A classic story formula:
Some wicked entity – either a wicked king or a savage monster – kidnaps the princess. A dashing hero of noble birth rescues the princess, they fall in love and they marry.
“That’s sexist!” says the modern critic. “I hate it when stories portray women as helpless victims who reward men with their bodies!”
Huh, strange. You’d think they’d complain about the classism more. The hero is always of noble birth. These stories come from an era where your class defined everything, right down to childhood mortality rates.
Or they could point out how weird it is for chaotic beasts to imprison princesses. True chaos wouldn’t bother taking her captive.
The stories aren’t supposed to make sense. They’re metaphors. So many stories follow this theme because they teach you how men and women work. Femininity is precious and must be protected. Masculinity is vital and must protect.
“We need to change the stories! The princess must save herself! And the prince!”
Yeah, those stories fade. The wafer-thin plots of the original Super Mario Bros games – “rescue the princess” – are iconic. Despite doing well financially, the cultural impact of the Mario movie was basically nil.
The classic plots speak to universal Truths. The “modern takes” on them are spiritually hollow, lacking anything the audience needs.
We’ve lost so much from the olden days. Yes, some things are better. No one pines for dysentery. But our ancestors feared nothing, built everything and toppled kings over single-digit taxation rates.
It just goes to show:
Often the old ways are best.
And Evil takes many forms.
Yes, Evil. It’s bad to rob a generation or two of the skills they need to survive. Skills people have instilled through stories for millennia.
People need all the wisdom they can get. The world is insurmountable – insurmountable! – without it. No matter their intentions, they’re vandalising stories to conform to how they wish the world was, not how it is.
Princess Peach failing to teach young people about life – that’s far from the biggest Evil in the world.
But who says you have to only fight the biggest ones?
Start small, especially if you need the practice.
One way is to preserve, share and create real stories.
But you can fight Evil every day, even without stories to tell.
Here’s how: