Literally Me Characters: Men and Misunderstanding Media

[@Definite_Dave]

Thank you, Book and Movie Guy. I just cancelled my semi-monthly shipment of crisp, white, eggshell finish business cards.

[@thanus6636]

They’re not eggshell, they’re bone 🍷

[@darlalathan6143]

Yeah, those are boring! I prefer some color in mine because I'm an artist, not a New York stockbroker in the '80s!

[@Deadeye313]

Amateur, get a watermark if you really want to be taken seriously....

[@beccangavin]

I want a “You are Ken-nough” shirt so I can reassure just everyone that sees me that they are Ken-nough.

[@san-t7700]

Ok, but hear me out- *I drive*

[@ThyFloorestFloor]

Wouldn't that make you-- *A Driver*

[@jackslackofsurprise911]

😂 honestly

[@samf.s.7731]

Your students are very fortunate to have you as their teacher. In fact, we're honestly very lucky to have any teachers working today at all since they're really underpaid and are now being censored for teaching children about the real world, and how to deal with it in a manner that ensures their safety. As opposed to just hiding the truth, rewriting history, and hoping that any and all problems would just... Evaporate.

[@louisjackson2798]

I feel like another problem exacerbating the "literally me" phenomenon is that seemingly fewer and fewer people interact with media in a critical way. The reason I find many of these characters compelling is because you can understand and empathize with how they got there, and they force you to examine the parts of yourself that, left unaddressed, could lead you to becoming literally them. However because many people interact with media on a surface level, these "literally me" guys end up missing the point that many of these films function as a cautionary tale.

[@getriebenesauge9683]

well from what societal norm is the caution spoken? if it isnt one that seems worth striving to, why should one take the promise of certain behaviours leading to certain places as "bad" or "scary"? it all comes down to the liberation of men from the moral expectations of women via the liberation of women from economic dependency on men.

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@getriebenesauge9683 men are still mostly raised in a rather 1950's way - and the liberation of woman has barely changed that.

[@getriebenesauge9683]

@@xBINARYGODx the raising of men is tied to the fashions of an era? The raising of men is tied to function.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

"Fewer and fewer people interact with media in a critical way" just say you think you are better than everyone else and that you are the only smart person for repeating what you see in video essays. That's obviously what you think. You're not "media literate." You just treat media like homework where you have to repeat whatever the teacher said is the correct answer. You would probably think American Psycho glorifies Patrick Bateman if you had just watched it on your own and didn't have a KZbinr tell you that the movie makes fun of him.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

​@@xBINARYGODx "men are still mostly raised in a rather 1950s way" No they aren't. You don't know what the 1950s were like and just use it as a shorthand for "the bad stuff." I am a man and can say for a fact that my upbringing was nothing like the 1950s. Nor was the upbringing of most other people I know. Considering that you and most other people in this comments section can't tell the difference between toxic masculinity and masculinity as a general concept, why should I trust anything you have to say regarding movies about masculinity? You clearly hate the very notion, and will thus hate any movie that has something to say about it.

[@Goose2001]

Actually I like Literally Me characters because they are literally me

[@Bolter024]

Same

[@joeymayson8279]

Stop impersonating me

[@archpuke]

Gonna start using Killmonger as my new literally me character. Thanks book and movie guy

[@darlalathan6143]

LOL!

[@eddie2379]

Literally me Ryan Gosling Blade Runner just cause I’m depressed

[@thebookmovieguy]

Real

[@endgamefond]

😂 fact

[@ResearcherGhost]

The men don't usually understand these types of characters are a warning of what you don't want to become. Patrick is completely void of anything and he is in constant suffering and he tries to fill that void with killing and expensive things but he will always be alone, Thomas Shelby has a lot of money yet in every season tha losses surpass the wins, his ambition became his downfall he first receive the beating of his life by the Sabini men, then they killed his wife, and then his brother, he is developing Schizophrenia surly and his son won't have a normal life and everything because his dad never has enough. Don't become this, love your partner and your son if you have one. Bring stability and comfort not chaos and confrontation.

[@aes0p895]

You're right, but that assumes one is inclined to agree with the subtext of a film or story. While I don't want to 'defend' the types of ppl who read the Taxi Driver char or The Joker as justified, if I were to watch a film produced by Ben Shapiro, I wouldn't feel any kind of compulsion to agree w/ his subtext, in fact I might feel the opposite. Same goes for certain ppl when they watch mainstream Hollywood.

[@unwelcomemotivation]

this.

[@aes0p895]

I actually will point out that Killmonger specifically was definitely 'literally me' among multiple of my black male friends. In fact, I kinda fell into that slightly myself. More testament to the idea that the film had some level of moral grey area, which is a good thing. But your point is sound anyway.

[@PutkisenSetä]

If I airdropped you a plasma rifle, would your first instinct be to start a civil war? If Black Panty lost the fight, Killymanjaro woulda found his precious community shooting at garbage cans or hiding that shit so they can sell it to the government later. Enterprising guys would be buying them in bulk from whoever specifically to cash in. That movie should have ended with a multiracial block party hoarding every single tin of beans they can get their hands on just so they can shoot something without a fuss. Because that's what'd happen. A burning mattress would catch any shots you miss. What a dumb plan.

[@Cosmik_Horror]

Possible controversial opinion: I felt they had a female Asian literally me in Shang-Chi. His sister is a warning to angry Asian girls who have emotionally distant fathers who favor their sons.

[@aes0p895]

​@@Cosmik_Horror Thanks for that. Is it any good? I mostly stopped watching Marvel a couple years ago, but maybe I'll give it a watch.

[@IshtarNike]

Personally I think the killmonger situation should be a separate video/issue. I dislike it when they give a character a very very good point but they make him "evil" just by making him go too far with it. Because despite what the film makers may argue, it often then discredits his entire point for the audience even though he was actually mostly right. Especially when it comes to wider racial or social justice issues. Characters like killmonger are very different to characters like Patrick Batmane or even the Joker in the recent film.

[@jamesygamesy5124]

​@@IshtarNikewhat? kill monger wanted to be black leopold 2nd

[@aes0p895]

I think The Joker in particular encourages the 'literally me' thing because the actions are never shown in a negative light. At the end of the film, The Joker (and vicariously the audience) are reveling in the murder and subsequent chaos. There's no sober moment where the reality of how Arthur behaves is shown as actually bad. That stands in stark contrast to Taxi Driver, imo. Another great essay. Could use some visual improvements though; the text is very dark and hard to read for some reason for example.

[@samf.s.7731]

I definitely agree with most of what you're saying... But I feel like an audience should deduce that this man is not only mentally afflicted, but has committed serious crimes. I am surprised that some people think he's a hero rather than a protagonist. It sure does say a lot about them.

[@aes0p895]

@@samf.s.7731 Well, you have to keep in mind that not all violence is created equal. No one is going to watch Die Hard and come away thinking McClaine is a villain, for example. I think in many cases, the overall theme or 'moral' can be obscured, and that's often a good thing, but in the case with these types of narratives, it feels like a miss to not be a bit more indicative. It would only take a couple edits to make Taxi Driver a lot more ambiguous.

[@vaporsaver]

Do we need to go back to the strict hollywood codes of old hollywood? We need the film to explicitly state bad people and bad actions are wrong and should be punished? When movies couldnt end without the good guys winning? Are people actually regressing and can't perceive what's being depicted without getting beaten over the head? That's troubling. Who actually thinks Joker is a hero? People can acknowledge he is depicted tragically, but Im gonna give people the benefit of the doubt and say they dont think he's justified or right in the end. It's memes, jokes. Charismatic or interesting villains are fun to be fans of for many, doesnt mean most people actually identify with them or idolize them. "Griffith did nothing wrong" is a joke. "Thanos was right" is a joke.

[@aes0p895]

@@vaporsaver It's not like the Joker is remotely subtle in its messaging. Also, you can go ahead and give ppl the benefit of the doubt if you want, but I'm going to take their actual word for it and go by what they say, which is in many cases that the Robert De Niro character had it coming. Same goes for Falling Down and many other of the movies mentioned here. Did you even watch the video?

[@mir4924]

The Joker was justified in his actions and he did nothing wrong.

[@ScottFrick-m2h]

Dudes need to start abiding more like Jeff Lebowski. Fuck it dude, lets go bowling

[@chaoticgood12]

This but with Watchmen’s Rorschach. The problem with Watchmen fans is that it’s hard to use him as a litmus test because he’s the best written character in it and arguably the protagonist, so he’s literally everyone’s favourite character. You just can’t tell the difference between people who think he’s a wonderful _character_ but would an absolute shitshow of a person if he were real, and people who wish he was real and that they were him. Similar to Patrick Bateman actually, now that I think about it.

[@alicefreist318]

It is DISTURBING how often I hear people praise the Bateman character as if he is a positive role model. Instead of seeing a lonely monster as a warning, instead of recognizing he is enacting self-destruction because he does not know how to care, Bateman's cool and distance are revered as a goal to emulate. It makes me feel like vomiting when I hear it!

[@The-Allfather-Odin]

​@alicefreist318 Calling them lonely monsters are perhaps one of the reasons people like them exist in real life. Perhaps instead of making them even lonelier, people should try to empathise a little

[@Fudobi]

​​@@The-Allfather-Odinthey called Patrick bateman a lonely monster, not the people, and is he not? he ate people just to feel in control of his life

[@xenn4985]

You people are genuinely disgusting

[@SarahBullard-c4l]

I'm a woman but I admit I identify with many of these characters from Holden Caulfield to Rorschach to Arthur Fleck. For me I think it has a great deal to do with believing Isince my childhood in rural NY in the 70s and 80s that as a bisexual and someone bullied as fat and ugly I couldn't be a"real" woman or anything resembling heroic which made me identify deeply with anti-heroes and villians.

[@SarahBullard-c4l]

Many of the female characters I identify with are similar- witches, madwomen, victims who seek vengance. If I had a "literally no" it would be Carrie White.

[@stevenolivas7262]

I think it's crazy that people unironically want to emulate a character like Tommy Shelby. He's a character burdened with regrets and is ravaged by ptsd.

[@poopooman-q7r]

they dont want to be him they relate to him so much that they feel that they "literally are him" hence the name

[@odlfmariner470]

His past made him grow into the person he is in the show, nothing wrong with "emulating" someone like him.

[@calebharris7568]

@@odlfmariner470yeah except like the murder I’d say one shouldn’t emulate that

[@The-Allfather-Odin]

Better than being a complete nobody that lives their lives serving others.

[@The-Allfather-Odin]

​@@calebharris7568why?

[@javierpupo8042]

I think the one common denominator amongst all men is the need to be useful. I discovered this when thinking about a game called Slay the Princess and how its a love story. Its very easy to love princesses because they are obviously beautiful but also usually depicted needing something and we either watch them earn it or see a man help them in some way. Men also crave to serve kings and armies at times too, and when Ken in Barbie felt like his existences was lacking purpose, he wanted to make himself useful by assisting Barbie in her quest for meaning too. Men turn bitter and cold when they have no outlet for their unmet capabilities, no journey to travel, no friends to share the spoils with, no love to share their beds with. To feel useless is to feel unmanly for many/ if not all men.

