent herself when her ship his got stranded, with a prospect of an estimated 75-year journey to make it back home - 7 of 9 (Star Trek Voyager) - Any selected female protagonist in the "Dragon Age" game series - Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) - Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones) So, the Hero's Journey applies as well to women of all origins in all sorts of situations... So, SJW's, what the f*** is your problem?

[@tahunuva4254]

I don't think you're a feminist, you seem too intelligent.

[@eldermillennial8330]

Unicron4ever Perhaps you should specifically call yourself a Classical Feminist as a subset of Classical Liberal. It’s a shame we need those qualifiers, but the plain labels have become too tainted. Hell, “Social Justice” itself was a Catholic Theological philosophy originally! It was coined by Pope Leo 13th in 1891! There was an attempt by Catholic Civil Activists to, basically, take over the Democrat Party in the 1920’s, and that was when the term became common in American political discourse. They were halfway successful, from breaking KKK power, to taking over key Democrat positions in Chicago and New York, among others, but it came to a halt when the Great Depression allowed an Anti-Catholic Democratic Socialist to step in, FDR. Among the reforms Catholic activists were aiming for was a third way economic system, distinct from Capitalism or Socialism: Guild Distributivsm. But only the Firefighter Union functionally became a true Guild. The rest found themselves between a rock and a hard place: too invested in anti-Republicanism to join them, and our plurality voting system makes third parties hopeless, and too in love with power to simply quit, they began a lifelong tradition of compromising their values for the Party. Among these was pimping out the phrase “Social Justice” to leftists until it became utterly unrecognizable to what it once was. The “Warrior” part is a Millennial affectation.

[@Unicron4ever]

SJW's pollute everything they infiltrate. I'm not going to stop calling myself a Feminist anymore than I'm going to stop calling myself a Star Wars fan.

[@eldermillennial8330]

Unicron4ever You mean you don’t want to use qualifiers like “1st wave” or “Classical”? You’re going to cause a lot of confusion and distrust that way.

[@Unicron4ever]

Definition of Feminism (Merriam-Webster): The belief that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities. If someone is paranoid about Feminists, it's not my problem.

[@weimarcarvalho6266]

Awesome job! No journey for SJW heroes. Without archetypes, that which makes us human is gone.

[@faithfullypatient]

My favorite Hero's Journey stories are: the original Star Wars Trilogy, Harry Potter and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

[@inplainview1]

Almost did a spit take when I saw your sub count. Congrats! And this is a great video if for no other reason than breaking down Plato's forms in a quick and digestible manner.

[@JayRNaylor]

Aristotle (and his derived later philosophers) understood the importance of concepts, especially in art. He rejected Plato's arbitrary conclusion that these concepts formed a super-reality that was more real than the illusion of the reality we can sense, as in the famous moving shadows on the wall of the cave. I was lied to about why Socrates accepted suicide when I was in grade school - told he believed in the "sanctity of democracy". When I studied philosophy as an adult, I learned he expressed his willingness to leave his imperfect, flawed, physical form, and merge with the "realm of pure widsom," a conceptual precursor to Plato's unperceived reality of pure forms. Both Plato and Aristotle believed in integrating and categorizing information. SJWs reject integration all together, and accept contradictions and whims. They mistake their emotional capacity for a cognitive capacity.

[@erickreillyart]

I really enjoyed this video and I would love to hear more on the monomyth. One of my favorite hero's journeys is in the Super NES RPG, EarthBound. The young hero, the mentor, the call to action, it's all there and the way Shigesato Itoi individuated the monomyth makes it truly memorable. There's UFOs, bigfoot, zombies, psychic powers, robots, and Beatles references. I can't recommend it enough!

[@Straun30]

This may seem odd, but id say the heroes journeys that I think of often that resonated is that of the Goonies and the kids in Stand By Me. That kid group pack I had at that age and we ventured through all manner of trouble and pain and growth and I like the group dynamic to the journey, like LOTR

[@Loot1377]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Rian attempted to subvert expectations, but all he really accomplished was failing to live up to them. He failed to live up to regular modest expectations. I understand geek culture and academia aren't giant sports institutions, but how would the ivory towers, postmodern hipsters, and SJW's fair in analyzing something as simple as baseball? What's next? No you see that player didn't actually strike out, he didn't fail to get a hit, he SUBVERTED your expectations for the play. The coach, the team, and you wanted or expected him to get a hit or home run, but by subverting your expectations he keeps the game interesting.

[@arichutfles9550]

Great video! I'd love to see you dig into Transformers: The Movie (the original animated one.). It's one of my favorite stories but it gets very little recognition because people dismiss it as a feature length commercial.

[@marvnuts]

'til all are one!

[@superlord1428]

The first example of the journey that comes to my mind is the lord of the rings movies. Of course when they came out I was too young to really appreciated them but as I grow older I love them more and more. The other great example is the last air bender series. Aang had such a wonderful journey from being a silly boy to becoming the true Avatar. Both of these stories use the heroes journey and yet they are hugely different, and some people say the heroes journey is boring. Someday I will write my own story using the heroes Journey

[@arichutfles9550]

Last Airbender is legit! I wish they had continued the story of the Gaang instead of doing Korra. But, considering what they did with Korra, it's probably best they left well enough alone. 😅

[@theschtoonker4570]

I really like your expositions on these subjects. I hope you make more.

[@Polychi1998]

Lee from the TTG The walking dead is a perfect example of a hero’s journey.

[@juancholo7502]

The Lord of the Rings novels & Star Wars original trilogy have had the most impact on me. But then I also encountered them both when I was younger. Oh, after your last live chat I went out & bought the DC comics Trinity graphic novel. It was great & I read through it in one night.

[@laughingtigress9931]

I have noticed this trend of leaning away from archetypes and the 'heros journey'. Why throw away a working model? That explains alot about why movies don't seem thought out anymore. Children's books aren't very good anymore either, so I started writing my own stories for my daughter. Now she is 10 years old, writing her own original story based in the world I created. Teaching poor writing theory, like this, can start a creative dark age.

[@nickmanzo8459]

I really love your videos, Professor. I think it’s worth pointing out that there are several films that have subverted the Hero’s Journey without actually deconstructing it. Ghostbusters is a great example, in my opinion, of a story in which the Hero’s Journey outline was used to great effect, but it was subverted, not because it wasn’t used the same way structurally, but because the characters were not Platonian ideals or archetypes. They were normal guys, all of them with serious flaws. Would you agree with that, or am I off base here?

[@no1ofconsequence936]

I saw the thumbnail of this a while ago and I wasn't in the mood for it, but now I've come back because I wanted to understand the topic of dismantling the Hero's Journey. Thank you for the assistance.

[@dwayneeutsey8162]

Nice commentary. It actually helped to clarify my understanding of archetypes.

[@galatician8063]

Thanks. Just subbed. Growing up I identified most with Spiderman, Spock, Luke, Frodo. I just never saw myself as Batman or Superman. I think I liked Spiderman because he was more approachable, less intimidating, and had a sense of humor. Spock because of his logical approach and struggle with his emotions. Luke because he was an everyman, and I was a farm kid just like him and because being a Jedi looked cool. Frodo because his courage, not his size made him great.

[@Gevalher-Prime]

You Sir, had won a subscriber. Greetings from La Paz, Bolivia.

[@radioflyer68911]

Apparently this deconstructing of heroes, of the heroes journey and the elimination of archetypes is a very recent development in entertainment. It started only a few years ago. We've never seen this before. It doesn't work and yet they keep doing it. The new Star Wars trilogy won't be forgotten. It will be forever compared to Howard The Duck, WaterWorld and Cutthroat Island.

[@Tenacious4Life00]

I think this would make a great series. I would like to hear everything you have to teach on this topic.

[@RoseangleWarrior]

Thank You Thank You Thank You. What an excellent, easy to understand, simple presentation of what is going wrong at the moment. It's been eating away at me for so long and you've nailed it. Thank you.

[@zombiejade898]

I discovered your channel from following the news exploding online about Captain Marvel, but I just wanna thank you for these concise and interesting character studies. It's something I've always been curious about but never knew where to start or who to check out. I'm still working my way through your videos but I was wondering if you have any suggested readings I could try on my own? Anyway thank you - and subscribed!

[@crystalbeast14]

This is fantastic I love these videos this really has helped me flesh out my characters and worlds to be more believable I'm really enjoying learning these terms and archetypes

[@tuka96]

I always liked mythology, and since discovering archetypes I realized why, so my favorite would be Thor (movies, did not read the comics) especially in Thor:Ragnarök (from a planet of thrash, into the abyss where he meets his father and back to slay the Dragon/sister). Not sure if it could be classified as a hero's journey, but I liked how Odin has gone from a warrior to magician in the Norse mythology. I'm relatively new to the archetypes so tell me if I misinterpreted something.

