My favorite comments so far are "But Rick is sad!" as if I didn't address this in the video. The concept of the "burden of being right" is attractive to cruel people who mistakenly believe themselves tortured geniuses. Rick being sad in a few episodes doesn't make him less attractive to the kind of person I'm talking about -- but more attractive. The whole "I call it like I see it" feels really noble to some people, and they blame their loneliness on this martyrdom, this burden of being right. But they're not right. They're assholes. People don't like them because they're assholes, not because of their alleged intelligence. This doesn't contradict the points in the video -- it strengthens them.
Reminds me of House M.D. and countless other "genius" sociopath tropes. See Hannibal Lecter, Cumberbatches' Sherlock, Tony Stark, Ledger's Joker, and more. This is part of the reason why Phoenix's Joker is better.
Exactly. They _want_ this to be true of Rick, so they can explain why they feel so alone, without having to acknowledge that they have themselves to blame.
In the words of Todd from _Bojack Horseman_ : *"You can't keep doing this! You can't keep doing shitty things, and then feel bad about yourself like that makes it okay! You NEED...TO BE...BETTER!"*
The tragedy of Bojack is that he knows he's a terrible person and wants to be better, and keeps failing to be better. Meanwhile Rick is just a stone cold douche.
Ok I guess I need to watch this show. This is the second time I’ve seen a quote from it that I thought was good. I usually don’t like animated adult shows because they usually wear their cynicism like a badge of honor and as this video suggests, conflate intelligence with crudeness and cruelty. Their audience seems to be frustrated cruel adults that need their negative feelings validated (not that that’s everyone that watches them). That being said, I think have to give this show a shot.
Ninja Named Bob Todd I this situation doesn’t mean “don’t say sorry” he is telling bojack nobody cares. He is telling Bojack that it no longer matter if he says he is sorry because time and time again he has just done it again. The point isn’t to say that experiences don’t influence a person, the point is that Bojack needs to actually do good in response to these experiences
I feel bojack failed in another sense, by pretending it was being a down to earth show rejecting tv tropy wackiness despite actually embracing it most of the time.
This was the greatest strength in Bojack. During the college teacher ark, many (me included) will feel sorry for him, cause we know he really tries to change. But when his past catches up to him, you may feel sorry for him, knowing that this time he really did change, at least somewhat, you still know, and the show still communicates that it is just due punishment for his actions. You simulatanieously sympathize with him, and wish him the best; and feel somrwhat glad he finally got punished for what he did.
"Close your eyes and imagine a french person" And, despite living right next to France since I was born and spending most of my holidays there for years, I immediately imagined a moustache'd guy with a beret and a baguette. Internet has corrupted me.
I've been to Paris four times, and I can only say "Bonjour, un baquette, sil vous plait. Merci!" The bakeries there are awesome. People walk around with fresh, warm baguettes. That is just how it should be, and is.
@@steveosk8s no it actually isn't fair because that is not known to be universally true but assumed to be universally true, through media like Rick and Morty, House, Marvel Cinematic universe etc. You're going to have to prove such a statement with evidence.
Yes, it is often confused with skepticism, a certain level of which is connected to intelligence (to accept things contingently, to be open to re-examination of ideas especially within yourself). But cynicism (like, say, thinking that a common belief is wrong simply because it is common) is the opposite of intelligence - it is a ready excuse that denies the need for examining the issue.
Having been in academia, the cynical scientists are the ones that have trouble getting funding for their projects and fall out with their peers. Sometimes they carry a reputation for being"crackpots" hence the difficult securing grant money, but are protected by their tenure. Even the "difficult" or toxic ones can be pretty hopeful when they have sufficient funding for their projects, although they fall into the perception that intelligence justifys being an asshole comes from. They're just asshats. People tend to stay away from them and only interact with them when they need quid pro quo. There are plenty of very pleasent and very sociable smart people in the sciences. They tend to keep their head down and are fairly modest. As for depression, it goes hand and hand with stress and burnout. Especially among grad students with professors work them 60-80+ hours a week. The ones that get to have time off and go on vacation are usually happier. Not getting a break, constantly worrying about your advisor's approval, securing grant approvals, not producing results, falling behind on deadlines, low pay, and poor or no work-life balance is a road of deep existential angst.
i think this is a problem with how we portray genius characters in general. there's either the depressed tragic genius (like van gogh) or the cruel insensitive one (like rick, sherlock, house, sheldon cooper and so many others)
I think it's because a character often has to be flawed to some level, and often the most simple bare bones ways of doing that is either making them stupid or a jerk, and being smart nulls out the first one. It's why so many smart characters in fiction are either huge assholes against a nice moron, or just blandly hyper competent and almost a Mary Sue who has all the right answers. Alternatively they just stop being smart every now and again as a forced gesture of being imperfect. It is very possible to make an intelligent character that is likeable but still highly flawed, but it requires nuanced writing. I'd argue that Rick and Morty has that to SOME level too, but it is also an incredibly cynical show.
Yeah it's definetly not like "you watch one episode of Rick and Morty and after that you immediately commit mass murder" but it happens slowly. Of course no one is going to commit mass murder because of the show (if they do then it's more their fault than the shows) but like this video states, of you see enough cruelty, misogyny, islamophobia, homophobia, etc. and they are not framed as bad things people are going to think that it's fine to behave and think that way. Edit: I fixed a clerical error
@@phoney2627 that's actually the reverse of what exposure theory says and has been shown in experimental conditions. The basic findings are exposure to things like violence makes people more sensitive to real acts, not less.
@@nuberiffic most can, some are unable to. But what I meant is that when that sort of behavior is framed as a good thing and the characters who do it are framed as good guys then (especially if the audience is young) slowly the audience is going to accept that sort of behavior, not all, but some. Of course if the show/book/movie/videogame leave it for the audience to decide wether what the character does is right or wrong then that's not problematic. But trust me when I say this, I've met people who think it's okay to be misoginstic because they've watched big bang theory.
@@Porkchop_Delight23 did you even read my comment to the end? I quote "Of course no one is going to commit mass murder because of the show (if they do it's more their fault than the shows)"
I had a "friend" back in high school who loved this show and took it as gospel. She was very toxic and constantly invalidated me and said how much better she was compared to me. She had lots of cynicism and was just a jerk to me. Everything I had, I did, or said, or accomplished was mediocre to her. She believed herself to be much smarter than everyone and I think she might have used it as an excuse to beat me down. She believed that drugs make people smart and are the reason humans evolved. Clearly, she isn't as smart as she thinks. Also, whenever I displayed empathy or a "typically feminine" behaviour she implicitly said that we were programed to do this and that dumb people succumb to such instincts. She thought she was always right and that I was always wrong. She constantly told me her sister was the worst, but years after I ended our friendship, I met her sister, and it turns out that she too was being bullied at home by my "friend". I didn't like her cynicism, nihilism and her tendency to bring others down. I'm glad I got out of that toxic friendship.
It's kind of disappointing that the media and people in general glamorize being hyper intelligent and always right especially if you're an asshole, most likely because of everyone's own insecurities of being wrong and seemingly being misunderstood. Truly intelligent people don't need to prove themselves right to others or make excuses, they try to figure out why they're wrong and try to educate when they are right. At least from my understanding.
I remember watching that episode of BoJack for the first time. I was with a friend, and I remember looking over at him after Diane had voiced her discomfort towards people identifying with Philbert and saying, “Did they just throw shade a Rick and Morty?”
This is why I absolutely love Dr. Stone. Senku, the protagonist, is extremely smart, being capable of making even cell phones during the stone age, but he's not an asshole at all. He's frequently shown to care for those around him and he isn't afraid to ask for help when needed. He's a total subversion of the asshole genius trope and the story never frames his kindness as weakness rather it is shown to be one of his strengths. The show explicitly states that he would never have gotten far without the help of the people around him. He's a genius with the heart of a shounen protagonist.
Thank you for pinning down why I’ve begun to get tired with Rick and Morty. I still enjoy it, but I’m getting tired of being constantly told ‘you’re dumb for wanting character development for Rick / wanting to be nice’
The mention of the “Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings” movement really struck a personal cord with me, since my parents and stepparents (as well as maybe the vast majority of my family) see that movement as something great and beautiful. What’s worse is that they often support it less because they find the arguments persuasive and more because they just use them as another huge confirmation bias. Heck, they’ve been dismissive and cruel of me, even when I have shown them facts in a kind way from more trustworthy sources. It’s... really hard and depressing, to say the least.
I am so sorry, I hope you can power through it. Politically differing with my parents weighs me down too. I know not everyone see it that way but politics of the people you love matters. And when they are not interested in listening to your perspective, it is rather hurtful.
Politics aside, if your parents can't show you basic human respect, don't even bother. It took me my whole life to figure that out. My parents were physically abusive, emotionally neglectful, gaslighting assholes incapable of empathy or respect. I kept coming back to them looking for some kind of emotional validation and I never got it. I didn't put 2+2 together until this year. I thought there was something really wrong with me. I don't know your story or your relationship with your parents. But if it is anything like mine, don't waste your time or your emotional energy looking for something you'll never get. Not saying you have to disown them like I did with mine. But you don't have anything to prove to them and if they can't treat you with respect, you don't have to engage in those kinds of conversations. I wasted too much time and energy on that crap and it nearly cost me my life. I still get a bit down sometimes but at least now I know they're the ones with the problem, not me. Stay strong bro, hope my words helped in some way.
I've spent a really long time in that crowd and since they tend to have the particularly bad arguments emphasized I don't actually know what sources to check on the other side that's critical of it. What are some facts you know of that disprove these things and reliable sources to back them up? Thanks to the recommended feed I pretty much only get stuff that agrees with my previous points.
It's also...(wait for it)...BAD LOGIC on their part. The Shapiroids of the world love to cite "Logic and Facts..." without accompanying their bad faith non-arguments with any actual facts. "Logic," to them, is just shorthand for their worldview.
I share your grief, but at least BoJack knows when to say when. Too many formerly good shows end up turning to garbage simply because they drag things on for too long (e.g., Simpsons). "You either die a hero or live long enough to jump the shark."
I think the ultimate validation of this is the first episode of season 3 when it turns out Rick turning himself in was not because he felt guilt about ruining his families life ( and getting his best friend killed) but instead it was Rick playing the long game to ruin his daughter's marriage and life a life with even fewer consequences.
That bothered the shit out of me in season 3. By then, he was basically an irredeemable asshole, but he kept being let off the hook by the writers. He should be the villain of the story after everything he's done, but he's not. The show can't seem to commit to a viewpoint because it wants to have Rick both ways.
And what does being right actually mean? It means he continues to be a sad, broken mess of a person who ruins everyone else's lives around him. Rick may be "right" but he's also the saddest, most desperate and most nihilistic character in the show, which are all things the show portrays as bad.
@@seanwatzitooya6094 Yeah, even though I agree with Leon's points, I was also going to say the same thing. Rick is not a hero. He's an antihero. Even though Rick always wins in the text of the show, he's also depicted as the most depressed, self-destructive, and self-loathing character. He's outwardly brash and confident, but when he's alone, he's miserable and suicidal. I'd compare him to Alucard from Hellsing. Yes, he's portrayed as cool and badass, he almost always wins, and is almost always proven right. But you know he's a monster who is tormented by his own existence. You can empathize with him, but you wouldn't admire or want to be him.
@@seanwatzitooya6094 Is someone in the show happy, though? Because if Rick's attitude is the reason for his sadness, what's the reason for everybody else's sadness?
@@seanwatzitooya6094 I remenber watching the first seasons of the show and ending with the same conclussion about the character, it reminds me of Dr. House a popular character with bad traits but popular nonetheless. I think this video tries to answer the reason why those characters are the cool ones in the eyes of so many, and I happen to agree with the answer he came up with; it's not about who is to blame for this, it's just THIS exist and we have to deal with it (not cencorship).
One of my biggest disappointments was how much I loved the pickle rick episode because of dr Wong and then that episode became synonymous with the toxic side of the fan base
@@ranterraver5959 This makes the show much more enjoyable. I let the fanbase ruin the show for me for a little while, but not engaging with the internet about it revitalized it for me; it's a cartoon on late-night TV, not Thus Spake Zarathustra. I can engage with it in my own way without analyzing every word like I'm writing a dissertation about it.
The Dr Wong monologue is kinda what killed Rick's development. Instead of having him realize those things on his own, a minor character explains them and now all mystique about his mindset is gone. They should've kept developing Rick.
