Why Don't Morally Gray Stories Exists?

In reality, morality can't be gray either, but that is a whole other discussion that I will only touch on. Today, I am talking about stories and why it is always black and white. Despite popular trends of antiheros and antivillains and vigilantes, I have begun to notice that there is no moral gray area in practicality. Of course, writers make situations with questionable morals and attempt to be subversive with their "lessons". Just take a peek at the rising volume of stories that say that revenge is actually great and should be applauded. But that work is wasted because the audience doesn't see gray. They are either all in or not at all. And they have been all in on revenge for over a century now.

For every single person on the planet, there is a moral axis. A line between good and bad. Now that line can be shifted and it can vary moment to moment, situation to situation. Some base that line on an external measuring stick such as the Ten Commandments or the Five Precepts. Some go based their own conscience and intuition. Some like to rely on society and collective agreements. But you better believe that everyone knows the line, and they know when it is crossed.

But stories are funny in their ability to make us confront that line. You might never kill an alien in real life, but there are many stories where that happens and now you have to decide what you think about it. Do you value life in general or does that life have to resemble yours? The alien murder may never happen to you but now you can start applying that situations closer to home.

One of my favorite fictional dilemmas is the classic our world or the alien world. If we save our world, then the other world perishes and vice versa. Inherently ninety-nine percent of earnest people will pick our world if they are forced to answer, and many stories will make sure to show that it is a hard decision. A tough one but everyone will accept it as the right move. So where is the gray? Despite all the work the writer may put into showing both sides, one side will stand at the end of the story, and the reader already has their judgment ready.

Ultimately every story regardless of writer's intent comes down to two reactions. The audience accepts it as the right decision or they do not. No matter how much nuance an author inserts in a story, the audience has the final say and they will usually side with or against the protagonist. Full stop. If they do not already have a stern moral code, then they might be swayed over the course of a story, but they will have a moral ruling once they are done. And that ruling? The protagonist was right. Or the protagonist was wrong. The only third option is refusing to engage and targeting the writer's moral standing instead.

Now, morally gray characters do exist even if morally gray stories do not. Why? Because morally gray characters are made up of combining morally good and bad actions into one person. It isn't about finding actions that are morally gray because those do not exist. It is about finding a person who is willing to cross the moral line like its double dutch. Creating a balance of actions that the reader will and won't support. Audiences will easily forgive bad actions for good reasons and easily hate good actions for bad reasons. But have a character do both within a single story and the conflict arises. Now gray morality is at play.

In stories, the generally accepted moral axis is harder to dance around than ever. Revenge is now a good reason to do bad things, and tradition is a bad reason to do good things, for examples. Power dynamics are also a key part of predicting the audience's moral line. If you make your characters' reasons too reasonable then all you get is relatable heroes and villains. There is no gray there if the majority agrees with all their actions.

The fact is most actions are permissible with fiction these days with a good enough reason which is why so many antagonists these days have to resort to a very short list of crimes if they are to be truly reviled. Explicit genocide of explicitly innocent people. Gross crimes of a sexual nature. Wanton cruelty to animals. Anything else can and will be defended by readers and thus making gray morality nonexistent. Unless the author is willing to play in that ugly sandbox, I think gray morality should be taken out of the wannabe writer's toolbox.

Next time, a book or movie or show tries to pitch some morally gray protagonist, ask yourself - aren't they just a good person doing ultimately good things for a good reason?

Today's song: The Original - Switchfoot

My nostalgic teen years music tour continues. This one brings back my childhood interest in air guitar and performing in front of an invisible adoring crowd