Black and White Morality Is More Interesting

Rorschach (Watchmen © DC Comics)

UPDATE: JD Cowan responds.

It’s popular to attack black and white morality in fictional works as simplistic. Most people associate it with cartoons from the 80s and 90s, as well as children’s works of any era. We are told that black and white morality is “naïve” while gray morality is “intelligent”; Watchmen is better than classic Superman, Evangelion is better than Mazinger Z, Game of Thrones is better than The Lord of the Rings, and so on.

But then I saw a tweet from friend of the blog Jim Fear, with additional commentary by Misha Burnett:

An objective morality is necessary for a sense of moral peril. A protagonist who lives in a world of subjective and graduated morality doesn't have the risk of being wrong. No matter what happens he can shrug and say, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

— Misha Burnett (@MishaBurnett) November 29, 2018

(Archived in case either of them is suspended or deletes their accounts.)

In spite of the fashion for gray, black and white morality holds an undeniable appeal because of its self-assured nature. We as human beings are drawn in by those who know what they want and take action to get it. They choose this, and not that. They are this, and not that. No confusion, no ambiguity, just bold declarations backed up with bold action.

Of all the characters in Watchmen, the moral absolutist Rorschach is the most popular, even though Alan Moore tried to make him unlikable. Captain America’s steadfast patriotism and bravery is his strongest asset, which is why so many got angry when Nick Spencer turned him into a HYDRA agent. Izuku Midoriya’s drive to improve himself and become the greatest hero has enthralled a generation. These characters and many more tap into a primal drive to see injustices punished and principles upheld. Far from being childish or naïve, black and white morality gives a character a struggle to fight and obstacles to overcome. They can’t just throw up their hands and give up on what’s right; to do so would be to compromise their very identities. It is true that doing the right thing isn’t easy, nor does it necessarily lead to the best outcome for oneself, but that’s what makes it interesting in a way that gray morality cannot be. Knowing what one wants is much more intelligent than not knowing.

So the next time someone disses your favorite show by calling it “black and white” or “simplistic,” rest assured that your show is on much more solid footing.