Somewhere underneath all his cynicism regarding saving lives, Mal knew Jo was right. It wasn't people Mal had an issue with; it was systems of government run by people who thought they had the ability to fix everything and make everything better, even when their efforts meant causing harm (financial, social, economic, you name it) to people. He'd seen it many times over, every time he traveled from the central planets to the outer planets. The facts were there; governments meant trouble, if they weren't run by the right people.
But Mal didn't say any of that to Jo. He figured she didn't want to hear it, and part of him really didn't want to go down that path again. There was a reason why he never talked about this kind of thing with anyone; the reaction that typically arose was never pleasant.
So, Mal dragged himself out of his internal monologue, and tackled Jo's arguments. "All right, Jo. I don't really think that, but I also ain't convinced either. There's some good people out in the 'verse, but there's also corrupt ones. They're the ones I don't think are worth bein' saved. But it ain't possible to be choosin' who gets saved and who doesn't, which is why I still got some hope that maybe people'll turn themselves around. What I don't believe so easy is the idea that governments who think they can make everythin' right, but don't stop to count the consequences, can change."
Mal shook his head, and sighed. "Seen enough damage caused by people like that, and it ain't pretty. And far as my 'wangsting' is concerned, hate to say it, but it ain't gonna go away just 'cause you want it to." Though, even as he said that, Mal thought he felt some of his cynicism starting to disappear.
He knew exactly why that was, also. It was because of the person he was with; Jo was beginning to represent something to Mal... Her personality represented some facet of his own that had been lost through disappointments and just being knocked around by life. Though he couldn't make himself believe entirely in the good of the human race, Jo's stubbornness made up for what he was lacking.
blah, sorry for the tl;dr
But Mal didn't say any of that to Jo. He figured she didn't want to hear it, and part of him really didn't want to go down that path again. There was a reason why he never talked about this kind of thing with anyone; the reaction that typically arose was never pleasant.
So, Mal dragged himself out of his internal monologue, and tackled Jo's arguments. "All right, Jo. I don't really think that, but I also ain't convinced either. There's some good people out in the 'verse, but there's also corrupt ones. They're the ones I don't think are worth bein' saved. But it ain't possible to be choosin' who gets saved and who doesn't, which is why I still got some hope that maybe people'll turn themselves around. What I don't believe so easy is the idea that governments who think they can make everythin' right, but don't stop to count the consequences, can change."
Mal shook his head, and sighed. "Seen enough damage caused by people like that, and it ain't pretty. And far as my 'wangsting' is concerned, hate to say it, but it ain't gonna go away just 'cause you want it to." Though, even as he said that, Mal thought he felt some of his cynicism starting to disappear.
He knew exactly why that was, also. It was because of the person he was with; Jo was beginning to represent something to Mal... Her personality represented some facet of his own that had been lost through disappointments and just being knocked around by life. Though he couldn't make himself believe entirely in the good of the human race, Jo's stubbornness made up for what he was lacking.