The folk hero analogy, as most of you have now realized, isn't a perfect apples to apples comparison. Obviously Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan don't work within the analogy. Neither am I trying to suggest that individual Griefers are heroic. We can all admit that, with few exceptions, they're basically terrorists when you deal with them on an individual basis.Wargamer said:Griefers as Robin Hood figures? Yeah, right!
Sorry, but there's nothing 'heroic' about Griefers; they're just a bunch of sad no-lifers.
However, I think as an entire group, as an archetype, Griefers do fulfill this psychological need we have, as a society, for the outlaw as a romantic hero. This is why people love movies about the Mafia when, if we're honest with ourselves, the Mafia are basically a bunch of thugs who terrorize lawful society. We all know this, and yet we're able to enjoy romanticized portraits of them like The Godfather. I think Griefers are fulfilling a similar role, they provide that kind of entertainment at a remove the outlaw gives us. But no one would advocate we stop prosecuting them in real life, just because we enjoyed the Godfather.