I always thought it was telling that a certain type of toxic troll is attracted to Rick and Morty. Many people look for some sort of validation of their worst traits . For me, I always thought Rick was a survivor in a very special circumstance of nearly infinite universes. To survive, he had to shed a lot of what makes a normal human. It basically corrupted him. He forces his family into this incredibly unique world and in doing so , corrupts them as well. The "nothing matters" motif to me was always a cowardly thing Rick had to believe in order to cope with the strange reality or realities that he lives within. I don't agree with it, but I think it makes sense for the character. I think that cruel people are cowards just like Rick and probably can't cope with the reality that the world doesn't revolve around them and that they are their own worst enemies. They can't cope with people. All that said, I LOVE THE SHOW can't wait for season four
That may be the case but the show itself doesn't delve into this enough to frame Rick as wrong but instead still portrays him as right for the sake of more edgy shock humor
@@dvillines26 I used to listen to harmontown and I get the impression that Dan Harmon is kinda a douche? Like i feel like he is somehow self aware and not aware at the same time. Or maybe his tendency is to have very little empathy but he is constantly fighting with it. Particularly after his whole metoo incident. He seemed very sincere in his apology for that. Some of the stuff he says makes me think that he is aware that he has shitty tendencies but doesn't care because the success he has validates him. He's complicated. I do feel like some of his poorer tendencies can be seen in Rick. I think he would say that he is trying to show the ugliness of those traits but it is hard to say sometimes.
This was perfect. I really like Rick & Morty and was ready to argue against the point, but after you went through each episode and showed within the literal text that Rick's almost always right I understood how people could equate cruelty with intelligence. Thanks for the video!
I always assumed that it was a meta-parody of cartoons; Rick is always right and always because he's the main character, so he never improves and stops being a suicidal alcoholic. It's the kind of layered parody that Dan Harmon likes.
@@kaicreech7336 In most cartoons, there is little in the way of permanent character development. The status quo must be maintained. Rick & Morty just assigns a really different status quo from the outset, but credit to the show for carrying some consequences over episodes/seasons.
@@xrosswilson1793 May I ask what is the entertaining aspect of it? I saw a DVD box set of the first three seasons. I'm halfway through season three, and I really don't understand the appeal.
This is why I love the way the anime Death Note is framed - throughout the entire show, it makes it clear that Light is not the good guy even though he is the protagonist and surely a lot of people who watch WANT to believe he is the hero he thinks he is. But he's NOT, and - without giving anything away - the finale hammers that home, compared to Breaking Bad which allows Walter to go out on his terms and left the audience perhaps thinking on some small scale that he was right all along.
That's true about Death Note, but even tho BB isn't perfect, the previous episode had him being humiliated by his only son over the phone, despite the obvious intention of trying to make everything right in the finale, BB is clear with Walt being a piece of shit several times during the series, or at least I felt it that way.
My issue with Death Note is how so many walked away seeing L and by extention Near as good guys, when in fact they sacrifice many lives and are often very cruel in pursuit of fulfilling their need to have someone to compete with mentally/intellectually. They were both terrible people too, but many do not read that when watching the series and place it all on Light's shoulders. In reality, ALL of the intellects in that series were complete assholes with little regard for society at large, using people for their own personal needs and beliefs without consent.
I think some people feel personally attacked when a piece of media they like is criticized. Which is understandable. But it is important to remember that we can still enjoy the things we criticize. Sometimes we might be harsher to the things we like because we care. There's little point in tearing down something irredeemable crappy. But there's a lot to be learned from examining the things we like and what that says about ourselves. So thank you for clearly showing some of the flaws of such a beloved series. I still like R&M but am more aware of where it goes wrong.
They feel personally attacked because they have the emotional intelligence of a 3 year old. Rick & Morty is one of my favorite shows and I agreed with everything that was said in this video.
Well, I think it's okay to enjoy problematic media granted you're not disillusioned to the fact that it's anything other than that. Psycho for example is a great movie, I think, but I'm certainly not going to get defensive when someone points out that is invokes a sort of gay panic. A lot of people love Nosferatu but I don't think people are going to be that shocked that a film made in 1920s Germany has a rather obvious antisemitic reading.
I would even say this to media in the past made by people who have done bad things or became different. Roman Polanski should be jailed for his actions but The Pianist is still an amazing movie depicting the Holocast that should be watched.
I like Rick and Morty too, but I don’t remember the casual islmaophobia he keeps mentioning, I didn’t see rick and morty for a while. I guess I saw some of the other stuff he mentioned, but I’ve never seen any Islamic people on the show at all.
Im glad you referenced Emotional Intelligence, i sometimes hear people recite a single "fact" and and boast about said fact not caring about your feelings. The Dunning-Kruger effect on full display, I pick my battles and dont needlessly point out ill informed opinions. Its good to be critical of everything, even if its not a great criticism because everyone needs to check their ego from time to time.
I'm a fan of the show and your analysis is perfect. I enjoy it for the subversion of sci fi tropes and I just find the humor funny, but you are right, the whole "cruelty means your smart" thing is disgusting and I hate that so much of the fandom use the show to validate that mindset.
that's true. I really like the show too, but I rarely say it cause I don't want to be mistaken for those fanboys. Unfortunately its rather easy to misinterpret it.
I like the show the problem is the text of the show attract mean people this part of the fandom is the logical conclusion of the mistake of the creator.
I'm at least hopeful that the creators are trying to move away from that. Even aside from Season 3 aggressively examining Rick's faults in episode 3, the series ends with him rather unambiguously losing, as his family chooses to care about one another even in the face of Rick's nihilism. I'm hoping we'll see a continuing trend towards this. Honestly, I think they may be setting up Morty as growing into a moral superior to Rick. He's not as smart as Rick, but he's learned a heck of a lot over time, and while he's lost his naivete he hasn't quite become as destructively cynical as Rick is. In general most of my hope seems to at least stem from the fact that Dan Harmon has become quite aware of some of the fans that his show's attracted, and he doesn't care for them. Hopefully knowing that will at least lead him to analyze what sort of lures he's presenting and change it to avoid those kinds of messages.
yup, yup. I ended up exhausted after every season waiting for Rick to get his ass handed to him. I figured the show would just never "reward my morals" by punishing him. I still enjoyed most of it but I kinda feel bitter about the Rick universe's lack of justice (or more like the writer's douchebaggery).
This is probably why I enjoyed the third season finale a lot more than most people. Rick was completely and utterly wrong in continuing his pissing match with Keith David, and therefore, missed his chance to genuinely help and connect with his family, losing his position in the process. The fact that it’s so anticlimactic makes it better.
As a gamer, I see the "I'm just being honest / I'm just telling the truth" line during competitive/ranked gaming, when people just want to vent their frustration onto someone else with no regard for the other's feelings. It is frustrating to see these people portray their insults and toxic behaviour as honesty or as legitimate criticism, when all they do is insult.
I think The Wire did the "smart asshole" thing so perfectly. Despite him being the closest thing to one main character, who is smart and often gets his way, I can't imagine anyone watching the wire and being like "you know I wanna be? McNulty"
Absolutely. One of my favourite scenes is from season 5 when they talk to the feds about a behavioural analysis for the "serial killer". And they just tear him to shreds. Then the camera zooms in On McNulty's face as he realises that everything they're saying is correct
He can't stop me from commenting before watching. Oh wait, he actually approves all the comments manually so I suppose he can. Hi Mr. Renegade cut, thanks for the great videos :)
@Angelique ...holy shit, I never thought about it before, but yeah, "physics major burnout" or just "physics major" generally is way too apt for every Rick and Morty fan I've known -- anecdotally ofc. Personally I never got that into the show when they were watching bc the animated vomit dribble makes me uncomfortable and nauseous haha, but that's another story entirely.
I'm autistic and booksmart, and Rick being confirmed as autistic made the framing of intelligence = cruelty even worse. Because many autistic people, the ones that society values for their talents, are smart but usually severely lacking emotional intelligence. If smart is cruel, then their social mistakes and misdeeds, intentional or not, are seen as a byproduct of their intelligence, which stems from being autistic, which leads to demonizing autistic people as a whole. This is why Rick isn't good representation even if one of the showrunners is also autistic. It contributes to the public perception that autistic people are cruel, selfish, and callous.
@@Mary42877 Best example I can think of is laughing at the monsterous devastation inflicted on Vietnam while speaking to a Vietnamese woman when she brings it up. His debate with Noncompete and Luna Oi was a shitshow, but that reaction combined with his history of trying to "logic" his way into giving himself an n-word pass has told me everything I need to know about him. Everything since has been icing on the shit cake.
@@swampy2008 a little old but i would agree with kikoberserk. its kind of like the Dunning-Kruger effect, cruelty comes form a sense a superiority but you can only have a sense of superiority is you don't understand the world. its the great irony of intelligence, the smarter you are the more you realize none of it matter. what people like Rick doesn't understand is that he himself doesn't matter either. the universe itself doesn't care how smart rick is, he could honestly be the smartest person to ever exist and he'd still be completely meaningless. ricks cruelty comes form fighting the truth and trying to make other see him as important
David Sanz id disagree, I would say it’s about equal. People will always get defensive when their personal beliefs are challenged. Like when someone tells me that they think cookies and cream ice cream is bad I think that they are completely wrong but if they say I prefer vanilla I’d think that they can think that and I see why.
I think what you raise is definitely why Season 3 when it came out had some backlash, because for the first time Rick wasn't always winning. Pickle Rick was highly anticipated but there were people who hated the ending because Rick "lost" to the therapist--of course people generally forgot about that after a while and just focused on the pickle part. The final episode definitely got some pushback because the season had unequivocally ended with Rick losing, not on a cosmic scale like in Season 2, but on the familial scale that he'd always been winning and in fact started the season winning.
We're gonna....we're gonna comment before watching the video, Morty! What? But Rick, he says right in the description not to comment before watching! You think I give a rat's rectum, Morty? I...I.. frequently treat cruelty as a sign of high intelligence. Belligerently commenting before even watching is totally in character for me!
I also say the mine first. Then a blonde woman with long hair and light brown eyeshadow. Then I saw a guy named with Tom who was in my class and from France.
Very much agree. I did want to say when they bring up the guy being “triggered”, it does come across to me that he’s actually being triggered psychologically and having a panic attack. Totally possible they meant it as an insult, but I just wanted to throw out that being triggered isn’t a phrase invented by assholes to describe overly sensitive people. It’s a real phrase people use for serious matters.
It kind of sucks that people now think of the dumb meme whenever someone tries to use the emotional form of 'triggered' in its appropriate context. I'm sure people trying to get through their psychological issues *loooove* having them automatically be trivialised and made fun of.
Yeah, that’s why I’m here. My sister told me to stop watching the show in 2020 because of what Dan Harmon did to a babydoll. I’m glad I never looked back.
I can't stress this enough, THANK YOU. I've always struggled to put into words how Rick and Morty feels like a show that 100% earned the toxic fanbase reputation it has, but I could never properly word what was wrong about Rick other than that he "gets proven right" a lot. I really hope that this video reaches a lot of people, especially the ones who need to understand its message (although they might just do the expected and accuse you of "not getting it"). Again, thank you for this.
I could always detect discomfort while watching Rick and Morty and was never able to enjoy the show, but could not put it into words. Guess, I know now what it was.
The cynical, cruel genius is always such a confusing trope. While smarter people statistically have fewer friends, it has nothing to do with them being mean. If we look at the literature on this, smarter people are 1) more empathetic than the general population, 2) less bigoted than the general population, 3) more trusting of strangers than the general population, and 4) more likely to have radical politics than the general population. In short, smarter people are not just nicer than most people, they're more likely to be that vegan hippy marching in the streets and stopping to give a fiver to a homeless guy on the corner before grabbing the microphone and shouting F the police.
Vegan hippies marching in the streets shouting "fuck the police" typically have no knowledge of politics, or society. Politically smart, intelligent people are radical, but almost in the exact opposite direction. Predatory intelligence. Devilish intelligence. I am highly kind and empathetic, but I am irregardless a right wing autocrat. We live in a world on the verge of collapse because of the effects of chasing out tradition and authority for blind equality, even when said equality is unobtainable. This path only leads to death.
This video really helped me realise why I've grown tired of these series. It wouldn't do any bad or be less "cynic", or "satire", or "edgy" if it showed sometimes Rick failing and sucking because of how much a piece of shit he is. And also, Morty being right when he's kind, or just a normal person with human sensitivity. Well, I guess it would be less edgy. And not as satiric, in the opinion of the public that think that not reflecting on anything and not showing anything as problematic is what makes a comedy really great! Btw, Bojack nailed ALL OF THAT. It's funny, and it makes you think. I'll miss it.
i think that the death of bird person took out one of the only voices of kindness in the show. i think that might be part of the "kindness isn't smart, and thus is useless" idea pushed by the show
@@justbny9278 Exactly! Bird Person is mainly remembered for guilt-tripping Morty when he rightfully gets sick of Rick's behaviour and starts considering a life without Rick. Unfortunately, way too many people regard Bird Person as wise and infallible because he "understands" Rick. I think what happens to him in the show should be proof that he is/was NOT perfect, otherwise he would have avoided falling for Tammy's trap, being killed and rebuilt as a cyborg, etc.
