Zim’s victims ☠️
Yeah I’m here on this app with a mission to stop poorly thought out headcanons about a stupid alien from an old kids show.
I know that Zim is responsible for hurting a lot of different beings. I am aware that his brand of fucked up has a body count.
However this weird narrative of all these IRKENS being these poor innocent victims of Zim is so insane to me. The irken empire is hellbent on universal conquest. They are responsible for hundreds and thousands of planetary genocides and only aim to increase that number.
Skoodge out of all of them is a successful invader which means not only did he attempt to enslave and/or kill entire species but he achieved that in the name of the irken empire. This is not some sweet little bean who just wants to be friends with everyone.
The least deserving of Zim’s supposed irken victims would likely be Tak. She was only trying to follow a career path that she was indoctrinated into thinking was an admirable vocation.
It is important to note that her consequences were a result of a bad system and faulty wiring. Kicking a vending machine should result in a massive power outage. (I also know this is a cartoon and that was a bit, I just like taking cartoons seriously) and the control brains are the ones who ruled that she would not be able to rescheduled the test. Despite the power outage being as big of a deal as it was.
In all fairness I don’t really think the characters I have mentioned here really deserve what Zim has mostly accidentally done to them. I think that most if not all irkens are kind of victims of a system that uses the “irken superiority” narrative to keep them from questioning authority or having other ideas.
To me it feels less like Zim went to terrorize these innocent bystanders and more like a fucky lord of the flies situation. Coupled with his own defective status (neurodivergence), it just reads as a sad situation created by those in power. (The control brains)
What is interesting to me is how the irkens in question will blame Zim before they take a moment to think about the system of harsh consequences and illogical rules/regulations that are actually playing a part here. I mean even Zim’s own denial is a result of this system. He cannot in any way acknowledge that he is broken even to himself because that would force him to either accept that he has no place in irken society, and therefore should self-terminate, or force him into exile into a universe that quite frankly doesn’t care for irkens. His denial, his refusal to acknowledge his wrong doings or defective traits is absolutely a survival tactic both for his own sanity and self acceptance and his own physical survival.
This blaming of Zim feels reminiscent of a family blaming a rowdy kid for all their problems instead of the negligent parent. He’s the perfect scapegoat for the dysfunction of the empire. He is defective, he is short, he’s bad at following orders despite wanting to make his superiors happy with him.
On another note. Dib membrane is a young child when he meets Zim. 12 years old and so neglected and ostracized by both his classmates and his family (primarily his father) I would almost note him as a victim of Zim’s issues.
HOWEVER. Zim did not seek him out in the first place. Dib instigated their entire conflict. Not only that but Dib has again and again thrown Zim under the bus given any opportunity to work with him or team up unless he has absolutely no other choice.
This is not to say that Dib Membrane deserves to be fighting an alien soldier from a planet with near zero morals or concepts of war crimes. I would call it a cause and effect situation. Don’t hit the bear with the stick if you don’t want to fight a bear.
On the plus side, I think Zim and Dib’s focus on each other keeps them from getting into worse trouble and on accident they very much validate each other. Keeps either one from realizing how bleak their situation is and gives them purpose while they are too young to get their lives figured out.
Anyways, never gonna be a fan of big bad Zim hurting all these poor innocent babies.
The only innocent baby I can think of that he directly hurt was Keef and even then, Zim was genuinely afraid of him. Meanwhile, Dib was very much on board with that. Not because Dib had any real reason to hate or desire to hurt him. Dib thought he was annoying.
This sounds like a Dib hate post. I absolutely LOVE Dib. Like genuinely I think he’s one of the best protagonists/antagonists of the 2000s. I love that he’s weird, anti-social, mean, vengeful, dorky, and neglected. He’s a semi-realistic view of how messed up a neglected kid can be. I like that even with all his issues regarding empathy and compassion he still has a good heart. He’s still just a kid. And on top of all that, he is tough. He is not one to back down from fighting someone. He’s honest about how he feels and about what he thinks.
Dib as a character has so much potential to go down darker paths and brighter paths as he grows up which leaves a lot of room for fun characterization and head-canons. Dib is at the top of all time favorites when it comes to the ‘boy in paranormal situations trope’ (other examples include, Dipper, Wirt, Morty, John Egbert, etc)
