The dark side is considered to be the bad/evil side, the villains dress in black and so on when you look at stereotypes.
What is the root of that stereotype? Is it simply because we as humans fear the dark because we can't see in it or is there more to it?
Thoughts? Opinions?
2007-03-08 17:32:58 · 12 answers · asked by --- 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Black is the colour of joy in Chinese culture. I don't think labels help us think. What's required is to look at actions and consequences. Sometimes "doing good" can cause harm unintentionally; and evil can create "good" consequences - or at least so defined by some. So I reckon it's largely a question of how one defines objectives. For me it's enhancing life for the greatest number of sentient beings (people and animals) within my power to affect, while doing minimum damage. After all, everything creative damages something. Responsibility requires courage and constant review.
2007-03-08 17:42:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The antithesis of light and darkness as symbols of good and evil may come from Persian Zoroastrianism. This religion had a big influence on early Christianity. The Prince of Light and the Prince of Darkness, stuff like that. I think the Essenes funneled a lot of this stuff into Christianity.
The story of Jesus being taken to a height and tempted by the Devil with the promise of ruling the whole world, is a story right out of Zoroastrian religion almost word for word.
2007-03-09 01:41:58 · answer #2 · answered by fra59e 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We grew up with fairy tales that scared us to death - the big bad wolf, the evil witch, they were all dark characters -- I personally do not believe in good and evil only indifference. Everyone can be perceived to be on either side of this fence on any given day of their lives; we are human; mere mortals, placed on earth to learn by our mistakes. The good vs. bad and the black stereotyping is again scare tactics that went from scaring children and turning adults into believing in the teachings of good versus evil. What if there IS no such thing? Aren't we all sinners in someone's eyes?
For me, wisdom comes with learning that the difference in good and evil is only portrayed by our deeds and thoughts. That's it, no more, no less. If you want to throw religion into it, like they did 2000 years ago, it was a great way to make people behave in a more civilized manner. The fear of God is the greatest fear told to man until this century, now it's nuclear holocaust or global warming---which by the way, "they" state is part of God's armageddon..............fairy tales still being told 2000 years and counting................
2007-03-09 01:48:57 · answer #3 · answered by mac 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've seen it done where the bad guy is in white and the good guy is in dark clothes...
Good/Evil Stereotypes like that haven't been done in a while...mostly because Evil now a days is played as someone you THINK you can trust so they're in bright colors...but they're really not...and the good people have to hide out so they're in darker colors because they draw less attention.
It was just the other way around a few years ago...evil had to hide out so they wore darker colors and good people didn't have to hide so they wore bright stuff.
Good example of this is Ocean's 11...look at the main bad guy's clothes...they're all light colored...and then look at the stuff Ocean wears...it's darker...stands out less.
2007-03-09 01:41:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Think of life before artificial light. Humans had little control of the dark and little ability to 'conquer it.' That's pretty scary. Perhaps that's where the roots of the stereotype began.
But if you can watch cable TV all night long, eat Ben & Jerry's and have all the lights on in your house, it's not so scary.
2007-03-09 01:39:34 · answer #5 · answered by holacarinados 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
light is goodness. it is what allows plants to create oxygen and grow and then become food for other life forms.
darkness is shadow, it is unknown. it's similar to fog (many centuries ago) where the unknown was scary. it is the unknown that we fear, much like evil.
evil itself can be a point of view. the most vile act can possibly have a reason, sane or not. evil is not understood, which binds it to other things that are not understood. such as darkness, where witches fly, cats report to their agents, and goblins look to play fun tricks on people
2007-03-09 02:07:30 · answer #6 · answered by Jim 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
what about batman? constantine? he dresses in black...spiderman? hell, the green lantern IS black! no, there is no real stereotype anymore, those were the old days..the only real good human is one who has already done wrong and is now trying to save himself or the rest of us. How can you trust a person who tries to save us knowing that he does not know what the dark side consists of?
2007-03-09 01:37:39 · answer #7 · answered by carrier_anomaly_detected 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It goes from Night and day
Day you can see everything, and what you see is what you get
Night is dark (especially with no lights in old days), Night is black, you can't see anything, and that is where superstition puts the bad things.
2007-03-09 01:39:35 · answer #8 · answered by bob shark 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the Beginning
(how much farther back can you get than that?)
When God created the two great lights (Sun and Moon)
He created the Sun to rule the Day and the Moon the rule the Night. the sun is the representation of the Good (Jesus) and the Moon being bad (Lucifer) because he created the stars also (angles)
this is later referred to in Revelation. anytime someone was said to walk in the darkness, they were in the spirit of evil.
you should look it up in scripture, there are so many types there, it is unbelievable.
2007-03-09 01:39:18 · answer #9 · answered by Stamping Machine 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I think the dark colours stem from visions of hell and night. The devil being red...hell being black so everyone sees those colours as bad/evil
2007-03-09 04:10:47 · answer #10 · answered by angellover6056 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