Is COH: Freedom Putting the Cart Before the Horse?

Hmm, I return from a two months break and lo and behold, another thread turning into a discussion regarding "good versus evil". Good versus evil is mostly subjective depending on ones point of view. It is also not so clearly defined the vast majority of the time. In reality, more often than not, heroes or do-gooders are more than capable of skirting that thin line, often crossing it outright. That lady who volunteers at the homeless shelter every Thanksgiving and Christmas? Fibs on her tax return or got into a hit-and-run while DUI. Hmmmmmm. While that does not make her evil, it does make her a flawed being who is not at all "heroic" in its purist form.

Villains on the other hand, rarely openly declare themselves as such from the get-go. They also don't restrict themselves to exclusively committing evil deeds if doing good deeds from time to time can advance their end goals more efficiently. In fact, it is questionable whether many of them should be labeled as villains at all. After all, it is extremely rare to come across a truly *villainous* character such as Adolf Hitler. While the Going Rogue expansion opened up such a gray area to us, it also inadvertently perpetuated more such false labels. So a hero who commits some questionable acts is now labeled a vigilante? Not to me. That just makes you human instead of some fantastical saint who is about as real as the tooth fairy.

I think part of the problem behind our fascination with hero worshiping is due to a certain unique aspect of the American culture. Having been at the position of global dominance for so many decades, many of us Americans got used to viewing ourselves as the force of good, always out on the forefront fighting some sinister force or "evil empire". Yet, many others around the world would see the opposite due to some of the unsavory and underhanded tactics we resorted to in order to advance *our* ideals. However, we often don't get to see that aspect or choose not to see it because few people enjoy being reminded of the ugly and flawed details. In essence, just because we made the world a better place for our future, it doesn't mean that there aren't other people who suffered during the process. Another bad habit we have also developed is the tendency to label those who are not "with us" as bad or evil people, out to damage our western styled freedom, democracy and way of life. This is a very troubling and ultimately dangerous mindset because it eventually grows into the dual delusion of "we can do no wrong" and "our way is the right way". That is something I consciously attempt to stay as far away from as possible.

In any case, this is why I play on the red side almost exclusively despite a few attempts to give blue side a shot. That shining, clean-cut, and "heroic" side is simply a carefully crafted illusion which does not exist on such a scale in the real world. Now I *know* this is only a fictional setting but regardless, it is difficult to stomach the idea that there is a city full of heroic do-gooders who are out to "better" the world in accordance to their ideology. Seriously, who in the world would so make such bold proclamations except for arrogant and delusional egomaniacs? On the other hand, the red side is more like the gray area in the real world which makes it dramatically more palatable to me although my morality based preference here is really just an aberration. Of the other "good versus evil" MMOs I have played in the past, I generally chose the side which offered the most rewarding options for my characters. I suspect that there are many other players who have also chosen to take the path of least resistance.