[@DimaRakesah]

I think most people want to feel needed in some way, it's part of wanting to feel connection to other people. In that respect, we're more similar than we may realize. However, different genders (and cultures and other factors) tend to be socialized towards certain life goals that may or may not actually be what the individual themselves wants, needs, or is capable of. In that respect it can help to detach from those expectations and ask yourself "Do I actually want this? If so, why?" and kind of untangle things from there. Sometimes I think it is achieving an expectation that often people chase, so even if they achieve it, the happiness never really appears. You see that a lot in movies. A character is chasing something because they have been led to believe it will bring them happiness, but it never does. Other times movies play into this trope, how often does the guy "get the girl" at the end and it's a happily ever after ending? Reality is of course not really like that, but it still reinforces the idea that "getting the girl" (as one example) brings happiness, rather than asking what relationships are actually good for us, or if the guy is even in the right situation to have a healthy long term relationship in the first place.

[@hbeachley]

I love Alan! My favorite part of Barbie. My best friend (who is also an English teacher!) dressed up as Alan for Halloween, and that made me love him just a little bit more.

[@TonyMidyett]

Whenever I see JarJar step in the poopy, I always think, "That is LITERALLY me!".

[@michaelvanderlaan5629]

You don't need to spend hours in the gym, have a personal trainer or follow a highly specialised diet to be mildly lean and muscular, you could attain that physique by training 3-4 times per week following a solid program and eating a healthy diet.

[@smoothyodaproductions4373]

Exactly

[@simonmacomber7466]

As a man who loves cinema and reading novels I watched this video with trepidation because I'm afraid that any "KZbin Movie Reviewer" that looks like you is going to be a Movie Bro. Thank you for convincing me otherwise. I'm now subscribed.

[@gandolphgandolphini]

I've basically been rocking the Killmonger haircut for a couple years now. It's somewhere between Killmonger and the Goth kid on South Park who likes to flip his bangs and pout "Conformists" at people. The first time I noticed it, I haven't stopped doing the hair flip myself. Literally me. Lololol

[@unovasfinest2623]

Damn. Stumbled on a gem. You deserve more subs

[@minalabani5562]

i love that you are a teacher and are also making such fascinating videos on film and its intersections with capitalism and masculinity and misogyny! i think its engaging content like yours regarding modern meme trends that help improve film literacy and media literacy. i’m excited to watch more:) also: i love how you are reading rather than memorizing the script and looking at the camera- your style feels more natural.

[@davidbjacobs3598]

On "You Were Never Really Here" (great movie), it's also worth noting that the violence is shot very differently than these other films. It is violent, don't get me wrong, but the violence is not cool. It's awkward and uncomfortable and a struggle. There's nothing glamorized in that. It sits more comfortably with films like The Irishman or Blue Ruin in that sense, and I don't see those films coming up in these discussions either (even though their plots sound like they could). Also worth noting that "You Were Never Really here" was directed by a woman.. although then, I suppose so was American Psycho haha.

[@hollypixie4285]

It was a total shock to me when, at age 18, I started gushing about how much I liked Fight Club, and then when someone said they liked it too and I started in on "it was such a mindf*ck how the narrator disintegrated himself and denied the negative effect that the world was having on him to the point of him MAKING UP a whole other person to shoulder that dark side of himself" and I got a total blank stare. It's so strange to me how people saw Tyler Durden as a GOOD GUY for some unfathomable reason, I guess because he was played by a good looking actor or something. Like, wait, you weren't struck by the fact that the narrator, the goodie two shoes, remained nameless throughout the whole story? That we knew more about his damned apartment than we knew about the guy whom the story was supposed to be about? Did you not get the point that if you do not think about who you are and what life means to you that at best, capitalism will define you, and at worst, you will be defined by your worst impulses and thoughts? BRUH where can we get more English teachers like you???

[@GoeTeeks]

I watched a video not too long ago where a guy posits a theory that not just Tyler Durden, but also Marla, Bob, and every member of Fight Club and Project Mayhem were figments of the Narrator as well. I was skeptical at first (still kind of am), but it made enough sense at the end that I didn't hate it.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

I would bet money that this person never said Tyler was a "good guy." At most, he said that Tyler was charismatic or that he agreed with some of Tyler's anti-consumerist ideology. You're just such a smug turd that you think anyone who doesn't repeat the "correct" interpretation that you saw on Reddit is "scary, white alpha jock," or whatever combination of buzzwords you prefer.

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

This is my favorite channel right now. My kids are going to hate me because I'm going to give them like 5 videos to watch, but it'll do them well to think about these things

[@sumerianliger]

Ken doesn't just feel put upon, he really is marginalized. The character is a stern warning to young men that basing your self worth on other people's approval or whims is dangerous.

[@maniachaelgaming]

Came to this video after watching your Blood Meridian video. I really like your style, and you have a great speaking voice, which keeps me engaged even during the previous video when I was really just looking for a synopsis and analysis of a book I’ll probably never read and found your pleasant rant about a bunch of books I have also never read and movies I haven’t seen (except for the Watchmen movie). This video, on top of the aesthetics I mentioned, also has content in it that I can confidently understand and agree with based on my own knowledge, experiences, and beliefs. I’m sure I’ll be watching everything else on your channel now. And I hope more people do the same and it continues to grow.