Your point is similar to my experience being raised in India. We were heavily beaten up by our parents growing up if we were bad at school. And when they were done, they would talk about how much sadness hitting us brought them but they had to bRaVeLy beat us up for our own good. It's disgusting to think about as an adult that the people who are supposed to care for you and comfort you dish out literal domestic abuse and have the audacity to feel superior and righteous about it.
i have waited for years for someone to finally say this in a concise tightly edited form. misanthropy is not clever. im really exhausted by this show and its popularity
You should focus on your own life instead of focussing on what people around you like. Videos like this to me are a problem just as much as the TV show they are talking about. if you are exhausted by this shows popularity maybe you should try not to focus on it as much. You should focus on things that you like instead. If a TV show can't be popular without upsetting people that is an issue within itself. There are plenty of musicians TV shows and movies that I do not watch or like and I do not focus all my energy on those things. There is absolutely no point in getting upset over things that we have no control over. I don't understand this constant need to always discredit what others like because of the fact that we do not like it ourselves. I don't go on people's RUclips channels and put a dislike on their videos or comment rude things or waste my time analyzing how other people perceive things. That to me is a big problem in society and the reason I am here right now is because someone on my social media posted this video. It makes me sad to see the energy put in to disliking and analyzing things that they don't even care for.
@@nadina37 OP only said they're exhausted with the show's popularity. That is a valid feeling. They never said anything negative about people who like the show, so your response seems reactionary. I love Rick and Morty, but I can 100% get why someone would be tired of hearing about it or see flaws in it (as much as I like the show, it isn't perfect, and acting like media should never be analyzed for its strengths and weaknesses is absurd).
@@tyf.5111 You can take my comment as you will. " Really exhausted by this show and its popularity" would definitely include people enjoying it in my opinion.. Either way, it doesn't bother me. I made a comment based on an observation of the video posted and comments that were made in regards. I think it's absurd to try to sound smart based on your perception of a TV show. Everyone thinks they know better when it comes to situations like this. I for one just want to like what I like without feeling the need for it to disrupt my everyday life.
@@nadina37 "Videos like this to me are a problem just as much as the TV show they are talking about." What? You have a problem with deep analysis and criticism? Leon isn't bashing the show if that's what you think he is doing or asking us to cancel it or something. As a huge Rick and Morty-fan, I felt like this video really pin-pointed on some of the issues I have with the show and gave me a new lens that still let's me enjoy the show, but aware about what social lessons from the show you shouldn't carry out in real life... which is really important and helps the viewer grow as a person. "I think it's absurd to try to sound smart based on your perception of a TV show." He is doing a media analysis. He is not trying to sound smart, but instead is using tools and methods that are taught in universities that helps the critic to pin-point what type of message Rick and Morty wants to convey and what message Rick and Morty actually conveys. "I don't understand this constant need to always discredit what others like because of the fact that we do not like it ourselves" That's not what Leon is doing. He is analyzing what type of attitudes and lessons people could get from Rick and Morty. I'm guessing you are a Rick and Morty-fan as well and I'm guessing you somehow misinterpreted Leon's video as "Rick and Morty-fans are problematic". Leon's video is more about... "What if Rick was a real person? Would that actually be someone worth aspiring to be as?" and I think Leon's video lands on the answer "No" because the show falsely equates meanness with intelligence. That is all. We can all still enjoy the characters and love them, because let's face it... they are cartoons! Within their world they are great... outside in our world? Not so much. Kinda like how most of us would agree that a real-life Superman policing the world would just mostly be scary and not comforting at all...
@@DarkZide8 Cool, Thanks for proving my point. Fictional TV/Movie's. Not meant to be taken seriously. I made my own comment on this post on regards to how I think/feel. ( Where I explain that I don't base my life choices/decisions on TV shows) (If anyone takes this TV show with face value and puts their moral grounds based on Rick as a character than they are definitely not in the right headspace.) Also AGAIN, made a comment based on other comments I've seen here. That's why it is a reply to someone. Not a reply to the video itself. However I still find this is a waste of time and energy. Not even sure why I'm replying to this, but here it is. Have a good day!
I'm actually writting a dissertation for my final year of film production course about the potrayal of toxicity in Rick and Morty and Bojack Horsemen. This video is very helpful, although now i'm slightly scared they might accuse me of plagiarism XD
I think you're right. You also forgot to mention another point where Rick is shown as a bad role model in S03Ep01 when Morty shows Summer how Rick doesn't care about what happens to other universes and tells her that is good to admire some qualities of Rick but he shouldn't be her hero. That felt like a message to their audience too.
I really like Rick and Morty (despite its more problematic elements) and I thought this was a solid critique. I suspect that the writers are trying to show that Rick is not someone to be emulated and that his decisions, even when they are 'successful', are not always right and that he consistently hurts and/or alienates everyone he cares about. However, I think you're right in saying that they haven't done enough to undermine the relationship between the terrible things Rick says and does and the fact that he's almost always framed as being right.
This is more or less what I've felt watching the series. It's odd, I agree with the video entirely, I just never really had the impression before this that Rick being "right" was supposed to be fine and reasonable, let alone good - especially with him being the reason so many of those problems exist in the first place. I want the series to brutally deconstruct that framing, I don't think there's really any other way to end this series that would be worthwhile. If the series ended right now, it would be a disappointing mess specifically because they haven't done that yet. I'd put that down to the way I approach what I watch though, the kind of self proclaimed intellectual assholes this show can attract isn't some giant coinkydink.
I feel like in order to recognize that Rick is a mess you have to already believe that having meaningful relationships with people is a good thing. People who admire Rick think such relationships are either impossible or don't actually matter so they don't see him as a failure for not having them
I always wondered why I loath shows that have cruel protagonists but love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I guess I unconsciously picked up on which shows portrayed such protagonists in a positive light, and those that did not/criticised them
I think I have the same experience. I remember a promotional for _BoJack Horseman_ that compared the title character to figures such as Tony Soprano and Walter White, but I couldn't stand either show. I can appreciate it when the antihero gets a comeuppance or gets better, but seeing them get rewarded, not so much.
Always sun y its at least not apoloeptic at all about the characters and most of their scams end in failure and pain for them while rick has a pseudo science I win button
Always Sunny in Philadelphia is funny to watch because everyone knows they suck. They get punished and its funny to see bad people get what they deserve. In Rick and Morty, Rick mostly wins. The writers thinks he's always right. The bad person is right in RAM. So yeah, kinda explains why ASIP is much more fun to watch that RAM.
Despite all of the backlash against the weird fandom, I've never really thought of the problem with the fandom stemming from the strange messages of the show itself tbh. But of course, it makes total sense. I like the show, but yeah the cruelty of the show sometimes reminds me of Family Guy, which I think is even more grossly cruel and mean spirited, and which has waned in popularity for this mean-spiritedness itself IMO. Here's hoping that the show itself might seriously deal with Rick's problem as a character at a later date, and not devolve like Family Guy did.
Medial Agitators like Rick and Morty who tell Assholes that they are just too intelligent then everyone else will obviously attract these freaks like flies
I love this analysis. And I agree that Rick occasionally slipping up is not enough to be condemnation; in the conclusion of the A-story, Rick is generally proven right. But he is often wrong about minutia, and his response to being objectively proven wrong is never any different than when he's right. To me, that's the backdoor of why it's clear that Rick is a genius, full stop. And Rick is cruel, full stop. The time split episode was a good example, where his whole thing is that he's so confident he'd never be unsure about a decision, and then when he's insecure about a joke, he's proven wrong but STILL blames Morty and is EXTRA cruel to Morty BECAUSE he was proven wrong. That's why his cruelty and genius are separate for me. But that's only my read and like you said, the show continually goes out of its way to connect the two. I just like to think it's meant to be "Ricks' flaw," (that he can't disentangle his cruelty from his genius,) not the show's. Probably just my justification for excusing it. I guess it would take going through plot lines with exclusively cruel outcomes to see if there was a less cruel way to conclude the story. He definitely didn't need to take the green power rock at the end of the Mad Max episode, that was strictly cruelty. And the few times I can think of him being benevolent in the end of an episode, or at least...neutral, he then attempted suicide, or like you said undoes it by collapsing the gov and murdering a whoooole bunch of people. Sorry, rambling. Good stuff.
A show with a lot of the same issues is "House". I really enjoyed that show, and they did do a bit to try to show that he is wrong for connecting his physical pain and his being mean to people as connected to his intelligence...but he is right often enough that it is still too easy to take away the "smart people have a right to be mean" message.
Another issue is that I think it took at least 4 seasons to get to those problems, and it's easy to dismiss a show as going bad this late in the run. I certainly did.
i know what you mean but i can rember a few episodes were house was wrong or at least failed, but with the seasons of R&M that are out right now there are basicly none.
House MD shows that other doctors help a lot more people than House, who just wants to solve mysteries. Outside of the mysteries he's shown as a trash doctor and human being, who destroys everything around him and abuses everyone. This is not subtext but text.
@@alpani6805 He helps patients that literally no other doctor can fix, though. He's not a trash doctor, he's actually one of the best. Hence why people come from across the globe to see him. Not that him being a prick helps him be a good doctor. But he does lives, and the victims families from a lifetime of heartache. And he DOES care about the patients. He just doesn't show it.
@@alpani6805 Like, I love you guys, but this show is a classic, and you can't just take THAT shallow of an approach to it and try to reduce it to a walking trope. Lol. "Pulp Fiction is shit. It just glorifies the criminal lifestyle and totally doesn't even criticize it!" Is basically what I'm seeing in these comments. And how is House as bad as a criminal/mass murderer who ruins universes for fun lol.
This is so crazy to me cause i always saw Jerry as right and would get upset at how they framed him. Like Rick shouldnt be around children, Jerry said that. Rick is uncaring and cruel, Jerry said that. Rick is bad. Jerry said that. So when theyd be like 'haha stupid Jerry" id get visibly upset
100% agree, that's why I'm happy in the 4th season they developed his character in terms of his assertiveness when critiquing Rick's behaviour, but it still isn't enough.
I actually have a bit of pushback in the sense that I think that while the viewer is supposed to find Rick funny and cool in a sense, they are also supposed to understand that there are multiple kinds of intelligence, and while Rick is absurdly gifted in some areas, he absolutely lacks in others. He lacks emotional intelligence to the nth degree, specifically, and his major failing is conflating his kind of intelligence with all kinds of intelligence. Yes Rick, you can make an entire nested set of universes but you don't understand how to navigate relationships beyond a certain level and you realize it so you lash out, with your intelligence as the weapon of choice.
I think that the most stupid viewers of Rick and Morty are the ones who think that rick is right. This might be biased, because I honestly almost never think of him as correct. I think a lot of people enjoy the novelty of watching a series from the point of someone who is neither the villain nor a hero
@Jamiontae hudson I've never liked Rick (he's a piece of s&*t IMO). I used to root for Morty, Summer, & their mom to finally see what their dad often seems to, and abandon rick like he did to their mom. It's what he deserves. BTW I quit watching that show a while ago cause I got sick of it
@@possumhead2812 Yeah, any show Dan Harmon writes for has a Dan-Harmon-self-insert. I realised that when I watched 'Community' a few times and it suddenly occurred to me that 'Jeff Winger' was how Dan views himself and the show quickly lost its appeal.
Something that gets on my nerves is: Shows these days present their characters as 'smart', because they make nerd jokes about astronomy, calculus. It's always nerd jokes. If you are a nerd, you are smart. I get most of these jokes. I also know calculus. Yet, I was a 9/11 truther for crying out loud.
cant believe i made a pop culture reference in response to a comment calling out media for overusing them 😅 wheres my trophy for having the most brain cells
And then I go watch Doctor Who: "I do what I do because it's RIGHT! Because it's decent. And above all, kind. It's just that. Just kind." Now *that's* a message to take home.
A former friend ended taking Rick and Morty a little too seriously, and ended being extremely cruel, I decided to cut ties with her because she always thought she was going to be proven right after being the absolute worst.
I'm just speaking with conjecture but I feel like Southpark shaped a lot of narcissistic attitudes in people, especially through characters like Cartman. I also believe that Trey Parker and Matt Stone originally underestimated the effect the show and its characters have on people.
Yeah but the difference with cartman is that nearly every other character in his life hates him, or ends up hating him once they see the true him and 90% of his attempts end up with him crying to his mother that he didn't get his way. Yeah he's an asshole, but rarely does that payoff for him.
