People were admonishing the wizard books the other day and rightfully so, I just think if you're looking for why modern media or writing is the way it is, why discourse is the way it is, a lot of it really does come back to here.
Now, before kids were being admonished for being on their phones all day, my generation and before were admonished for watching TV all day. And Harry Potter seemed tailor-made for all the new Mike Teavee's of the world.
The Hobbit was meant to be read one chapter a night before bedtime, for comparison, but Harry Potter is written much more like a TV series where each chapter ends with ether closure or on a cliffhanger.
J. K. Rowling's writing style is also just... very simplistic. She's focused way more on what a character is thinking or feeling rather than "painting a picture" which is great if, you know, TV ruined your imagination.
The end result is that for kids, it was just a much quicker source of instant dopamine. It was very easy to read, instantly grabs your attention, and is smothered to the fucking gills with wish fulfillment and escapism, holy shit.
The problem is that there are no other books that does any of this. There are no other books that are written this way, outside of maybe porn, and when you grow up, that likely influences the way you interact with media.
The end result is you've got a whole new generation where most people prioritize catharsis and what gives them instant gratification over anything else. Art is to be swallowed like an endless stream of comfort food, constantly escaping, and *hating* it when art makes them think about the real world.
But nobody is immune to this. I'm sure that you do it too, you're the same way.
See, if Baldur's Gate 3 was any indication, it's clear that you all want stories and characters to bend to what makes you the happiest in the immediate, without regards for the consequences, or how we were taught to make things interesting or thought-provoking in the first place.
Because media companies don't cause, they enable. They're just going to do what makes them the most money at the end of the day. The average consumer wants comfort and stability in their entertainment, they do not want to think or be challenged. The nail that sticks out gets hammed in. You can play the game and prosper, or you can put in the effort and be punished.
Fuck it, I guess we're complaining about Baldur's Gate 3 now.
The thing is, originally, Karlach's story ended tragically, with her only options to ether die or return to wherever it was, the later of which she thinks is worse than death. This leads to a very heartbreaking conversation where she breaks down over the fact that she's going to die.
In fact, it was probably the most moving part of the entire game, who had to come to grips with the fact that she isn't going to get any better.
The problem? You stupid fucks complained because you couldn't handle a sad ending. The fact that there was no way to save Karlach and you just had to be a grown-up and live with that, was a really potent gut-punch in a story that otherwise had everything wrapped up super cleanly.
But that was all ruined by an audience who were unable to handle a sad ending. This whole game, in fact, is the most egregious example I can think of which was ruined by an audience who prioritizes catharsis and indulgence, a higher priority than good storytelling.
All that character work and the actual progression of the story was something you all wanted to be sabotaged because otherwise it wouldn't feel personally as cathartic to you. If nothing else, it has been proven, never work for other people, it's terribly dangerous to fulfill other people’s expectations.
Wait, what were we talking about again?
Oh yeah, do whatever you want, I don't care.