Part 1 – Rebels in fiction
- In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony Stark demands Peter to lay low and stop the Vulture. Peter disobeys Tony, is punished – by losing his high-tech Spiderman outfit – and continues pursuing the Vulture.
- In the Mission Impossible series of movies, Ethan and his group constantly violate orders from their superiors.
- In the movie Scum, the two protagonists decide to rebel against the prison guards and the warden.
- In Blade Runner 2049, the protagonist detective (sort of detective?) violates the orders of his superiores, becomes a fugitive, and ends up being chased both by the police and the villains of the movie.
- In Naruto Shippuden, Naruto constantly disobeys orders from his superiors as well.
- In cop shows and movies, the protagonists often disobey orders from their superiors, investigate cases they are not allowed to investigate, and barge into people’s houses without a warrant. In this genre, it happens so frequently that it has become a cliché.
As a kid, I would notice this theme of the hero being a rebel, and oftentimes, I would be annoyed by it. Characters like Peter Parker came across as shortsighted, naive, impulsive. The best example that comes to my mind is the Mission Impossible series. It’s about a group of highly trained individuals who work for the government, and they constantly disobey higher command. It becomes a center part of one of the movies (I don’t recall which) that they have disobeyed so many orders, they have screwed up so many of their missions, that the Mission Impossible unit is threatened to be dismantled. Their poor decision-making, plus the damage they have caused in some missions, plus the lack of confidence from higher command, it has such a horrible ripple effect; they put the world in danger. Because they captured an individual they shouldn’t have captured, they entered a building they were ordered not to enter, they killed someone they weren’t allowed to kill, or refused to kill someone they were ordered to. I remember watching that and thinking, “Why don’t they lay low? Why don’t they follow their orders, stop being so impulsive?”
They caused serious damage by being disobedient. And given this is a government unit, like the military, isn’t it important to follow the hierarchy? If we have a mission, and there’s a general, a lieutenant, or whatever other ranks there are, isn’t it crucial to obey their orders? Wouldn’t that give stability and efficiency to the missions, to the unit?
And in the case of Peter Parker, if you are a superhero, and your superiors are a group of superheroes, and you all share the same goals (saving the innocent, preventing harm, capturing the villains), why don’t you follow their orders? Isn’t a cohesive team more powerful than a diffuse group of individuals with different methods and ideas? Wouldn’t you want to gain the respect and confidence of your superiors?
This isn’t about pride or ego, or “respecting the hierarchy”. It’s about being pragmatic. In the long run, I think you will end up saving more lives, protecting more people, and capturing more criminals by staying with your team, respecting the higher-ups.
Let’s ignore the superhero stuff for a moment. Imagine you’re in prison. Your life is shit. It’s not about saving lives; it’s about managing the shitty situation you are in. Why on earth would you rebel against the warden? Why on earth would you disobey the correctional officers? Why would you engage in prison fights with other inmates? The system isn’t going to change. These actions will only lead you to being beaten up by the guards and sent to the solitary unit. Wouldn’t it be better to lay low, be as innocuous and invisible as possible? Surely, it would lead to fewer fights, a smaller chance of being mistreated by the guards, and perhaps even a chance of completing your sentence earlier due to good behavior.
It took me a while to understand that my reasoning here has been wrong. Perhaps not wrong, but incomplete. I used to think this trope was just a writing cliché. And it can be just that, in many cases. But it seems this pattern is somewhat of an archetype.
- The reason why Peter disobeys Tony isn’t because he’s stubborn. It’s because the Vulture has a weapon that disintegrates people. He must be stopped NOW.
- The reason Ethan can’t obey higher command isn’t because he’s stubborn. It’s because the villain has the codes to a nuclear bomb. He must be stopped NOW.
- The reason the protagonists in Scum must disobey the warden isn’t out of principle. It’s because they will be fucked EITHER WAY. The system is so brutal, so corrupt, so unfair, that laying low will actually make them more vulnerable.
The same reasoning applies to the other shows I mentioned. Being a rebel, being a “deviant” (the term they use in Bladerunner), isn’t optional. This is a mandatory path for the hero at some point in his journey. The reason why that is, is not because “the system is evil by definition”. It’s not “because Tony Stark doesn’t get it, he’s stubborn and arrogant”. The reason isn’t “my superiors lack the information I have, and that’s why I must capture that guy right away”. It’s not even about that.
Heroes are forced into a position of rebellion simply because they are the ones experiencing the high stakes. They are in the field, seeing everything in the first person. They are the ones who are risking their lives, their health, their safety. And they are the ones who are face-to-face with the existential threat. This is not something you can communicate in a report. These situations can’t be “discussed democratically”. These are messy, urgent, serious situations that require action right away.
Part 2 – Pseudo-rebels
“Yes! You get it now! You understand why the Social Justice movement is so important! Now you see why our cause is so so important. Now you can join us, to punch up! To destroy the patriarchy! To dismantle Western Civilization!”
