Last night in the Twitterverse, two of my friends reported that conservative radio personality Glenn Beck has spoken out against Superman, claiming that he is a “terrible role model.” While I can’t find sources of said claim anywhere, it did spark a generally interesting discussion within my own brain as to how much of this was legitimately true and how much of it was simply right-wing beliefs that I find nothing to relate in. I’ve never been a general fan of Superman, but I have always believed him to be one of the top tier characters for “good guys,” and that made him a perfect role model in my mind. But when I look back on recent years, I have to ask myself if I’m with Glenn Beck on this, or if Superman is still a good role model for today’s youth.
Now, I should point out that I know literally nothing about Glenn Beck other than he has a radio show, all of his beliefs are pretty much the opposite of mine, and my dad (who is a hardcore republican) loves him. I’m going to do my best simply to use the quote as a jumping off point and leave all discussions towards Glenn Beck’s beliefs for another day on another website. So if you’re interested in seeing me tear down a republican commentator, you’re probably at the wrong article today. That being said, my thoughts are held behind the cut.
UPDATE: An anonymous reader has provided in the comments a link to the source of the quote (thank you for that). Beck does not actually call Superman a terrible role model, but implies that he is a poor choice for a role model for children. The entire episode (which I sat down and watched for journalistic integrity), is more about how children need to have actual human role models to look up to rather than costumed crusaders for justice or certain golf superstars. What makes this even more interesting is that Brad Meltzer, who himself spent a couple years writing Superman, is one of the guests on the show. So while the quote was not actually stated, I feel it is important to note this correction. I do however wish to leave this article up, as I feel some of the discussion points I bring up were interesting. I could be wrong in that though.
Is Superman a terrible role model for kids today? An interesting enough question for a comic book nerd. Most of us are quick to say that this couldn’t be farther from the truth, mainly because Superman has always fought for “truth, justice, and the American way.” That’s the famous quote, right? But in today’s culture, how much of the “American way” is represented in Superman comics at all? To be quite frank, none of it. Let’s take a look at some of the recent events in Superman’s storyline:
- Sat back and watched the Justice League fall apart to the point that the Watchtower was blown up and the Multiverse was ripped a new one (Infinite Crisis)
- Disappeared for a year to find himself (One Year Later)
- Went to the future and helped save the Legionnaire’s, aka a group of aliens inspired by Superman’s actions in the 31st century (Superman and the Legion of 3 Worlds)
- Went to an alternate dimension with other “super men” to fight an evil Monitor (Final Crisis: Superman Beyond)
- Defeated Darkseid and saved the multiverse from the evil Monitor, Mandraak (Final Crisis)
- Freed Kandor, the bottled city, from Brainiac FINALLY (Superman: Braniac)
- Tried, and failed, to integrate New Krypton into our culture (New Krypton vol 1)
- Left Earth to live on Krypton, under control of one of his oldest enemies, General Zod, who had tried and almost succeeded at taking over the planet only a few years ago (World of New Krypton, Superman: Last Son)
- At some point turned into a Black Lantern (Blackest Night)
It’s been a rough few years for the big guy, and this is strictly speaking in canon. We’ve had PLENTY of great stories of Superman in the past decade, but some of them haven’t fully been in canon. Heck, I mentioned Last Son, but even that was plagued with delays and was told in a very weird schedule. And when we look ahead for Superman, what do we see? We’ve got that final part of the World of New Krypton storyline, in which Braniac returns to “claim what is rightfully his” (spinning out of the recently relaunched Adventure comics) and the War of the Supermen, which starts with issue 0 on Free comic Book Day and which, outside of the title, we have no idea what it’s about.
Continued belowSo when Glenn Beck says that Superman is a “terrible role model” for kids, I’m going to guess that what he’s referring to is how Superman most definitely does NOT embody the American Way any longer. Heck, Superman doesn’t even live in Metropolis anymore, and I guess Beck must follow comics to some extent because apparently he knows this (or he’s speaking out of his ass, at which point me playing devil’s advocate in favor of him seems pretty redundant). Hell, I think it’s impossible NOT to point out the scene in the terrible Superman Returns in which Perry White, when describing Superman and his absence, mentions how Superman used to stand for “truth, justice, and … yadda yadda” (I’m paraphrasing, that’s probably not the exact words he uses). Looks like Superman is a product of the “harsh reality” comics just as much as anyone else is, and what I mean by that is the general push for more comics to be realistic with their superheroes in an effort to create a darker environment for our characters to inhabit (something I generally disapprove of).
But I should point out that, despite all this, THERE IS NO WAY IN ANY OF THE 7 LEVELS OF HELL THAT SUPERMAN IS NOT A GOOD FRAKKING ROLE MODEL FOR KIDS. Are you kidding me with this crap?
Alright, let’s look at the general climate of kids today working STRICTLY off of stereotypes. I choose to do this because, and I’m sorry to say this, but stereotypes have to come from somewhere. While they are offensive and often untrue to individual people, as a whole it is impossible to ignore. What exactly are kids today? Kids are freaking crazy. I’m honestly terrified of the younger generation of kids more than anything. Kids are regressing, focusing on terrible subcultures and generally promoting idiocy. You can see this in advertisements geared towards younger generations, and you can see it further just by surfing the internet. Am I allowed to use Lamebook.com as a credible source? Sure, there are adults on there, but good God, some of the idiocy on that site is unbelievable. Find any forum, though, and you’re sure to find that the younger audience that is taking time on the internet to “discuss” things will do it without any sense of grammar, nor any care. And I defy you to find one recent news item on CNN in which some kind of teen was commended. All I can remember of recent history is various forms of teen violence and/or some kind of weird sex thing going on with 12 year olds. I’m sorry, but my perception of “kids” these days is pretty low, and unless someone in the comments can provide a really strong argument as to why I shouldn’t think that, my mind won’t change. I know that every generation looks down on the younger generation, but there are very few young kids who I would even chance giving some respect to. And I believe that they are very much of a product of their environments, and I fully blame the parents for everything. But that’s another article for another website.
What is important to note is that when you have a culture of kids growing up in incredibly poor environments, with nothing but trash being published on the news, how is Superman NOT a good role model? Ok, so he doesn’t define the “American Way,” but TRUTH? JUSTICE? Oh HELL yes. There is no way he DOESN’T define that. I’m reminded of an issue of the Flash, right after Wally West’s identity is magically retconned out of continuity, and the Flash is given the choice to come clean with the entire Justice League about how he is right before Identity Crisis. The only person Flash is initially comfortable with talking to is Superman, and you know why? Because despite all the poking and prodding from ALL the members of the Justice League, Superman is the most honest character in the bunch. Can you think of a time when Superman has performed a truly selfish act? Off the top of my head, I really can’t. There are general out-of-continuity moments, but Superman is one of the few characters who have never crossed that line. He wasn’t part of the Identity Crisis cabal, and (correct me if I’m wrong) I don’t think Superman has ever even killed anyone. He’s fought hard and overcome amazing odds, even in the case of returning to life. But as much as I dislike Superman, there is no way you can’t say he’s a terrific inspiration and role model.
Continued belowLet’s look at Geoff Johns’ short but great run in Adventure Comics (with one issue left pending the release of this article). The whole story, THE ENTIRE POINT, is Connor Kent deciding whose footsteps he wishes to follow in (Connor Kent of course being the recently resurrected clone of Superman and Lex Luthor). He creates a list of both all the things Superman did as a young man and all of the things Lex Luthor did, and tries to do both and see which feels right to him. And guess which role he gears more towards? Lex Luthor is an interesting character because, inherently, he’s not an evil man, per se. The problem with Luthor is that his rage against Superman, and in fact any form of alien or super human that triumphs above and beyond where man is being allowed to succeed, is very blinding. Lex Luthor is the type of character who has, time and time again, shown us that what he does, he does because he believes he’s doing it for the good of mankind. He hates superhumans because he thinks that they make us lazy and complacent to accept whatever tragedy. Through this Luthor, time and time again, creates problems that spiral beyond his control and against the very basic purpose of it all, and this is what makes him a truly nasty villain – he is so set in his own beliefs about how humans should act that he will fight against any type of change imaginable (DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR AT ALL? ANYONE? DOES ANYONE GET THAT?).
And then there is Superman. Superman is honest, always fights for what he believes is right, stays within his legal boundaries, and is always doing his best to save everyone. Can he always do that? No, not necessarily. This is why we write stories about him – to create challenges for him to overcome. But why did Superman leave Earth in the first place? It’s not that he chose another culture over ours. Superman has come back on numerous occasions from New Krypton to help us, such as the Codename: Patriot arc where he did his best to stop a disaster from befalling a foreign country (not even America), and he came back to fight the Black Lanterns with every other superhero. The reason Superman left is because he wanted to help a brand new society integrate itself with the world around it. If you’ve been following World Of New Krypton, you’ve seen him reshape the military, prevent countless battles between the Kryptonians and other alien cultures, and act as the only possible diplomat between them and Earth. Need I remind you that Superman is the ONLY Kryptonian allowed on planet Earth? Superman wants the two worlds to co-exist peacefully, and he left Earth to make sure that this can happen.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Superman, but dammit, he’s one hell of a role model. He shows just how good a person from another culture, another WORLD, can be in a new environment, if they’re just raised the right way. Ma and Pa Kent are two of the greatest parents in the entirety of the DCU, and I’d be remiss not to mention that they raised one hell of a son. If there ever was one real superhero, I’d hope he’d have the moral fiber and backbone that Superman has. Besides, do we really want him to embody the current American Way? Do we want a Superman who is fat, rude to everyone, terrible with his and other people’s money, and is generally hated by every other major power, i.e. the rest of the JLA? Does this sound like the type of hero you want?
While Superman has had a rough couple of years recently, it’s undeniable that he’s one of the few characters that has come out of it in one piece. I started his recent history at the top with Infinite Crisis (although I mentioned Identity a few times), and I think it’s important to note that Superman is one of the few heroes who came out very cleanly in one piece. The other part of the DC Trinity, Wonder Woman and Batman, both had very large changes to their characters and books through out the next few years, didn’t make it out as easily. Batman lost trust of every other hero and Wonder Woman crossed “that line.” But Supes? No. He’s still good. He’s had it rough, but he’s still good. And if I ever have a kid, while I may not give him Superman books to read, I’d gladly knock anyone across the mouth for calling him a terrible role model.
