#got on a soapbox for a second due to current events whoops

[artisimpossible]

You: Writing villains of color or queer or disabled villains is bad representation and problematic.

Me, an intellectual: Writing villains of color or queer or disabled villains is an exploration of how society as a whole inherently vilifies people on the basis of being people of color or exhibiting traits that are perceived as "queer" or in line with any disability. By allowing these villains complex morality and human experiences, we dive into the nuances of how societal framing shapes everything, from who's allowed to be "the good guy" to who is allowed redemption to who deserves a happy ending. Even marginalized villains who cause irreparable harm serve as an exploration of the ways that harms committed by marginalized people in real life are held to higher standards of punitive justice, and how marginalized people's errors are inherently seen as "irreparable" because marginalized people are inherently seen as undeserving of second chances and forgiveness. Allowing marginalized people to step into the role of a villain but still be humanized, to cause true, *devastating* harm but still be seen as a complete person is a direct challenge to systemic bigotry in a way that writing "good representation" never could be.