(2022-02-11) What Happened To Competence Porn

What Happened to Competence Porn? In 2009, Leverage writer John Rogers wrote in a blog post about how viewers enjoyed “watching competent people banter and plan,” something his team had come to refer to as “competence porn.” (2009-08-11-Leverage204theFairyGodparentsJobPostgame)

Competence porn doesn’t have to be realistic

but it does have to exist within the realm of human experience, providing viewers with something they may never achieve but can aspire to.

Competence porn doesn’t even have to be as high stakes as an action-packed heist or taking down a criminal empire; Parks and Rec exists as small-scale competence porn

Smart characters don’t necessarily make something competence porn, because characters like Gregory House (Dr. House) and Cal Lightman (Lie to Me) are brilliant, but not always fully competent

in order to get competent characters, the characters need talent and skill, but they also need a purpose to which they can apply those skills

To reach this next level, the characters in competence porn are often set apart by their passion and ambition. Not only are they fully qualified for whatever it is they’re doing, it has to be them, because they’re the most dedicated to the job

Those are, admittedly, thin lines to draw, and much of what constitutes competence porn lies in the writing, specifically the pacing of the story.

And since anyone can solve a problem if they have long enough to try and retry solutions, competence porn often involves a ticking clock, with characters succeeding just under the wire.

I’ve noticed in the past ten years or so a drop in competence porn media

Even The Queen’s Gambit, which could arguably be seen as competence porn, centers around a woman whose entire struggle is between professionalism and a life of drugs and despair

We’ve always loved the underdog and the tortured genius, and the snooty suit getting what he deserves. But we seem to be losing an important story: the triumph of talent and will, and the importance of excellence.

In 1961, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., wrote a story called “Harrison Bergeron” which starts out by saying, “The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal

Perhaps our cultural values have simply shifted from idealizing achievement to idealizing authenticity, and the few gaming the system will always ruin it for everyone else.

accepting the premise that there is in fact an objective “better” and accepting that effort, talent, competence, and willpower will get you there. I don’t think this is at all that far-fetched, though the media seems to think so.