Okay, Inspired by the robust and interesting comments on THIS great diary...
This is NOT a snark diary. Dammit.
I know, I said I wasn't going to do a serious diary ever again, but ya know, once in a while you feel like saying something serious.
About a completely fictional character who has nothing to do with my real life, so why the hell am I even bringing him up?
(random comic book/movie love on the flip)
I had a lot of choices for heroes when I was a kid in the late eighties/early nineties.
X-men were big. Batman was popular. But for some reason I gravitated to a little comic book called "Captain America."
Was I patriotic at that point? Hell yeah! I wanted to join the Air Force, be an Eagle Driver, but only as a stepping stone to being an astronaut. I wanted to do everything for my country.
And then I picked up Captain America, issue 350... and was actually challenged. Captain America wasn't actually... doing what the government told him to do. I read back a few issues... Cap had been fired. And the new Cap wasn't doing what we were supposed to embrace as Americans.
I questioned. Was it possible to be both for America, and be against what we were doing?
In the end of the story arc, Cap won. The villain was, in many respects, a twisted reflection of himself. A twisted reflection of American values.
At the same time he won, I wondered, Could it happen again? Could America not embody the values that we claim?
In his books, Captain America has consistently been a patriot, but not one who depends on jingoistic rhetoric and rallying behind the flag. Hell, he has almost always questioned, even going so far as to actively fight against the government when it no longer represented America.
I still believe in America. I still believe in Captain America.
And the movie was GREAT. Yes, it wasn't totally historically accurate, but that concept of a humble, team player who only wants to do the right thing resonated with me better than almost any other superhero movie recently.
I saw with some joy, that Cap had recently been denounced by the right wing as Anti-American. Apparently, not embracing Tea-Party Protests and Anti-tax Rhetoric is considered too liberal for the Rethugs.
My first thought? Good. If Captain America is against hatred, selfishness, racial bigotry and fear, then he's what America really is. We are not a nation ruled by fear, and should never be such.
I can't think of a better symbol for good. We're not perfect, and neither is Cap. But at least Cap doesn't bow to those who would pervert America for their own ideals of power. Hell, Cap punched Hitler in the FACE. In his first issue. When Real evil steps up to the plate, Cap's always ready to deal with it.
So that's why I still Love Captain America. He's a Liberal. He's a team player. He didn't pull himself up by his bootstraps, he was helped up. He helps up others. No, not everything is as simple as that, but once in a while, it's nice to fully bask in the dreams of what we can be.