I'm far from the only person to bemoan the sharp decline in media literacy these days, but something that has always bothered me is the double standard audiences apply to protagonists and supporting charactes when it comes to them acting emotionally.

I've seen audiences go along with main character making some truly awful, irrational decisions, and then turn around and work themselves into a tizzy about side characters not being 100% understanding, reasonable and unquestioningly supportive at all times.