20:50 Oh man, thank you for calling that out. I won't lie, I enjoyed the Pickle Rick shinanigans (the internet took it too far, but when doesn't it?), but my absolute FAVORITE thing in that episode and most of the series is the 'strip mall psychiatrist' absolutely tearing Rick's bullshit away and the fact that afterwards, the only way he knows how to handle it, in all his 'infinite intelligence,' is... to ignore it. To shuffle awkwardly in the car for a few minutes and tune out the literal cries for help coming from the back seat and go to the next distraction. It's great! It also makes me want to see what the supposed 'infinite multiverse' has to show us about Ricks who DO go to therapy and work past their cruelty. But... Yeah, I suppose showing that would just end up with 'Nope, asshole Rick has to be the right one,' so... I won't hold my breath. Still, good for some laughs along the way. Neat video! Gave me some things to think on!
@@ChurchHatesTucker It's true, they are not directly linked, however, it seems that intelligent people have better chances at grasping complex coherencies and therefor understand and be compassionate with people whom they might otherwise have condemned. This is not a hard rule, but I believe I have observed a correlation here. So, if we want to make people more compassionate, helping them develop their intelligence (and then provide them with information/education) would be an important step.
In short, at least how I'm understanding this video anyways... There's a few important lessons here. 1.) Be nice to others. 2.) Rick is funny. 3.) If you identify with Rick or see him as a role model. Ask yourself why and talk to someone about it.
What's really sad is that Dan harmon, the co-creator of this series, created "community" That entire show is about an entitled jerk who thinks he is smart, slowly realizing that he has been wrong and coming to change his ways and care about people. Sad that he went from working on that tv series to creating one with the opposite message.
As a huge BoJack fan... yeah, I’m glad they addressed this issue. BoJack is very relatable, and I’m glad they went so meta so there was no ambiguity about it.
I find the show amusing at times and I love their handling of scifi ideas and tropes, but god I hate Rick. If I watch more than two episodes in a row I start getting angry and agitated, this helped me understand why.
fellow narcissist's victim? The Rick in my life died more than 10 years ago and I still feel like punching his f face every now and then. I enjoy the show but it takes a lot from me to not "feel" it. Morty's goofy voice helps.
The Vindicators episode spells out why you feel this way. Morty explicitly tells Rick that because he is such a huge a$$, no one wants to admit when he's right. It rewards his a$$hole behavior.
Anyone with abusive parents or partner can recognise this pattern instantly .... the problem is by the time they are proved wrong alot of damage is done ...
Thank you for summing it up so well. Rick kind of resembles the cynical hollywood hustler type to me, the smarter-because-I'm-ruthless showbiz type that you always run into there. The kind of personality that is hyper charismatic yet cold and narcissistic with a brutalized world view.
Although Rick is often framed as the protagonist and often "right" -- the biggest gut punches of Rick stories often come from Rick's alienation of his friends and family. I'm thinking of his relationship with Unity. Yeah he sees the big picture -- but that big picture view of the world doesn't bring him any comfort. Like Dr Wong says, he uses intellect to justify sickness.
yeah but he's still shown to be fucking "hot babes" and is shown as the most attractive being by a hyper intelligent hive mind. then next episode it means nothing.
This is the reason I got tired of Doctor House, too. A tragic event in the past doesn't change the fact that the main character is the smartest, funniest and most successful person in the show.
That's totally different, though. Rick is a self-serving criminal jackass and nothing else. And yet, he wins. House loses in every episode. He solves the case, and yet the show goes on and you see that "the puzzles" are all he has, and that he's actually very sad, lonely, unfulfilled, and feels he has nobody in his life. And what's interesting about House, and it's one of the biggest points of the show, is that: Is he good or bad? Do those words even mean anything? He saves lives when no other doctor can, he saves families from lifelong misery, he helps his employees become the best doctors they could have ever hoped to be, and yet he is a very negative, misanthropic person inside. Does it matter, though? He still gets results. And to top it off: He doesn't feel like he's winning, and his dickish narcissism and various flaws are criticized and pointed out by the other characters constantly. The show is a masterpiece, and House and Rick are very different people, and House is infinitely more nuanced and has far more depth.
@@cosmojenkins3020 It's the same. He is an asshole that is always right, and his lack of faith in humanity is rewarded every episode. He is a bad person, yet he isn't fired or punished because he is good at his job. He doesn't have many connections, but he has a best friend that loves him, and both of them play around at his place of work with chickens without consequences because, again, he is the smartest doctor in the world. Just like rick being sad sometimes, House is sad sometimes, but in the end he is right and he gets away with everything he does because he is smart.
@@malcomchase9777 House is portrayed as right ONLY in the case of the medical parts. He is very clearly shown as wrong in many other parts of the show. He does develop into a better person post S4, albeit very, very slowly.
@@malcomchase9777 Not even close to the same. I don't recall House committing acts of murder and being shown as right. In fact quite the opposite, he saves people. You say he's a "bad person" but is he really? If someone saves countless lives but happens to be an asshole that makes him a bad person?
@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 That frog is a true hero, as demonstrated in his algorithm boosting Also for his appearance in Chrono Trigger and remarkable swordplay againgst the forces of evil
This made me think of why, in my teenage years, I found House md so unlikeable as a series (it was all the rage back then, and yes I’m old). It was more than the character, it was the framing. The omnipotence, the unmistakability of H., which meant no real character development and at the same time gave sweet excuses to every edgy teen watching.
When I was depressed I watched that show a ton. I wore meanness like an armor. I’ve grown up since then. Now I avoid it like the plague. I hate all that meanness the show harbors. It makes me feel corrupted, if that makes sense.
Yeah, I've been there. When I was at rock bottom, feeling worthless and depressed I was much meaner too. But I came to realize that isn't me. Nowadays I strive to be kinder because it feels more natural than a tacked-on "devil may care" attitude that I've adopted as a teenager out of desperation.
9:38 don't get me started on the dumb gender politics in that episode. Summer's revelation is that men are just as valuable as women because some of us are gay. You can tell there were no women involved, yeah.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the Season 3 finale, where (if I remember) Rick 'loses' (Beth goes back to Jerry and Rick's fight is pointless to Morty) in spite of his intelligence/godlike powers. Perhaps a step in the right direction for the show, showing that he is emotionally wrong?
I don't trust it because season 2 finale also told us that maybe Rick's gonna change and then season 3 immediatly says nope, who says that won't happen in season 4 too
You can tell that the creators didn’t think about the effect the show would have on its audience because they weren’t expecting the show to take off in the way it did. Post season 3 you can definitely feel a shift in the way Rick is portrayed. He’s still very smart but the show starts spitting in the face of his nihilistic and cruel attitude more. I don’t think Rick and Morty is a satire of anything I think it was just meant to be a dumb funny space show but once they realized that they cultivated a culture of fans that think caring about stuff is for losers and being mean makes you right they started putting more thought into the messages they were portraying. I think it’s important to be critical of the media you consume because if we weren’t Rick’s character would’ve remained stagnant.
This highlights what has been increasingly making me queasy about the character of Rick. Going into 3rd season, I thought we would glimpse a comeuppance to Rick, as he alienates his friends and family. He's been shown to continuously bring death and misery to people on an unimaginable scale, yet he always gets away with it - including his own friends and family. I thought it would lead to something. Instead it continues highlighting how cool Rick is, and how much suffering he can inflict on Morty and the multiverse. He's so awful, and there doesn't seem a point to it, except to continue his zany adventures.
I think the show too often falls into the habit of doing literally anything for a joke. Whatever messages it may wish to convey tend to be thrown by the wayside in service to a bit.
@ReverseBLT This phenomenon is a *huge* problem, in my opinion. I refer to it (not at all originally, except maybe for my dumb name for it) as the South Parkization of comedy. Around the mid-/late-90s, "edginess" for its own sake became the predominant way to get laughs and be seen as cool. Rick and Morty, though different in many ways from South Park, is a direct descendant of this type of humor.
I think it’s obvious that rick is a loser despite his « intelligence ». If some people doesn’t see it that way, the problem is them, not the show. - A french man
My favorite comments so far are "But Rick is sad!" as if I didn't address this in the video. The concept of the "burden of being right" is attractive to cruel people who mistakenly believe themselves tortured geniuses. Rick being sad in a few episodes doesn't make him less attractive to the kind of person I'm talking about -- but more attractive. The whole "I call it like I see it" feels really noble to some people, and they blame their loneliness on this martyrdom, this burden of being right. But they're not right. They're assholes. People don't like them because they're assholes, not because of their alleged intelligence. This doesn't contradict the points in the video -- it strengthens them.
Reminds me of House M.D. and countless other "genius" sociopath tropes. See Hannibal Lecter, Cumberbatches' Sherlock, Tony Stark, Ledger's Joker, and more.
This is part of the reason why Phoenix's Joker is better.
Exactly. They _want_ this to be true of Rick, so they can explain why they feel so alone, without having to acknowledge that they have themselves to blame.
@@Bluecho4 They have to be isolated or else they might discover they are wrong.
@@kohhna Let's not forget the reality TV character, Trump, of course. The Stable Genius Sociopath.
Always remember this: the ultimate goal of a psychopat is not just about perpetrate his perversions, it's about establish them as a social norm.
In the words of Todd from _Bojack Horseman_ :
*"You can't keep doing this! You can't keep doing shitty things, and then feel bad about yourself like that makes it okay! You NEED...TO BE...BETTER!"*
@Ninja Named Bob That is not what Todd is doing there though. Bojacks past has been throughoutly acknowledged at this point. But it's not enough.
So true it seems like people now a days do not realize this but that does not mean that it’s not true
The tragedy of Bojack is that he knows he's a terrible person and wants to be better, and keeps failing to be better. Meanwhile Rick is just a stone cold douche.
Ok I guess I need to watch this show. This is the second time I’ve seen a quote from it that I thought was good. I usually don’t like animated adult shows because they usually wear their cynicism like a badge of honor and as this video suggests, conflate intelligence with crudeness and cruelty. Their audience seems to be frustrated cruel adults that need their negative feelings validated (not that that’s everyone that watches them). That being said, I think have to give this show a shot.
Ninja Named Bob Todd I this situation doesn’t mean “don’t say sorry” he is telling bojack nobody cares. He is telling Bojack that it no longer matter if he says he is sorry because time and time again he has just done it again. The point isn’t to say that experiences don’t influence a person, the point is that Bojack needs to actually do good in response to these experiences
People who pride themselves on being "Brutally Honest" are always more interested in being brutal than honest.
Yeah, the truth doesn't actually have to hurt.
Perfectly said!
I’m going to use this one if the topic is brought up, thanks -so succinct.🙏 ❤.
This is why Bojack paid off. The main character WAS wrong. Despite being right occasionally on an episodic basis, in the end, he was wrong.
It's a bummer it got rushed but at least it was still able to get an ending out.
I feel bojack failed in another sense, by pretending it was being a down to earth show rejecting tv tropy wackiness despite actually embracing it most of the time.
This was the greatest strength in Bojack. During the college teacher ark, many (me included) will feel sorry for him, cause we know he really tries to change.
But when his past catches up to him, you may feel sorry for him, knowing that this time he really did change, at least somewhat, you still know, and the show still communicates that it is just due punishment for his actions.
You simulatanieously sympathize with him, and wish him the best; and feel somrwhat glad he finally got punished for what he did.
BoJack wasn't funny
@@daniellee2343 It was but also it wasn't primarily a comedy
"Close your eyes and imagine a french person"
And, despite living right next to France since I was born and spending most of my holidays there for years, I immediately imagined a moustache'd guy with a beret and a baguette. Internet has corrupted me.
You have my condolences
I'm French, and I thought of a Mime....
I've been to Paris four times, and I can only say "Bonjour, un baquette, sil vous plait. Merci!" The bakeries there are awesome. People walk around with fresh, warm baguettes. That is just how it should be, and is.
God same
In addition to what you said, I even imagined him wearing one of these black & white striped shirts. This is actually ridiculous.
For me,another problem is to associate cynicism with science and inteligence.
To be fair, it's fairly well known that people who tend to be intelligent also have higher rates of depression.
@@steveosk8s no it actually isn't fair because that is not known to be universally true but assumed to be universally true, through media like Rick and Morty, House, Marvel Cinematic universe etc. You're going to have to prove such a statement with evidence.
Yes, it is often confused with skepticism, a certain level of which is connected to intelligence (to accept things contingently, to be open to re-examination of ideas especially within yourself). But cynicism (like, say, thinking that a common belief is wrong simply because it is common) is the opposite of intelligence - it is a ready excuse that denies the need for examining the issue.
Seriously, where are popular characters that are smart, but at the same time not cynical assholes?
