Truth, Justice, and Common Ground: Lessons from Heroes on How to Get Along
Jacob Casto
Dr. Liz Locke
Revised Draft #3
Expo 1213
November 6, 2012
Truth, Justice, and Common Ground: Lessons from Heroes on How to Get Along After centuries of independence, political polarization, and international war, it’s hard to resolve what exactly America stands for these days. We’ve turned our nation into a moral authority, fighting wars constantly in the name of peace, occupying foreign nations for the sake of freedom, democracy, and independence. There is a conflict with the boundaries we set for the sake of defending our own rights. Our inner conflict makes its way to our fiction, in our myths. William G. Doty explains that myths model possibilities for citizens (28). In our case, mythical superheroes show us our possibilities. Superheroes reflect our own values; they show us at our very best and our very worst. As Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris state in Superheroes and Philosophy, “We believe that the stories of these characters embody our deepest hopes and fears, as well as our highest aspirations, and that they can help us deal with our worst nightmares. They chart out questions we’ll all have to face in the future. And they shed new light on our present condition.” (2). Two such superheroes, Batman and Superman, shed light on our dissonance and disagreement. They fight crime, sometimes even together, but have very different methods and beliefs regarding their missions. In America, we have similar polarization; sometimes we believe we simply have to do what is necessary, sometimes we believe in second chances and that we should help everyone we possibly can. After we realize this dissonance and that these two heroes illustrate different values for America, we must realize that despite their differences, Batman and Superman still provide certain common benefits. We should look to these heroes’ example to find our own common ground, those beliefs we share that are the American Way: due process, safety, democracy, property, and the right to choose
Dr. Liz Locke
Revised Draft #3
Expo 1213
November 6, 2012
Truth, Justice, and Common Ground: Lessons from Heroes on How to Get Along After centuries of independence, political polarization, and international war, it’s hard to resolve what exactly America stands for these days. We’ve turned our nation into a moral authority, fighting wars constantly in the name of peace, occupying foreign nations for the sake of freedom, democracy, and independence. There is a conflict with the boundaries we set for the sake of defending our own rights. Our inner conflict makes its way to our fiction, in our myths. William G. Doty explains that myths model possibilities for citizens (28). In our case, mythical superheroes show us our possibilities. Superheroes reflect our own values; they show us at our very best and our very worst. As Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris state in Superheroes and Philosophy, “We believe that the stories of these characters embody our deepest hopes and fears, as well as our highest aspirations, and that they can help us deal with our worst nightmares. They chart out questions we’ll all have to face in the future. And they shed new light on our present condition.” (2). Two such superheroes, Batman and Superman, shed light on our dissonance and disagreement. They fight crime, sometimes even together, but have very different methods and beliefs regarding their missions. In America, we have similar polarization; sometimes we believe we simply have to do what is necessary, sometimes we believe in second chances and that we should help everyone we possibly can. After we realize this dissonance and that these two heroes illustrate different values for America, we must realize that despite their differences, Batman and Superman still provide certain common benefits. We should look to these heroes’ example to find our own common ground, those beliefs we share that are the American Way: due process, safety, democracy, property, and the right to choose
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