Often, I read critiques stating that a certain aspect of a book is bad because it’s normalizing behavior X. This is because it portrays a character engaging in X without facing negative consequences or any moral lesson in the story.
Can’t a story just be a story? Does it always have to be interpreted as an attempt to influence behavior? Unfortunately, in real life, Nazis/pedophiles/puppy killers, etc., often don’t repent and sometimes achieve a happy ending. If this happens in a fictional story, is it bad?
I find this problematic for two reasons. First, it treats the reader as someone incapable of independent critical thinking. It’s reminiscent of when video games/comics were accused of turning young people violent and degenerate. Second, it makes stories overly predictable. You automatically read stories expecting 2-3 plot twists in the final arc, and the villain will be either punished or converted.
by gombahands