Having been in academia, the cynical scientists are the ones that have trouble getting funding for their projects and fall out with their peers. Sometimes they carry a reputation for being"crackpots" hence the difficult securing grant money, but are protected by their tenure. Even the "difficult" or toxic ones can be pretty hopeful when they have sufficient funding for their projects, although they fall into the perception that intelligence justifys being an asshole comes from. They're just asshats. People tend to stay away from them and only interact with them when they need quid pro quo. There are plenty of very pleasent and very sociable smart people in the sciences. They tend to keep their head down and are fairly modest.
As for depression, it goes hand and hand with stress and burnout. Especially among grad students with professors work them 60-80+ hours a week. The ones that get to have time off and go on vacation are usually happier. Not getting a break, constantly worrying about your advisor's approval, securing grant approvals, not producing results, falling behind on deadlines, low pay, and poor or no work-life balance is a road of deep existential angst.
i think this is a problem with how we portray genius characters in general. there's either the depressed tragic genius (like van gogh) or the cruel insensitive one (like rick, sherlock, house, sheldon cooper and so many others)
I think it's because a character often has to be flawed to some level, and often the most simple bare bones ways of doing that is either making them stupid or a jerk, and being smart nulls out the first one. It's why so many smart characters in fiction are either huge assholes against a nice moron, or just blandly hyper competent and almost a Mary Sue who has all the right answers. Alternatively they just stop being smart every now and again as a forced gesture of being imperfect.
It is very possible to make an intelligent character that is likeable but still highly flawed, but it requires nuanced writing. I'd argue that Rick and Morty has that to SOME level too, but it is also an incredibly cynical show.
New school Sherlock. The original was much kinder.
I'm so glad someone was able to eloquently explain why media can influence us negatively but not in a "videogames cause violence" way.
Yeah it's definetly not like "you watch one episode of Rick and Morty and after that you immediately commit mass murder" but it happens slowly. Of course no one is going to commit mass murder because of the show (if they do then it's more their fault than the shows) but like this video states, of you see enough cruelty, misogyny, islamophobia, homophobia, etc. and they are not framed as bad things people are going to think that it's fine to behave and think that way.
Edit: I fixed a clerical error
@@phoney2627 that's actually the reverse of what exposure theory says and has been shown in experimental conditions.
The basic findings are exposure to things like violence makes people more sensitive to real acts, not less.
+
@@nuberiffic most can, some are unable to. But what I meant is that when that sort of behavior is framed as a good thing and the characters who do it are framed as good guys then (especially if the audience is young) slowly the audience is going to accept that sort of behavior, not all, but some. Of course if the show/book/movie/videogame leave it for the audience to decide wether what the character does is right or wrong then that's not problematic. But trust me when I say this, I've met people who think it's okay to be misoginstic because they've watched big bang theory.
@@Porkchop_Delight23 did you even read my comment to the end?
I quote "Of course no one is going to commit mass murder because of the show (if they do it's more their fault than the shows)"
It's not a problem to enjoy something admiting it's flaws. It's a problem to not admit the flaws of something in order to enjoy it.
if only more people understood this.
Well said
thank you
Right !!!! 👏💯💯💯💯
god damn thanks man
People would rather turn themselves into a pickle than think critically about the media they consume.
Excellent way to bring this full circle :)
People would rather turn themselves into a pickle than go to therapy
I had a "friend" back in high school who loved this show and took it as gospel. She was very toxic and constantly invalidated me and said how much better she was compared to me. She had lots of cynicism and was just a jerk to me. Everything I had, I did, or said, or accomplished was mediocre to her. She believed herself to be much smarter than everyone and I think she might have used it as an excuse to beat me down. She believed that drugs make people smart and are the reason humans evolved. Clearly, she isn't as smart as she thinks. Also, whenever I displayed empathy or a "typically feminine" behaviour she implicitly said that we were programed to do this and that dumb people succumb to such instincts. She thought she was always right and that I was always wrong. She constantly told me her sister was the worst, but years after I ended our friendship, I met her sister, and it turns out that she too was being bullied at home by my "friend".
I didn't like her cynicism, nihilism and her tendency to bring others down. I'm glad I got out of that toxic friendship.
Please tell me the happy ending was her ending up alone and burning bridges with everyone she knew.
It's kind of disappointing that the media and people in general glamorize being hyper intelligent and always right especially if you're an asshole, most likely because of everyone's own insecurities of being wrong and seemingly being misunderstood. Truly intelligent people don't need to prove themselves right to others or make excuses, they try to figure out why they're wrong and try to educate when they are right. At least from my understanding.
I remember watching that episode of BoJack for the first time. I was with a friend, and I remember looking over at him after Diane had voiced her discomfort towards people identifying with Philbert and saying, “Did they just throw shade a Rick and Morty?”
They were actually throwing shade to themselves and the followers of the serie projecting themselves to much on the flaws of Bojack characters.
This is why I absolutely love Dr. Stone. Senku, the protagonist, is extremely smart, being capable of making even cell phones during the stone age, but he's not an asshole at all. He's frequently shown to care for those around him and he isn't afraid to ask for help when needed. He's a total subversion of the asshole genius trope and the story never frames his kindness as weakness rather it is shown to be one of his strengths. The show explicitly states that he would never have gotten far without the help of the people around him. He's a genius with the heart of a shounen protagonist.
Thank you for pinning down why I’ve begun to get tired with Rick and Morty. I still enjoy it, but I’m getting tired of being constantly told ‘you’re dumb for wanting character development for Rick / wanting to be nice’
Molly McDade We’re a minority for sure, I’m hoping the writers can develop him more in the second half of season four.
Sir Ramsay We didn’t really get that lmao
@@Fullmoonat9am Actual good fanfics: *Allow us to introduce ourselves*
I ended up stopping watching it because I found the lack of character development to be boring
YES! It became extremely tiring to keep getting the same behavious in different stories, and people who never evolve. Like House MD.
The mention of the “Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings” movement really struck a personal cord with me, since my parents and stepparents (as well as maybe the vast majority of my family) see that movement as something great and beautiful.
What’s worse is that they often support it less because they find the arguments persuasive and more because they just use them as another huge confirmation bias. Heck, they’ve been dismissive and cruel of me, even when I have shown them facts in a kind way from more trustworthy sources.
It’s... really hard and depressing, to say the least.
I am so sorry, I hope you can power through it. Politically differing with my parents weighs me down too. I know not everyone see it that way but politics of the people you love matters. And when they are not interested in listening to your perspective, it is rather hurtful.
Politics aside, if your parents can't show you basic human respect, don't even bother. It took me my whole life to figure that out. My parents were physically abusive, emotionally neglectful, gaslighting assholes incapable of empathy or respect. I kept coming back to them looking for some kind of emotional validation and I never got it. I didn't put 2+2 together until this year. I thought there was something really wrong with me. I don't know your story or your relationship with your parents. But if it is anything like mine, don't waste your time or your emotional energy looking for something you'll never get. Not saying you have to disown them like I did with mine. But you don't have anything to prove to them and if they can't treat you with respect, you don't have to engage in those kinds of conversations. I wasted too much time and energy on that crap and it nearly cost me my life. I still get a bit down sometimes but at least now I know they're the ones with the problem, not me.
Stay strong bro, hope my words helped in some way.
I've spent a really long time in that crowd and since they tend to have the particularly bad arguments emphasized I don't actually know what sources to check on the other side that's critical of it. What are some facts you know of that disprove these things and reliable sources to back them up? Thanks to the recommended feed I pretty much only get stuff that agrees with my previous points.
It's also...(wait for it)...BAD LOGIC on their part. The Shapiroids of the world love to cite "Logic and Facts..." without accompanying their bad faith non-arguments with any actual facts. "Logic," to them, is just shorthand for their worldview.
This is me except my family get mad at me for being conservative
It still makes me upset that this will be the last season of Bojack Horseman. It was the best new animated show of this decade, no question.
I share your grief, but at least BoJack knows when to say when. Too many formerly good shows end up turning to garbage simply because they drag things on for too long (e.g., Simpsons).
"You either die a hero or live long enough to jump the shark."
I stopped watching Bojack Horseman since it's creator gave praise to Rick and Morty and South Park in an interview.
@@greysky1252 they're all good shows though??? why?
@@greysky1252
That seems like a petty reason tbh
@@Philmccracken790 did you not watch this video?
I think the ultimate validation of this is the first episode of season 3 when it turns out Rick turning himself in was not because he felt guilt about ruining his families life ( and getting his best friend killed) but instead it was Rick playing the long game to ruin his daughter's marriage and life a life with even fewer consequences.
The show portrays Rick as a hopeless and pathetic human being in some important episodes, but even there he is still the one who is right.
That bothered the shit out of me in season 3. By then, he was basically an irredeemable asshole, but he kept being let off the hook by the writers. He should be the villain of the story after everything he's done, but he's not. The show can't seem to commit to a viewpoint because it wants to have Rick both ways.
And what does being right actually mean? It means he continues to be a sad, broken mess of a person who ruins everyone else's lives around him.
Rick may be "right" but he's also the saddest, most desperate and most nihilistic character in the show, which are all things the show portrays as bad.
@@seanwatzitooya6094 Yeah, even though I agree with Leon's points, I was also going to say the same thing. Rick is not a hero. He's an antihero. Even though Rick always wins in the text of the show, he's also depicted as the most depressed, self-destructive, and self-loathing character. He's outwardly brash and confident, but when he's alone, he's miserable and suicidal.
I'd compare him to Alucard from Hellsing. Yes, he's portrayed as cool and badass, he almost always wins, and is almost always proven right. But you know he's a monster who is tormented by his own existence. You can empathize with him, but you wouldn't admire or want to be him.
@@seanwatzitooya6094 Is someone in the show happy, though? Because if Rick's attitude is the reason for his sadness, what's the reason for everybody else's sadness?
@@seanwatzitooya6094 I remenber watching the first seasons of the show and ending with the same conclussion about the character, it reminds me of Dr. House a popular character with bad traits but popular nonetheless.
I think this video tries to answer the reason why those characters are the cool ones in the eyes of so many, and I happen to agree with the answer he came up with; it's not about who is to blame for this, it's just THIS exist and we have to deal with it (not cencorship).
One of my biggest disappointments was how much I loved the pickle rick episode because of dr Wong and then that episode became synonymous with the toxic side of the fan base
@@ranterraver5959 This makes the show much more enjoyable. I let the fanbase ruin the show for me for a little while, but not engaging with the internet about it revitalized it for me; it's a cartoon on late-night TV, not Thus Spake Zarathustra. I can engage with it in my own way without analyzing every word like I'm writing a dissertation about it.
The Dr Wong monologue is kinda what killed Rick's development. Instead of having him realize those things on his own, a minor character explains them and now all mystique about his mindset is gone. They should've kept developing Rick.
@K0VVR1 did they? I don’t remember
I guess I need to rewatch that episode with a critical eye.
I always thought it was telling that a certain type of toxic troll is attracted to Rick and Morty. Many people look for some sort of validation of their worst traits . For me, I always thought Rick was a survivor in a very special circumstance of nearly infinite universes. To survive, he had to shed a lot of what makes a normal human. It basically corrupted him. He forces his family into this incredibly unique world and in doing so , corrupts them as well. The "nothing matters" motif to me was always a cowardly thing Rick had to believe in order to cope with the strange reality or realities that he lives within. I don't agree with it, but I think it makes sense for the character. I think that cruel people are cowards just like Rick and probably can't cope with the reality that the world doesn't revolve around them and that they are their own worst enemies. They can't cope with people. All that said, I LOVE THE SHOW can't wait for season four
That may be the case but the show itself doesn't delve into this enough to frame Rick as wrong but instead still portrays him as right for the sake of more edgy shock humor
@@deejaybundst1671 Yea, you are probably right on that one. Was just a tactless way for me to get my point across quickly. I ain't no good with words
BaronVonSTFU this is exactly how I saw it too. The overall point is the opposite of how it seems in a form of irony
That is exactly how i see it too, but you put it more eloquent than i could have. Bravo
@@dvillines26 I used to listen to harmontown and I get the impression that Dan Harmon is kinda a douche? Like i feel like he is somehow self aware and not aware at the same time. Or maybe his tendency is to have very little empathy but he is constantly fighting with it. Particularly after his whole metoo incident. He seemed very sincere in his apology for that. Some of the stuff he says makes me think that he is aware that he has shitty tendencies but doesn't care because the success he has validates him. He's complicated. I do feel like some of his poorer tendencies can be seen in Rick. I think he would say that he is trying to show the ugliness of those traits but it is hard to say sometimes.
I’m disappointed in the like-dislike ratio of this video. As a fan of the show, this was a very level-headed and thoughtful criticism of the show.
I'm disappointed, too. But I can't say I'm surprised :/
This was perfect. I really like Rick & Morty and was ready to argue against the point, but after you went through each episode and showed within the literal text that Rick's almost always right I understood how people could equate cruelty with intelligence. Thanks for the video!
Still a entertaining show tho
I always assumed that it was a meta-parody of cartoons; Rick is always right and always because he's the main character, so he never improves and stops being a suicidal alcoholic. It's the kind of layered parody that Dan Harmon likes.
@@kaicreech7336 In most cartoons, there is little in the way of permanent character development. The status quo must be maintained. Rick & Morty just assigns a really different status quo from the outset, but credit to the show for carrying some consequences over episodes/seasons.
Xross Wilson It’s a harmful show.
@@xrosswilson1793 May I ask what is the entertaining aspect of it? I saw a DVD box set of the first three seasons. I'm halfway through season three, and I really don't understand the appeal.
This is why I love the way the anime Death Note is framed - throughout the entire show, it makes it clear that Light is not the good guy even though he is the protagonist and surely a lot of people who watch WANT to believe he is the hero he thinks he is. But he's NOT, and - without giving anything away - the finale hammers that home, compared to Breaking Bad which allows Walter to go out on his terms and left the audience perhaps thinking on some small scale that he was right all along.
Too true! I love Death Note sm
That's true about Death Note, but even tho BB isn't perfect, the previous episode had him being humiliated by his only son over the phone, despite the obvious intention of trying to make everything right in the finale, BB is clear with Walt being a piece of shit several times during the series, or at least I felt it that way.
"I did it for me"
Daniel Andrade
“I liked it.
I was good at it.
And...
I was alive.”
My issue with Death Note is how so many walked away seeing L and by extention Near as good guys, when in fact they sacrifice many lives and are often very cruel in pursuit of fulfilling their need to have someone to compete with mentally/intellectually. They were both terrible people too, but many do not read that when watching the series and place it all on Light's shoulders. In reality, ALL of the intellects in that series were complete assholes with little regard for society at large, using people for their own personal needs and beliefs without consent.
I think some people feel personally attacked when a piece of media they like is criticized. Which is understandable. But it is important to remember that we can still enjoy the things we criticize. Sometimes we might be harsher to the things we like because we care. There's little point in tearing down something irredeemable crappy. But there's a lot to be learned from examining the things we like and what that says about ourselves.
So thank you for clearly showing some of the flaws of such a beloved series. I still like R&M but am more aware of where it goes wrong.
They feel personally attacked because they have the emotional intelligence of a 3 year old. Rick & Morty is one of my favorite shows and I agreed with everything that was said in this video.
Well, I think it's okay to enjoy problematic media granted you're not disillusioned to the fact that it's anything other than that. Psycho for example is a great movie, I think, but I'm certainly not going to get defensive when someone points out that is invokes a sort of gay panic. A lot of people love Nosferatu but I don't think people are going to be that shocked that a film made in 1920s Germany has a rather obvious antisemitic reading.
@@jnyerere ,I like how said that, Cuz its alright to like a piece of media ,but also beware of its flaws as well .
I would even say this to media in the past made by people who have done bad things or became different. Roman Polanski should be jailed for his actions but The Pianist is still an amazing movie depicting the Holocast that should be watched.
I like Rick and Morty too, but I don’t remember the casual islmaophobia he keeps mentioning, I didn’t see rick and morty for a while. I guess I saw some of the other stuff he mentioned, but I’ve never seen any Islamic people on the show at all.
Im glad you referenced Emotional Intelligence, i sometimes hear people recite a single "fact" and and boast about said fact not caring about your feelings. The Dunning-Kruger effect on full display, I pick my battles and dont needlessly point out ill informed opinions. Its good to be critical of everything, even if its not a great criticism because everyone needs to check their ego from time to time.
I'm a fan of the show and your analysis is perfect. I enjoy it for the subversion of sci fi tropes and I just find the humor funny, but you are right, the whole "cruelty means your smart" thing is disgusting and I hate that so much of the fandom use the show to validate that mindset.
that's true. I really like the show too, but I rarely say it cause I don't want to be mistaken for those fanboys. Unfortunately its rather easy to misinterpret it.
couldn't agree more, its a shame really
I like the show the problem is the text of the show attract mean people this part of the fandom is the logical conclusion of the mistake of the creator.
I'm at least hopeful that the creators are trying to move away from that. Even aside from Season 3 aggressively examining Rick's faults in episode 3, the series ends with him rather unambiguously losing, as his family chooses to care about one another even in the face of Rick's nihilism.
I'm hoping we'll see a continuing trend towards this. Honestly, I think they may be setting up Morty as growing into a moral superior to Rick. He's not as smart as Rick, but he's learned a heck of a lot over time, and while he's lost his naivete he hasn't quite become as destructively cynical as Rick is.
In general most of my hope seems to at least stem from the fact that Dan Harmon has become quite aware of some of the fans that his show's attracted, and he doesn't care for them. Hopefully knowing that will at least lead him to analyze what sort of lures he's presenting and change it to avoid those kinds of messages.
yup, yup. I ended up exhausted after every season waiting for Rick to get his ass handed to him. I figured the show would just never "reward my morals" by punishing him. I still enjoyed most of it but I kinda feel bitter about the Rick universe's lack of justice (or more like the writer's douchebaggery).
This video has aged like fine wine 🍷
This is probably why I enjoyed the third season finale a lot more than most people. Rick was completely and utterly wrong in continuing his pissing match with Keith David, and therefore, missed his chance to genuinely help and connect with his family, losing his position in the process. The fact that it’s so anticlimactic makes it better.
As a gamer, I see the "I'm just being honest / I'm just telling the truth" line during competitive/ranked gaming, when people just want to vent their frustration onto someone else with no regard for the other's feelings.
It is frustrating to see these people portray their insults and toxic behaviour as honesty or as legitimate criticism, when all they do is insult.
My heart grew three sizes when all there was to say about my favorite episode (S2E4) was "it's pretty funny."
I think The Wire did the "smart asshole" thing so perfectly. Despite him being the closest thing to one main character, who is smart and often gets his way, I can't imagine anyone watching the wire and being like "you know I wanna be? McNulty"
Absolutely. One of my favourite scenes is from season 5 when they talk to the feds about a behavioural analysis for the "serial killer". And they just tear him to shreds. Then the camera zooms in On McNulty's face as he realises that everything they're saying is correct
I can see by the description that you're expecting some upheaval.
And yes, I am commenting before watching.
He can't stop me from commenting before watching.
Oh wait, he actually approves all the comments manually so I suppose he can.
Hi Mr. Renegade cut, thanks for the great videos :)
@@king_big_pp OUCH!!!
I love the show but yeah, some of the fans can be pretty toxic.
@Angelique ...holy shit, I never thought about it before, but yeah, "physics major burnout" or just "physics major" generally is way too apt for every Rick and Morty fan I've known -- anecdotally ofc. Personally I never got that into the show when they were watching bc the animated vomit dribble makes me uncomfortable and nauseous haha, but that's another story entirely.
I'm autistic and booksmart, and Rick being confirmed as autistic made the framing of intelligence = cruelty even worse.
Because many autistic people, the ones that society values for their talents, are smart but usually severely lacking emotional intelligence. If smart is cruel, then their social mistakes and misdeeds, intentional or not, are seen as a byproduct of their intelligence, which stems from being autistic, which leads to demonizing autistic people as a whole.
This is why Rick isn't good representation even if one of the showrunners is also autistic. It contributes to the public perception that autistic people are cruel, selfish, and callous.
This entire show isn’t a good representation of autism.
I miss Final Space.
"Being cruel does not make you intelligent."
Destiny fans should watch this.
This
What did he do in relation to this?
Wait have you ever seen a conversation of him ? lmfao
@@Mary42877 Best example I can think of is laughing at the monsterous devastation inflicted on Vietnam while speaking to a Vietnamese woman when she brings it up. His debate with Noncompete and Luna Oi was a shitshow, but that reaction combined with his history of trying to "logic" his way into giving himself an n-word pass has told me everything I need to know about him. Everything since has been icing on the shit cake.
@@IndieGinge The worst part was that he literally made a "might makes right" argument.
I was always wondering why people admire Rick when he's such a mean-spirited character.
He can be funny, but far from being admirable.
@@luisacesar4185
He kinda stopped being funny, especially the last 3 seasons. Even more especially, that 4th season, such a garbage season.
The funny thing is... only stupid people think being mean is being smart.
Oh the irony.
Is that true? Then my friend must have been pretty dumb. It could just be adolescence.
@@swampy2008 a little old but i would agree with kikoberserk.
its kind of like the Dunning-Kruger effect, cruelty comes form a sense a superiority but you can only have a sense of superiority is you don't understand the world. its the great irony of intelligence, the smarter you are the more you realize none of it matter. what people like Rick doesn't understand is that he himself doesn't matter either.
the universe itself doesn't care how smart rick is, he could honestly be the smartest person to ever exist and he'd still be completely meaningless. ricks cruelty comes form fighting the truth and trying to make other see him as important
I know i think it is the media’s fault
There are (paradoxically) a lot of very smart idiots out there.
These people claiming to be rational all the time are the most closed to critical discussion I have met
David Sanz id disagree, I would say it’s about equal. People will always get defensive when their personal beliefs are challenged. Like when someone tells me that they think cookies and cream ice cream is bad I think that they are completely wrong but if they say I prefer vanilla I’d think that they can think that and I see why.
TL; DW:
Satire requires a clarity of purpose and target, lest it be mistaken for, and contribute to, that which it intends to criticize.
Watchmen is a good example of satire. It makes clear that superheroes are kinda fucked up and if they actually existed it would not be a good thing!
@@trekjudas except Zac Snyder's adaptation, pretty as it is, kinda fucked it up.
@@weatheranddarkness Well, Bojack is still likely going to fall back in part two though I can see what you mean about his quick recovery.
A group of people pretending to be silly will be broken up by an actual silly person whom believed they were in good company
@@trekjudas The new serie "The boys" takes just the same point of view about super heroes. I recommend. It's not bad at all.
I think what you raise is definitely why Season 3 when it came out had some backlash, because for the first time Rick wasn't always winning. Pickle Rick was highly anticipated but there were people who hated the ending because Rick "lost" to the therapist--of course people generally forgot about that after a while and just focused on the pickle part. The final episode definitely got some pushback because the season had unequivocally ended with Rick losing, not on a cosmic scale like in Season 2, but on the familial scale that he'd always been winning and in fact started the season winning.
We're gonna....we're gonna comment before watching the video, Morty!
What? But Rick, he says right in the description not to comment before watching!
You think I give a rat's rectum, Morty? I...I.. frequently treat cruelty as a sign of high intelligence.
Belligerently commenting before even watching is totally in character for me!
I read that in Doc Browns voice.
The problem is that they teach empty baseless nihilism as desireable, scientifically confirmed, and ultimately morally defensible.
"imagine a french person"
I saw a thin man in a mime costume with a baguette, pepe le pew, then a french anarchist.
I also say the mine first. Then a blonde woman with long hair and light brown eyeshadow. Then I saw a guy named with Tom who was in my class and from France.
Talking fictional characters, Rick wishes he was Spock. Real intelligence leads to emotional maturity and empathy.
Very much agree.
I did want to say when they bring up the guy being “triggered”, it does come across to me that he’s actually being triggered psychologically and having a panic attack. Totally possible they meant it as an insult, but I just wanted to throw out that being triggered isn’t a phrase invented by assholes to describe overly sensitive people. It’s a real phrase people use for serious matters.
It's just that the term has been hijacked by assholes who want to be cruel to others.
Like with any weighty word, when it's overused it loses its' meaning.
It kind of sucks that people now think of the dumb meme whenever someone tries to use the emotional form of 'triggered' in its appropriate context. I'm sure people trying to get through their psychological issues *loooove* having them automatically be trivialised and made fun of.
@@fruitygarlic3601 It really isnt easy. It often goes hand in hand with people trivialising your pain and even your PTSD.
So yeah this video has aged well.
Yeah, that’s why I’m here. My sister told me to stop watching the show in 2020 because of what Dan Harmon did to a babydoll. I’m glad I never looked back.
I can't stress this enough, THANK YOU. I've always struggled to put into words how Rick and Morty feels like a show that 100% earned the toxic fanbase reputation it has, but I could never properly word what was wrong about Rick other than that he "gets proven right" a lot. I really hope that this video reaches a lot of people, especially the ones who need to understand its message (although they might just do the expected and accuse you of "not getting it"). Again, thank you for this.
I could always detect discomfort while watching Rick and Morty and was never able to enjoy the show, but could not put it into words. Guess, I know now what it was.
