Literally Me Characters: Men and Misunderstanding Media 

Thank you, Book and Movie Guy. I just cancelled my semi-monthly shipment of crisp, white, eggshell finish business cards.

I feel like another problem exacerbating the "literally me" phenomenon is that seemingly fewer and fewer people interact with media in a critical way. The reason I find many of these characters compelling is because you can understand and empathize with how they got there, and they force you to examine the parts of yourself that, left unaddressed, could lead you to becoming literally them. However because many people interact with media on a surface level, these "literally me" guys end up missing the point that many of these films function as a cautionary tale.

I want a “You are Ken-nough” shirt so I can reassure just everyone that sees me that they are Ken-nough.

Ok, but hear me out- *I drive*

Your students are very fortunate to have you as their teacher. In fact, we're honestly very lucky to have any teachers working today at all since they're really underpaid and are now being censored for teaching children about the real world, and how to deal with it in a manner that ensures their safety. As opposed to just hiding the truth, rewriting history, and hoping that any and all problems would just... Evaporate.

Gonna start using Killmonger as my new literally me character. Thanks book and movie guy

Literally me Ryan Gosling Blade Runner just cause I’m depressed

I think the one common denominator amongst all men is the need to be useful. I discovered this when thinking about a game called Slay the Princess and how its a love story. Its very easy to love princesses because they are obviously beautiful but also usually depicted needing something and we either watch them earn it or see a man help them in some way. Men also crave to serve kings and armies at times too, and when Ken in Barbie felt like his existences was lacking purpose, he wanted to make himself useful by assisting Barbie in her quest for meaning too. Men turn bitter and cold when they have no outlet for their unmet capabilities, no journey to travel, no friends to share the spoils with, no love to share their beds with. To feel useless is to feel unmanly for many/ if not all men.

Whenever I see JarJar step in the poopy, I always think, "That is LITERALLY me!".

It was a total shock to me when, at age 18, I started gushing about how much I liked Fight Club, and then when someone said they liked it too and I started in on "it was such a mindf*ck how the narrator disintegrated himself and denied the negative effect that the world was having on him to the point of him MAKING UP a whole other person to shoulder that dark side of himself" and I got a total blank stare. It's so strange to me how people saw Tyler Durden as a GOOD GUY for some unfathomable reason, I guess because he was played by a good looking actor or something. Like, wait, you weren't struck by the fact that the narrator, the goodie two shoes, remained nameless throughout the whole story? That we knew more about his damned apartment than we knew about the guy whom the story was supposed to be about? Did you not get the point that if you do not think about who you are and what life means to you that at best, capitalism will define you, and at worst, you will be defined by your worst impulses and thoughts? BRUH where can we get more English teachers like you???

The men don't usually understand these types of characters are a warning of what you don't want to become. Patrick is completely void of anything and he is in constant suffering and he tries to fill that void with killing and expensive things but he will always be alone, Thomas Shelby has a lot of money yet in every season tha losses surpass the wins, his ambition became his downfall he first receive the beating of his life by the Sabini men, then they killed his wife, and then his brother, he is developing Schizophrenia surly and his son won't have a normal life and everything because his dad never has enough. Don't become this, love your partner and your son if you have one. Bring stability and comfort not chaos and confrontation.

I actually will point out that Killmonger specifically was definitely 'literally me' among multiple of my black male friends. In fact, I kinda fell into that slightly myself. More testament to the idea that the film had some level of moral grey area, which is a good thing. But your point is sound anyway.

This but with Watchmen’s Rorschach. The problem with Watchmen fans is that it’s hard to use him as a litmus test because he’s the best written character in it and arguably the protagonist, so he’s literally everyone’s favourite character. You just can’t tell the difference between people who think he’s a wonderful _character_ but would an absolute shitshow of a person if he were real, and people who wish he was real and that they were him. Similar to Patrick Bateman actually, now that I think about it.

Dudes need to start abiding more like Jeff Lebowski. Fuck it dude, lets go bowling

This is my favorite channel right now. My kids are going to hate me because I'm going to give them like 5 videos to watch, but it'll do them well to think about these things

I think The Joker in particular encourages the 'literally me' thing because the actions are never shown in a negative light. At the end of the film, The Joker (and vicariously the audience) are reveling in the murder and subsequent chaos. There's no sober moment where the reality of how Arthur behaves is shown as actually bad. That stands in stark contrast to Taxi Driver, imo. Another great essay. Could use some visual improvements though; the text is very dark and hard to read for some reason for example.

