February 18, 2011
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The American Dream, courtesy of Marvel
Image Souce Kick-Ass the comic book was a douchefest celebration of violence, racism, homophobia and sexism.
Dave, the main character, is a loser slob who only attends school to jerk off to his biology teacher and to stalk his prettier classmates. He spends his nights watching porn and the money earned by his single, night-shift working dad on comics. And somehow we're supposed to accept his sudden declaration of wanting to fight crime as a sign of his high principles.
But even more than this inconsistency, I was bothered by Dave's conviction that the world had to be saved through violence. Dave does not demonstrate any understanding of societal ills, but he was nonetheless convinced that the best way to help people is by going on some type of destructive rampage. This is Dave's understanding of citizen involvement.
Kick Ass is not the exception. Virtually every show I watched as a kid - from Power Rangers to Sailor Moon - was written with similar themes. This narrative of "superhero beats up bad guys" has been hammered into our minds and sewn into our very social fabric. These are the stories that we are told and taught from a young age, and no doubt we've taken it to heart -- I remember how my friends and I used to pow pow imaginary bad guys during recess.
This playacting is an innocent act in itself, but it indicates a larger societal pattern where physical vehemence is not just condoned but celebrated. It dichotomizes the world into good and bad, instead of recognizing that good people are always doing bad things, and vice versa. Saving the world is easy when the enemy is always someone else.
The superhero narrative further suggests that only those possessing super strength and super power, will be able to mobilize the forces of social good. And this is why my dad tells me that I can never make a difference. It doesn't matter if I compost and refuse to ride planes, because every movie we've ever seen is conditioning us to think that change can only be achieved by the super-elite, by powerful people "out there". The world can go to shit - but someone more powerful than you will do something about it. The superhero narrative is ultimately undemocratic and disabling.
Can we imagine any alternative? Can we have stories that reflect upon a culture of peace, cooperation, and self-examination? (I know that last bit doesn't sound very fun, but we can't collaborate with other people and cultures unless we try understanding both them and ourselves) I want a narrative that reflects our real, lived experiences. The world is still in definite need of saving, but can we do it without violence and without labeling Other People as bad guys?
Such a story, if we can dream it, won't come from the Big Screen because Hollywood doesn't believe in social progress except for when it's profitable. But that's ok, because that's where we step up to the plate. We can define our own lives and tell our own stories, because we don't need no superheros.
Comments (4)
I comment the previous post : I have been enchanted to see and to hear you playing and singing .
Merci pour tes félicitations pour nos 50 ans de mariage
Amitié
Michel
I didn't really like the story either. Dave was obviously a loser who was very bad at planning things out. The Kickass narrative does make a distinction that ordinary people can make a difference though, so for that I give it some credit; although it kind of contradicts that with the other characters in the story, who are in every sense, insane (but super).
When people tell me I can't do something, most of the time I realize that they usually haven't done anything with their life, so I let them to shove their own life-diminishing spiel down some orifice by doing what they said I couldn't. Just do it yooo.
@AzureRecollections - Yes Kickass did say that ordinary citizens can make a difference - but only IF they're willing to go and beat up criminals. It also assumes that bad guys always take the form of druggies, pimps and mafia thugs.
In other words, you have to be violent / imitate comic book superheros to do good. It's pseudo-empowerment instead of the actual thing. We need to start telling stories where ordinary people help the world by doing ordinary things, like by not being a douchebag (Dave). That way, we can address the issues that happen on a pervasive, everyday level (racism, minority oppression, societal complacency, etc).
It kinda sucks, being too old to believe in superheroes
Je commente maintenant le dernier post. Une part de féminisme est bonne mais une part de féminité aussi !!
C ' est ton séjour au Québec qui t ' a permis de connaître le Français ?
Amitié
Michel