Where are you now Superman?

“I’m fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American way.”


In the 1978 film, Superman: The Movie, a memorable scene is when Lois Lane asks Superman, “Why are you here?” Superman responds, “I’m fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.” I’m old enough to remember seeing this film when it played in the movie theater, and remember the thrill that I felt when Superman (played by Christopher Reeve) said this. As Americans, we were experiencing difficult times. Inflation was high, the economy was not growing, energy prices were surging, we still felt strongly about losing the Vietnam war, many former colonies in Africa were aligning with the Communist bloc, and we feared that we were losing the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Our President, Jimmy Carter, who began his term on a wave of optimism, was struggling to find solutions, and in his brutally honest way of communicating, emphasized the “challenges” and “difficulties” ahead more than the solutions. Hence, when Superman said so bluntly that he was fighting for the “American way,” it was a welcome and thrilling message to hear that Superman was fighting for us.

Now, however, with Trump’s uncouth and daily assault on America, I wonder if Superman would be on our side. Would a real-life Superman be sent to be “found” on a farm in central Iowa? Would the “American way” be aligned with “Truth” and “Justice”? Sadly, I believe not. The leader of this great nation does not speak words of truth. Nor is he interested in justice. Instead, he tells lies every day, and actively opposes justice. Instead, if Superman’s parents wished to send their son from Krypton to a place on earth to grow up and learn values of truth and justice, I think that they would send him to central Ukraine, not Iowa. As I watch the people there bravely fighting for their freedom, that is the one place on earth that I believe best embodies these values.


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