[@vernonchow2032]

The John Cusack character in High Fidelity was the one I thought was literally me. The Edward Norton character in Fight Club, and thr Cusack character in Being John Malkovich also spoke to me. Those three movies from 1999-2000 speak about identity in the modern world finding an identity beyond being a drone in a cubicle (Office Space and the Matrix were 1999 too) and writing your own destiny rather than just sucking on the teat of consumerism. I think Fight Club in the context of movies which weren't treated similar thenes without violence means something different than it does after Walter White and Tony Soprano and all the "escape modernity through redemptive violence" genre. After meeting the Italian mobster, Durden's homework is "you are going to start a fight, and you are going to LOSE the fight." Which is another scene people tend not to quote. I never read the book, but I always thought it was interesting that Palahniuk was gay. There was a movement called homomasculine in Castro in the 70s snd 80s that tends to be underrepresented among the "gay best friend of a straight girl" archetype in TV and movies. After the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro wanted gays in Havanna to be subjected to military discipline and stop being so effeminate, and some of that occurred on Castro Steet in San Francisco; but with gay men as the drill sargeants and NCOs. The club culture allowed homomasculine men to explore male sexuality and violence without being limited by women's lib assumptions about an inescapable coercive or exploitive subtext. In My Own Private Idaho, there's a scene in which the male hustlers on the cover of gay skin mags start to talk start to come alive and dialog with each other, creating a story different than the one people might project onto the female hustlers in movies like American Psycho of Taxi Driver. In some ways I suspect Palahniuk was the heir to ideas about traditional maculinity passed down from the Greeks, which straight men in my generation were already being told were toxic and pathological, and which boys in high school today probably lack any exposure to outside of violent movies.

[@DesertIslandDisk]

13:19 I had such a viceral reaction when you said “because women are in them now.” There’s this new guy in training at my job, and, to pass time, we were watching a twitch streamer play “Control.” He suddenly says, “what is it with so many games having female leads?” There was no reason for bringing it up, but his reasoning behind the statement was because, even though he knows a woman that’s a highly decorated military officer, he said he’s “beaten her in a fight,” therefore he thinks women are less capable of being…leads in video games? He also almost slipped in saying “men are superior” but quickly said “stronger” instead. The inability to see anything wrong with that and where that line of thinking leads is incredibly concerning.

[@xBINARYGODx]

and its not new

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

That didn't happen

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

​@@xBINARYGODx making up stuff that didn't happen on the internet is also not new

[@DesertIslandDisk]

@@Abcdefg-tf7cu 🤷‍♂️ whatever bud you don’t have to believe me lmao

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

@@DesertIslandDisk Most people don't believe you because no sane person believes your type of "and then everyone clapped" stories. How convenient that this bad alpha male that ypu owned with facts and logic just so happens to also claim that he beat a lady SEAL who totally won the Medal of Honor in Iraq. Very real. Very true.

[@Lucas-zz4es]

Dude. Have you considered running a "book and movie" book club? I will happily sign up. Thanks for the breath of fresh air your channel is

[@yoonahkang7384]

Many women dont like to admit their feelings either, but at least in my case, I dont blame men for that. Its because opening up to people makes u vulnerable Great video

[@viktoria.p.777]

You nailed it. Thank you. I would only add that not all women tend to build strong female relationships, because girls are also victims of consumerism and some girls tend to be competitive in another way. This competitiveness is the pressure to be skinny, good looking, dress a certain way and so. Men and women both don't have an easy go in our society and search in the wrong direction and blame other victims for their misery. That is why many women totally retract from society. The only advantage women have is that they have the proclivity to search for the problem intrinsically and not to blame extrinsic factors. Not all women of course. The disantvatige is that searching for problems inside of one self can lead to severe depression. This can be an advantage because by doing this you might start to read more, start a new hobby, find interest in music and art which can lead to a catharsis. Sometimes taking a break can lead to a healthy distance to the mess and cacophony this society produces. And by taking a new perspective one can grow out of some traumas. The tate guys offer simplistic answers by detecting a problem and offering a scapegoat, nothing new under the sun.

[@thebookmovieguy]

I love this. Thank you for sharing and for your insight

[@Tellmewhoiiam]

Awesome video man. You gained a sub. I was looking for a decent video on this topic and could only find a few. Yet I found tons of videos/shorts on the praise/idolization of these types of characters. With men in the comments cheering and looking up to these characters (with some taking jabs on women or “woke” culture etc etc). 4 or 5 years ago I too thought of these characters in the same way as these kids/young men and even older adult men now do. I agree it is extremely concerning. You explained it very well, and I really enjoyed your view of the Ken/Barbie movie. It even gave me a new perspective on the character Allan and it made me respect him more. I think it’s important that these young men know that what they feel is valid, normal and mostly perfectly fine, but looking up to these characters that act out in extreme/violent ways is not okay. All it does is feed the machine and like you said, makes them apart of the problem. I’m not a perfect man but I’m trying to be better. Life is hard and shit sucks. But the things these characters do and lashing out in those ways is not the solution. Idk, rant over. I hope the men that got defensive in this comment section take a second to reflect and actually think about the point you’re trying to make. Thanks for making this video and thanks for giving me something to think about

[@thebookmovieguy]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the video. I'm really glad you mentioned how much pro/admiring LM content is out there. There's very little analyzing it from the opposing critical angle outside of just satire and memes. That was part of what concerned me and spurred the making of this video. Another thing I find really important is your note on being of the same mindset a few years ago. I was never fully down the pipeline, but when I was a teenager and I dabbled in more than my fair share of "LIBERAL FEMINIST GETS OWNED!!" content and similar rage bait against "woke" stuff. I think there's a huge overlap between that content and idolizing these types of characters. I eventually grew out of it, like you, and I think most dudes will, but that doesn't happen unless there's alternative content there for guys to turn to and positive/open and critical ways of discussing all of this. I wasn't really expecting to catch heat on this video, but in hindsight I'm not surprised at the hate and should have expected it. However, I also feel like they just sort of prove the point. I completely understand your point on not being perfect but trying to be better. All we can do is keep trying every day to know a little more and understand a little more than yesterday, even though yeah, it's hard and shit sucks most of the time. I guess it's just important to meet people where they are and be patient. Thanks for the sub and the comment. I really appreciate it! Hang in there brother.

