When I think of the word “justice,” I immediately think of
superheroes. I think of Christopher Reeves-as-Superman personally dropping two
masked men off at the jail after they tried to rob a bank, and Captain America
defeating HYDRA and, symbolically, fascism as well. Through my developing
years, I learned from comics and superhero movies that the good guys always
win. If someone wrongs you, there will be a reckoning, and if something bad
happens to you, chances are you’ll get superpowers and it’ll turn out okay in
the end. To be fair, superhero movies have gotten considerably darker in the
past few years, and have worked to show that sometimes bad things happen and
there isn’t any justice. After growing up with superheroes, I’ve always seen
justice as getting what you deserve, and I’ve believed in it like some people
believe in fate or destiny. But our class reminded me that justice is not a
guarantee that everything will be fair; rather, it’s a goal which must be
worked for and is incredibly difficult to achieve. Have you had a similar
experience with justice or any other ideals formed in your childhood? If so, how
has your view of that ideal changed over time?
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In my childhood, I wasn't as into superheroes as you were. I thought they were interesting, but ultimately in-achievable. I guess I was just a jaded kid. I wasn't ever a huge fan, and it wasn't until I was older that I figured out why. I'm a pacifist, and I never liked that superheroes equated violence with goodness. They defeated the great evil, had an epic fight scene, threw someone off a roof, but they almost never stopped to give money to the homeless. They didn't advocate for minority rights or better rehabilitation in jail. Villains such as the Joker and Harley Quinn stigmatize mental illness and mental health professionals. I never liked the strict black and white, because that wasn't real life.
ReplyDeleteI think the strict black and white classification is a fault of Hollywood and pop culture rather than the intended characters. To create a simple, exciting story they set apart the characters into tight boxes that prevent the proper cultural dialogue from being explored. Although most superhero movies to a poor job of representing real life, from what I've seen (Sandman is an example), I believe many comics have a much more substantial message.
DeleteI never read superhero comics as a kid. I watched the movies instead and just never understood what the hell was going on. The first superhero movie I think I watched was Batman Forever, which I still believe is the best Batman movie. In all seriousness, though, I think you bring up a great point. As a kid, justice was about beating the bad guy and saving the city from an ice age. Or at least that's what I thought justice was. Now, justice is just being able to live as any other human being should. I think Amara brings up a super great point and just wanted to shout it out.
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