Truth, Justice... and Love of Country
I saw "Superman Returns" last night. It doesn't quite rise up to the level of the original "Superman: The Movie", but it's a very good film. I especially love the tangible angst between Superman and Lois Lane. Bryan Singer does an outstanding job of telling us the story of how it would be if Superman had disappeared for 5 years without saying goodbye to the woman he loves, and who loves him. Brandon Routh as Superman does a passable job. No, he's no Christopher Reeve, but he brings an amazing vulnerability and inner conflict to the role of Superman and, at times, he almost channels Reeve. In this vain, two scenes come to mind. I won't spoil them for those who haven't seen it yet but I'll describe them in basic detail. First, when he reconnects with Lois. Second, the scene at the end in the bedroom. When you see it, you'll know what I mean. Singer also doesn't pull punches with the comparison of Superman to Jesus, which is refreshing in today's atheistic Hollywood climate. At this moment, many will probably cringe and say "What the hell are you talking about?" Even a Jew can see this, as long as he or she is paying attention. Do we really need to discuss this further than mentioning Jor-El's voiceover of sending his only son to save humanity, and what Superman is doing at exactly that moment after his tussle with Lex Luthor and his goons? (again, not giving away the specific details) I digress, but in doing so I give "Superman Returns" a solid three stars. I could be convinced to give it 3.5.
How does all of this relate to politics? There's one line that always relates to Superman that rings true to every patriotic American. The Man of Steel stands for what? Truth, justice and the American way. This line has been drummed into the head of every child for as long as Superman has been saving the day. But in Singer's "Superman Returns", he and the screenwriters sell out and acquiesce to the anti-American sentiment running throughout Hollywood today. Upon his return from his 5-year sabbatical, the people want to know if Superman still stands for "truth, justice... and all that other stuff." Ummm... all that other stuff?
Just what IS all that other stuff? And when did we become so ashamed of our country that we decided that standing for the American way is something to pooh-pooh around? This blog will deal with those questions and many more in much greater detail than this posting as we go along. But I want to touch briefly on it here.
Whether or not you voted for Bush (full disclosure: I did in 2004; voted for Gore in 2000) isn't the issue here. This questioning of love of country dates back to the Vietnam war and the anti-war generation that felt it fashionable to burn the American flag and spew anti-American rhetoric at every turn under the guise of "questioning authority" or whatever fancy slogan they attached to it. Since then, it has metastasized into something even worse which almost seems to define most of today's Left. Again, for now, I'll digress.
There is a truth to what it means to be an American, and what this country stands for regardless of what administration occupies the Oval Office. This country stands for truth, justice, equality, liberty for all, and the principles of self-government. This is what "the American way" is, and what Singer and his screenwriters chose to conspicuously omit with the cutesy little line about "all that other stuff". Look at it this way: what would it mean to say that Superman stands for truth, justice and the Soviet way? Or what about the Cuban way? Or the Nazi Germany way? Or even the British way? Ummm, I think we just answered that question for ourselves. The truth is that without America, there can't even be an IDEA of Superman because enduring truth and justice are uniquely American ideals. They don't exist in a vacuum, and they certainly weren't codified into a lasting and durable form of government until the United States Constitution was written.
America has a unique place in the world, a shining city on a hill as Reagan often called her. Part of an American citizen's responsibility is to communicate to our posterity of what it means to be an American. We're lucky to be alive, and even luckier to have been born here. But America doesn't exist without understanding what we are, why we're unique in this world, and from there being stewards and teachers of what it means to stand for truth, justice and all that other stuff.
How does all of this relate to politics? There's one line that always relates to Superman that rings true to every patriotic American. The Man of Steel stands for what? Truth, justice and the American way. This line has been drummed into the head of every child for as long as Superman has been saving the day. But in Singer's "Superman Returns", he and the screenwriters sell out and acquiesce to the anti-American sentiment running throughout Hollywood today. Upon his return from his 5-year sabbatical, the people want to know if Superman still stands for "truth, justice... and all that other stuff." Ummm... all that other stuff?
Just what IS all that other stuff? And when did we become so ashamed of our country that we decided that standing for the American way is something to pooh-pooh around? This blog will deal with those questions and many more in much greater detail than this posting as we go along. But I want to touch briefly on it here.
Whether or not you voted for Bush (full disclosure: I did in 2004; voted for Gore in 2000) isn't the issue here. This questioning of love of country dates back to the Vietnam war and the anti-war generation that felt it fashionable to burn the American flag and spew anti-American rhetoric at every turn under the guise of "questioning authority" or whatever fancy slogan they attached to it. Since then, it has metastasized into something even worse which almost seems to define most of today's Left. Again, for now, I'll digress.
There is a truth to what it means to be an American, and what this country stands for regardless of what administration occupies the Oval Office. This country stands for truth, justice, equality, liberty for all, and the principles of self-government. This is what "the American way" is, and what Singer and his screenwriters chose to conspicuously omit with the cutesy little line about "all that other stuff". Look at it this way: what would it mean to say that Superman stands for truth, justice and the Soviet way? Or what about the Cuban way? Or the Nazi Germany way? Or even the British way? Ummm, I think we just answered that question for ourselves. The truth is that without America, there can't even be an IDEA of Superman because enduring truth and justice are uniquely American ideals. They don't exist in a vacuum, and they certainly weren't codified into a lasting and durable form of government until the United States Constitution was written.
