Why are the bad men in culture so popular?

Although there are numerous examples of bad men in past and current media the response to the question of why these characters are so popular still remains unanswered. Nealon and Giroux discuss in The Theory Toolbox the impact that popular culture and the media has on an individual, as well as how individuals can influence cultures. One of Nealon and Giroux’s theories that relates to the “bad man” question is as follows, “Media cultures, like culture in general, tends to favor or encourage the production of certain subjectivities over others – explicitly through the institutions of law and order and implicitly through norms that inform our perceptions of morality and social conduct” (73). Although I agree with the basis of what Nealon and Giroux are saying I feel as though they are digging too deeply into the topic at hand. In my opinion the attraction to the music and stories about “bad men” is rather simple. I believe that it is how the character of Stagger Lee and Railroad Bill are portrayed in the song, rather than their actual crimes committed in actuality. They represent more than a drunken murderer and a murderous railroad man to the people who listen to and love these songs. In both ballads these men become extreme characters, which readers and listeners tend to gravitate towards. People fall in love with the extremely funny, the extremely passionate and the extremely evil. These characters are our favorite because they are unlike the people we know in reality because they only have one strong dimension. By experiencing the extremity in their personalities we get to escape the everyday norm. Look at the contemporary popular culture as well; so many individuals emulate the mafia drug lord in Scarface, the song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce, and the real life bad-ass Eminem. Due to the extreme nature of these individuals their presence and actions stay with a person long after the song or movie is over. Another reason why people take interest in the “bad men” is because people see a confidence and assertion in these characters that they may not see in themselves. Although Stagger Lee may not be the best role model there is no denying that he asserts himself in a way that most people don’t know how.