How to be Post Racial, or How to Deal until We Are

Though I'm being specific, this can apply to almost any negative bias "-ism" you can think of.

First off, I want everybody to understand one thing. In fact, if you don't understand anything else, understand this. Racism isn't personal. It's not personal when it happens to you, it's not personal when you notice it happening to someone else, it's not personal when you hear a friend, acquaintance, or colleague complain.

It's not personal.

While it may affect you, it really doesn't have anything to do with you. Whether you are on the giving end or the receiving end, it's not personal. It's not personal, because it doesn't matter what one's actual qualities are. It doesn't matter how much talent or experience one has, it doesn't matter how much money can be spent, it doesn't matter that one is a law abiding Citizen, so how can it be personal? The things that really matter don't count, because they aren't taken into account.

Those of you that are victims of casual or blatant racism, remember this: people are programmed to behave this way, most of us have subconscious biases and really can't help it. Since that seems to be the case,  I suggest you no longer get angry about it. You know it's going to happen anyway, at some point it should be expected. So instead of letting someone make you feel small, and getting angry, it's time to try a different tack.

Have fun with it.

Are you getting stopped and frisked? Don't get angry,try telling them it tickles. Make sure they got all the hiding places. Hand out a gift card telling the officers they are winners for being the fifth team to frisk you today.

Are you stopped  for DWB? Ask them to search the car. Tell them you needed a good story today. Ask for a note explaining why you're late.

Is a store clerk following you around? Suggest better vantage points so they can be sure to spot shoplifters. Better yet, suggest strategies to impede your ability to shoplift. These clearly are helpful hints they can use. Try also asking for silly things when they hover.

Are you asked a culturally insensitive question? Answer it, with the most stereotypical answer you can think of, then say, "No, really."

When you are asked to be the spokesperson for your entire group, just take on that mantle, and answer as if you actually are one of the leaders of your group.

These are daily strategies you can use to keep it together, even though we all ought to be moving together, and you're right, you shouldn't have to put up with this stuff, but what the hell?

For the group that seems to get benefits from these -isms, remember it's not personal.

Unless you're actively oppressing someone, nobody's talking about you.  

I some things for you to do too. If you hear a complaint, get clarification. If this person is a real friend of yours, act like it. Sympathize with their story, and don't tell them "to get over it." Even if you don't really get it. When you hear so many similar stories, chances are very good that these people are not making it up, even if you really don't believe it, they certainly do.

If you say or do something that accidentally offends someone, apologize then don't do it again. This is Etiquette 101. It doesn't matter whether or not you understand the offense. Do the right thing. You can defend yourself, but it only works after the apology.

Finally, we should get rid of all our hyphenated American names in the news media. The media should not refer to anyone by their ethnic origin unless the description is needed to find someone. It would go a long way to eliminate the programming we have.

Think of the headlines:

Neighborhood Watch member shoots and kills unarmed American Citizen.

Criminals rob a liquor store.

There are concerns about Criminal on Citizen Crime.

90% of American Citizens Stopped by NYC's Stop and Frisk Policy Were doing Nothing Wrong

American Citizens are being profiled

American Citizens are being denied employment without regard to their actual competence for the job.

American Citizens get longer sentences for the same offense as others.

Think about it.

Late to the Party, but What the hell? or, Why Can't they Make a Great Superman Movie?

I'm late to the party because the movie, Man of Steel, came out last summer. A bunch of people have already written about this, so why am I writing about this now? I just watched it again, and I decided to put out there what has bothered me about the live action depictions of Superman. Maybe some fans will read and agree, maybe not but what the hell?

Before I start, I should first say that Superman is my favorite comic book superhero. My brother thinks that I'm lame for it (only one reason, there are others) mostly because of his amazing powers. Very little can harm him, he's strong beyond anything, the heat vision, etc. Oddly, it's sort of despite all that that I like Superman. He has all that power, and he just wants to help. He could rule the world, and he serves instead. To me, that's just remarkable. In Superman/Batman #3 Batman observes, 

"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In a way, Clark is the most human of us all. Then he shoots fire from the skies, and it’s hard not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that that does not occur to him." 