[@jman9082]

honestly excellent video, was engaged the entire time and completely understand/agree with what you are trying to say. you’ve got talent my friend, keep it up

[@chrispytheBlindSocialist]

I don't disagree w/ any of this, but I think there's a point being missed in Joker. What happens when society has no interest in change for the better? What if none of the politicians are interested in anything more than their own wealth & status? You can't vote your way out of that scenario. That doesn't mean we need a Joker-like figure. I agree he's not about change for the better. Just violent retribution - tho, at the same time, I can't bring myself to feel any sympathy for DeNiro's character.

[@oddiocurtiss]

Finally, you slacker! 😂 I've been waiting for this

[@unwelcomemotivation]

Good video - I love literally me characters - I think you can take whatever you want from their narrative. There's a lot of positives if you don't get caught up in the dark fantasy. Our reality is dark enough.

[@IronKore]

i enjoy people that ilude to standing with freedom but tell people, they consume information the wrong way or they interpret art the wrong way. So enlightening

[@hannigram_canon]

i love this video sm i let out the loudest sighs when a guy says "im literally _____"

[@Jargoed]

Absolutely amazing take tbh

[@jo_helaci]

This analysis is superb.

[@LoafingMushroom]

The Thanos snap is literally me.

[@rodrigomachado5291]

Apart from the well-constructed and deep analysis of the art and audience, I also identified a lot with your personal perception and feelings on this subject. It was only recently that I found that people actually identified with the American Psycho dude, and I still don't get how it's popular to say you identify with psychopaths and such, in public.

[@GIaucoma]

Where’s the Barbie edit where he discovers literally me edits in the going up the escalator scene, someone did a video essay and featured it recently but I think it got deleted I can’t find that shut

[@GIaucoma]

Kino corner

[@The-Allfather-Odin]

The problem isn't the people connecting with these characters It's why they are doing so. The problem is society, and we need to recognize it is broken beyond repair.

[@jackslackofsurprise911]

Polishing the brass on the titanic. I do love life though

[@idek3044]

It’s not that I actually want to change or destroy a society or anything. I relate to these characters because of their obvious signs of depression and isolation. I know that this is kind of proving his point but still

[@dylanclark9903]

I’m that Fight Club fan that does deep sociological research- all of Palanuiks work is brilliant (Pygmy is my fav)- but to say Durden is the villain strikes me as odd. He is not bad. He is the repressed shadow of mankind. I read Fight Club as a Jungian warning. And view the film as a warning about male alienation. But art can be interpreted so many ways.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

While Tyler being the villain is open to interpretation, he is definately the antagonist. He is the obstacle that the protagonist must overcome in the narrative.

[@jackslackofsurprise911]

When I watched Fight Club, I was invested in the character completely letting go cause I saw the attraction of it in my own experience. I remember being deeply depressed by the end because the film reminded me that you can't just let go like that without a great cost. Ironically, Project Mayhem becomes in many ways like the corporate world. Complete libertarianism is appealing in concept but pragmatically it cannot work. I still tried to deny this for a while after. I romanticised complete freedom.

[@Psycoticsheriff]

Great video man, literally me 👌

[@not._zian]

This video is incredddddible , made me think alot and put thoughts I had into words better than I couldve ! If you see this comment I was wondering about your views on the artists role in dispelling and combating harmful readings of their characters or work when they become rampagnt . On one hand I feel like these readings are always absolutly bonkers and dispell themselves bc litterly how do you read american physco and romancize bateman , or come out of the secret history wishing to meet a man like henry , but then I go on social media and soooo many people do and sometime these phenomna will spiral and start very very dangerous trends and ways of thinking (ok the immediate example I can think off was It ends with us setting out to start discussions on how pop romance tends to idealise abuse and this makes readers dismiss and belittle actual survivors but then ended up being the first domino in a longg chain of horrendous "dark" romance books that get really popular but highkey even the author herself dismisses real victims later in her life so idk but i still think the actual book didnt aim to do that yk) and at that point does the author have an obligation to say something? Would it even matter if they did?

[@thebookmovieguy]

Hey, thanks! Great question and one I've been struggling with a lot lately, largely due to comments on one of my other videos regarding J.K. Rowling. I guess my thoughts are two parts. My initial thought is that I'm kind of an insufferable "Death of the Author" bastard and generally think that the less creators say about their work the better, largely because at some point they're bound to muddy the waters and say something problematic or stupid. However, in a way this is good, because then it allows people who only want to consume ethical media to stop supporting creators who are unethical. The problem, I feel, is when we start using an arbitrary code of "Ethics" to gatekeep what is or is not valid or watchable "art." My second thought, though, is that I think it's important for authors to speak out about clarification when their work is being misinterpreted in a way that causes harm. Your example of "American Psycho" is great- I can't conceive why anyone would want to be Bateman, yet people do. The problem with Brett Easton Ellis or Mary Harron saying "hey, stop idolizing a murderer and wanting to be like him- you're missing the point-" is that most audience members fetishizing that character probably don't care what the creators have to say, especially if it doesn't support what they (the audience misunderstanding said work) already feels about that work or character. I think it's must more important for a creator to come out with guidance when they have a fanbase which is actively engaged with THEM, and not just the content- think like a Taylor Swift, or something. However, if artists don't handle this in a tactful way, all they manage to do is push people already on the margins out of the picture entirely, and make them think they have to self isolate in echo chambers and disengage with content they're being told is incompatible with their worldview. Yikes, that was a lot. Let me know if that didn't make sense.

