[amarant]

Unfortunately, this is an extremely common way of thinking. It's one of the reasons flinging dirt in politics is so effective I think.

I wonder if there is any connection with this way of thinking and the many David vs Goliath style stories we get as a kid. Maybe we need more stories for children where every character is bad, or every character is good.

There can still be conflict to provide an interesting story between two good parties, or between two bad parties.

[Tostino]

I liked Princess Mononoke a lot as a kid because of the ambiguity in most of the characters. No one was truly evil, or truly good in their actions.

I definitely noticed it was different than most media at the time because of that.

[plagiarist]

I read their comment and immediately thought of the same movie. That story did moral shades of gray very well. I do wish there was more content like that.

[vacuity]

I've conceptualized this in the following way: be most skeptical of narratives that are strongly aligned with the mainstream narrative (more room for ignorance or malice; see Harvey Weinstein), and then most skeptical of narratives that are strongly contrary to the mainstream narrative. Binary categories of good and bad, us and them, right and wrong are an easy trap. To counter this, seek out many narratives (which are not made equal) and consolidate. To truly understand a perspective is the most we can expect out of someone, as they may not agree.