I hate superheroes. I hate them with a passion. In fact, it is my opinion that the whole super hero genre, as a genre, is leading to the collapse of any semblance of communitarian or even democratic values in contemporary America. Why do I believe this? Because of the cult of the ubermensch that surrounds superheroes today. These magical beings are to be worshiped, loved, never questioned, and generally obeyed (minus the good '86 revisionist trend). Superheroes are a genetic elite, who engage in vigilantism for the sole purpose of beating up some poor innocent street kid whose only crime is not being born with the superhero's elite genes. And, oh yeah, they're almost all white and even more male. If they're females, they have to have breasts that stick out into the stratosphere and be surprisingly easy to get into bed with. Does anyone see a problem with this? Sieg Heil, Superman, even if you were created by two Jewish kids from Brooklyn. We know what direction you're taking the world in.Keywords: Nazis, Superman
Superman may be my least favorite superhero for those reasons. I do like me some Batman, GL and X-men though. When done right you have complex characters that sometimes don't make the right decision, and having to deal with the consequences. I don't think they are realistic at all as most people would use their powers for self gain. Watchmen was good and showed what happens to any group that comes into power; corruption.
ReplyDeleteTake back what you said about Jubilee being easy.
The novel Jubilee? I didn't think it was that tough, but of course I was manic when I was reading it!
ReplyDeleteJohn
I'm a long time comic/animation fan. I'm into action/adventure comics which is the USA mostly means superheroes. I've been a superhero fan for a long time as well, but I have finally become bored with it for the reasons you posted and some more...
ReplyDelete1. The superhero genre even it's more complex current version is generally about maintaining the status quo. I don't like the status quo.
With my politics I'd love to see a superhero that fought the status quo seriously, probably modeled more on an anarchist/socialist Robin Hood or Zorro. There's a Chinese classic called The Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh about a band of 108 Robin hoods which I will eventually read. They're AKA the Bandits/Heroes of Liang Shan.
2. Real world vigilantism is an ugly thing and I believe the primary vigilantes in American history have been the KKK which to me is an ugly sort of person and not very heroic within my ethical framework.
3. Superhero comics also are very repetitive and create a universe that changes but never changes. Bruce Wayne can never die and pass on the mantle. Super science, aliens, and magic cannot change society or history in a meaningful way as it would disrupt how close the superhero universe resembles ours.
4. The tights thing. Ugh.
There's more but that's enough for now.
You've got it completely backwards. Superheroes are actually completely Jewish in nature, based on the legends of the golem as savior of the urban (Jewish) culture. All the "classic" superheroes were created by American Jews in the "Hitler era". The reason the heroes themselves are "white males" (although operating very much as "secret Jews" with their everyday, non-golem identities) is for the reading public to identify with them, or the comics wouldn't be read at all. Note that pretty much all superheroes have dark hair - hardly the "Germanic" ideal, but nondescript white enough to appeal to the people at large. The villains are also "white males", btw, no doubt Hitler projections. Superheroes are ultimately about Jewish empowerment - by and FOR Jews, although sold to a larger sphere.
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