This is where the Conservatives Lose me

[trinityvixen]

Since Superman Returns has been the subject of much interest this week at our place, some posts about it over at Pandagon stood out when I surfing per my usual.

There's the first one. There's the second one. Oh, those are also not very spoiler safe.

Wha-ha? Okay, okay, wait, maybe I can figure this out.

So, Superman is technically a conservative icon because he's fighting for the whole "truth, justice, and other stuff" etc. on behalf of the government. And conservatives are all like "The government knows best," yeah? But they can't decide if Superman Returns supports that or not. Because it seems like it does, since Superman gets to be Jesus and he says the world needs him, and apparently it does, so, yes, Superman Returns confirms the fact that Superman is the conservative hero, or something.

But then again, there's all the elements of nonconservative behaviors going on in the movie... And suddenly Superman's not so good. Lois is a slut, Superman is teh gay (because his costume is darker red, thus more in vogue, and vogue = teh Gay), and because he's in touch with his feelings, he's a gay, too (because real men don't have feelings).

I'm confused. I couldn't figure it out.

Comments

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

This is because conservatives are whiny babies who can't enjoy something unless it matches their politics, and will happily twist stuff so that it seems to.

This is EXACTLY like the "50 Conservative Rock Songs". Superman starts out tossing union-busters out of windows. He, and the other classic superheros, were what were called "Premature anti-facists".

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I don't get why Superman has any politics to speak of, character or movie, I guess. Technically, he's a civic-minded citizen, and he obeys the law (though he falls down on the details, which was hilarious in Superman Returns), but he doesn't try to enforce policy. Unless, I guess, if you argue that enforcing the law is enforcing policy, but no more so than anyone else who does so (police, judges et al). Are they all anti-fascists, too?

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

Historically, BSD is right about Superman: He was originally a left-wing figure who certainly did set policy (and break the law on behalf of the little guy, when he felt like it). After WWII he showed a lot more discretion and his politics were harder to discern. Branford Wright, however, argued in Comic Book Nation that DC Comics always had a slight left-wing slant, while other companies (such as Gold Key) were more conservative.