Superman

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

"Truth, Justice, and the American Way"... interesting concepts.. but, does a nation (America) have the right to export these notions by force (armed or leveraged negotiation)?

Truth, is an individual perception.. Justice, is a consensus of standards that vary culturally and geographically.. and, "The American Way", is quite greedy and corrupt..

Superman was/is an expression of an ideal, far from the reality.. Is the "ideal" a possibility in today's geo-political environment?

Be well...

[KC Elbows]

I honestly don't think Joe or Jerry were even mindful of Neitschze, Ubermen, Galactic men or the rest. It was just an idea that the time was right, another archetype born out of archetypes of old.

Yeah, they didn't likely have any intention to cite Neitschze, but the idea goes back to him, and is linked at this point, even if it wasn't back when those two made him up.

I hadn't realized they were canadians. That explains DC stealing their ideas, since they don't have the same rights as real Americans. If only they had had some sort of selfless hero dedicated to justice they could call upon...

[KC Elbows]

Greetings..

"Truth, Justice, and the American Way"... interesting concepts.. but, does a nation (America) have the right to export these notions by force (armed or leveraged negotiation)?

I'm not familiar with truth being exported by force too often by any country, probably rarer justice, and America has had a lot better luck importing the various American Ways through satellite and cable than by force.

Truth, is an individual perception.. Justice, is a consensus of standards that vary culturally and geographically.. and, "The American Way", is quite greedy and corrupt..

I think what many who like the Superman concept see as the "American Way" is equality of opportunity and liberty, not conspicuous consumption and any opportunism that allows that. I think you are confounding the views of our President and some of his supporters with the rest of us.

Superman was/is an expression of an ideal, far from the reality.. Is the "ideal" a possibility in today's geo-political environment?

Be well...

Interesting question. Because the ideal is an individualistic one, I say yes, there is nothing our government can do that will prevent individuals from helping each other based out of need. My father has spent his retirement volunteering time at a children's hospital with kids who more often than not are not going to live, some of whom get no other visitors. I see this as the ideal becoming real. I'm sure you know similar folk. Not as colorful as Superman, a bit more paunch and a tendency to play practical jokes on the unsuspecting, but still unswerving in the truth that there is nothing he could do for himself that is more important, there is justice in the idea that these kids deserve to have someone there for them and will have someone, and American in that my dad is purposefully obnoxious.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Thanks, KC Elbows.. that was a beautiful sentiment, and Kudos to your dad.. <respectful bows>

Yes, i agree with the notion that the current administration doesn't effectively represent the core values of "America".. my concern is that evolution takes a twist and progresses awkwardly toward dismissing those values as "weak".. i'm hoping we can effect a sincere change of perspective where those values are regarded as core strengths.. anyway, just some personal thoughts on the matter..

Be well..

[GLW]

And now for something completely different :

The Monty Python Philosopher's Song :

Immanuel Kant was a real ****ant
Who was very rarely stable.

Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Who could think you under the table.

David Hume could out-consume
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, [some versions have 'Schopenhauer and Hegel']

And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.

There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya
'Bout the raising of the wrist.
Socrates, himself, was permanently ****ed.

John Stuart Mill, of his own free will,
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.

Plato, they say, could stick it away--
Half a crate of whisky every day.

Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle.
Hobbes was fond of his dram,

And René Descartes was a drunken ****.
'I drink, therefore I am.'

Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed,
A lovely little thinker,
But a bugger when he's ****ed.

[BruceSteveRoy]

I highly recommend that everyone read the trade paperback Superman: Red Son. i have never been a fan of superman but it is so friggin good. It works off the idea what if superman crashed into earth a few hours later and landed in the soviet union instead of the US and was working for communist ideals. O man its great. and the twist ending will make your jaw drop. So good.

[Judge Pen]

I personally liked Kant. Pretty dense stuff, but once you get into it, (and have a handy supply of Advil.) makes it worth the mental gymnastics.

I preferred Kant man myself. His ideas of morality are difficult to apply though. Most people seem to be driven by more utilitarian concepts the Kant's catagorical imperitives.

A t-shirt I once saw: Front: "God is Dead" -- Nietzsche Back -- "Nietzsche is Dead" -- God.

[mantis108]

If you look at our present Prime Minister, Steven Harper, He does try very hard to convince people that he's a Clark Kent wannabe. Just look at the glasses and the suits.

If he has his way, Canada will soon be annexed by the American Empire with the Bush imperial family holding court forever anyway. The men (B & H) were practically about to "Patriot" kiss each other on their first date. So... Superman will still be all American. Don't you worry about it. Think about it ... 67 states with bountiful resources like oil, gold, diamond, etc... Wow, Uber State of America!

Mantis108

[David Jamieson]

The Harperbot will fail in his endeavour.

However, I think if Canada, Mexico and The USA teamed up
poltically, economically and Militarily, then the rest of the world
is simply our oyster.

Now that's a superpower!

[Jingwu Man]

Save us (Canada), Superman!

[WinterPalm]

I'm not going to vote for any of the parties here in Canada, least of all the Conservatives seeing what they have done to the US, but you have to admit that Harper has basically done everything he said he would...and everybody knows what that means next election...Star Wars.

[Jingwu Man]

Hmmmm.
Who is the Empire and who are the rebels?

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

ARE YOU SERIOUS!! Canada's NOT a US state? How did that happen?

Why is it so hot.. and why am i in this hand-basket... ?

Be well.....

[KC Elbows]

Greetings..

ARE YOU SERIOUS!! Canada's NOT a US state?

The dead giveaway is that they don't know how to speak American.

[@PLUGO]

It should be noted that the "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" phrase was coined in the early 60's as a part of the TV series' opening narration

"Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman — strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman — who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a neverending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way."
~Bill Kennedy

Consider also that superman wasn't always the "boyscout" he's known as these days.

In the Golden-Age stories, Superman's personality is rough and destructive. Although nowhere near as cold-blooded as the early Batman, the Superman featured in the comics of the 1930s and 1940s is not squeamish about tossing evildoers around in such a manner that fatalities are occasionally hard to avoid.

By the end of 1940, however, editor Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of conduct for his characters to follow, and the writers moved toward Superman's better known "Boy Scout" persona. Even so, Superman's capacity for anger is a key element in many of his most dramatic moments, allowing readers to see that Superman's goodness is not inherent. His adoptive human parents the Kents imbue him with a strong sense of purpose, morality, selflessness, modesty, fairness, compassion, and hope. Superman was raised to believe that his abilities are gifts, and are not to be abused. In many ways, he is the perfect hero, as he embodies all the best traits that people would believe to see in themselves.

Recent writers have attempted to deepen Superman's persona and provide a rationale for his goodness. Superman is often depicted with a mix of idealism, restraint, fairness, and compassion for others. The Birthright limited series attributes the compassion Superman feels for living things to his ability to see their "auras". He also struggles with the differences between what is right and what is practical. In Superman/Batman, Batman says, "In many ways Clark is the most human of us all, and when he shoots fire down from the sky, it's hard not to think of him as a god. How fortunate for us that this never occurs to him"