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"Now you respect me, because I'm a threat"

posted a year ago by AmeriGirl26 (14725)
4 replies | jump to latest

I never thought I'd truly understand why Syndrome would say such a thing until I experienced something like that myself.

Imagine you've been told most of your childhood to shut up, go away, let the adults talk, disrespected, and that shit continues all the way into adulthood, even after you get a respectable job and move out. Then when you finally put your foot down, don't back away, and show teeth, these same adults suddenly notice you exist, and are shocked and shaken at how "horrible," "dictator-like," or "strict" you've become.

Word to the wise: don't treat kids like dirt under your feet, because they eventually grow up and become strong enough to bite back and make you pay for treating them terribly.

I know it's not exactly the same as what happened between Mr. Incredible and Buddy/Syndrome, but I can now get why Syndrome would have a POV like that, just not from a supervillain perspective.

[–] Kowalski (76914) a year ago

🫡

[–] scannerdarkly (1396) a year ago

Gaslighting at its finest. You stand up for yourself and suddenly you are called the bad guy. Having shitty family is such a trauma and so many of us have to endure it.

Speaking of Mr. Incredible, I think he didnt want to be responsible for taking care of a kid. He already felt like he had a full plate by himself so he didnt see the kid as helping with the burden but actually adding to it. It sucks he grew up to be a villain, if he was more emotionally intelligent he may have matured enough to understand Mr. Incredibles viewpoint and not judge him so harshly for it anymore. Also if Mr. Incredible had been a father already, then his interaction with Buddy would have been more compassionate and he could have let the kid down more easily with the "no". Explaining it to Buddy in a way an immature child could understand.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (14725) a year ago

There's a reason I never approved of the way WWI-era and Boomer parents raised their kids. Some of the methods I heard about sounded very cruel and harsh by even Gen X standards, never mind current era. Small wonder Boomers and Gen X-ers would eventually dump their parents in nursing homes and never visit; payback for being shitty parents to them all those years.

I remember the opening sequence to the movie. Buddy was an annoying kid and a fanatic who got in Mr. Incredible's way while he was trying to do his job and save people. Buddy was so stupid that he didn't realize he was putting himself in real danger, and he could have gotten killed while trying to follow Mr. Incredible around such a hazardous environment.

However, Mr. Incredible wasn't exactly tactful when dealing with Buddy. Like you said, he hadn't become a dad yet, and apparently didn't remember what it was like to be a kid, and he was very nasty towards Buddy at the end of the opening scene. The guy created his own nemesis that would come back to haunt him 15 years later. It's very creative writing, because you don't often see a hero stumble so bad as to create a new villain due to badly-chosen words to a kid.

[–] R_Kane (15828) a year ago

Good post! If you didn’t have parents who knew how to be parents, you will not have learned how to raise children. I think Brad Bird is inspired, maybe even a genius in his way.

The advent of the TV set in the home gave “parents” a baby sitter so they could largely ignore their children. I’m not exaggerating, folks. “Hey, the kid has the TV and a tinfoil TV dinner? The kid is all set.”