Actually I like Literally Me characters because they are literally me

I think it's crazy that people unironically want to emulate a character like Tommy Shelby. He's a character burdened with regrets and is ravaged by ptsd.

I'm a woman but I admit I identify with many of these characters from Holden Caulfield to Rorschach to Arthur Fleck. For me I think it has a great deal to do with believing Isince my childhood in rural NY in the 70s and 80s that as a bisexual and someone bullied as fat and ugly I couldn't be a"real" woman or anything resembling heroic which made me identify deeply with anti-heroes and villians.

On "You Were Never Really Here" (great movie), it's also worth noting that the violence is shot very differently than these other films. It is violent, don't get me wrong, but the violence is not cool. It's awkward and uncomfortable and a struggle. There's nothing glamorized in that. It sits more comfortably with films like The Irishman or Blue Ruin in that sense, and I don't see those films coming up in these discussions either (even though their plots sound like they could). Also worth noting that "You Were Never Really here" was directed by a woman.. although then, I suppose so was American Psycho haha.

Damn. Stumbled on a gem. You deserve more subs

I've basically been rocking the Killmonger haircut for a couple years now. It's somewhere between Killmonger and the Goth kid on South Park who likes to flip his bangs and pout "Conformists" at people. The first time I noticed it, I haven't stopped doing the hair flip myself. Literally me. Lololol

Mr. Robot... is the better version of fight club, Elliot goes to THERAPY and is a good person

As a man who loves cinema and reading novels I watched this video with trepidation because I'm afraid that any "RU-vid Movie Reviewer" that looks like you is going to be a Movie Bro. Thank you for convincing me otherwise. I'm now subscribed.

I love Alan! My favorite part of Barbie. My best friend (who is also an English teacher!) dressed up as Alan for Halloween, and that made me love him just a little bit more.

You don't need to spend hours in the gym, have a personal trainer or follow a highly specialised diet to be mildly lean and muscular, you could attain that physique by training 3-4 times per week following a solid program and eating a healthy diet.

I think this quote kind of sums up the idea. "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." -H. L. Mencken I think many of us are tempted by the allure of rage-fueled vengeance. These movies tap into that temptation. I think we are supposed to see ourselves in these characters. And more so to see the futility of falling into said temptation. It ultimately fails to change anything significanly and you get nothing but maybe a sense of catharsis. It's a shallow, false victory. I, personally, find it much more fulfilling to struggle, grow, and achieve despite sometimes feeling like the world itself is fighting me at every step and that most people around me are apathetic to my plight. (Btw, thanks Greg, for showing an interest in my writing) Sometimes there is a little William Foster from Falling Down in all of us that is fed up and just wants to go ballistic. But part of being a man, or rather being a human being is learning to harness our natural aggression for creation rather than destruction--taming the violence inside and reforming it into passion that can be used to enrich ourselves and the world. And I'm not just reiterating some tired out platitude like "be kind to each other" or "the world needs more love". I'm talking about finding a healthy outlet for your rage. Using aggression not to harm, but to achieve. I believe that the best way to fight oppression, real or perceived, is to thrive in spite of it. And that goes for everyone, not just the "literally me film bros". And this is coming from me, a white trash trailer park boy struggling just to pay the rent and buy groceries who is trying to make a name for himself by writing stories.

I don't disagree w/ any of this, but I think there's a point being missed in Joker. What happens when society has no interest in change for the better? What if none of the politicians are interested in anything more than their own wealth & status? You can't vote your way out of that scenario. That doesn't mean we need a Joker-like figure. I agree he's not about change for the better. Just violent retribution - tho, at the same time, I can't bring myself to feel any sympathy for DeNiro's character.

