Filed under: Captain America, Comic Books, Marvel, Politics, Popular Culture
****CIVIL WAR & CAPTAIN AMERICA SPOILER WARNING****
Captain America, a hero from the pages of comic books widely regarded as a symbol of America’s spirit, has perished – shot on the stairs of the court of law where he would have stood trial for opposing the government and defending civil liberties. This was the bitter end to a Marvel comic’s event entitled Civil War. (Actually, it was just after the bitter end of the Civil War if we want to get technical. I’m pretty sure no one besides me wants to be overly technical, BUT the actual end of Civil War was EVEN MORE symbolic, I’ll get to that in a sec.)
ACADEMICISH SYNOPSIS OF CIVIL WAR:
Basically, there was this dude Nitro who exploded the shit out of this place called Stamford, killing hundreds of people, many of whom were children. A team of superheroes called the New Warriors was there when it all happened (filming a reality TV show), and the whole disaster seemed like it was due to the incompetence of a team of heroes who were neither trained nor accountable to anyone for their actions. So, the Superhero Registration Act came into force, requiring all superheroes to register their identities with the government, or become criminals and get sent to a prison in a place called the Negative Zone which is basically like a concentration camp. Captain America wasn’t down with that. He didn’t just follow the law because it was the law – he was more into defending civil liberties. So, he formed an Anti-Registration movement. Iron Man, being a twat, started working for the government and rounding up all superheroes who opposed the law.
Some things happened, losses on both sides and whatnot.
In the final battle the Anti-Registration side (Caps’ side) was wining, and Captain America was beating the snot out of Iron Man. THEN, a group of civilians stopped Captain America from pummelling Iron Man. In that moment, Captain America realized that he was no longer fighting for the people, that he was no longer the symbol of the spirit of America. So he turned himself in, ending the Civil War.
As you’ve heard on the news Captain America was shot, but that was the end of an elaborate plot by his long-time foe the Red Skull, after the end of the Civil War.
Get this: the law he was opposing – the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), was widely regarded as an allegory for the US PATRIOT Act (US ’s version of the Anti-Terrorism Act). After all the SHRA was rushed through the legislative process and passed after a bombing and ever since civil liberties have been given up in favour of state security.
There is some serious symbolic and political shit going on here. Even if you have never seen – let alone read a comic book, you’ll probably find something to talk about at this month’s discussion group.
Discussion Questions:
- Captain America is supposed to embody the American dream- what is that dream? Is his death supposed to represent the effective end of that dream or is it being squashed right now? And is it something anyone other than Americans take seriously anymore?
- What sort of heroes (comic book or forreals) will usher in the post 9/11 era?
- How would a Captain Canada be different given all the Canada/U.S. relations/antagonism people love to talk about?
Want to Know More?
If you read anything, read this one: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17534644/site/newsweek/
For those with more spare time/interest:
(Video: The Colbert Report) THE WORD: COMIC JUSTICE http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=83559
Pretty solid blog gives some insight into Cap’s history… http://www.sideshowtoy.com /behindtheshow/?p=2769
But where better to turn then the Marvel Directory for info on Cap? http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/c/captainamerica.htm
And if you have some forserious free time:
Believe it or not, there are comics about comic books. These ones are particularly cute, hilarious, and awesome.
http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=356
http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=361
http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=362
http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=366
What sort of heroes will usher in the post-9/11 era?
(Video: The Colbert Report) Colbert himself may be just the sort of hero we need (at least Cap thinks so, apparently): http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9964
IS THIS THE NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA ? http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9962
(Oh man, The Punisher as Captain America ? Let’s just hope it’s a new outfit.)
In other news (from the realm of comic books)…
MAINSTREAM MEDIA REACTS TO DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9902
When: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
We all seem concerned with protecting our privacy from governments and corporations, but what about malicious individuals?
In September 2006, Jason Fortuny, a 30 something Seattle-area graphic designer posted a fake-ad on Craig’s list (a large “community classifieds” website that posts numerous personal ads). Fortuny pretended to be a woman into serious S&M seeking a man to dominate her and inflict pain. He posted the 178 responses, in full, including identifying photographs and personal contact details on his website, claiming that anyone who would engage in such behaviour deserves to be exposed.
The stunt was publicized and later duplicated, by Michael Crook who went as far as to contact some of the respondents.
http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2006/09/18/in-the-company-of-jerkoffs/
Dan Savage, the syndicated sex-columnist, who supports individuals exploring their sexual fetishes and fantasies (as long as they pertain to consenting adults) condemned Fortuny for causing the most harm to the most honest individuals who were merely playing by the rules of online dating.
Adding to the debate law professor Jonathan Zittrain argued that, “The men who replied to Fortuny’s posting did not appear to be doing anything illegal, so the outing has no social value other than to prove that someone could ruin lives online.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Zittrai
At the same time, some argue that individuals need to take some level of responsibility for personal information they voluntarily post on the internet.
Although there was some attention given to the issue in alternative media, the mainstream largely ignored the issue. Would our reaction be the same if he had ousted homosexuals in red state America? Would we feel the same if he was exploiting the privacy of teenaged girls?
Questions:
Do you think that Jason Fortuny should be criminally charged for his actions? If so what would be a fair punishment?
Do you think that all 178 respondents should be able to file a class action (law suit) again Fortuny? If so on what grounds?
Do the individual “victims” lose their right to legal action because they willingly supplied their personal details online?
Suggested Readings :
Wikipedia Internet Privacy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_privacy#Jason_Fortuny_and_Craigslist
Dan Savage’s Original Column:
Dove’s Campaign for “Real Beauty” promotes its line of skin-firming creams and other products by using six regular women of varying sizes and ethnicities posing cheerfully in white underwear. Dove says their models are in their 20s and range from size 6 to size 12. The average American woman is somewhere between a 12 and 14 according to a 2004 survey by Size USA. Dove’s marketing director Kathy O’Brien says that the company wants the ads to “change the way society views beauty,” and “provoke discussion and debate.” Some feminist critics point out the hypocrisy of Dove’s real beauty campaign, as Dove contradicts its “self-esteem enhancing” ads by selling anti-cellulite creams.
Questions
What do you guys think of these ads?
Are these commercials a revolutionary rejection of the super thin media ideal?
Do you think this is a positive move from both a business and/or social point of view?
Here is the main Dove photo we are talking about:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat3.asp?id=2287
Here are some Dove commercials:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/