[@jesjr8245]

Well spoken and incredibly though provoking

[@oddiocurtiss]

I think this quote kind of sums up the idea. "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -H. L. Mencken I think many of us are tempted by the allure of rage-fueled vengeance. These movies tap into that temptation. I think we are supposed to see ourselves in these characters. And more so to see the futility of falling into said temptation. It ultimately fails to change anything significanly and you get nothing but maybe a sense of catharsis. It's a shallow, false victory. I, personally, find it much more fulfilling to struggle, grow, and achieve despite sometimes feeling like the world itself is fighting me at every step and that most people around me are apathetic to my plight. (Btw, thanks Greg, for showing an interest in my writing) Sometimes there is a little William Foster from Falling Down in all of us that is fed up and just wants to go ballistic. But part of being a man, or rather being a human being is learning to harness our natural aggression for creation rather than destruction--taming the violence inside and reforming it into passion that can be used to enrich ourselves and the world. And I'm not just reiterating some tired out platitude like "be kind to each other" or "the world needs more love". I'm talking about finding a healthy outlet for your rage. Using aggression not to harm, but to achieve. I believe that the best way to fight oppression, real or perceived, is to thrive in spite of it. And that goes for everyone, not just the "literally me film bros". And this is coming from me, a white trash trailer park boy struggling just to pay the rent and buy groceries who is trying to make a name for himself by writing stories.

[@thebookmovieguy]

Yeah, I get what you mean 100 percent. I linked the video which talks about "the shadow self" in the description, and you should check it out if you haven't- it covers this very idea pretty neatly. I agree, too. The best way to channel rage or anger or anything like that is through creation or art in some capacity. I think you touching on anger as a result of being surrounded by apathy is important, too- especially when taking art into consideration. It sucks to pour everything- good and bad energy- into art/creation, and to view art or creation as the ultimate purpose or fulfillment/solution to all problems, and have people around you just shrug or, worse, not get it. I can't say what it's like for you, but for me this what results in what I mentioned as not fitting in with most people in general, but more specifically other dudes. Thriving in spite of circumstances is definitely a huge part of combating oppression in a number of ways. I wish you the best Curtiss. You're not the only one out here on the grind up from nothing- I feel you. And thank you for letting me in on your writing, even though, yes, I am a slacker and move at a snail's pace. I am moving, though- just cracked her again open today 😎

[@ascendantjustice1173]

Lmao you are right. Thus I've resorted to blacksmithing and medieval armored combat to quench my aggression. Beating steel into beautiful blades is awesome and also fighting opponents in real medieval armor with blunt steel weapons is also fun and invigorating.

[@replabjohn1]

I dunno, man. I think anger gets a bad rap sometimes. It's like song says: "Anger is an energy"*. What kind of anger is it? Is it the kind of random, directionless anger that just has you trashing the environment around you? Or is it the kind of cold, focussed fury that lets you destroy the evils and inequalities you see in the world and replace them with something better? It's like the difference between an explosion in a fireworks factory and one in the chamber of a gun. The opposite of anger isn't love. It's apathy and indifference. * The song in question being "Rise" by Public Image Limited. Worth a listen if you haven't heard it.

[@alicefreist318]

Hey! I'm right here behind you, supporti g what you believe in because it's 1) correct, 2) true, and 3) I'll die if I lose this positivity and give in to either the apathy or darkness. You have people, and I am one of them. Keep writing!

[@theweirdwaterwizard9648]

​@@replabjohn1 While i see what you mean, but i would equate anger (and most emotion) as eletricity, anger can the felling of injustice can be used as a motivator for comunity building and to fight for right in a not nessesceraly violent way.

[@jortlover3000]

goncharov is my literally me

[@alakabambram8436]

Haven't watched the video yet but I am literally Paul Muad'dib Atreidies

[@emperortgp2424]

All it takes is a few dudes ironically relating to some edgy characters and leftists go full damage control mode and start shitting out video essays about media literacy or fascism or whatever lol God forbid men enjoy things

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

I'm an actual, dyed in the wool marxist and I can't stand these bourgois suburbanites pretending to be "leftists" for internet points and patreon donations. Going into hysterics over sigmal male grindset memes is a textbook example of what Marx called "bourgois morality." These people have all internalized being good in school and getting all the right answers on the homework. They're not actually "media literate." They just repeat what other video essays have told them is the "correct" answers.

[@jackslackofsurprise911]

Well I mean the characters were designed to be relatable. But they are supposed to teach us lessons.

[@RunnyElephant44]

We understand the point its just hard to fit in a copy of a copy of a copy

[@bascoaful]

i cried at the end of Joker

[@lilyandere3439]

It's not a good idea to put dark text on dark background. Very hard to read

[@katbar8083]

I wanna write stuff for jason todd, and this feels like a great resource to get in his head. Thanks!

[@StoneyKenobi212]

I don't "get" memes so I appreciate your example and explanation in the beginning.

[@Lucas-zz4es]

True. I didn't have any interest in watching neither Barbie nor Oppenheimer but ended watching Barbie and hated it. If people are calling that BS existential we're in deeeeeep trouble

[@jackevans5854]

Great argument, however, there’s something inside me (it’s hard to explain)

[@billyvalentine4466]

I'm increasingly worried that media illiteracy will doom us all. Between this and the misunderstood satire of helldivers and warhammer, I see countless men suffering in isolation and finding solidarity in anger, cruelty, and ultimately fascism.

