American Culture Class: Superheroes

          In American Culture Class we discussed the American idea of superheroes. We watched some ad movie clips of famous superheros in the American Culture such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman. We read an expert from the book "Superheroes and Philosophy" by Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris. Many writers and artists who create the stories of superheroes believe that these characters embody our deepest hopes and fears. They feel that superheros represent  our highest ambitions and help us deal with our worst nightmares. Superheros are extraordinarily powerful people who have both strengths and weakness. They typically have superpowers or at least normal human abilities that they have developed to a superhuman level. Plato, the Greek philosopher, believed that good is inherently attractive. What is good will pull us in it's direction as long as we are not blocked from seeing it and appreciating it. Superhero stories have been popular for so long because they speak to our hopes. We all aspire to make a difference, to have a positive impact on the world, and to be acknowledged for that impact. When we confront adversity in our lives, we are often inclined to just give up and find an easier path; but superheroes show us that nothing worth doing is easy. They don't accept defeat, and they won't ever give up. Superheroes can teach us some good lessons, for example, Batman can inspire us to use our lives for something good and noble.