The Internet Needs More Anti-Heroes

And Why I’m Starting a Newsletter

“Excalidrawn” by me

An anti-hero (or anti-heroine) is the main character in a story who, though a hero, lacks conventional heroic qualities such as morality, idealism, and self-conviction. Sometimes anti-heroes may perform acts that are morally correct, but not always for the right reasons, and often do so in self-interest or in ways that defy what most of us would consider “ethical”. (1)

Deadpool is my favorite depiction of an anti-hero. Not just because Ryan Reynolds is every guy’s man-crush, but because he’s the black sheep of the X-Men family. The “Merc with a Mouth” is an unkillable, annoying badass on the outside, but he’s a needy, neurotic, self-loathing man on the inside.

Photo by Daniel Leżuch on Unsplash

He’s more human and relatable than someone like Superman, who most would consider the Gold Standard of ethics and morality. Superman is more or less “perfect”, whereas Deadpool is not. His flaws are more than just a green, crystalline material that can only be mined from Krypton — they’re his emotions and often irrational behavior.

What makes Deadpool…Deadpool is that while other superheroes refuse to kill the bad guys (a concept I always found ridiculous considering their line of work), he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and do what his colleagues won’t. He may not be the shining star of superheroes, but he makes you think twice and at the very least wonder, “what if the status quo were different?”

That brings me to the point of my newsletter and why I’ve decided to start something new. Part-Time Writing is what I’m calling an anti-blog for workaholics and the people out there who try to ruin writing.

Let’s first break down the workaholics piece. I don’t believe people should be defined by their line of work. Yeah, I’m a full-time engineer, but if you ask my family, friends, or even co-workers who Jason Gutierrez is? They’ll tell you I’m a genuine, light-hearted guy who’s smart as a whip but also kind of an idiot. They’d probably mention that I love video games, spending time with loved ones, and sweating my d*** off in the gym.