[@papajambori20]

Hmm, a very interesting take, I must say

[@hitonyyy3943]

i love listening to you talk! please make more videos like this lol

[@ultrajorge]

Here's what you don't get: it doesn't matter what the author wants people to get from their media, it doesn't matter how they think it should be interpreted. Nothing of thins matter. The movie was made to the audience and the audience chooses to like it for the reasons they do. Not the egocentric people from hollywood.

[@marsmalico3074]

Thank you for your great analysis. As you say, this (mis)understanding of Literally Me Characters seems to stand for the power of (empathetic) images and a crisis of men and white men in particular. The reception of Literally Me Characters thus testifies to a fragmentation of a social and subjective (Western) concept such as masculinity. Perhaps this has something to do with “a breakdown in thesignifying chain” in postmodernism (Jameson)? There is one small thing I would like to add: The main character in “Drive” by Wending Refn (2011) also and clearly refers to the main character in “Driver” by Walter Hill (1978).

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

Or maybe it is just a joke audit is funny to say "Ryan Gosling is literally me."

[@JarOfHeat100]

my favorite movie (and book) is fight club. I always laugh thinking how red of a flag it would be if i were a man.

[@dante340]

It's possible to resonate with deeply flawed characters without endorsing all of harmful and destructive actions these characters exhibit..

[@SpikedTeeth]

I think the only 'literally me' character I've ever had is Billy Brown from Buffalo '66. I don't feel like typing all of the reasons out because it would be a damn novel by the time I'd be done, but I saw myself in him as we had a lot of the same social/mental issues and a similar childhood as well as we both decided to get better in the end.

[@Will-wb6xl]

great video!

[@Setsunako6587]

I just started the video, but I must comment on the comments I've seen so far... I LOVE boys/men sharing their feelings with each other in a supportive place 🥰

[@UndergroundRose]

I just gotta say, you are dead wrong about Gary. He hates Star Wars and Marvel now, solely, because of the trash-tier storytelling.

[@antoniocunha3912]

Thank you very much for your insights, in special concerning the need to be present as possible in relation to become aware of other's emotions and feelings, one of my greatest limits as a 65-years old Brazilian man. New things to learn from here. Things I admit I need very much. My literally Me character? I am sorry to say, Samuel Sterns from that January 1963 Tales To Astonish comic book edition, after a gradually growing intake of Ritalin as prescribed by a psychiatrist. Not good, I agree, but it was still far worse before, no doubt. And for the record, this world largely deserves - and needs - its share of weirdos around.

[@runamoto7635]

do you have a letterboxed?

[@Chad-xh8zs]

“Stop identifying with villains and start voting for democrats”- smart KZbin analysis

[@TripleRoux]

It's the same with Walter White from Breaking Bad. Thinking that the "I am the one who knocks"-moment is somehow a triumphal one. And the disgusting hate that the actress playing Skyler got because she was the awful b**** standing in the way of his supposed greatness. It's absurd...

[@thebookmovieguy]

Perfect example

[@paver9661]

Yes, I am.

[@Rahshu]

The bit about the literally me not being a universal experience hit me. So many of these movies I avoided in part because of their machismo and the people that seemed to love them. Being a gay guy, you learn very fast to read a space and know if you'll be safe there. Where there's machismo, there is always misogyny and therefore homophobia. Straight guy aspirations have always baffled me, and while I've gotten flack for being gay, at least it gave me the freedom to approach manhood on my own terms instead of someone else's. It also helped that my US Marine father would rather read a book than go to a sports game and didn't care that I made clothes for my sister's Barbie dolls. :P Our bonding was over dumb movies and video games. My parents also forced me to watch musicals. No wonder I turned gay!

[@waffled0g595]

Naw I’m him

[@Matt-eq4xu]

hey, i wight do a dmca takedown for using my image in timestamps such as 1:33 and many more

[@Moscoe...]

Wait you’re trying to tell me he’s not “Litterally me?😢”

[@icanhasutoobz]

Feedback from someone with Daltonisms (AKA "color blindness"): the color you've chosen for your titling in this video is rather difficult to read. I _can_ read it, but the relative lack of contrast from the black background makes it unnecessarily difficult.

[@maxtheawesome4255]

Media is subjective until someone has a perspective I don't like. Got it.

[@jackslackofsurprise911]

Well it's like the mafia films. People remember all the romanticised violence and decide to forget about the end of the films.

[@seraphsayshi7715]

Hell yeah, dude

[@PaulDuPont83]

Malcom X and the uprise in black conservatism? I feel like you need to expound on that point a bit. Malcom X is generally regarded as a leftist figure. FDsignifier’s two-parter on Black conservatism is a good resource on that topic imo.

[@angelogarcia2189]

Ryan Gosling is so hot right now

[@urlauber2884]

I really love this breakdown. It's very compassionate and thorough. I don't entirely agree with your points about barbie but the rest was great. I think Killmonger feels too real to be a literally me Character. His point is way more nuanced than most literally me's and he reflects in the end, which kills the fantasy.

[@esfandry26]

Dude can stop making essays about me , cause this video was about literally me

[@_keygen]

19:55 mr robot spotted :pp

[@fnutarf2085]

Hi, if you're reading, know this: You are Kenough, and I won't accept any repulsion you might have of the thought of this!

[@xxsnow_angelxx3953]

Hear me out, English mediums focuses on drama. And people relate to that more. When they scoff over the background details. Its normal people that don't notice and literacy gotta do it better.