America has a unique place in the world, a shining city on a hill as Reagan often called her. Part of an American citizen's responsibility is to communicate to our posterity of what it means to be an American. We're lucky to be alive, and even luckier to have been born here. But America doesn't exist without understanding what we are, why we're unique in this world, and from there being stewards and teachers of what it means to stand for truth, justice and all that other stuff.
posted by The Rock | 11:04 AM
5 Comments:
As an American who travels overseas regularly, I find it harder and harder to be proud to be American. It's hard to explain to people who don't leave the country the amount of frustration the world suffers due to our decisions over here. Our lack of global thinking makes us look like a bunch of self-absorbed babies. It's embarassing... heck, I haven't seen the movie, but apparently even Superman is embarassed and I would feel the same way.
I have no problem with Americans having a sense of pride, but the American way is this not the ONLY way in this on this great big planet of ours. I'm not going to give Hollywood too much credit and say that they are progressive, global thinkers, but they do want to make a profit in other countries besides over here. America provides the leading share of entertainment for most the world. Superman will be seen in Korea, France, Africa etc etc, where "Love of the country" would probably make most audiences guffaw or roll their eyes, especially in this current world political climate.
PS: Have you ever seen how Americans are represented in films made in other countries? We're always the loud, brash bad guys with no manners. Superman is just trying to tone it down for us, and make us seem a little more humble people. We need the good PR at this point, trust me.
I can't even really get into the "war for oil" argument. It's just absolutely ridiculous, as scottm pointed out. Gas is triple the price it was before we went in. The facts speak for themselves in that regard.
I enjoy and believe deeply in Washington's perspective on foreign entanglements and pretended patriotism. It is for this exact reason that (if you read the previous day's blog on the New York Times' treason) that I believe those who commit treason or other crimes against the United States need to be punished. Wrapping oneself in the Constitution while urinating on it is the precise definition of pretended patriotism. The First Amendment isn't a blank check to sign death warrants for the American people under the guise of freedom of the press. And it certainly isn't patriotic to stand up and say you did it out of the public's best interests.
Barbarella's comments are instructive as I don't travel overseas very much. I'm aware of the hostility toward America, but let's get real here. Take an anonymous straw poll of all of those America haters (in whatever country they reside) and ask them if they'd come here if they had the chance. I'd be willing to wager everything I own that they'd climb over their countrymen to be first in line to come here.
I'm glad the dialogue is rolling. I appreciate very much that people take the time to read what I have to say. I hope you'll continue! But, my original point stands unrefuted in my humble opinion. We have a unique place in the world that transcends our status as the "lone superpower". People at their core yearn to be free. But without responsible citizenship (which I'll get around to defining in a later column) the United States will no longer exist as we know it. And from there, I can only ask one question. Then what?
Check out June 30 NYTimes op ed page. Inter alia, comments address (and demonstrate the ridiculousness of) the "treason" charge, as well as the deletion of "the American way" from the truth/justice phrase in Superman..
I'm aware, "Anonymous", of the financial component to the decision to delete the phrase "the American way" from Superman. I chose the phrase "sell out" purposefully.
The Constitutional definition of treason is providing aid and comfort to the enemy. What the Times did DEFINES aid and comfort. Disclosing top secret national security information during a time of war absolutely gives the enemy aid. We might as well have passed them the information directly! And please forgive me, Anonymous, if I don't consult the pages of the New York Times to look for their defense against treasonous behavior.
From Reuters:
..." But in his latest film incarnation, screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris sought to downplay Superman's long-standing patriot act. With one brief line uttered by actor Frank Langella, the caped superhero's mission transformed from "truth, justice and the American way" to "truth, justice and all that stuff."
"The world has changed. The world is a different place," Pennsylvania native Harris says. "The truth is he's an alien. He was sent from another planet. He has landed on the planet Earth, and he is here for everybody. He's an international superhero."
In fact, Dougherty and Harris never even considered including "the American way" in their screenplay.
After the wunderkind writing duo ("X2: X-Men United") conceived "Superman's" story with director Bryan Singer during a Hawaiian vacation, they penned their first draft together and intentionally omitted what they considered to be a loaded and antiquated expression. That decision stood throughout the 140-day shoot in Australia, where the pair remained on-set to provide revisions and tweaks.
"We were always hesitant to include the term 'American way' because the meaning of that today is somewhat uncertain," Ohio native Dougherty explains. "The ideal hasn't changed. I think when people say 'American way,' they're actually talking about what the 'American way' meant back in the '40s and '50s, which was something more noble and idealistic."
While audiences in Dubuque might bristle at Superman's newfound global agenda, patrons in Dubai likely will find the DC Comics protagonist more palatable.
And with the increasing importance of the overseas box office -- as evidenced by summer tentpoles like "The Da Vinci Code" -- foreign sensibilities can no longer be ignored.
"So, you play the movie in a foreign country, and you say, 'What does he stand for? -- truth, justice and the American way.' I think a lot of people's opinions of what the American way means outside of this country are different from what the line actually means (in Superman lore) because they are not the same anymore," Harris says. "And (using that line) would taint the meaning of what he is saying."
But for Superman purists looking for a nod to the big blue Boy Scout's nationalistic loyalties, he is still saving Americans, albeit many with suspiciously Australian-sounding accents.
He foils Lex Luthor's nefarious plan to send millions from the nation's heartland to a watery death. And in his most impressive scene, the hero saves the day while a plane hurtles toward a baseball stadium full of fans enjoying America's pastime.
Although there is no indication that it is an American baseball game depicted, the scene was one of the few shot on U.S. soil, at Dodger Stadium.
Nevertheless, the long-standing member of the Justice League of America seems to have traded in his allegiance to the flag for an international passport.
"He's here for humanity," Dougherty says."
Maybe Hollywood is more globaly conscious than I expected...
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