I'll admit, when I was 4 and 5 watching "Adventures of Superman" reruns with George Reeves, It was the powers that I liked, but as I got older and gave it more thought, it was the other aspects that got me more interested.  Unfortunately, the factors that I like most aren't the factors that I see portrayed often enough, or done in a sort of haphazard way. Maybe Hollywood has such a hard time with the character because they focus on the obvious things rather than some of these more subtle aspects of the character. 

First, let's talk about Clark. No, let's talk about the "disguise." There have been many discussions about how much of a non-disguise this is. You know them, "How can people be fooled by this?"etc. Over the years, there have been many explanations why it works, all of them have forgotten the simplest reason why no one puts it together that Clark and Superman are the same guy, which is, why would they? 

Superman bends steel in his bare hands, changes the course of mighty rivers, all that jazz. On the other hand, Clark is a big Midwestern farm boy that works in the office. Superman doesn't wear a mask the way Batman does, so why would anyone think he has a secret identity? In fact, a funny bit could be that someone noticing the resemblance and Clark reacting by saying something like "Not you too, I get that from my mother!"

Now let's talk about Clark. Mild mannered doesn't have to mean wimpy, it could just mean polite and not one to start something. In other words, not being a "tough guy." As a reporter for a major newspaper, he can still be a brave, self assured man of action, he's just not reckless.  If some bully starts something, instead of folding, he ducks the punches, and lets the clown beat himself up while saying something like "I'm the wrong guy to start something with. You'd really rather pick on someone more your own speed." It's always bugged me that Clark is portrayed as a doofus, a coward, or both.

I also thought that his becoming a journalist would be a natural job for him. In school, because of his unfair advantage, athletics would be out. Besides, he'd never be able to give a blood sample. So by writing, he can compete fairly. Even though he has an amazing intellectual capacity, for example, he can remember everything; learn a language in a week, etc. writing a great story takes work. This would be a challenge, so that's why he is drawn to journalism. Since he can't be hurt, he takes dangerous assignments. War stories from the front, investigative pieces on major crime rings would be Clark Kent's stock and trade, and after doing this for a while, he gets recruited by the Daily Planet.

With that, Lois Lane falls for Clark Kent, not Superman. That usual depiction of that romance never really made sense to me. Superman is an extraterrestrial alien. He may be attractive, but no. It makes far more sense to me that she would fall for Clark, at least my version of Clark. Clark, knowing his true nature, avoids romance with Lois, which makes her pursue him harder. His rationale is that he prefers globetrotting and only took the Planet job because he wanted to take a break, and the offer is too good. Soon he will go back to that life when he gets bored. 

Since we have to have the romance, Lois will win him over because she is independent, fierce and not a "damsel in distress" and, for Clark, a perfect partner. He will figure that out as they investigate a story that would serve as the main story arc in the film. Superman becomes his "dark secret" that he's reticent to reveal. 

Lex Luthor should be in the story of course, but not the comic villain from the ‘70s movies. He should be a ruthless multibillionaire industrialist. He should also have a legitimate fear of this super-powered alien. He would be the antagonist, but not really a villain, this way he’s more interesting. Instead of hatching some scheme, he sincerely believes he’s protecting everyone.

At this moment someone is the victim of a crime. Since Superman can’t be everywhere all the time, there are cries for help that go unheeded, but he hears them all. You want a gritty Superman? How about examining that?

This is a Superman story, so there have to be huge action sequences, but Superman would go out of his way to keep collateral damage to a minimum. Whatever damage does occur, show him lending a hand to fix it in the epilog. At least have a nice sequence of him clearing the rubble.

I’m aware that it’s easier being a critic than to create a work, but the character has been around over 75 years. There’s really no excuse for making a lackluster movie about such a character that has been part of our modern mythology for so long; especially if you’re going to throw that much money into telling such a story. The Marvel studios have shown over and over how to make a great superhero story. Take notes.