[@lesliejay4165]

im an english major and am OBSESSED with your channel! Also you’re super cute :)

[@lv834]

I came for the nuanced discussion on fascism and stayed for the criticism of masculinity as an excuse to exert power and violence . Looking forward to more video essays like this in the future!

[@miss.lakill]

Lol. At the ripe old age of 16, I wanted to be as cool as Tyler Durden with women. As badass as Rorschach. And the Joker was my FAVORITE villain. I ate that impotent rage and frustration up because that's exactly how I felt. (Even though I was a teenage girl.) Thankfully at some point in my deep dive down the manosphere I realized with disappointment the rules were different for women. I REALLY wanted to be an alpha male for a bit there. 😂 But now I've come to realize what I identified with was being othered. And the desire to have an impact on the world. Seeing yourself in the struggle of fictional anti-heroes, and vicariously enjoying the idea of justice through their *questionable* behaviour is absolutely valid. And probably even formative for some people. I think it just takes exposure to further conversations on the material and maturity to channel it in a healthier way. A lot of "literally me" people probably do know where fiction ends and reality begins. We just dont give young people, specifically, enough credit-try to guide them too heavily and quickly. Then it stops being an exploration. And, starts feeling a lot more like a dismissal of the feelings that drew them to that character in the first place.

[@artemys5197]

But as stated in the video the focus here was more on adults..... It's more than ok to have a fase like that in your teenage years! You're discovering new things and trying to find yourself and as you said the catharsis can be really good. But then you think more about it, analyse more your reading and understand more of what the story is trying to tell. That's why me and many people are more inclined to give a "pass" to teenagers going through that phase. You try to make them think more about what the film/book is trying to say, and they can appreciate and feel themselves in the character/s while also taking an interest in the themes and messages. As stated in the video the "literally me" """"""movement"""""" focus on the character ignoring their (I should say his because it's basically all men) context. And while for teenagers that are still developing media literacy, for adults to think like that is.... Strange to say the least. Because usually they don't grow out of it by themselves and they make it their whole personality (which again with teenagers is another thing they're literally creating their personality at that moment

[@miss.lakill]

@@artemys5197 I've been watching the sequel series to Camp Cretaceuous with my partner who adores dinosaurs. Its for children? But, they cover grief, death, betrayal. Survivors guilt. Complex relationships. Overcoming anxiety and a ton of other topics incredibly well. So, I feel like the younger generations may end up okay if we give them time to mature. Even if our current adults are having a hard time. Media that doesn't talk down to younger kids while being relatable and easier to access is becoming normal. Which bridges the gap between Fairly Odd Parents and READ 80 PAGES OF THE CHRYSALIS. My theory for why so many people never move "past" the teenager phase is that it's fairly rare for parents to practice media literacy at home. And school is kind of a terrible place for developing a love of learning. Most students that do well at it developed the habits at home. Or excel at reading what the teacher wants. So, the people that aren't naturally seeking out learning opportunities fall behind. And learn to hate learning. Booktoks that encourage people to read literally anything. KZbin video essays and people getting excited about Bluey. Frame it as entertainment. Which sucks in the anti-learnign crowd. Basically, I just don't think it's reasonable to expect school to work for everyone. Even if you tell them they'll end up living in a van down by the river. Some people just have to learn as adults. Because the system is not set up for everyone to learn at the same pace.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

​@@artemys5197 "for adults to think like that is...strange to say the least" It's strange becacause it isn't real. You are making up a person who doesn'f exist so you can pretwnd that you are superior to them. Also, shut up about "media literacy." You are media illiterate. You just think you are smart because you repeat what video essays tell you to think. If you actually watched American Psycho without any video essay telling you how to interpret it, you would clitch your pearls and say that you think the movie is glorifying Bateman because he is the protagonist. The only reason you know the movie is making fun of him is because some video on KZbin told you so.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

​@@miss.lakill Children's media has always been about death and grief. You're actually very childish and have an even lower opinion of children if you think otherwise. One of the first books I ever read was Island of the Blue Dolphins.

[@fireant353]

Wonderful video 👍

[@Amalgam80]

It's important that "literally me" characters be white. At least, if these characters are being produced in the west. And that is because of the white supremacy of the past and present. The alienation of the white male is important because it is the white male that is best fit to succeed in this society, or at least an affluent white male. So, when even he can't succeed because of systemic problems, we have a legitimate gripe with the system. For instance the Falling Down character played by Michael Douglas. Doing "the right thing" and following the rules is supposed to be rewarded according to the rules of the American Dream. And excuses will be given and accepted for why people within marginalized groups are failing even when they too follow the rules; but for a middle class, and above, white man those excuses don't apply. And the bs excuses given are clearly shown to be bs. When the entirety of a system is being criticized, it is important that our protagonist be an example of a person the system was supposed to benefit. A person that was not only sold the lie, but accepted that lie to be law. The difference between characters like Travis Bickle and Tyler Durden is that they go a little too far and hard in the wrong direction. They take their anger due to the system's failures into dangerous territories.

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

Do you ever feel like you're disrespecting the millions of victims of white supremacy by using them as buzzwords to get likes on the internet?

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

Falling Down starts with Michael Douglas seeing a black man dressed exactly like him protesting against a bank that called him "not economically viable." These movies clearly have a more mature and nuanced understanding of race than you do.

[@Amalgam80]

@@Abcdefg-tf7cu Don't know what your issue with my analysis is but your example doesn't really debunk anything I had to say.

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

Oh dude. Someone tell the Rick and Morty fans 😂😂😂. I love it!!

[@EbbaStigart]

I'm a literally me character

[@Abcdefg-tf7cu]

Based. You're literally me (I'm literally Patrick Bateman, Tyler Durden, the Joker, etc.)