Superman: Superhero, God, Gay, or Jewish?

El Vocero de Puerto Rico (Spanish-language article) ^ | June 29, 2006 | Ileana Cidoncha

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I remember a SNL skit from the 1970s (when it was funny) where Superman came to earth but instead of landing in Smallville, he ended up in Nazi Germany...

[Brian Mosely]

[coconutt2000]

Superman as a Christ allegory? Very likely. It has enough of the aspects of the Christ story to be plausible.

Superman gay? Not even plausible, and not worth mentioning. Must be wishful thinking on the part of homosexuals. I know I've found myself thinking that a hot lesbian was a terrible waste. I'm sure homosexuals feel the same way about heterosexual hunks with a reputation for endurance, control, and a penchant for tights.

Superman Jewish? Good old, corn fed Kansas beef... Superman is not likely to be Jewish, although his creators may have injected some of their life experiences into his character. His moral certainty, and decisive actions are probably a projection intended to resonate with the American public at large, thus encouraging an America that is willing to act against evil wherever it may occur. The end result is an America willing and able to defend the innocent, including Jews. Admittedly, somewhat cynical - but I didn't ask the question.

[Doomonyou]

Uberman!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Yaaah.

[Bigh4u2]

See the part that really gets liberals down is Superman's motto:

'Truth,Justice and the AMERICAN way'

Just can't have that in the U.S. It excludes the non-supermen.

[Ebenezer]

Superman: Jewish, landing in Nazi Germany, with all those powers.

It would have been a very brief Third Reich indeed.

[coconutt2000]

Well, who do we write to to get the "American way" put back into the movie on a regional/USA release of the DVD? I'm sure they filmed the scene with the correct phrasing and have it stored on digital tape somewhere.

[Ebenezer]

In the leftist/liberal mindset, the American Way does not include truth and justice.

[Clemenza]

Superman is not gay, but I always suspected that he was a "Son of Abraham." More Golem than Nietzchean "ubermensch."

Speaking of which:

[Bigh4u2]

Lois Lane??

[Ebenezer]

Don't hold your breath. The Hollywood types would consider any mention of the American Way as "jingoistic", "militaristic", "racist", "xenophobic", "homophobic", "supremacist", "triumphalistic", and on and on.

At least, on "Superman II", the film shows the Man of Steel carrying the American flag to place it on top of the White House. Very patriotic.

[coconutt2000]

I like this Lois Lane better than the one in the older movies. I can't say more without having this thread become a spoiler.

[Bigh4u2]

Yes. But isn't this 'Lois Lane' and unwed mother?

Haven't seem the movie BTW!

[Ebenezer]

In "Superman Returns", we learn that she had a child out of wedlock and is living in sin with some guy. But then, she fornicated with Superman in "Superman II".

I prefer an old-fashioned, celibate Man of Steel.

[sittnick]

It was a sad day in the 1970's when National Periodical (DC) was bought out by Warner Communications.

The original Siegel & Schuster legend actually had a humanistic explanation for Superman's powers. The Kryptonians were simply further evolved and had strength equivalent to insects, only mathematically worked out to human size (which is why he could jump a sixth of a mile) [I do not want to hear all the reasons why that doesn't jive with physics.] Later on, earth's lighter gravity was used as a reason for the powers, though that would not explain why "nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin." The yellow sun explanation still doesn't provide a mechanism for his ability to fly (or heat vision, for that matter).

Anyway, the Superman that I grew up with has been killed many times. Lex Luthor has been made-over from a mad scientist into a megalomaniacal businessman (how boring). And now we have Lois Lane shacking up . . . wonderful.

I purchased literally hundreds of Superman and Action comic books as a youngster. I would look for inconsistencies in the "legend" that would help develop critical faculties. The 21st century version has nothing for children, and frankly nothing for me.

The original legendary Superman was no homosexual. He put aside marriage for the good of his mission.

This version of Superman is so off-kilter with the decades old legend that it is more like the "new" versions of the Scarlet Letter and Marie Antoinette than it is about the Man of Steel. He did adapt to the times (no pansy "Code Against Killing" during WWII), but he was never a deviant.

At least Maggie and Jiggs (Bringing Up Father) have maintained their traditions.

[coconutt2000]

Sure, you're right - but discussion further at this point would ruin the movie for others.

Let's just say that Lois Lane could've been a lot worse, and what we had wasn't all that bad compared to the worse that Liberals could've inflicted on us. A stable home, and stable relationship with a good and decent man who is a lot like superman, but human - is not a bad thing. One could say that the character of Lois Lane was a careful medium between conservative and moderate. One might suppose that the press was depicted in the movie as extremely moderate, pro-superman, and thus implying a strong pro-freedom, pro-justice bias in the media which is absent in today's real media. But suppose it wasn't offered as a contrast, so much as a cover.

[Ebenezer]

This just in: Imam Reads Free Republic Thread, Issues a Fatwa against "that Jew Superman".