[@tuka96]

That might have been the issue in the first movie, but in Ragnarök he's using his powers to learn something new about his visions, not bullying the frost giants like in the first part (and mythology). As for him being arrogant and cocky, that's his nature and that didn't change in infinity war either (the way he behaved towards Starlord).

[@idleeidolon]

Suggestion for future videos: select specific contemporary SJW characters, preferably ones in comic books, then show how they fail to go through a heroes journey by going through their recent history.

[@ajdmagick]

Thank you for this video and for your channel

[@gabetheanimator6768]

Best hero journeys: Superman, Optimus Prime, JCVD in Bloodsport and Kickboxer (and a few others)

[@humblemarty]

My first introduction to the hero's journey was a character design book from Barnes and Noble. In high school I got onto a research binge for good books. I want to go back to that a little with none of the politics. That won't be easy but it actually won't be too hard either. The hero's journey has actually been used in TV commercials and pulp fics. In a way people still do things to adhere to certain stereotypes. They just don't see it yet.

[@therealstevedye_121]

Really enjoy your content PG. Thanks. Hope to see you on still more comicsgate steams in the future.

[@joefixit5649]

Great video I would love to hear more in a live stream

[@Hazmatt4700]

It's not just movies, comics, and twitter rants that this is missing from but also modern RPG's. The push to get players to consent to and write stories keeps you from being able to struggle and push through to being a hero.

[@richardcorwin5529]

Heavy and deep absolutely but well worth exploring Professor!! Thank you!

[@HERITAGE12]

One of my favourite examples of the hero's journey is David gemmels "knights of dark renown". It's essentially about a bunch of cowards rapists theifs and murders (across the social spectrum of the books world, from slave to Duke) who end up being "corrupted' by good. Becoming a force to stop an evil that threatened their world. I found it a fascinating idea. We always see good corrupted by evil, but rarely the other way around. I think what it illustrates is the hero's journey is really all about the 'truths" of life and how they make us what we are whether we accept em or not.

[@GeneralTantzu]

Good stuff. Great channel!

[@1805movie]

Dan Harmon (Creator of _Community_ , and Co-Creator of _Rick and Morty_ ) is a HUGE proponent of "The Hero's Journey".

[@Nonamearisto]

Getting rid of archetypes is impossible. Doing so would make basically every type of popular movie utterly impossible to make. We'd be stuck with documentaries and experimental films. And maybe lousy comedies. Archetypes are hard-coded into the human psyche. It's why they keep appearing in all cultures. This attempt to get rid of them is foredoomed to failure, and I think most people know it.

[@chucheeness7817]

My most resonant and most frequently revisited story of the hero's journey is in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Because even as absurd as the power levels and absurdity of its technology is, it is an excellent development of a cowardly character from an insignificant underground village to a reality punching hero that transcends the universe. It is simple and direct. It is an amazing story of getting from point A to point B without the usual convoluted plotlines and back stories.

[@stitchseam3201]

Is that story where Loki tricks the giants by dressing Thor up in a bridal gown and making him get married a Hero's Journey??

[@baalshamash9827]

Even the Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past follows the Hero's journey. Link is a young man living with his uncle and is later guided by a old wise man named Sahasrahla in order to defeat the forces of darkness (Ganon) and save princess Zelda.

[@yepperdeedooda]

1:18 I feel bad that the first thing I thought of when I saw them was The Three Stooges.

[@Kevo_1634]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@erinaltstadt4234]

This is really interesting, I would love to understand that mindset better

[@mycroftlectures]

This might make you smile. A Shakespearean Sonnet by Andrew Barker called The Changing Hero's Journey. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWLMo5Zmf9OJnrM How the scriptwriters of Star Trek, Dr Who, Wonder-woman and James Bond use and have to reimagine the Hero's Journey template.

[@davidgusquiloor2665]

The idea of deconstructing or subvert is not always wrong but doing it for it's own sake it's certainly missguided.

[@TonySharkks]

The characters I remember most from my childhood that followed The Hero's Journey are Goku (DBZ) and Luke Skywalker. That's one of the many reasons I hated TLJ so much lol

[@glentgsomethingsomething]

I would love to know your ideas about Yeats' Gyres. I am bit rusty with my highschool/ college literature so I could a schooling. I get the feeling that you don't like being in the churn of this turn. My collegiate career was spend in historical and Meso-American Archaeology. I guess the Michael Crichton approach to writing... That and If you ever read Godkiller by Matt Pizzolo and Anna Muckcracker Wieszczyk?

[@luisz0339]

Good video! I'mactually following "The heroe's Journey" in my story and I just notice that now XD

[@NewGuy2534]

The Hero Journey Story that affected me the most would be A) Star Wars, because d’uh. And B) Vinland Sagas because several characters go through the hero’s journey, even though they don’t do anything that is heroric. The main character, Thorfinn, really starts his journey when he is sold into slavery... eight volumes in.

[@xXcod4evrXx]

Appreciate your videos

[@Teddypally]

Try removing Survivor Bias from the Archetypes, I'm curious what you discover.

[@Proudtrekkie96]

Smallville always comes to mind

[@daveroe4961]

Deconstruction is just destruction with a con.

[@Popesize]

Great video as usual.

[@TheRamrod3001]

This was a great episode

[@dewolfeFSP]

You had me at Cathartic Motivational Hero

[@cjhudson393]

And thank you professor for the episode good sir

[@wwmandalore]

Star Wars was a big thing in my life growing up, but honestly Bionicle was the franchise that made me think about a lit if this stuff.

[@superherorpg]

We never did the Hero's Journey when we started playing back in 1985, but that's because we didn't know it existed. I'd hate to say we rebooted our game, but we did have a cosmic level villain come in and steal the super powers from 99% of the world's Supers. So everyone's rolling up new heroes now, and in my first game I >tried< to run the Hero's Journey with my son's new character. The call to adventure was an actual S.O.S. signal. The mentor was a golden age hero, modeled after the Specter. Etc. Sadly, my son got some bad dice rolls, so he didn't rise to the occasion when I'd have liked him to. That a RPG for you though. The dice bring in a random element. So the Game Master (unlike a writer) can never truly dictate the outcome.

[@kiralynn72]

I HATE what Ruin Johnson did to Star Wars!

[@chonwarren9941]

This is the first of your videos ive watched and i really enjoyed it id have to say i have a couple hero's journeys i can realte to and really enjoyed and they are both by the same author team of david and leigh eddings the first is my favorite series of novels of all time "the belgariad" not only is that series a great example of the heros journey but also a great study of archetypes in fantasy fiction The second heros journey that resonates with me is the standalone novel "the redemption of althalus" this one has a great subversive plot from what you may originally think from the first chapter or so and the introduction of the main protagonist

[@AzraelThanatos]

Quite honestly, the issue is the way they're trying to show it. The Hero's Journey is one type of story archetype, and there are others that kind of break out of it in memorable ways. For example, a lot of myths avoid it because it isn't about the journey but about specific events. Beowulf is one story that doesn't fit the journey without a lot of twisting of the events, and you have a lot of others that never include the return or other major parts of the story due to the way it continues.

[@johnsnow04]

I think it has more to do with them just interested in filling some imaginary box on a piece of paper. Like "Oh, female overpowered Jedi that dominates males", good, box ticked, lets move on, Avengers need some transgender heroes. In other words, they are not interested in a journey, just interested in a result. That is one of the main reasons you shouldn't pander to them in the first place, because they aren't kind of people who would stay after that imaginary box is filled. They would just move on and don't care.

[@chucknorris202]

