The Joe Goldberg Effect

The Joe Goldberg Effect

Is a basic ball cap all you need to blend in with the crowd and schmooze your way to the top of the social order? 

Joe is perfectly bland and boring. He isn't extreme in his attitude or manners. His clothing is indiscreet, wearing only the basics that might be found in any light academia wardrobe. It's as if he is a movie star hiding from the paparazzi and he thinks his baseball hat and black sunglasses are going to make him blend into the background- and he might be right. The only things that stand out about Joe are his rare 1967 Buick Skylark and his murderous obsessive compulsions. Take away those two things, suspend your belief and Joe might just be a master of disguise.

Joe doesn’t allow himself to get angry or show that he is irritated. He definitely doesn’t show his hand and he keeps his cards very close to his chest. Always careful not to let others see his true motives or the real meaning behind his actions. Joe is known for his calm and collected nature. He comes across as fair and rational-minded. He seems to do everything just right. Playing the perfect boyfriend, the responsible employee, or the friendly neighbor, whatever the situation calls for. He is the dad of the social group, he always plays like he is the responsible one, keeping everything under control and is always looking out for his friends. Although Joe fantasizes about the perfect woman and projects this image of the perfect girlfriend onto almost any girl he meets. Joe is also capable of projecting this fantasy onto others to see him as the perfect person they wish him to be. Whether romantically or not, Joe is able to get others to like him by making himself appear like the fantasy figure the person in front of him needs and wants him to be. It’s not like they want it to be Joe specifically, but when no one else is able to fill the role, Joe is more than willing to make their wish come true. Joe does this to get people to relax around him and fall in love with him, making it easier for him to get what he wants. Using his hypnotizing voice that is well suited for ASMR, Joe tells people what they want to hear, knowing that people will believe anything as long as it fits their version of the truth. 

Now that these people accept Joe and even rely on him they will be more likely to go along with what he wants so they can keep getting what they want, which is Joe fulfilling their needs by playing a role. Joe gets people to depend on his very presence. Joe is quiet and willing to let others talk his ear off spilling their guts to him. This creates a therapeutic effect and people begin to identify with Joe making him out to be a closer friend then is actually the case. Usually Joe knows way more about them than they do about him. Not realizing that they've been doing all the talking and not asking him anything about himself. Joe is the perfect blank slate for people to project on. They believe Joe is whoever they want him to be, their best friend, their perfect boyfriend, whatever meets their needs. People realize they need to have Joe around because he is so pleasant and comfortable to be around. Not to mention, Joe is usually the most helpful person in the room. Joe is willing to do more for a perfect stranger than that person's close friends and loved one's are willing to do. Joe looks for what people are lacking in their life and fulfills the demand. Joe is patient and knows that putting a little time in his relationships will go a long way. Sometimes you have to play the long game to win the war.

Just like how Joe can mold himself into what others want him to be, he can also mold people into becoming what he wants them to be. Getting inside of their spirit by mirroring the people around him, he makes them believe he is not so different from them. Once they feel like Joe is one of them, he can convince them to make changes they otherwise would not. Joe knows that people are not willing to surrender their beliefs and preferences for someone they just met. Joe knows that if you just pretend to show the same unique sense of style and taste, they will come to respect your opinion, because they see themselves in you. People love to believe that their way is superior and will want to stick to their own ideas. If they see themselves in you, then they will feel like agreeing with you is merely affirming their own ideas.

When Joe is unable to charm his way out of his tricky circumstances, he is willing to resort to lying. Lying in the heat of the moment can prove more than difficult, especially if you are one to crack under pressure when put on the spot or just not as quick witted to come up with a reasonable lie that you won't regret later. Remember, your lies must match your entire story and they will need to check out when others test them for their validity. Others may not do their research and check up on your whole background, so you may be able to get away with a white lie here and there.

Now Joe is one to investigate and check up on people, including searching through their background thoroughly with a fine tooth comb. To some, Joe is a stalker, but Joe knows that you cannot go into battle without knowing thy enemy. When we first meet a new person or enter into a new group of people, whether that's colleagues or a community, we are usually in over our heads and have no idea what is truly going on. There is always a story and people always have a past. Like Joe, we wouldn’t want our fantasies and preconceived projections of people to interfere with the facts of who these people really are. Even after getting to know a person, we may disregard what we learn about them and only continue to believe the first impression they had on us. Despite the fact that the reality may not align with the idealized version of that person we created in our minds. Often, only when it is too late, do we realize our mistake and find out how we’ve overlooked their actions and completely missed seeing them for who they really are. Misjudging people and situations can be avoided. By investigating, we are able to remove our rose-colored glasses before we enter the battlefield. Joe has a radar for pretenders and confidence men, maybe because he is one. As you can tell from Joe’s inner monologue, he doesn’t see the world the same way as others do. He is able to see through the facade of every person around him, seeing them for who they really are and seeing their true intentions. Although Joe may wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to love, he is usually able to see right past the masks people wear and the theater people play. Joe looks past the pretense and gets right down to the bare bones of a situation, sometimes literally.

The Joe Goldberg Effect is so intriguing, because we aren't used to seeing a weirdo like Joe be able to fool people into thinking he is this suave and smooth guy. Joe starts out having no girlfriend, he has no money, no friends, and no sanity. Yet, throughout the series, he is able to win the hearts of his love interests and enter into a circle of wealthy friends and acquaintances. Due to the genre and nature of the drama in the show, Joe uses this chameleon super power to the extreme, literally changing his name and whole identity. This doesn't mean that this power couldn't be used in a less extreme way. Perhaps the Joe Goldberg Effect can be used for more noble purposes.

