Superhero Culture
A society that has always been making heroes out of people the collective conscience loves, the present crisis seems to have put the focus on largely thankless jobs.
In an interview with Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, some three years ago, creator of the widely acclaimed (and now visually adapted in different shapes and forms) graphic novel Watchmen, Alan Moore, said the popularity of the superhero genre among adults suggested a "kind of deliberate, self-imposed state of emotional arrest".
Too harsh? Perhaps.
But take that narrative and put it in perspective of collective ignorance, as well as our faithful reverence towards creating heroes out of certain people.
I’m sure a few names have already popped up in your heads, and for many of you, it also probably means faces that mainstream media keeps vomiting. From politicians to audio-visual celebrities, the narrative over the last few days has changed drastically.
Don’t fret! The former still very much exist if you have let Google Discover know where your priorities lie. However, what has changed is what you are more likely to wake up, and sleep to. It is no longer the five things you need to know about actor xx’s latest fling or the you wouldn’t believe who this world famous footballer’s favorite singer is.
No, today, it is about those on the proverbial front lines, battling a pandemic that threatens to become a lot larger than what the US President claimed only weeks ago. For your information: The number of people who have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus in the United States constitutes a little over 30 per cent of all cases worldwide.
Though I must take the chance to say how the superhero narrative has been far more accommodating in this case than it has been over the years. It includes everyone from virologists to those who deliver groceries to our houses. For once, people socially considered to be in the lowest rungs, the ones everyone expects to collect our garbage and clean our sewers, are being celebrated by those who, until a few months ago, would frown and press their nose at the mere sight of the same beings.
Source: Press Trust of India
Then again, celebrations don’t always have to translate into anything tangible, right?
Hero-worship is strongest where there is least regard for human freedom.
— Herbert Spencer
And why not? They are ensuring that the absolute essentials reach the higher echelons without much noise. So, the higher echelons have taken it upon themselves to motivate them during these troubling times.
Our collective conscience seems to have woken up to the fact that these ‘menial jobs’ we had taken for granted are now a necessity. It is no longer a rare sight to see one of us taking the time to thank one of them for their service to the society. It is no longer viral content (no pun intended) but one of those things that we are supposed to do.
And that exactly is the problem with superhero culture. It was a problem then, and it is a problem. Then, because we conveniently ignored all essential functions in favor of the erstwhile mainstream favorites, standing outside bungalows and airports to get a glimpse of their perfect selves. Now, because we know that once things go back to normal, these front line superheroes risking their lives to get us what we need, will once again slide back into the shadows we categorized for them.
Until of course, the next big crisis hits.
Until next time.
You never fail to impress me with your writings man!!