The power the powerless have over me
I didn't write yesterday because I wanted to get done with the translation of my bachelor essay. And now it's done, and up on my site. Go look!
Now, to have an actual subject. There's been some discussion all over the place about Superman, musesfool and others discussing whether Superman is good or something else. And that's not really what I'm going to talk about. I mean, I accept the fact that Superman is a nice guy, while I also think Force Majeur isn't all that hot and I'd rather have a vote about it. (Which would make an incredibly lame comic book. Congressman, the democratic superhero!)
What bothers me with the Superman character isn't whether or not he's a potential fascist, but rather that he's uninteresting. I'm not speaking of Smallville's Clark here, because what personality he has shown has mostly come off as half-witted, but all other incarnations. Here's a guy who can do pretty much whatever he wants, and he uses his powers for good. Always. It rather reminds me of Stephen Fry's "The Stars' Tennis Balls" when Ned can't understand why on earth he would have any enemies: he was popular, intelligent, good-looking, a good sportsman, and basically a nice guy. Obviously that's the very reason he has enemies.
I don't think evil in itself is more interesting than good. To me, it's a question of power. I'm a religious girl, and I believe in God, but I don't identify with him. For me to have the kind of sympathy for a character that comes from identification that person has to have weaknesses. And the tendency to do evil against one's will, unlike massive blow-up-planets-for-the-fun-of-it evil, is actually a weakness. My kind of guy is the little guy in the corner fighting with a broken bottle. Which could also affect my feelings about minor characters.
What I liked about Lois & Clark, no matter how stupid that show was, was how Superman was actually a fiction for the public. The reality was a guy with superpowers who was just as scared and unsure as anyone else, but with a will to do the right thing. Likewise, I think the reason West Wing's Jed Bartlet was called the only interesting good guy on television was because the American president is the most powerful man in the world, and yet the decisions are never simple to him.
I got into a rather lively discussion with a friend over this subject once, concerning Tolkien. I hate elves with a passion (good, wise *and* beautiful? Kill me now), he loves them and finds my hobbit favourites too ordinary. To him, the fairy tale needed fairy people, while its power over me was much stronger knowing that my basic needs and abilities aren't all that different from the little guys' - and they managed to win in the end.
Now, to have an actual subject. There's been some discussion all over the place about Superman, musesfool and others discussing whether Superman is good or something else. And that's not really what I'm going to talk about. I mean, I accept the fact that Superman is a nice guy, while I also think Force Majeur isn't all that hot and I'd rather have a vote about it. (Which would make an incredibly lame comic book. Congressman, the democratic superhero!)
What bothers me with the Superman character isn't whether or not he's a potential fascist, but rather that he's uninteresting. I'm not speaking of Smallville's Clark here, because what personality he has shown has mostly come off as half-witted, but all other incarnations. Here's a guy who can do pretty much whatever he wants, and he uses his powers for good. Always. It rather reminds me of Stephen Fry's "The Stars' Tennis Balls" when Ned can't understand why on earth he would have any enemies: he was popular, intelligent, good-looking, a good sportsman, and basically a nice guy. Obviously that's the very reason he has enemies.
I don't think evil in itself is more interesting than good. To me, it's a question of power. I'm a religious girl, and I believe in God, but I don't identify with him. For me to have the kind of sympathy for a character that comes from identification that person has to have weaknesses. And the tendency to do evil against one's will, unlike massive blow-up-planets-for-the-fun-of-it evil, is actually a weakness. My kind of guy is the little guy in the corner fighting with a broken bottle. Which could also affect my feelings about minor characters.
What I liked about Lois & Clark, no matter how stupid that show was, was how Superman was actually a fiction for the public. The reality was a guy with superpowers who was just as scared and unsure as anyone else, but with a will to do the right thing. Likewise, I think the reason West Wing's Jed Bartlet was called the only interesting good guy on television was because the American president is the most powerful man in the world, and yet the decisions are never simple to him.
I got into a rather lively discussion with a friend over this subject once, concerning Tolkien. I hate elves with a passion (good, wise *and* beautiful? Kill me now), he loves them and finds my hobbit favourites too ordinary. To him, the fairy tale needed fairy people, while its power over me was much stronger knowing that my basic needs and abilities aren't all that different from the little guys' - and they managed to win in the end.