I think its VITAL for every Man to read The Illiad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, in that order, also read Livy's History of Rome, read Plutarch, Cassius Dio, read the Bible(if you havent yet), read all the classics of our culture of our civilzation of our people of ourselves. Theres much much more. But those books lasted thousands of years for a reason. They are what makes us who we are; they are our culture. You will learn more from those books than you will from everything modern day marxist college has to offer COMBINED. You will learn who you are, who you were meant to be, what your culture is, and so on. This is why they arent taught anymore - EXCEPT to criticize them and try to mock and debunk and deconstruct them. These marxists that run the academic system these days do not want to instill pride, self confidence, a sense of continuity with our ancestors, they do not want to instill that in us. So do it yourself. Its VITAL that you do. You are not complete unless you study your own culture. Read Paradise lost, read Tolkiens Lord of the Rings, read Beowulf, read other Tolkien works like The Silmarillion. Become a Man who respects himself. And in addition to this, to sharpening your mind to thoroughly reading and processing and understanding and storing(in your mind) what it is to be a Man of the West, with Pride and self confidence and belief and purpose, also train your body and mind in combat. Join your local Muay Thai kickboxing gym immediately(or if thats not available, it prob is but theres a chance its not) join your local Boxing gym instead. Thing is, you need to be comfortable with fighting, and you need to know how to fight like the pros fight. You need to be able to throw jabs, crosses, hooks, leg kicks, body kicks, head kicks, and how to defend against all of the above, and ingrain these in your muscle memory and in your mind, and you need to spar on a weekly basis; I myself spar two days a week multiple sparring matches per class in Muay thai(and prior to that I trained Jiu jitsu). You should be a learned Man AS WELL as a Man of action. Its important that you know how to fight, that you can defend yourself, that you understand what it is to get hit, and to hit your opponent. especially in these days where SJWs assault our people. Follow my advice! it will literally change your life for the better. You will gain something that you have been missing your entire life, both by reading the classics, the Western Classics that define us, and also by training yourself for hand to hand combat in Muay Thai or Boxing. Not only will you be overflowing with self confidence and pride in yourself based on true ability(and this attracts women; this is another benefit to taking my advice) but you will know your purpose in life, and be able to defend yourself since all combat even with weapons is based on hand to hand combat as the base and theres no better style to learn(first) than Muay Thai(since it combines boxing with kicks with elbow strikes with knees and with standup grappling/clinching and throws and tosses and strikes in the clinch usually knees but can be anything). Dont worry about injuries, you will be sparring with full protective gear, with headgear mouthpiece gloves shinguards a cup and handwraps and so will your opponent. This is a surefire way to becoming Man if you dont feel like one, or for truly becoming one if you dont quite feel like you are one. Cheers guys! Our people, our culture, and we Western Men most of all are under assault by the far left by the SJWs who want to commit genocide against us. Follow my advice and you will only regret you didnt start sooner, and you will be impervious to the SJWs, both mentally and physically(since they are violent evil creatures much like orcs).

[@xlrouge]

What archetype represents the SJW?

[@williamstark9568]

I have no idea... I don't even know if there is one. SJW's are kind of a new animal.

[@xlrouge]

William Stark Maybe it’s the Shadow warrior, or dysfunctional warrior archetype, that seeks identity and center in the fight itself without regarding the consequences or overall reasoning

[@ShotDownInFlames2]

Newly created archetypes like the snowflake, soy-boy and the angry blue-hair.

[@Sauli_Lehtonen]

The oedipal mother?

[@greenliongirl07]

@@williamstark9568 All I can compare it to is the Equalists from season 1 of Legend of Korra. Non-benders had been ruled by Benders (especially fire and earth benders in Last Air Bender), with Benders often being in positions of power and getting more opportunities and respect. The Equalist movement they wanted equal representation, rights and the ability to defend themselves from Benders. It became extremist when they got a leader who could take aways Benders' powers (he was actually a water bender who had been forced/tortured to learn blood bending)and naturally his goal was to take away all Benders' abilities even the Benders who were not exploiting their abilities. Although it is never mentioned, I think that non Benders who were terrified because as a result of the Equalist movement they received part of the backlash with curfews and things such as chi blocking classes ( their best defense against aggressive Benders, aside gloves that acted as teasers) were raided. Actually, each season of the show presented a good idea turned extremist. I would recommend watching it and last Airbender to get a better idea.

[@ryandarger2755]

This was excellent for many reasons.

[@espinoth9913]

My favorite story I have so far seen is that of Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The characterization and progression of all characters is spot-on, the world is very well-defined, Aang's status as the Avatar and his struggles to achieve the Avatar State and take down Fire Lord Ozai is an extremely compelling narrative... Just so much good about that series, and I don't think I can do it justice by simply describing what it does right; it's something you need to experience for yourself.

[@rubies200]

Would the archetype be synonymous with the growth of a character? Is maturity possible--or even definable?

[@danielherrin]

No school like old Professor Geek.

[@takeoffyourblinkers]

@Professor Geek Dude, have you looked into Jonathan Pageau's channel. I reckon you guys would get along on many issues in this realm.

[@marvnuts]

Is it SJWs that hate the hero's journey/archetype or is it the current generation of writers (who happen to be SJWs) think they can "write" better stories than their predecessors?

[@MrDj232]

2:56 Anyone else start hearing Death explaining why concepts like love and justice exist? Or Pratchett himself saying "It's not our intelligence that makes us human, it's our imagination."

[@veronicageorge3825]

A hero's journey I resonate well with is the 1998 Mulan.

[@owenwildish331]

your videos are so intresting