No. No, no, no, no, no.
People have a perverse notion of what it means being a rebel. They look at Ariana Grande, calling Trump supporters “trash” and “racists”, and they think that’s brave. They look at the billionaire celebrity Taylor Swift, discussing the oppression of the Patriarchy, and they think she is strong. They look at the creators of modern Star Wars, calling their own audiences “racists and incels”, and everyone claps for their defiant attitude. They look at Greta Thunberg, marching the streets with a sign and a megaphone, and they think she is powerful.
None of these individuals embodies the spirit of a rebel. If you own a dress that costs more than what I make in a year, you’re not a rebel. You’re a delusional narcissist in a progressive elite. These people wear “rebellion” like a cape. The same way I could wear a red cape and claim I’m Superman. And keep in mind, this is beyond politics. This isn’t even about Left or Right. I’m only bringing up leftists because they are usually the ones with the “rebel” aesthetic, whereas right-wingers have a different Marketing strategy.
Masked activists who set Teslas on fire, they are no rebels. They are conformist morons. They are simply taking advantage of the Woke movement to be transgressive without consequences. It’s the antithesis of being a rebel. Same with the Woke Hollywood celebrities, who live in protected, isolated mansions in Beverly Hills, and then preach about the virtues of mass migration. The hypocrisy is so painful it always makes me facepalm. If anything, these individuals smear the true concept of a rebel.
Part 3 – Being a rebel is not optional
I brought up examples of rebels from fiction because they are easy to understand. Of course, being a rebel in the real world isn’t as melodramatic. It’s not as inspiring, not as aesthetic. But the motivation for why individuals become rebels is the same:
- They have no other choice.
Allow me to get personal for a moment. I’ve recently cut ties with a large number of my relatives. This has happened due to repeated transgressions my father has engaged in. I have been so mistreated for so long, I can’t take it anymore. I have decided to go full no-contact. Because of my decision, I have stopped seeing other relatives, such as my aunt, my grandmother, my uncles, and my cousins. This is what happens when you cut one individual from your life: you end up cutting off more people than you wish you had to.
At this moment in time, my family sees me as a rebel. I’m the one who refuses to reconcile. The one who refuses to talk, to forgive, to move on. But I can’t fucking take it. This is not an outcome I have ever expected I would reach. The idea of going no-contact with your own father is a serious decision to make. It’s a last resort.
I’m also a rebel regarding capitalism. I do not trust the system. I have been exploited so many times, undervalued, underpaid, overworked so many, many times, I want out. My biggest life goal at the moment is to become self-employed. I don’t know how I will go about it, but I must do it. I don’t “want” to become self-employed. I must.
I’m a rebel on social media. On occasion, I say and post things that get me banned and censored. This isn’t because I crave attention. This isn’t because I’m a provocative individual (I don’t think I am). It’s because sometimes, I have thoughts that are “politically incorrect”. And if I don’t say them TODAY, TOMORROW we won’t have freedom of speech. I hold positions TODAY that a mere 5 years ago were considered normal, but TODAY are considered “far-right” and “extreme”. That’s very problematic.
True rebels have stakes. They assume risks. They risk their careers, their health, their stability, their social life. Sometimes the risk isn’t too big, but there’s a certain level of risk involved. And for the most part, rebels don’t “love” being rebels. They don’t wear rebellion as a mask, or a cape, or for virtue signaling. They are simply asserting their position; one that contradicts or threatens the status quo.
I’m not saying that you should become an activist, or become an anarchist, or any caricature that you might have of a rebel. If you engage in such a way that fits any caricature, chances are you aren’t a rebel at all.
Everyone is aware that in a job interview, you’re not allowed to be 100% honest. You’re not allowed to say “I just want a stable job and an above average income”. You say that, and you’re excluded from that position. You need to bring up bullshit buzzwords, like “purpose”, “dedication”, “hard work”, “passion”. This type of dishonesty is mandatory, to some extent, in most areas of life.
Let me make this lesson as clear as possible:
- If you refuse to ever break the rules, to ever deviate from the status quo, to ever disobey authority, YOU WILL BE DESTROYED.
If there is an area of your life in which you are 100% compliant — 100% loyal to your tribe, your hierarchy, your system — and you never question it, never resist it, never draw a boundary — you will eventually be diminished in that area. Total obedience invites exploitation. Such is life.
Sometimes you must refuse. Sometimes you must disappoint. Sometimes you must say “no” when saying “yes” would be easier. Sometimes you must reject expectations placed on you by your parents, your culture, your profession, your ideology. Not because rebellion is glamorous — but because self-betrayal is worse.
At some point, if you live honestly enough, you will feel the shift. The moment when compliance stops being cooperation and starts becoming self-erasure. The moment when you realize: I cannot follow this order. Not because I enjoy defiance. Not because I want to be difficult. But because obeying would cost me something essential.
And once you experience that — once you draw that line and accept the consequences — you understand what it means to be a rebel.