The cynical, cruel genius is always such a confusing trope. While smarter people statistically have fewer friends, it has nothing to do with them being mean. If we look at the literature on this, smarter people are 1) more empathetic than the general population, 2) less bigoted than the general population, 3) more trusting of strangers than the general population, and 4) more likely to have radical politics than the general population. In short, smarter people are not just nicer than most people, they're more likely to be that vegan hippy marching in the streets and stopping to give a fiver to a homeless guy on the corner before grabbing the microphone and shouting F the police.
Vegan hippies marching in the streets shouting "fuck the police" typically have no knowledge of politics, or society. Politically smart, intelligent people are radical, but almost in the exact opposite direction. Predatory intelligence. Devilish intelligence.
I am highly kind and empathetic, but I am irregardless a right wing autocrat. We live in a world on the verge of collapse because of the effects of chasing out tradition and authority for blind equality, even when said equality is unobtainable. This path only leads to death.
This video really helped me realise why I've grown tired of these series. It wouldn't do any bad or be less "cynic", or "satire", or "edgy" if it showed sometimes Rick failing and sucking because of how much a piece of shit he is. And also, Morty being right when he's kind, or just a normal person with human sensitivity. Well, I guess it would be less edgy. And not as satiric, in the opinion of the public that think that not reflecting on anything and not showing anything as problematic is what makes a comedy really great!
Btw, Bojack nailed ALL OF THAT. It's funny, and it makes you think. I'll miss it.
i think that the death of bird person took out one of the only voices of kindness in the show. i think that might be part of the "kindness isn't smart, and thus is useless" idea pushed by the show
I got the feeling it was more of a "kind people are easily manipulated" thing
@@justbny9278 Exactly! Bird Person is mainly remembered for guilt-tripping Morty when he rightfully gets sick of Rick's behaviour and starts considering a life without Rick. Unfortunately, way too many people regard Bird Person as wise and infallible because he "understands" Rick. I think what happens to him in the show should be proof that he is/was NOT perfect, otherwise he would have avoided falling for Tammy's trap, being killed and rebuilt as a cyborg, etc.
Your point is similar to my experience being raised in India. We were heavily beaten up by our parents growing up if we were bad at school. And when they were done, they would talk about how much sadness hitting us brought them but they had to bRaVeLy beat us up for our own good. It's disgusting to think about as an adult that the people who are supposed to care for you and comfort you dish out literal domestic abuse and have the audacity to feel superior and righteous about it.
Maybe the reason you need a high IQ to watch rick and morty is so you won’t take the whole “Being cruel equals being smart” message to heart
No you don’t need to be cruel to be smart
"We could go on... and we will"
you had me there
i have waited for years for someone to finally say this in a concise tightly edited form. misanthropy is not clever. im really exhausted by this show and its popularity
You should focus on your own life instead of focussing on what people around you like. Videos like this to me are a problem just as much as the TV show they are talking about. if you are exhausted by this shows popularity maybe you should try not to focus on it as much. You should focus on things that you like instead. If a TV show can't be popular without upsetting people that is an issue within itself. There are plenty of musicians TV shows and movies that I do not watch or like and I do not focus all my energy on those things. There is absolutely no point in getting upset over things that we have no control over. I don't understand this constant need to always discredit what others like because of the fact that we do not like it ourselves. I don't go on people's RUclips channels and put a dislike on their videos or comment rude things or waste my time analyzing how other people perceive things. That to me is a big problem in society and the reason I am here right now is because someone on my social media posted this video. It makes me sad to see the energy put in to disliking and analyzing things that they don't even care for.
@@nadina37 OP only said they're exhausted with the show's popularity. That is a valid feeling. They never said anything negative about people who like the show, so your response seems reactionary.
I love Rick and Morty, but I can 100% get why someone would be tired of hearing about it or see flaws in it (as much as I like the show, it isn't perfect, and acting like media should never be analyzed for its strengths and weaknesses is absurd).
@@tyf.5111 You can take my comment as you will. " Really exhausted by this show and its popularity" would definitely include people enjoying it in my opinion..
Either way, it doesn't bother me. I made a comment based on an observation of the video posted and comments that were made in regards.
I think it's absurd to try to sound smart based on your perception of a TV show. Everyone thinks they know better when it comes to situations like this. I for one just want to like what I like without feeling the need for it to disrupt my everyday life.
@@nadina37 "Videos like this to me are a problem just as much as the TV show they are talking about."
What? You have a problem with deep analysis and criticism? Leon isn't bashing the show if that's what you think he is doing or asking us to cancel it or something.
As a huge Rick and Morty-fan, I felt like this video really pin-pointed on some of the issues I have with the show and gave me a new lens that still let's me enjoy the show, but aware about what social lessons from the show you shouldn't carry out in real life... which is really important and helps the viewer grow as a person.
"I think it's absurd to try to sound smart based on your perception of a TV show."
He is doing a media analysis. He is not trying to sound smart, but instead is using tools and methods that are taught in universities that helps the critic to pin-point what type of message Rick and Morty wants to convey and what message Rick and Morty actually conveys.
"I don't understand this constant need to always discredit what others like because of the fact that we do not like it ourselves"
That's not what Leon is doing. He is analyzing what type of attitudes and lessons people could get from Rick and Morty.
I'm guessing you are a Rick and Morty-fan as well and I'm guessing you somehow misinterpreted Leon's video as "Rick and Morty-fans are problematic". Leon's video is more about... "What if Rick was a real person? Would that actually be someone worth aspiring to be as?" and I think Leon's video lands on the answer "No" because the show falsely equates meanness with intelligence. That is all. We can all still enjoy the characters and love them, because let's face it... they are cartoons! Within their world they are great... outside in our world? Not so much. Kinda like how most of us would agree that a real-life Superman policing the world would just mostly be scary and not comforting at all...
@@DarkZide8 Cool, Thanks for proving my point. Fictional TV/Movie's. Not meant to be taken seriously.
I made my own comment on this post on regards to how I think/feel. ( Where I explain that I don't base my life choices/decisions on TV shows)
(If anyone takes this TV show with face value and puts their moral grounds based on Rick as a character than they are definitely not in the right headspace.)
Also AGAIN, made a comment based on other comments I've seen here. That's why it is a reply to someone. Not a reply to the video itself. However I still find this is a waste of time and energy. Not even sure why I'm replying to this, but here it is.
Have a good day!
I'm actually writting a dissertation for my final year of film production course about the potrayal of toxicity in Rick and Morty and Bojack Horsemen. This video is very helpful, although now i'm slightly scared they might accuse me of plagiarism XD
So, give credit
I think you're right. You also forgot to mention another point where Rick is shown as a bad role model in S03Ep01 when Morty shows Summer how Rick doesn't care about what happens to other universes and tells her that is good to admire some qualities of Rick but he shouldn't be her hero. That felt like a message to their audience too.
This feels like the new generation of people who idolize Walter white while missing the entire point of his character
Precisely!
I really like Rick and Morty (despite its more problematic elements) and I thought this was a solid critique.
I suspect that the writers are trying to show that Rick is not someone to be emulated and that his decisions, even when they are 'successful', are not always right and that he consistently hurts and/or alienates everyone he cares about. However, I think you're right in saying that they haven't done enough to undermine the relationship between the terrible things Rick says and does and the fact that he's almost always framed as being right.
This is more or less what I've felt watching the series. It's odd, I agree with the video entirely, I just never really had the impression before this that Rick being "right" was supposed to be fine and reasonable, let alone good - especially with him being the reason so many of those problems exist in the first place. I want the series to brutally deconstruct that framing, I don't think there's really any other way to end this series that would be worthwhile. If the series ended right now, it would be a disappointing mess specifically because they haven't done that yet.
I'd put that down to the way I approach what I watch though, the kind of self proclaimed intellectual assholes this show can attract isn't some giant coinkydink.
Well said
I feel like in order to recognize that Rick is a mess you have to already believe that having meaningful relationships with people is a good thing. People who admire Rick think such relationships are either impossible or don't actually matter so they don't see him as a failure for not having them
People keep telling me to watch Rick and Morty but I just don't have room in my life for another TV show right now.
I've never heard of the creators of Rick and Morty call their show satire.
I believe many of the fans do, however.
I always wondered why I loath shows that have cruel protagonists but love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I guess I unconsciously picked up on which shows portrayed such protagonists in a positive light, and those that did not/criticised them
I think I have the same experience. I remember a promotional for _BoJack Horseman_ that compared the title character to figures such as Tony Soprano and Walter White, but I couldn't stand either show. I can appreciate it when the antihero gets a comeuppance or gets better, but seeing them get rewarded, not so much.
Always sun y its at least not apoloeptic at all about the characters and most of their scams end in failure and pain for them while rick has a pseudo science I win button
Always Sunny in Philadelphia is funny to watch because everyone knows they suck. They get punished and its funny to see bad people get what they deserve. In Rick and Morty, Rick mostly wins. The writers thinks he's always right. The bad person is right in RAM. So yeah, kinda explains why ASIP is much more fun to watch that RAM.
Despite all of the backlash against the weird fandom, I've never really thought of the problem with the fandom stemming from the strange messages of the show itself tbh.
But of course, it makes total sense. I like the show, but yeah the cruelty of the show sometimes reminds me of Family Guy, which I think is even more grossly cruel and mean spirited, and which has waned in popularity for this mean-spiritedness itself IMO.
Here's hoping that the show itself might seriously deal with Rick's problem as a character at a later date, and not devolve like Family Guy did.
Medial Agitators like Rick and Morty who tell Assholes that they are just too intelligent then everyone else will obviously attract these freaks like flies
I love this analysis. And I agree that Rick occasionally slipping up is not enough to be condemnation; in the conclusion of the A-story, Rick is generally proven right. But he is often wrong about minutia, and his response to being objectively proven wrong is never any different than when he's right. To me, that's the backdoor of why it's clear that Rick is a genius, full stop. And Rick is cruel, full stop.
The time split episode was a good example, where his whole thing is that he's so confident he'd never be unsure about a decision, and then when he's insecure about a joke, he's proven wrong but STILL blames Morty and is EXTRA cruel to Morty BECAUSE he was proven wrong. That's why his cruelty and genius are separate for me. But that's only my read and like you said, the show continually goes out of its way to connect the two. I just like to think it's meant to be "Ricks' flaw," (that he can't disentangle his cruelty from his genius,) not the show's. Probably just my justification for excusing it.
I guess it would take going through plot lines with exclusively cruel outcomes to see if there was a less cruel way to conclude the story. He definitely didn't need to take the green power rock at the end of the Mad Max episode, that was strictly cruelty. And the few times I can think of him being benevolent in the end of an episode, or at least...neutral, he then attempted suicide, or like you said undoes it by collapsing the gov and murdering a whoooole bunch of people. Sorry, rambling. Good stuff.
A show with a lot of the same issues is "House". I really enjoyed that show, and they did do a bit to try to show that he is wrong for connecting his physical pain and his being mean to people as connected to his intelligence...but he is right often enough that it is still too easy to take away the "smart people have a right to be mean" message.
Another issue is that I think it took at least 4 seasons to get to those problems, and it's easy to dismiss a show as going bad this late in the run. I certainly did.
i know what you mean but i can rember a few episodes were house was wrong or at least failed, but with the seasons of R&M that are out right now there are basicly none.
House MD shows that other doctors help a lot more people than House, who just wants to solve mysteries. Outside of the mysteries he's shown as a trash doctor and human being, who destroys everything around him and abuses everyone. This is not subtext but text.
@@alpani6805 He helps patients that literally no other doctor can fix, though. He's not a trash doctor, he's actually one of the best. Hence why people come from across the globe to see him. Not that him being a prick helps him be a good doctor. But he does lives, and the victims families from a lifetime of heartache. And he DOES care about the patients. He just doesn't show it.
@@alpani6805 Like, I love you guys, but this show is a classic, and you can't just take THAT shallow of an approach to it and try to reduce it to a walking trope. Lol. "Pulp Fiction is shit. It just glorifies the criminal lifestyle and totally doesn't even criticize it!" Is basically what I'm seeing in these comments. And how is House as bad as a criminal/mass murderer who ruins universes for fun lol.
This is so crazy to me cause i always saw Jerry as right and would get upset at how they framed him. Like Rick shouldnt be around children, Jerry said that. Rick is uncaring and cruel, Jerry said that. Rick is bad. Jerry said that. So when theyd be like 'haha stupid Jerry" id get visibly upset
100% agree, that's why I'm happy in the 4th season they developed his character in terms of his assertiveness when critiquing Rick's behaviour, but it still isn't enough.
Same, I really felt comforted by the things Jerry said even when he raises legitimate concerns.
