YA shit in general v.2, or How YA is an Example of Society

The original was here.

You know what else pisses me off about this shit that's allowed to be published? This also occurs in books for children and, to a lesser extent, supposedly adult women, but I see it most prominently.

The popular characters and/or bullies are treated as completely two-dimensional characters. Now, with bullies in particular, you have this wonderful opportunity for a fleshed-out character. I mean, one would logically assume that something would lead someone to go out of their way to antagonize people, right?

Let us take a minute to analyze the typical YA popular person:
Shallow, bad grades, party-girl, rich, pretty, mean, treats everyone like absolute shit, has absolutely no redeeming qualities to her besides looks and money. And, of course, she's not that pretty, for that would impugn the beauty of the heroine. So, really, the only thing she has going for her is money.

There's an old adage that says "Money can't buy happiness". Well, whether or not that's true is debatable, but money definitely can't buy popularity. Rich people in working-or-middle class environments sometimes find themselves alienated. Also, rich people, and I know this is a shocker, can be eccentric or introverted or otherwise unlikely to be popular. Sure, it helps to be rich, but you can't become popular on wealth alone unless you start sharing it with people.

What, ultimately, makes a person popular? Charisma. But this has never ever been mentioned in any YA books. As a matter of fact, the YA antagonists are usually extraordinarily uncharismatic.

Also, why is this person going out of their way to be mean to the protagonist, anyway? I could understand some idle, passive-agressive stuff, but these people are usually going OUT of their way to do it, at no benefit to themselves. Why? These people obviously have issues.

Christ said to love thine enemy. And then Judas Iscariot sold His life. And so recommenced the age of "assuming that thine enemy is subhuman."

Because that's what people do. They assume that their enemy's minds are pure evil and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Fuck this. How do you expect to make anything right if you don't understand it?

Oh, but that's right, the whole world has to lay itself at your feet and bend to your every whim.

Goddamn.