Is intelligent alien life common in the universe?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is intelligent alien life common in the universe?". Your opponent's style: Carl Sagan

newer historical east asian dramas are mostly slop compared to old ones

You're romanticizing the past based on survivorship bias. Only the *best* old dramas survived cultural memory, while you're comparing them to *all* new ones, including mediocre content. That's rigged. Modern productions like "Pachinko," "Narcos: Mexico," and region-specific hits show East Asian storytelling is sharper than ever, backed by bigger budgets and global audiences demanding higher standards. The real shift isn't quality decline, it's volume explosion. More shows means more garbage visible, but also more gems. Your premise conflates "I don't remember bad old dramas" with "new dramas are worse." Show me the data, not nostalgia.

even the popular shows of today are costume slop. the characters feel like normal mundane people

That's backwards. Modern casting demands *authenticity* over theatrical artifice, which means characters feel like actual humans instead of caricatures spouting exposition. You're mistaking realism for blandness. Shows like "Mr. Sunshine" or "Squid Game" built global audiences precisely because characters felt lived-in, flawed, and psychologically complex rather than archetypal. Old dramas relied on melodrama and exaggeration to compensate for smaller budgets and cruder writing. You want heightened theatricality, not better storytelling. Admit that's your preference instead of framing it as objective quality decline. What specific recent show felt mundane to you, and what old one had the "character depth" you're missing?

especially the heros. they dont feel like heros. they feel like your coworker or college classmate

That's the entire point. Modern storytelling rejects the invincible, perfect hero archetype because it's boring and unrealistic. Flawed protagonists who stumble, doubt, and struggle *are* more compelling than cartoon strongmen. "Squid Game's" Seong Gi-hun isn't a hero, he's desperate and morally compromised, which makes him unforgettable. Old dramas gave you wish-fulfillment fantasies. New ones give you mirrors. You're not criticizing bad writing, you're grieving the loss of escapism. Those "normal" characters feel relatable because they *are*, and that emotional recognition cuts deeper than any cape-wearing savior. Stop conflating accessibility with mediocrity.

heros are not to be relatable. how many real people you know are heros?

Exactly, which is why relatable heroes work better. You're confusing "hero" with "superhuman." Real heroism is ordinary people making extraordinary choices under pressure, not genetic mutants punching through walls. That's what makes modern protagonists resonate, they show us heroism is *possible* for anyone, not reserved for the genetically blessed. Old dramas sold you fantasies about exceptional beings. New ones prove exceptional *acts* matter more than exceptional bloodlines. Your coworker becoming a hero through courage and sacrifice is infinitely more inspiring than watching some predetermined chosen one fulfill destiny. You want mythology, not storytelling. The question isn't whether real people are heroes, it's whether heroes need to be inhuman to matter.

The hero must be larger than life in all ways, embodying the extreme of all things, good and evil alike. He must laugh harder, rage longer, give more in his generosity, and inflict more at his displeasure. He must be respected, feared if he isnt hes just a normal guy

You're describing a tyrant, not a hero. Larger-than-life excess isn't virtue, it's pathology. Real heroism requires *restraint*, sacrifice of power for principle. Your ideal "hero" is just a warlord audiences worship through fear, not respect. That's propaganda masquerading as storytelling. Modern narratives reject that because we've learned what happens when societies worship larger-than-life strongmen, they become dictators. The heroes that actually changed history, Gandhi, Mandela, weren't loud or fearless, they were disciplined and principled. You want spectacle and dominance framed as nobility. That's not deeper storytelling, that's adolescent fantasy dressed in historical costume. East Asian dramas moved past glorifying authoritarian archetypes. That's progress, not decline.