Well, now the Royal Wedding has drawn to a close (barring the repeats and the in depth analyses), life can return to something approximating normal again.
Today it was stated by historian Simon Schama that the wedding was bringing the Monarchy into a new age, marrying itself to the current generation. The amount of familiarity and common touch made this a very different event, especially in the age of social media where we are so much closer to our ‘celebrities’. It’s not so much that taboos have been broken, but the paradigm has shifted.
Not to be outdone, the only person in the world who could compete with the happy couple has made his grab for the headlines. Of course I speak of Superman.
Ignoring the fact that he is not real, this week in Action Comics #900, Superman has stated his intention to renounce his U.S. citizenship in a speech to the U.N., after tiring of his actions being interpreted as U.S. Foreign Policy. During this period of great upheaval across the Middle East in the real world, I think this was a timely announcement in his fictional one as DC increases its acknowledgement of real world events. (Makes you wonder just what role Bialya, Kahndaq and the nuked out remains of Qurac can play in future stories.)
However, this seems to have caused some controversy, especially over at Fox News (surprise). However, the story justifies it, it gives the lead character a far greater degree of freedom; and seriously; are we ever going to forget “Truth, Justice and the American Way”?
Like the ‘American’ ‘Dream’, Superman’s ‘American Way’ is not a reality. It is an ideal to be aspired to, a lofty goal forever out of reach but we are made better in the striving for it. Those who are criticising the writers and DC for their (and I quote) “blatant lack of patriotism’ should maybe read the story, or shut up if they don’t know what they are talking about.
As for the DC fans, wasn’t this the thinking of the renaming of the Justice League Of America to the simple Justice League, or even the Justice League International? (Which is on its way back I notice, according to the last issue of Generation Lost. Same characters and a tad less Bwa-ha-ha, so I’m looking forward to it.)
Storm in a teacup people, give it a rest. For that matter, grow up. It’s fiction. And if the flag thumpers still worry about the effect such a story would have on younger readers, think on this.
It teaches them what the difference is between speaking for a country, and speaking for yourself. Quite an important lesson, wouldn’t you say?
Me, I’m old enough to make up my own mind. The finest form of patriotism is to stand in judgement over one’s country; applauding its successes and reining in its excesses (or worse). Patriotism is making your country the best, not just blindly assuming it is.
And one last point about Superman and his American influence. You may be able to take the farmboy out of Kansas, but you won’t take Kansas out of the farmboy.
This is just one more instance of the liberal media taking control of everything. No matter what the story line, the only reason this would be done is because of liberal leanings of the authors of the comic.
So, using the context of the ACTUAL STORY ITSELF; is it liberal of Superman to not want the U.S. to be blamed for his actions? After all, that’s the circumstances in the story, that the U.S. was receiving pressure and knockback from something he had done off of his own back. That’s liberal is it?