The Timely Planet

It is completely unreasonable to say that Superman is nothing like Jesus Christ because like Jesus, his stories are of Jewish origin that often gets bastardized to champion American conservativism and oppression of the perceived “other.” At his core, Superman follows the categorical imperatives of truth and justice; meaning they’re unconditional moral obligations. Superman also follows the ideal of a “better tomorrow;” a phrase that has since overwritten his previous mantra of “the American way.” To Superman, truth and justice are unquestionable requirements for a better tomorrow. For Christ, his core tenets are twofold, love God and love your neighbors. Simple core characteristics that often get perverted to serve an American conservative narrative. Truth becomes whatever the government says. Justice becomes self serving. To love God is to love America and to hate America is to hate God. Love your neighbors but only if they look, think, and live like you do. That’s the American way. That’s how we get to a better tomorrow. That’s how we reach the kingdom of God. — at least, according to the “unwoke versions” of Superman or Christ.

It is ironic that these characters are seen as corrupted the moment they show kindness to the perceived “other.” “Woke” as the battle cry of the oppressor to red tag anything perceived as subversive. Oppressors who cannot conceive the idea that the son of a Jewish carpenter, sent to Earth by the Heavenly Creator, could somehow accept all people. Be they straight, gay, non-binary, black, white, or however else God’s image permutated across the life he created. It is ironic that the Last Son of Krypton, canonically saved by the love of his birth parents, raised by his kindly earth parents, and showered with love by his friends, Pete, Lana, Lois, Jimmy, Diana, and Bruce, is seen as a ticking time bomb, one day away from tyranny. A supposed super powered reflection of humanity’s true nature, wherein kindness is fragile, and once broken, all acts of violence in the name of power and fury are justified. American conservatives fear the perceived other so much that they believe it is unreasonable, beyond all justifiable logic, that men of power sent from heaven above can be unconditionally good and welcoming to all. Lest we forget that the fear of Jesus as the other is what led to his crucifixion. An act that he forgave for “they do not know what they are doing.” 2000 years after his death, I doubt we still “don’t know” what we’re doing.

Icons have power. Christ is a religious icon and Superman is a pop culture icon. One is a supernatural being that mankind pray to, while the other is a fictional character mankind aspire to be. However, what they represent can be eroded in time. Especially when narratives are push in the zeitgeist about these icons’ supposed adherence to oppressive regimes like American Conservativism and White Nationalism. Fighting back on the erosion of these icons is a way to fight back against oppression.

In today’s day and age, the truth is more important than ever. Justice is more important than ever. Love, regardless if for God or our neighbor, is more important than ever. That’s how we find our own way. Our better tomorrow and our kingdom of God on earth.