The John Cusack character in High Fidelity was the one I thought was literally me. The Edward Norton character in Fight Club, and thr Cusack character in Being John Malkovich also spoke to me. Those three movies from 1999-2000 speak about identity in the modern world finding an identity beyond being a drone in a cubicle (Office Space and the Matrix were 1999 too) and writing your own destiny rather than just sucking on the teat of consumerism. I think Fight Club in the context of movies which weren't treated similar thenes without violence means something different than it does after Walter White and Tony Soprano and all the "escape modernity through redemptive violence" genre. After meeting the Italian mobster, Durden's homework is "you are going to start a fight, and you are going to LOSE the fight." Which is another scene people tend not to quote. I never read the book, but I always thought it was interesting that Palahniuk was gay. There was a movement called homomasculine in Castro in the 70s snd 80s that tends to be underrepresented among the "gay best friend of a straight girl" archetype in TV and movies. After the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro wanted gays in Havanna to be subjected to military discipline and stop being so effeminate, and some of that occurred on Castro Steet in San Francisco; but with gay men as the drill sargeants and NCOs. The club culture allowed homomasculine men to explore male sexuality and violence without being limited by women's lib assumptions about an inescapable coercive or exploitive subtext. In My Own Private Idaho, there's a scene in which the male hustlers on the cover of gay skin mags start to talk start to come alive and dialog with each other, creating a story different than the one people might project onto the female hustlers in movies like American Psycho of Taxi Driver. In some ways I suspect Palahniuk was the heir to ideas about traditional maculinity passed down from the Greeks, which straight men in my generation were already being told were toxic and pathological, and which boys in high school today probably lack any exposure to outside of violent movies.

Lol. At the ripe old age of 16, I wanted to be as cool as Tyler Durden with women. As badass as Rorschach. And the Joker was my FAVORITE villain. I ate that impotent rage and frustration up because that's exactly how I felt. (Even though I was a teenage girl.) Thankfully at some point in my deep dive down the manosphere I realized with disappointment the rules were different for women. I REALLY wanted to be an alpha male for a bit there. 😂 But now I've come to realize what I identified with was being othered. And the desire to have an impact on the world. Seeing yourself in the struggle of fictional anti-heroes, and vicariously enjoying the idea of justice through their *questionable* behaviour is absolutely valid. And probably even formative for some people. I think it just takes exposure to further conversations on the material and maturity to channel it in a healthier way. A lot of "literally me" people probably do know where fiction ends and reality begins. We just dont give young people, specifically, enough credit-try to guide them too heavily and quickly. Then it stops being an exploration. And, starts feeling a lot more like a dismissal of the feelings that drew them to that character in the first place.

i love that you are a teacher and are also making such fascinating videos on film and its intersections with capitalism and masculinity and misogyny! i think its engaging content like yours regarding modern meme trends that help improve film literacy and media literacy. i’m excited to watch more:) also: i love how you are reading rather than memorizing the script and looking at the camera- your style feels more natural.

13:19 I had such a viceral reaction when you said “because women are in them now.” There’s this new guy in training at my job, and, to pass time, we were watching a twitch streamer play “Control.” He suddenly says, “what is it with so many games having female leads?” There was no reason for bringing it up, but his reasoning behind the statement was because, even though he knows a woman that’s a highly decorated military officer, he said he’s “beaten her in a fight,” therefore he thinks women are less capable of being…leads in video games? He also almost slipped in saying “men are superior” but quickly said “stronger” instead. The inability to see anything wrong with that and where that line of thinking leads is incredibly concerning.

Finally, you slacker! 😂 I've been waiting for this

honestly excellent video, was engaged the entire time and completely understand/agree with what you are trying to say. you’ve got talent my friend, keep it up

It's the same with Walter White from Breaking Bad. Thinking that the "I am the one who knocks"-moment is somehow a triumphal one. And the disgusting hate that the actress playing Skyler got because she was the awful b**** standing in the way of his supposed greatness. It's absurd...

Dude. Have you considered running a "book and movie" book club? I will happily sign up. Thanks for the breath of fresh air your channel is

Ken doesn't just feel put upon, he really is marginalized. The character is a stern warning to young men that basing your self worth on other people's approval or whims is dangerous.

I really love this breakdown. It's very compassionate and thorough. I don't entirely agree with your points about barbie but the rest was great. I think Killmonger feels too real to be a literally me Character. His point is way more nuanced than most literally me's and he reflects in the end, which kills the fantasy.

I just gotta say, you are dead wrong about Gary. He hates Star Wars and Marvel now, solely, because of the trash-tier storytelling.

Absolutely amazing take tbh

Apart from the well-constructed and deep analysis of the art and audience, I also identified a lot with your personal perception and feelings on this subject. It was only recently that I found that people actually identified with the American Psycho dude, and I still don't get how it's popular to say you identify with psychopaths and such, in public.

This analysis is superb.

Ok then, so how are we supposed to deal with our emotions of discontent and anger in a way where we dont lash out at society? Voting for one party or another makes no difference because both parties don't really care that much about the people. The only solution i can see is by working in government institutions to actively change the system and society.

i love listening to you talk! please make more videos like this lol

The problem isn't the people connecting with these characters It's why they are doing so. The problem is society, and we need to recognize it is broken beyond repair.