If you want to understand a villain like Joe Goldberg and learn more about evil used for good, then you should read Villainism by Nina Robinson. Joe's villain origin story began with reading books, so here is a good one to start your library.

In Netflix's "You" Season 4 it looks like audiences will get to witness the peak of the "Joe Goldberg Effect." Joe's stalker tendencies, turned full on detective- as he is dubbed a "Sherlock Holmes" in this new season of "You." We will get to see how he changes his entire identity twice, Nick in Paris to Jonathon Moore the London professor. I guess the ball cap isn't enough to suffice for two whole identity changes, so this time around he's hiding his true identity behind a Hollywoodian beard. Will Joe Goldberg once again be able to charm his way up the social ladder now that he's dealing with what appears to be the most wealthy elite in the world?

Written by Nina Robinson

Feb. 5 2023

Villainism.com

Photos from Netflix's You (season 1,2,3,4)

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Loki is one of my OG favorite villain’s! How can you not love him?

i feel like a lot of the 'i hate kids' crowd would be more tolerant if they understood that due to a kid's limited experience of the world that 4 hour flight might just be the longest they've ever had to sit still for or that trapped finger might literally be the most pain they've ever felt in their short life or they might not have ever seen a person with pink hair ever so of course they want to touch it or nobody's told them yet that they can't run around the museum and they only just learned cheetahs are the fastest animals so of course they want to put that to the test. how were they supposed to know etc etc.

"people show their true colours in life threatening situations" no, they show you what they act like when they're mortally terrified, an emotion notorious for literally turning your entire brain off to the point where people who go into those situations as a profession need to be literally trained on how to not have that happen

Top-Tier Villain Motivations

They will be safe. It doesn't matter who else or what else burns as long as They will be safe.

I will be safe. The hunger and the cold will never touch me again.

Fuck any bitch who's prettier(/cooler/better-liked/better at making dumplings) than me.

Yes, Master

Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. LOVE ME!

I know the terrible things these so-called "heroes" will do if I don't stop them (<- is absolutely wrong)

I don't want a better future, I want a better past!

No other way to get performance art funded these days

save me mother and child imagery save me thistle’s innate desire for a family save me (peep the mother and child painting on the first pic)

“that character is a war criminal” that character is from a fictional fantasy world and did not attend the geneva convention

Obsessed with characters who portray themselves as worse than they are. Who are lying to everyone including themselves about it. People generally assume if someone's lying about themselves they're trying to look better but sometimes they're trying to look worse. They attribute agency to where they had none, add intend to accidents, try to convince everyone that this is something they did instead of something that happened to them.

Of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept 11 attacks:

15 were from Saudi Arabia (a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

2 were from the United Arab Emirates (also a powerful/oil-rich country the U.S. works hard to maintain diplomatic relations with)

1 was from Egypt, 1 from Lebanon.

None of the hijackers were from Iraq.

None of the Sept 11 hijackers were Iraqi.

None of the 9/11 hijackers were from Iraq.

I want vaggie to confront alastor’s manipulative ass about Charlie’s deal and I hope it’s a musical number 😩🙏🏽

Odin’s Hypocrisy Translated

Odin to Loki: “Everywhere you go there is war, murder and death.”

My commentary: Hypocrite much!

Odin: “All this, because Loki desires a throne.”

My commentary: He says this while sitting on the throne of privilege himself while Loki is in the chains of slavery.

Loki: “It is my birthright.”

My commentary: Like I said, Odin dangled the glory of rulership over his head while pitting Loki and Thor against each other for it.

Odin: “Your birthrighT, was to DIE! …as a child. Cast out on a frozen rock.”

Translation: I was going to kill you when you were a mere baby and I regard your home realm as nothing more than a “frozen rock.” Again, hinting at my racism and lack of remorse for the genocide of your people.

Odin to Loki: “If i had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me.”

Translation: If I had just murdered you when you were a baby then you would not be here now exposing my lies to everyone and making me look like an unsuitable king and abusive kidnapping monster.

Odin to Loki: “Frigga is the only reason you’re still alive and you will never see her again.”

Translation: Unlike me, Frigga is remorseful for lying to you and I must keep her happy or else she may go rogue and expose me for who I really am to the Asgardian people and I don’t want to lose my throne of power and control.

Odin to Loki: “You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeon.”

Translation: I can’t kill you so this is the second best option, hide my victim in the dungeon or else he cries “me too” and my rulership is threatened.

Loki to Odin: “And what of Thor, you will make that witless oaf king as I rot in chains?”

My commentary: Yes of course! Thor is his only son and Odin is too narcissistic to let the Asgardian people live free without rulership, the people must be under the thumb of the Odinson bloodline.

Odin to Loki: “Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done, and will bring order to the nine realms, and then yes, he will be king.”

Read the full article Loki’s Injustice: A Case Against Odin at Villainism.com

Written by Nina Robinson author of Villainism: A Villain’s Transformation

My favourite thing about Alastor is his hoard of gal pals!

He’s just a cool and charming dude that women feel comfortable around…And is also a power hungry eldritch horror.👌👌👌

i am going to throw myself out of a window

i have such a love for characters who descend into madness or villainy out of deep, deep empathy. characters who fundamentally cannot cope with the cruel realities they find themselves in and blow up about it in spectacular fashion. fallen angel type characters with tears of outrage in their eyes. characters who break before they bend, and break so badly they splatter blood all over their noble ideals. every variation on it gets me so good

on the topic of villains redeemed or whatever... i also dislike that whenever a villain joins the good side they suddenly become weak as fuck. KEEP THEM VICIOUS. KEEP THEM SCARY. ALLOW THEM TO BE TERRIFYING AT TIMES SO THE HEROES CAN JUST EXCHANGE LOOKS OF "holy fucking shit i am so glad theyre on our side now"