Mass Effect 2: 10 Reasons It's Overrated As Hell
7. Sacrificing The Council Or The Human Alliance Fleet Reduced To "Good Vs Bad"
In the television show Red Dwarf, The Cat asks Rimmer to sacrifice his life to save everyone else, saying " Come on, man, you gotta sacrifice your life. I'm not asking you to do anything I wouldn't do," to which Rimmer responds "You? You'd sacrifice your life for the good of the crew?" to which Cat clarifies "No! I'd sacrifice your life for the good of the crew".
The Cat, the epitome of selfish characters, knows there is nothing heroic in directing others to die.
When Shepard is asked if he wants to save the Destiny Ascension with the Council on board or protect an entire human fleet, the consequences of protecting humanity are unclear, (which is why you earn both paragon and renegade points).
However in Mass Effect 2, if you chose to save human soldiers you're seen as a space racist who doesn't care about aliens.
Later in Mass Effect 2, Shepard reveals that saving the Destiny Ascension not only saved three incompetent government leaders and a ship, but there were far more people in that one ship than the human vessels.
Had the real consequences of my choices explained, I know I wouldn't have been such a dick.