We can debate when comics first started appearing. Maybe they were the petroglyphs in caves across the world. Or maybe it was the political commentary cartoons in 19th-century Europe and America. Either way, comics didn’t shift to the superhero until the 1930s for the most part.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, The Phantom was the first superhero, created back in 1936. I had to look it up because I have never been a fan of comic books and other than what friends have told me and what Hollywood has told me, I don’t know really anything about them. Ask me whether I prefer Marvel over DC and you’ll receive the same blank stare as if you were to ask a WWII vet if he prefers witch house over hypnagogic pop.
But just because I know little about something doesn’t mean I can’t read the writing on the wall. And in this instance—like countless others, our mainstream culture tries to shove down my throat and make me consume—the writing is more like a huge and colorful billboard you can’t ignore. Everywhere you look there’s a new superhero movie coming out. And call me old but I remember an overwhelming number of those protagonists as white males. Superman. Spider-Man. Batman. Thisman. Thatman. Whateverman. Sure there's Wonder Woman. And Catgirl or is it Catwoman? And the occasional black sidekick (never Asian or Hispanic). But just like the storylines themselves, the race, sex, age, and many other important details that help to create continuity and stability become malleable. And if you do not set rigid rules with which that story must follow, you end up with something the reader or viewer easily loses trust in.
Now some of these original stories are pretty well thought out. I especially like the creativity of Superman (as described by the character, Bill, in the Quentin Tarantino movie, Kill Bill). And like anything, my motto is always, with moderation you can never go wrong. Meaning an occasional superhero movie won’t hurt you if it’s made well.
But as I said, Hollywood over the past ten years has inundated pop culture with the superhero mentality. It is akin to the mentality that everyone should get a trophy. When everyone is super, no one is...so the saying goes. And you might be asking, well then where’s the harm in that? It would just seem to be a wash. No harm, no foul.
Well, here’s the harm:
I’m in my early 40s. I have friends from high school that I still keep in touch with (mostly on the Farcebook) that wear comic book shirts and repeat lines from Star Wars or whatever new superhero or other fantasy movie just came out. These friends are becoming fathers. In other words, kids having kids.
A lot of what Hollywood is producing now-a-days is stunted maturity, or in other words, a perpetual state of immaturity. Guys in particular are losing their grip on responsibility and falling further and further into fantasyland.
Hollywood is not the only one to blame though. Video games are just as guilty, if not, more so. People spend hours and hours wasting away behind a fake life. Sure, there are now professional gamers, and some of them are millionaires. But there are also movie stars and superstar athletes. Do you know the chances of becoming one of these people?
I get it. I cannot tell other people what to do with their lives. Heck, I just posted something complaining about that very thing. But, if we are to reverse this dehumanization and degeneration that is going on, we need to take everything in moderation (I also mentioned that in my last post). And that means, a little less fantasy. Maybe don't be such fanboys. I don't know, it's just a thought.
Take more pride in things that really matter in life, like family and friends, career, or maybe a productive hobby, or even going out and making a difference in your community rather than waiting on someone else to do the job.
I was a longtime atheist and liberal, growing up in Los Angeles and all. I've done a complete 180. I have prayed for my forgiveness from God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I have abandoned the left and its toxic policies. I am a dedicated family man and am looking for the right church so that I can help my community and my fellow man.
I have been working on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and right now I am very close to the top, where one works on the best version of himself. Meaning, now that all my needs are, for the most part, taken care of, it's time for me to start focusing on others, helping others. And in doing so, I also further improve and help myself.
Video games, superhero stories, and childlike fantasy don't have a substantial place in my pyramid of needs. Sure, once in a while, I like to play SimCity 4 Rush Hour, or Detroit: Become Human; every so often I like to watch a good movie or a baseball game or hockey game. But those leisurely activities are so much fewer and farther between now.
There is a legitimate battle going on right under our noses. It's a battle for our rights, our sanity, our humanity. And the more complacent we become, the easier it is for evil to take over and win. Don't be a superzero. Take responsibility of your life, your future, your freedom and happiness. Live life in all its stages. From youth to advancement. There's a reason why they call it the golden years. I've let go of the party life and am all the more content. Soon, I'll let go of the ego altogether. Each stage is a new beginning, a new era. Doesn't that sound exciting?
Don't let Hollywood and the cultural elites and the mainstream media tell you how to live or shape your mentality. Live your own life, free of the constraints of needing to fit into a clique or bringing the gift of the gab to the water cooler. There's nothing better than the prospect of something new and taking it as a challenge. A challenge to conquer, to grow, to become a real superhero.
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