Unmasking Superman, pt 1: Why the “Man of Steel” Should Offend Every Freedom Loving American
And humanity must submit to the Kryptonian equivalent of “jus primae noctis” because, frankly we have no choice. If you don’t want him looking ladies, then walk around in an iron burka with a Kryptonite chastity belt. But really, who are you to question the integrity of the “man of steel”?
HOW HUMANITY IS PERCEIVED: THE UNTERMENSCHEN
The Nazi’s gravitated toward Nietzsche’s theory of the Superman and filled in the ellipsis that was left undeclared – That not only was there an Übermensch (Superman) but also an Untermenschen – “inferior humans” who could be dominated, enslaved and as a final solution, “evacuated.”
I will teach you the superman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man?
What is the ape to man? – A laughingstock or a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the superman: a laughingstock or a painful embarrassment
– Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
In the Superman myth, humans are either victims or villains who realize only a shallow existence. They are sheep to be herded, sheared or coddled by the state and protected by its mechanical shepherd that can see through walls; an ant-hill in the hands of a curious boy.
USE OF WEALTH:
One of the “tells” in literature is “how is wealth perceived and explained?” In Batman, Ironman and The Green Hornet, wealth is neutral and can be used for good or evil: the love of money is the root of all evil but wealth itself is also an instrument of righteousness.
The heroes themselves are men of means whose generosity in philanthropy is only outweighed by their investment in criminology; a storyline that jives with both a Christian and a capitalist worldview. Not so in Superman.
Superman’s main antagonist is not Adolf Hitler, though he did battle with the Nazi’s, nor is it a creature from outside this world, though he’s had his share of scrapes with E.T. as well, but a businessman. Lex Luthor, the evil head of an evil corporation is the chief nemesis for the Übermensch.
So let’s recap; the world’s supreme Superhero – a journalist, tells us that the greatest threat to humanity is a business man, a corporate leader. A narrative that reeks of Occupy Wall Street and is the very perspective that makes up the backbone of righteousness in Superman was the expression of wickedness, personified by Bane in the last Batman movie.
Never mind Lord Acton’s maxim about power, forget the founders counsel about concentrated power, and completely ignore the fact that the 20th Century was bloodier than the previous 19 because of rogue governments killing their own people; we must allow our Iron Shepherd to crush the businessman.
Well click your heels together and shout “sieg heil,” – (I think that’s Kryptonian for “hallelujah.”)
To paraphrase James Madison, “All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree – especially those spawned by Nietzsche who wield x-ray vision!”