Why Trust Real People?

Why We Trust Movie Characters More Than Real People
My friend Bob is one of the most successful men I know. Financially secure. Very generous charity donor. Eats vegetables voluntarily, and weighs about what he did in high school  But every time we talk, I’m reminded of one thing: Bob believes, deep down, that John Wayne movies are real.

Not based on a true story real. Not inspired by American values real. I mean real real—like Duke himself is still out there somewhere, riding a horse across Monument Valley, solving global conflicts with a squint and a shotgun.

I always tell him: Bob, you're the most successful man in America who still thinks John Wayne is more trustworthy than people he’s actually met. Not John Wayne the flesh and blood person. John Wayne the movie character.

But honestly? I don’t think Bob’s alone.

Most people I know are taking life advice from characters who don’t technically exist. Whether it’s some grizzled cowboy, the avatar of a self-help author who has 19 bestsellers that all say the same thing, or the misunderstood lost love of a billionaire in a romance novel who finds her redemption in the final chapter—we all do it. We trust the people who live in our heads more than the ones sitting across from us at Thanksgiving.

And maybe that makes sense.

Real people are inconsistent, unpredictable, and often disappointing. Fictional characters? They’re curated. They’re written with arcs and theme music. They don’t leave passive-aggressive comments on Facebook or forget to pick up the dry cleaning.

So yeah—Bob believes in John Wayne.

And JR Johnson, the main character in my new thriller series? Same deal. When things go sideways, JR doesn’t ask a friend for advice. He asks himself what Jack Ryan would do. Or Harry Bosch. Or maybe John Corey, Jason Bourne, or Jack Reacher.

Because in JR’s world—like ours—trusting real people is a gamble. He's been very disappointed in people...for good reason.

But a movie hero? Now that guy won’t let you down.

It will be a while before the new books are out. Meantime, please check out Paperback Writer: Now Appearing at Bingo Night. It's funny. I'm getting feedback from people who have tried to write--they identify with the struggle.

Support a writer, and laugh a bit.
Check it out on Amazon. Link:
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHWMRTQ2