All right, I wrote up a post about “Raising the Barn” last night, then deleted it after watching the entire Steven Bomb 8 and reflecting a bit, because I realized there was more I wanted to say (and differently).

Long, rambling, spoilery post ahead.

Taken as a whole, “Dewey Wins” through “Party Kevin” discusses the complex nature of selfishness.

In many stories, especially ones aimed at children, being selfish is inherently bad. Selfish people care only about themselves and nothing about the feelings, needs, and wants of others. They take without giving. They act only in their own best interest. And they never, ever share.

Kevin is this concept taken to comical extremes. He’s so far gone he sees all relationships as status symbols and can’t even imagine what friendship looks like. Kevin is a disaster. Don’t be Kevin.

In these same stories, the positive opposites to characters like Kevin are ones that are noble, self-sacrificing, and put their loved ones’ needs, happiness, and safety before their own.

Much like Steven, Sadie, and Peridot have been doing up until recently. This is where “Steven Universe” as a show veers from more typical narratives about selfishness.

Steven sacrificing himself to protect Connie may have been selfless from one perspective, but it was self-serving in another. Prioritizing his own well-being – or at least treating it as equal to everyone’s elses – would’ve been less selfish than treating himself as disposal garbage. Newsflash kiddo; taking care of yourself is part and parcel of taking care of others.

Sadie devoting herself to Lars’s happiness and keeping The Big Donut running in his absence was noble, but she was also using it to avoid her own issues and the risk of building new friendships and passions. Being so selflessly hardworking and responsible and helpful in that job was never, ever going to benefit or reward Saide in the long run.

And Peridot….. oh boy, Peridot. As I said in my original post; I’ve been in Peridot’s exact position and that’s why I’m putting her on the hook for this.

Look, if you care about your friends and loved one’s feelings, then you’re gonna worry about how your words affect them. There’s no way around this. Emotional honesty is hard, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s going to be scary, even when you trust your friends not to purposefully hurt you. Healthy communication means finding ways to share without dismissing, disrespecting, or attacking each other. It doesn’t mean creating a cotton stuffed bubble where no one ever feels bad or upset.**

Peridot tried to do that. Peridot selflessly put Lapis’s feelings above her own so Lapis would always feel safe and comfortable, but she was also selfishly assuming what was best for Lapis without Lapis’s input. Much like Steven with Connie in “Full Disclosure” and Sadie with Lars in “Island Adventure”, and Connie with Steven in “By the Sword”, and the Crystal Gems with Steven in “Political Power” — it’s a reoccurring theme in the show, it what I’m saying. Lapis’s reaction shows she would’ve much rather have had unpleasant honesty than been mislead in the name of protecting her fragile psyche.

So again, a complex approach to the concept of selfishness. Traditional narratives claim that selflessness is always right and the true sign of caring for others, but selfishness has its place. There are times where you have to put yourself first and neglecting your own well-being for the sake of your loved ones hurts you all more than it helps. It’s been awesome seeing “Steven Universe” explore this so compassionately and thoroughly.





** The difference between the fear of voicing your feelings to an abuser who has conditioned you into seeing your emotions as unacceptable, hurtful, or an attack on them AND the fear of voicing your feelings to a friend you don’t want to upset because you care about them is beyond the scope of this particular post. Suffice to say, I’m talking about the latter, not the former.