I just like
everyone else in the world have my up days and I have my down days (maybe more
so than others because college student).
However on days where I feel especially down, on the worst of the worst
days, I have adopted the habit of wearing my superman shirt under my shirt, and
on days where I am especially overwhelmed or disappointed it does a lot for me
to see that electric blue of my Superman shirt peeking through my button down
shirt. A symbol of the man who has saved
the world 10 times as many times as your favorite superhero. A symbol of hope. Which brings me to my point: WHY DO YOU ALL
HATE SUPERMAN SO MUCH?? Any superhero is
going to have their fair share of haters, but Mr. Kent has always had a fair
share more, and why? For what reason?
When I asked
other people why they felt so strongly about Superman I heard numerous
answers. “He is boring” was a popular
one. “He is too judgmental” “OP” “Too
perfect” “Lame” the list goes on.
Why is
superman “lame” for being better or a cheat code and the Hulk not? The hulk is literally a 2 ton death machine. People
say that Superman is boring? The guy is the greatest to ever come through the
comic book world. I could not even being to put together a list of his accomplishments. The Golden State Warriors have lost what 9
games this year; The Warriors are the best out right now and it is absolutely
thrilling and fun and in no way boring. So why can’t superman be the best and
it be fun and thrilling? The 6’5 DC MVP hailing straight outta Krypton. People
argue he is too perfect? To that I say that Superman has taken way more than
his fair share of L’s. Then what is it? Why does superman get so much unwarranted
hate? Is it because Superman has been
around for so long? Have we grown tired of the Man of Steel overcoming
overwhelming odds? How quickly we forget.
*****Batman v Superman spoiler
alert******
This in
essence is what made the end of Batman vs Superman one of the few great things
about that movie. The people of this
word did not appreciate Superman while he was there. How quickly everything went south for the
world’s greatest hero post saving the world, a world that did not deserve
Superman or maybe a world that was not ready for Superman is better. You know
how they say we never truly appreciate anything until it’s gone. That is what made the “death” of Superman so
iconic. The world did not appreciate him
and now they are going to have to survive for however long until he comes back.
People will
suffer. People will pray. People will hope
for better days. Hope for a hero. Hope for Superman.
Which brings me back to the real world, why do we have such negative views about the Superman figure? I spent a lot of time pondering over this question and when it hit me it was relatively simple. I think that in some cases (not all of course) it can go back to a sense of self. It is because Superman represents hope that can cause this train of thought hope for all things, a better world, a better future….a better you.
A new self
that you yourself may not think that you are even capable of becoming. A future
that you may even go so far as to deem yourself as underserving of. An image
that when you see it in the mirror you feel scared of becoming that because of
the pressures that will come with living up to such lofty expectations.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” I am sure
that you have heard that quote plenty of times but it fits here so
perfectly. People naturally project
themselves onto other figures so when we see Superman, the best of us, it
frightens us. We project ourselves on
Superman and it shows us how good we can be while simultaneously giving us
standards we could not imagine reaching.
We compare ourselves to Superman and I think that is where a lot of the negativity
comes from and is in turn thrown onto the fictional character of Superman. I know that I have definitely been there and
I am sure a lot of us have when I see someone is where I want to be (whether
career wise, financially, mentally, ect) but I am only seeing the final product
and it’s intimidating. Intimidating
enough sometime to the point of just saying screw it and not even beginning the
process.
The next
line of the our deepest fear quote reads “It
is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” Projecting ourselves onto Superman is alright
to an extent but we have to stop comparing others peoples journeys to our own.
We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. We all have our own story that we
are going to have to inscribe onto this planet.
I write this article as more than just a deeper look into the Superman
character but also to serve as a deeper look into ourselves. Don’t let Superman represent a you that you don’t
think you are capable of becoming.
Instead let Superman be a calling to be more. Let Superman be the hope
of getting there and the motivation of taking action. If we can do that, if we can make that small
shift in our psyche, I really believe that we will all begin to view Superman
in a much different light. You are adequate, You are enough, You are important. That is what Superman is and can be for us.
So even now
on my darkest of days when nothing seems to be going my way. I assure you that
I’ll continue to wear my superman shirt under my shirt, a small but meaningful
gesture. Hope. Hope for a better
tomorrow, hope for working towards a better me and a constant reminder of just
how powerful we all are.
The defense
rest its case.
By: Taylor Bauldwin, Pokémon master
Follow me on twitter for more of the hottest of takes. [@taylormade20]
