I hear these comments for not wanting to help people, and it feels like we’re worshipping individuality to the detriment of community, which is necessary for survival.
- “I don’t want my money going to ___ .”
- “This is not a democracy, it’s a constitutional republic!”
- “You don’t have any freedoms under socialism/communism.”
- “They’re just looking for a handout because they’re lazy.”
- “I’m a self-made man. I didn’t need anyone’s help.”
- “Empathy is not a virtue.”
- “I don’t see how that’s my problem.”
You mean, like Superman (1938), Flash Gordon (1936), Captain Marvel (1941), etc.?
Except in those days they were considered cheap entertainment and they certainly didn’t dominate cultural output the way they do now. There was also a difference of treatment. The ubermenschen is not just about explicit super heroes, it’s more about the shift toward heroes with a destiny so manifest, and plot armor so thick, that they are morally justified in doing anything. The John Wick style “fuck you i’ll shoot up a night club cause some guy shanked my dog” which is written to feel entirely justified to the audience. And he’s right cause he wins in the end, just like the 80s action guy who’s totally justified in crashing dozens of cars during rush hour cause he kills the one bad guy in the end. It’s pretty distinct from comics culture which was actually pretty moralistic, at least that’s how i understand it.
Axel Foley is my hero!
It’s all entertainment - what I will never comprehend (though they are so simple it’s easy to understand) is how a glimpsed female nipple is a bigger problem “for the children” than GI Joe spraying a village with napalm and bullets.