It's not a good idea to put dark text on dark background. Very hard to read

This video is incredddddible , made me think alot and put thoughts I had into words better than I couldve ! If you see this comment I was wondering about your views on the artists role in dispelling and combating harmful readings of their characters or work when they become rampagnt . On one hand I feel like these readings are always absolutly bonkers and dispell themselves bc litterly how do you read american physco and romancize bateman , or come out of the secret history wishing to meet a man like henry , but then I go on social media and soooo many people do and sometime these phenomna will spiral and start very very dangerous trends and ways of thinking (ok the immediate example I can think off was It ends with us setting out to start discussions on how pop romance tends to idealise abuse and this makes readers dismiss and belittle actual survivors but then ended up being the first domino in a longg chain of horrendous "dark" romance books that get really popular but highkey even the author herself dismisses real victims later in her life so idk but i still think the actual book didnt aim to do that yk) and at that point does the author have an obligation to say something? Would it even matter if they did?

Great argument, however, there’s something inside me (it’s hard to explain)

Great video man, literally me 👌

Well spoken and incredibly though provoking

The Thanos snap is literally me.

Haven't watched the video yet but I am literally Paul Muad'dib Atreidies

great video!

We understand the point its just hard to fit in a copy of a copy of a copy

Where’s the Barbie edit where he discovers literally me edits in the going up the escalator scene, someone did a video essay and featured it recently but I think it got deleted I can’t find that shut

I wanna write stuff for jason todd, and this feels like a great resource to get in his head. Thanks!

Awesome video man. You gained a sub. I was looking for a decent video on this topic and could only find a few. Yet I found tons of videos/shorts on the praise/idolization of these types of characters. With men in the comments cheering and looking up to these characters (with some taking jabs on women or “woke” culture etc etc). 4 or 5 years ago I too thought of these characters in the same way as these kids/young men and even older adult men now do. I agree it is extremely concerning. You explained it very well, and I really enjoyed your view of the Ken/Barbie movie. It even gave me a new perspective on the character Allan and it made me respect him more. I think it’s important that these young men know that what they feel is valid, normal and mostly perfectly fine, but looking up to these characters that act out in extreme/violent ways is not okay. All it does is feed the machine and like you said, makes them apart of the problem. I’m not a perfect man but I’m trying to be better. Life is hard and shit sucks. But the things these characters do and lashing out in those ways is not the solution. Idk, rant over. I hope the men that got defensive in this comment section take a second to reflect and actually think about the point you’re trying to make. Thanks for making this video and thanks for giving me something to think about

I'm increasingly worried that media illiteracy will doom us all. Between this and the misunderstood satire of helldivers and warhammer, I see countless men suffering in isolation and finding solidarity in anger, cruelty, and ultimately fascism.

i cried at the end of Joker

I don't "get" memes so I appreciate your example and explanation in the beginning.

goncharov is my literally me

Thank you very much for your insights, in special concerning the need to be present as possible in relation to become aware of other's emotions and feelings, one of my greatest limits as a 65-years old Brazilian man. New things to learn from here. Things I admit I need very much. My literally Me character? I am sorry to say, Samuel Sterns from that January 1963 Tales To Astonish comic book edition, after a gradually growing intake of Ritalin as prescribed by a psychiatrist. Not good, I agree, but it was still far worse before, no doubt. And for the record, this world largely deserves - and needs - its share of weirdos around.

Hmm, a very interesting take, I must say

Wonderful video 👍

True. I didn't have any interest in watching neither Barbie nor Oppenheimer but ended watching Barbie and hated it. If people are calling that BS existential we're in deeeeeep trouble

I just started the video, but I must comment on the comments I've seen so far... I LOVE boys/men sharing their feelings with each other in a supportive place 🥰

my favorite movie (and book) is fight club. I always laugh thinking how red of a flag it would be if i were a man.

I think the only 'literally me' character I've ever had is Billy Brown from Buffalo '66. I don't feel like typing all of the reasons out because it would be a damn novel by the time I'd be done, but I saw myself in him as we had a lot of the same social/mental issues and a similar childhood as well as we both decided to get better in the end.

Malcom X and the uprise in black conservatism? I feel like you need to expound on that point a bit. Malcom X is generally regarded as a leftist figure. FDsignifier’s two-parter on Black conservatism is a good resource on that topic imo.

do you have a letterboxed?

Hell yeah, dude

Yes, I am.

