Meta rec and Very Scientific Poll

[ash48]

bardicvoice has written some great meta on why we see Sam and Dean differently: The Rainbow Connection, or Can You See What I See?

I like the ideas presented - it all makes perfect sense to me. It should help people realise that it's OK to see the show differently and arguing about it (read "being nasty") isn't going to achieve much. I think discussing is valuable because I think sharing the differing views can be interesting. Though, as bardicvoice's put it - "You're going to believe what you believe no matter what I say, unless I happen upon an explanation that fits your emotional reality and both allows and persuades you to change your point of view. Trust me, those occasions are few and far between".

She also refers to an article written about why we connect to fictional characters in such a passionate way. This is fascinating also.

If you enjoy this type of analysis I highly recommend it.

She can't answer what it is in each of our personalities that makes us respond the way we do, unfortunately. I imagine such a study would be extraordinarily difficult.

However...I did wonder if we might be able to do a highly (un)scientific survey to see if there's anything we can pin down that make us either a Sam!person or a Dean!person or a both bro!person.



I think of myself as a Sam!girl (who adores Dean <333). I often wonder what draws me to Sam and I think I can simply put it down to:

1) He's the younger brother
2) He has long hair
3) I find Jared ridiculously attractive

(I find Jensen ridiculously attractive too. I love Dean and there's no way I would adore Sam the way I do without Dean being there).

In most TV/film partnerships I've always favored the younger of a pair - Luke over Han, AJ over Rick (Simon and Simon), Stephen over Mike (in the Tomorrow People). I have no idea why that is. I've sometimes wondered if it has anything to do with my position in my family. I am the eldest.

Which makes me wonder if the way we favour either Sam or Dean has anything to do with whether or not we have younger or older siblings? (I think not, but it might be fun to see if there is any trend).


[Poll #1918144]


It's just for fun (and I'm curious...). In all honesty I imagine there are a number of factors dictating not only the way we sympathise with a particular character but also how we interpret story lines and "see" the show. I don't know how you'd ever find out what makes one person see it one way and other a different way. It would be quite a study I should imagine.

Comments

[ash48.livejournal.com]

can I be BiBro and Dean slanted?

Yes! I'm bibro with a Sam slant I've decided. :)

And yes to everything here! (hee... with the switch to gravitating to Sam h/c - which I have a little feeling you may already know...;D)

I never blame him though, or Sam, it's usually "Stupid Bloody Writers, Didn't We Fix This Already" - kind of thing.

Indeed. :) It's interesting (and slightly off topic) but I've been watching some con footage for a vid and the Js were asked about whether the boys will ever learn from their mistakes. They said that the show would be pretty boring if they kept doing the right thing. Jensen even said has sure they would keep repeating their mistakes. Now, whether he was making excuses for the lack of progress in that area or whether the writers are deliberately wanting us to be always hitting them upside the head I don't know.

It was just a curious thing to me. :)

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

Actually I agree with him character-wise. The brothers do need to keep , confronting each other, challenging each other and we need to see the differences at the heart of their decisions and beliefs, why they disagree etc..

What I'm mainly talking about is the simplistic rote some writers use for that conflict. Think about season one, how exciting those little reveals were, the conversation about Sam leaving - Dean was proud of him, later there was the reveal that John (and maybe Dean?) kept an eye on Sam at Stanford - there were so many small little reveals like that, where each of them learnt a little more about their shared past and separate experiences and we were drawn into their lives.

Just lately it's all boiled down to the single lowest common denominator - Sam leaves/left Dean, Dean is/was pissed. There's no nuance, no expanding of that, or in other words I wish to shit they'd write a character bible and keep adding to it, there's plenty of room, years of childhood and many an opportunity to add a line that reveals a little more about them and why they have these differences and outlooks. So to me, it feels lazy and trite and at times darn right contradictory.

Same goes with their repeating of mistakes and in a way the whole show's circular plotting, which can at times be really well done and interesting, but even then, without new snippets of knowledge and an understanding that every time the circle comes around both we AND the brothers have learnt SOMETHING - then I am going to get annoyed and frustrated.

Hah, curiosity can never be cured, but maybe next time you should list those bromance shows and ask about favourites/slants and compare our tastes that way? Too many polls I think!