Superman and the Overman

Philosophy Forums Philosophy
1

I was watching Superman Returns on DVD and it got me thinking.
Lex is very clever in his comment that Gods keep for themselves and stay aloof from the masses of men. Prometheous, who brought fire is therefore not a God. This is clever.
I also remembered how David Carradine in “Kill Bill” made an allusion to the Clark Kent/Superman relation. Superman to himself is just superman, but pretends to us as Clark Kent, which becomes his imitation of man, a charicature of us. yet Superman as Superman is also a creation, an exaggeration, stylized even in his speech. Perhaps it is done to best constrast off his alter-ego so that no one could bring them close enough.
But then you have Superman as he is seen by humans, such as Louis Lane. For example, among the characteristics reported is included that Superman could not lie…yet Superman does lie and quite frequently in order to maintain his own interest-- his secrets.
Mixed with the objective attributes were interlaced subjective desires in an idealization of Superman. He wore the cape, the “S”, the boots, inviting already a projection of other symbols that he in himself does not warrant.

Then I thought of how Superman had sat down and started to watch television and was flipping through the channels watching the news of war, famine and natural disasters etc, etc. He then went on to save people from accidents and extinguishing fires of every size. In this he reminded me of my idea of the Overman. His power resides outside the confines of everyday realities of life. He cannot end hunger, war, or give you a job or keep you from getting old and dying. His power is in the little things outside of life: Accidents and chance ocurrence. he can end things that in themselves reach an end. He can affect irregularities in the routine of life. He is civilization and the status quo.
Louis identifies him clear enough with a saviour figure and tells superman that we don’t need a saviour, to which he replies that he hears everything and that is what people really ask for.
What is the need for a saviour? Could it be that we want a saviour in times of chaos? That our saviour is like a ticket that says we’re immune to what must occur from necessity? Could it also be that we need superman so that we are protected from the Overman, from becoming, from change and culture…who represents this as well as Lex?

2

Superman’s a queer?

3

First of all, Its LOIS LANE…LoL :laughing:

Well first you have to think, that Superman was created in order to serve emotional ends and not philisophical ones. Someone sat around in a comic studio and MADE superman in their image of what a superhero is. Now, superheros are SUPER. they are beyond what our normal image of a hero is.

Heroes, therefore, do have certain human qualities which are subject to scrutiny. Think about it. There are a number of heroes which have existed, which people identify their weaknesses and look to those, rather than their strengths.

Look at Michael Jackson for instance?

So a Superhero is meant to be the furthest thing from human weakness. Superman is the example, the epitome, of one who doesn’t suffer physically from the dangers of everyday life, and has the power to save people as well as to do miracles. BUT he does have a weakness, several in fact:

  1. Kryptonite
  2. Emotionally
  3. Morally

Kryptonite can kill him, this we know. Something that is related to him and only him, his ‘personal demon’ in a sense.

Emotionally for Lois, he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her specifically, and if he did, he would feel immensely guilty about it. His weakness and insecurity would arise, and therefore we see the humanity in Superman. I think this is an element of superheroes which we NEED to see, I mean, how fun is it watching an emotionless robot run around saving people when your thanks to it cannot be acknowledged?

That’s why Superman I think had to be a good person, rather than one that just stood up for what is morally good and was indifferent to the emotional needs of humanity.

I think the deeper meaning of a saviour in this context, is to show us that in fact, the NEED for one is always there. But the moral is that no matter what superhero, hero or another arises, they always have their downfalls. No hero is perfect.

Which can then lead to the premise that we, as humans, are imperfect. But if heroes are not perfect, then it is possible that we can all be heroes. Because, heroes don’t need to be perfect.

And that perhaps, is the moral that the creation of Superman is trying to achieve. When we cry out for a ‘saviour’, we could in fact be really trying to summon up our own powers, or our own imagery of what a ‘hero’ is and bringing that out within ourselves.

:stuck_out_tongue:

4

Yeah, two Jewish boys who probably got beat up a lot for being nerds.

What I find sad is that Superman has to change from Clark Kent in order for him to be cool. The message they were trying to get across is “Hey, nerdy dudes could really be cool guys inside!” but the problem is, cool is still defined the same way. You can’t be cool just by being a nerd, you still have to stop being a nerd to be cool. instead of seeing a nerd as what he is, a nerd, and thinking that thatis pretty cool we have to imagine an inner person, “cool” inside, and different from the person on the outside. We can’t just accept the truth.

5

Yeah, I think that has more to do with our psychological judgment of a person’s sexual value perhaps in society?

If we go from that whole evolutionary argument, noone wants a child with glasses, mucked teeth, pimply skin etc. Looks take precedent over brains.

Look at the front cover of all the major commercial magazines? And what goes in them? About who $#@%@# who in the weekend?

No brains required there.

Kinda almost saying ‘come on guys, if you want to be cool you gotta rise to the norm of what IS cool’.

And knowing smart guys (im guilty of this too) you know how to look good etc…its a matter of actually putting in the effort LoL :laughing:

6

I think Superman is pretty nerdy. He doesn’t rise above his nerdhsip when he puts on his costume and shows his true feathers.
‘Super-man’. What the hell is that? - I am better than an ordinary man, but I have no imagination, so I’ll just be ‘extra-man’, ‘wow-man’, ‘more-man’ ‘better-than-the-regular-man-man.’ -

Omar, no superhero can protect us from our inner demons.
They end up unleasing their demons on us.


‘but - but - that was never my intention! I meant it all so well!’

“I see as much evil coming out of those seeking to justify themselves as from those who intend to inflict harm” - Sawbones