Hi, if you're reading, know this: You are Kenough, and I won't accept any repulsion you might have of the thought of this!

All it takes is a few dudes ironically relating to some edgy characters and leftists go full damage control mode and start shitting out video essays about media literacy or fascism or whatever lol God forbid men enjoy things

would you consider yourself a Marxist-Leninist? - and something i get reminded of for some reason at the end of your essay was that scene from the boondocks of a Stinkmeaner-possessed Tom getting beat by robert, ruckus, and riley. while huey asked that ghost dude what to do and all the ghost responded with was "peace"

Naw I’m him

But that is the problem. Most young men aren't going to just accept living a life of servitude for others. We want freedom

It's important that "literally me" characters be white. At least, if these characters are being produced in the west. And that is because of the white supremacy of the past and present. The alienation of the white male is important because it is the white male that is best fit to succeed in this society, or at least an affluent white male. So, when even he can't succeed because of systemic problems, we have a legitimate gripe with the system. For instance the Falling Down character played by Michael Douglas. Doing "the right thing" and following the rules is supposed to be rewarded according to the rules of the American Dream. And excuses will be given and accepted for why people within marginalized groups are failing even when they too follow the rules; but for a middle class, and above, white man those excuses don't apply. And the bs excuses given are clearly shown to be bs. When the entirety of a system is being criticized, it is important that our protagonist be an example of a person the system was supposed to benefit. A person that was not only sold the lie, but accepted that lie to be law. The difference between characters like Travis Bickle and Tyler Durden is that they go a little too far and hard in the wrong direction. They take their anger due to the system's failures into dangerous territories.

Wait you’re trying to tell me he’s not “Litterally me?😢”

Hear me out, English mediums focuses on drama. And people relate to that more. When they scoff over the background details. Its normal people that don't notice and literacy gotta do it better.

It's possible to resonate with deeply flawed characters without endorsing all of harmful and destructive actions these characters exhibit..

You have an awesome voice

Feedback from someone with Daltonisms (AKA "color blindness"): the color you've chosen for your titling in this video is rather difficult to read. I _can_ read it, but the relative lack of contrast from the black background makes it unnecessarily difficult.

Oh dude. Someone tell the Rick and Morty fans 😂😂😂. I love it!!

actually I agree with most of your point but the white guy thing is kinda wrong cause I am also someone who liked the literally me character being an indian guy and alot of my friends also do even though we all are not white and your assessment on taxi driver is also kinda wrong cause in the end Travis was reading a letter by the girl's parents that she has started to go to school now so the film actually cared about that and Travis also feels bad about his behavior with Betsy and the thing with reading das capital cause I have read it I can clearly say that reading das capital is like reading mein kampf both are manipulative and both were written by people with dictatorial mindset. And in my thought Kilmonger didn't became a famous character like others cause he is not doing that much on screen violence like other characters do and also he is pursuing to become a king like a positive character than all other characters like a teen thinks that watch this content Kilmonger is a much more positive character like others and yes it has alot to do with the youtubers that are making these videos we shouldn't blame it on one thing and I did understand that you mean only white man like these character but it was implied that mostly white man do

Dude can stop making essays about me , cause this video was about literally me

19:55 mr robot spotted :pp

I’m that Fight Club fan that does deep sociological research- all of Palanuiks work is brilliant (Pygmy is my fav)- but to say Durden is the villain strikes me as odd. He is not bad. He is the repressed shadow of mankind. I read Fight Club as a Jungian warning. And view the film as a warning about male alienation. But art can be interpreted so many ways.

Ryan Gosling is so hot right now

Media is subjective until someone has a perspective I don't like. Got it.

Lol... I love how they added more Greek letters! Now you can be a gamma to a beta? What a bunch of nonsense

🎉

I literrally tom halding

I know why. Because the real world is a boring chore. I can completely understand that young men want to become certain characters, because the old, decrepit men who are supposed to be role models in the real world are just that: old weak men. While I agree that some of them a toxic, the idea of a struggle in a more "exciting" world with a purpose is like, dunno.... defying death. And defying death is pretty cool.

im an english major and am OBSESSED with your channel! Also you’re super cute :)

hey, i wight do a dmca takedown for using my image in timestamps such as 1:33 and many more

Stopped admitting I liked Fight Club around men because of the 'literally me' types.

*i drive*

The comparison between literally me fans and people who hate New star wars and marvel content caught me off guard. I could imagine there is an overlap since these are both large groups but I don't see a specific connection.