I actually have a bit of pushback in the sense that I think that while the viewer is supposed to find Rick funny and cool in a sense, they are also supposed to understand that there are multiple kinds of intelligence, and while Rick is absurdly gifted in some areas, he absolutely lacks in others. He lacks emotional intelligence to the nth degree, specifically, and his major failing is conflating his kind of intelligence with all kinds of intelligence. Yes Rick, you can make an entire nested set of universes but you don't understand how to navigate relationships beyond a certain level and you realize it so you lash out, with your intelligence as the weapon of choice.
I think that the most stupid viewers of Rick and Morty are the ones who think that rick is right. This might be biased, because I honestly almost never think of him as correct. I think a lot of people enjoy the novelty of watching a series from the point of someone who is neither the villain nor a hero
They're supposed to, but the show doesn't frame him in a way that contributes to that. In the text he's a jerk but he still keeps winning.
@@Aster_Risk but being a jerk its not equal to loose in real life. Mean people usally get what they want.
We're social creatures, for us, being kind is being smart. Cruelty is stupid and shortsighted.
Rick is a Mary sue
Okay Gary Stu
this may seem random, but you made me realize how much more i'd like this show if rick were a woman 😂
@Jamiontae hudson I've never liked Rick (he's a piece of s&*t IMO). I used to root for Morty, Summer, & their mom to finally see what their dad often seems to, and abandon rick like he did to their mom. It's what he deserves. BTW I quit watching that show a while ago cause I got sick of it
@@possumhead2812 Yeah, any show Dan Harmon writes for has a Dan-Harmon-self-insert. I realised that when I watched 'Community' a few times and it suddenly occurred to me that 'Jeff Winger' was how Dan views himself and the show quickly lost its appeal.
the neckbeards really didn't like this one
@Throw Away bad. my pfp is bad
Something that gets on my nerves is: Shows these days present their characters as 'smart', because they make nerd jokes about astronomy, calculus. It's always nerd jokes. If you are a nerd, you are smart.
I get most of these jokes. I also know calculus. Yet, I was a 9/11 truther for crying out loud.
oooh self burn! those are rare
cant believe i made a pop culture reference in response to a comment calling out media for overusing them 😅 wheres my trophy for having the most brain cells
And then I go watch Doctor Who: "I do what I do because it's RIGHT! Because it's decent. And above all, kind. It's just that. Just kind." Now *that's* a message to take home.
A former friend ended taking Rick and Morty a little too seriously, and ended being extremely cruel, I decided to cut ties with her because she always thought she was going to be proven right after being the absolute worst.
I'm just speaking with conjecture but I feel like Southpark shaped a lot of narcissistic attitudes in people, especially through characters like Cartman. I also believe that Trey Parker and Matt Stone originally underestimated the effect the show and its characters have on people.
Yeah but the difference with cartman is that nearly every other character in his life hates him, or ends up hating him once they see the true him and 90% of his attempts end up with him crying to his mother that he didn't get his way. Yeah he's an asshole, but rarely does that payoff for him.
I am 32 and grew up watching South Park. Completely ageee. Also I would love to see a Renegade Cut on South Park.
20:50 Oh man, thank you for calling that out. I won't lie, I enjoyed the Pickle Rick shinanigans (the internet took it too far, but when doesn't it?), but my absolute FAVORITE thing in that episode and most of the series is the 'strip mall psychiatrist' absolutely tearing Rick's bullshit away and the fact that afterwards, the only way he knows how to handle it, in all his 'infinite intelligence,' is... to ignore it. To shuffle awkwardly in the car for a few minutes and tune out the literal cries for help coming from the back seat and go to the next distraction. It's great!
It also makes me want to see what the supposed 'infinite multiverse' has to show us about Ricks who DO go to therapy and work past their cruelty. But... Yeah, I suppose showing that would just end up with 'Nope, asshole Rick has to be the right one,' so... I won't hold my breath. Still, good for some laughs along the way. Neat video! Gave me some things to think on!
The reality is that cruel people are truly the dumbest people. Emotional intelligence is real intelligence.
I would argue that kind people are more intelligent
I'd say, rather, that empathy and intelligence are two distinct things. Fortunately, both are learnable to a degree.
@@ChurchHatesTucker It's true, they are not directly linked, however, it seems that intelligent people have better chances at grasping complex coherencies and therefor understand and be compassionate with people whom they might otherwise have condemned.
This is not a hard rule, but I believe I have observed a correlation here.
So, if we want to make people more compassionate, helping them develop their intelligence (and then provide them with information/education) would be an important step.
@@ChurchHatesTucker I mean, there are a lot of different kinds of intelligence, emotional intelligence being one of them.
In short, at least how I'm understanding this video anyways... There's a few important lessons here.
1.) Be nice to others.
2.) Rick is funny.
3.) If you identify with Rick or see him as a role model. Ask yourself why and talk to someone about it.
It isn’t just “be nice to others”. It’s rather “stop constantly reframing cruelty and mean-spirited behavior as ‘intelligent’”.
What's really sad is that Dan harmon, the co-creator of this series, created "community"
That entire show is about an entitled jerk who thinks he is smart, slowly realizing that he has been wrong and coming to change his ways and care about people. Sad that he went from working on that tv series to creating one with the opposite message.
galactic85 for money
As a huge BoJack fan... yeah, I’m glad they addressed this issue. BoJack is very relatable, and I’m glad they went so meta so there was no ambiguity about it.
Anyone who thinks of themselves as a Rick is 100% actually a Jerry.
I love the first 2 seasons of this show but I'm so glad I watched it as a mature adult and not a 13 year old.
I find the show amusing at times and I love their handling of scifi ideas and tropes, but god I hate Rick. If I watch more than two episodes in a row I start getting angry and agitated, this helped me understand why.
fellow narcissist's victim? The Rick in my life died more than 10 years ago and I still feel like punching his f face every now and then. I enjoy the show but it takes a lot from me to not "feel" it. Morty's goofy voice helps.
You can both like and dislike a thing for several different and contradictory reasons. It's the mark of an educated mind ;)
The Vindicators episode spells out why you feel this way. Morty explicitly tells Rick that because he is such a huge a$$, no one wants to admit when he's right. It rewards his a$$hole behavior.
Honestly Rick is my favorite character in the show!
Anyone with abusive parents or partner can recognise this pattern instantly .... the problem is by the time they are proved wrong alot of damage is done ...
Thank you for summing it up so well. Rick kind of resembles the cynical hollywood hustler type to me, the smarter-because-I'm-ruthless showbiz type that you always run into there. The kind of personality that is hyper charismatic yet cold and narcissistic with a brutalized world view.
Although Rick is often framed as the protagonist and often "right" -- the biggest gut punches of Rick stories often come from Rick's alienation of his friends and family. I'm thinking of his relationship with Unity. Yeah he sees the big picture -- but that big picture view of the world doesn't bring him any comfort. Like Dr Wong says, he uses intellect to justify sickness.
yeah but he's still shown to be fucking "hot babes" and is shown as the most attractive being by a hyper intelligent hive mind. then next episode it means nothing.
This is the reason I got tired of Doctor House, too. A tragic event in the past doesn't change the fact that the main character is the smartest, funniest and most successful person in the show.
That's totally different, though. Rick is a self-serving criminal jackass and nothing else. And yet, he wins.
House loses in every episode. He solves the case, and yet the show goes on and you see that "the puzzles" are all he has, and that he's actually very sad, lonely, unfulfilled, and feels he has nobody in his life. And what's interesting about House, and it's one of the biggest points of the show, is that: Is he good or bad? Do those words even mean anything?
He saves lives when no other doctor can, he saves families from lifelong misery, he helps his employees become the best doctors they could have ever hoped to be, and yet he is a very negative, misanthropic person inside. Does it matter, though? He still gets results.
And to top it off: He doesn't feel like he's winning, and his dickish narcissism and various flaws are criticized and pointed out by the other characters constantly. The show is a masterpiece, and House and Rick are very different people, and House is infinitely more nuanced and has far more depth.
@@cosmojenkins3020 It's the same. He is an asshole that is always right, and his lack of faith in humanity is rewarded every episode. He is a bad person, yet he isn't fired or punished because he is good at his job. He doesn't have many connections, but he has a best friend that loves him, and both of them play around at his place of work with chickens without consequences because, again, he is the smartest doctor in the world. Just like rick being sad sometimes, House is sad sometimes, but in the end he is right and he gets away with everything he does because he is smart.
@@malcomchase9777
House is portrayed as right ONLY in the case of the medical parts. He is very clearly shown as wrong in many other parts of the show. He does develop into a better person post S4, albeit very, very slowly.
@@malcomchase9777 Not even close to the same. I don't recall House committing acts of murder and being shown as right. In fact quite the opposite, he saves people. You say he's a "bad person" but is he really? If someone saves countless lives but happens to be an asshole that makes him a bad person?
I hate rooting for Rick. Bender was mean but he had heart at the end of the day
Bender also wasn't the main character.
Good message, here's a comment for algorithm boosting
+
does replying to a thread boost the algorithm
@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 That frog is a true hero, as demonstrated in his algorithm boosting
Also for his appearance in Chrono Trigger and remarkable swordplay againgst the forces of evil
This made me think of why, in my teenage years, I found House md so unlikeable as a series (it was all the rage back then, and yes I’m old).
It was more than the character, it was the framing. The omnipotence, the unmistakability of H., which meant no real character development and at the same time gave sweet excuses to every edgy teen watching.
When I was depressed I watched that show a ton. I wore meanness like an armor. I’ve grown up since then. Now I avoid it like the plague. I hate all that meanness the show harbors. It makes me feel corrupted, if that makes sense.
Rick is the sum of intelligence and unchecked ego mixed with an unhealthy dose of complete sorrow and pessimism. I agree with you there.
It make sense for me at least.
Yeah, I've been there. When I was at rock bottom, feeling worthless and depressed I was much meaner too. But I came to realize that isn't me. Nowadays I strive to be kinder because it feels more natural than a tacked-on "devil may care" attitude that I've adopted as a teenager out of desperation.
9:38 don't get me started on the dumb gender politics in that episode. Summer's revelation is that men are just as valuable as women because some of us are gay. You can tell there were no women involved, yeah.
The worst episode. Morty's story wasn't funny in that one either.
@@stuflames4769 - yeah, pretty boring all-in-all.
@@nightowl8477 the only joke I can remember liking is Morty's alien son at the end describing his awful upbringing while being interviewed on TV.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the Season 3 finale, where (if I remember) Rick 'loses' (Beth goes back to Jerry and Rick's fight is pointless to Morty) in spite of his intelligence/godlike powers. Perhaps a step in the right direction for the show, showing that he is emotionally wrong?
I don't trust it because season 2 finale also told us that maybe Rick's gonna change and then season 3 immediatly says nope, who says that won't happen in season 4 too
Nope.
> saying “I’m just being honest” as an excuse to say hurtful things
Congratulations, you just described my ex
You can tell that the creators didn’t think about the effect the show would have on its audience because they weren’t expecting the show to take off in the way it did. Post season 3 you can definitely feel a shift in the way Rick is portrayed. He’s still very smart but the show starts spitting in the face of his nihilistic and cruel attitude more. I don’t think Rick and Morty is a satire of anything I think it was just meant to be a dumb funny space show but once they realized that they cultivated a culture of fans that think caring about stuff is for losers and being mean makes you right they started putting more thought into the messages they were portraying. I think it’s important to be critical of the media you consume because if we weren’t Rick’s character would’ve remained stagnant.
The creator thought about it a lot and enjoys being mean and nasty like Rick, they thinks they are smart for it
This highlights what has been increasingly making me queasy about the character of Rick.
Going into 3rd season, I thought we would glimpse a comeuppance to Rick, as he alienates his friends and family. He's been shown to continuously bring death and misery to people on an unimaginable scale, yet he always gets away with it - including his own friends and family. I thought it would lead to something. Instead it continues highlighting how cool Rick is, and how much suffering he can inflict on Morty and the multiverse.
He's so awful, and there doesn't seem a point to it, except to continue his zany adventures.
I've watched this series multiple times and didn't pick up on this. It seems so obvious now. Great work. Broadened my perspective.
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I think the show too often falls into the habit of doing literally anything for a joke. Whatever messages it may wish to convey tend to be thrown by the wayside in service to a bit.
@ReverseBLT This phenomenon is a *huge* problem, in my opinion. I refer to it (not at all originally, except maybe for my dumb name for it) as the South Parkization of comedy. Around the mid-/late-90s, "edginess" for its own sake became the predominant way to get laughs and be seen as cool. Rick and Morty, though different in many ways from South Park, is a direct descendant of this type of humor.
I think it’s obvious that rick is a loser despite his « intelligence ». If some people doesn’t see it that way, the problem is them, not the show.
- A french man