Bad Guy motivation

[ostarella]

Okay, I'm stealing this directly from "Dr Who", episode "The Parting of the Ways" (2005) - it's on now on the Sci-Fi channel  ;-)

"...you hate your own existence, and that makes them more dangerous than ever."  Doesn't that sound like a great generalized idea for TAT bad guys? I think there was a discussion at some point about what motivates our bad guys - and there's the usual greed and power - but what motivates them to take the route they do? Illegal instead of legal? Violence versus negotiations?

Anyway, I just heard that and I thought - I *have* to remember that!  :D

Comments

[beckyblack]

think that's why that quote struck me. It's like maybe people really don't like themselves - deep down, they don't think they're "good enough" to make it in the straight-arrow world, so they go to the other. And the more successful they are ("friends", money, power) the more they use that to bolster their ego, to show everyone that they *are* as good as anyone else.

Sounds right. And as well as boosting themselves they have to put others down, again to try and prove superiority over them. Because they fear inside they are less worthy in reality, so must tear the other down.

I'm suddenly thinking of Ebeneezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchitt. Scrooge can't understand how Bob can be poor and happy, can he, since Scrooge thinks only money had any value, not the things Bob values. And we know that he's jealous too. He's rich yet miserable, so can't stand to see someone going around being happy for reasons he can't understand. He must try to make Bob and anyone like him, miserable, so they don't have anything that's superior to Scrooge.

[ostarella.livejournal.com]

Definitely agree with Scrooge/Marley - miserable people cannot stand to see other people happy.