A World with Anti-Heroes

There seems to be this string of shows going on at the moment that have the main characters towing the line between good and evil. "Sons of Anarchy," "Breaking Bad," and "Mad Men" come to mind when I think of these kind of characters. The media likes to call these characters "anti-heroes." These characters tend to do things they feel are right for the people around them and for themselves, but really, they are hurting everyone around them, as well as themselves. Walter White is wanting to do right for his family, but, how is he doing it? By making crystal meth, betraying people loyal to him, and killing almost anyone who gets in his way. Jax Teller wanting to get his family out of Charming? Not without him fighting and manipulating the people around him first. These people are honestly trying to do the right thing the wrong way. You can feel that too when they do these things on screen. I know I still root for these people to succeed even though these people are pretty big scumbags. Why? It's just a show. I'm entertained by the fact these people are doing these low-brow things to make sure they make the people around them happy. But, then again, it makes me wonder whether or not there really are people that can be like this. It makes me wonder if there is a meth dealer out there that is only doing it so he can pay for his family and his happiness. It makes me wonder if those biker gangs out there are really committing all these crimes just so they can get out of dodge and live a happy life with their families. It makes me wonder if there really is people in ad agencies who sleep around and drink their way through the day...wait, that last one is definitely believable. But, the other two? What about the meth dealers and bikers? Do these shows change how I think of those kind of people? Does it make me believe these people perhaps do have a heart buried beneath that rough interior of theirs? Honestly, yeah, I do. Because, how these people are portrayed in these shows still make them very human. Even though the things they are doing are pretty horrible, I can still see some of that going down for the exact reasons why the people on TV are doing them. Perhaps that is truly why I love these shows the most. It draws this fine line between fantasy and reality, but can definitely be very realistic at times. Thank god for the anti-heroes. It's nice to see the bad guys win once, for a change.