I am guilty of having an affinity for old television shows that take me back to my formative days, shows like “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Leave It to Beaver,” and “The Wild Wild West.” On a recent Saturday night, “Star Trek” had ended, and as I was about to turn the TV off, I was surprised to see “Adventures of Superman,” the 1950s television series, coming on with the motto “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” words commonly associated with Jerry Siegel’s and Joe Shuster’s 1938 original comic book character.
The words, “the American Way” caught my attention, as never before. Really? Not by today’s “way,” I thought to myself, as I quickly began jotting down additional thoughts. For example, how can Superman be the American icon that he has become, but he’s from another planet, the planet Krypton? Wouldn’t he be one of this present administration’s illegal immigrants? I have never seen or read anything to the effect that his adoptive parents, Kansas farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, applied for U.S. citizenship for their “son,” whom they named Clark. If ever an alien existed on earth, surely Clark was one, even well before the aliens crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947—if you believe that.
Here’s my point: as the next Superman movie opens this month, why hasn’t anyone been sounding the alarm from the White House that Superman, aka Clark Kent, has to go? Why haven’t there been calls for him to be sent back, deported or at least exiled to Alligator Alcatraz? Where is I.C.E. or Homeland Security when you need them to conduct a raid on the Daily Planet?
OK. Here’s the backstory for those who are uninitiated. Kal-El, Superman’s “real” name as devised by his earthly literary creators, was born on the technologically advanced planet Krypton to parents Jor-El and (note, in the Hebrew language el means “god” or “diety”) and Lora lor-Van, both scientists who recognized that their planet was about to be destroyed because of its combustible core. So, they took their child and put him in a small spacecraft – like the Bible’s Jochabed put Moses in a basket of bulrushes and placed him on the Nile River (to later come of age and deliver his people from the oppression of Egyptian enslavement) – and launched him to Earth. The spacecraft crash landed on the Kents’ farm in Smallville.
The Kents found Kal-El, adopted him and raised him as their own, putting a strong sense of morality in him, and teaching him to use his powers—superhuman strength, speed, bullet-proof skin, flying and thermal and x-ray vision—responsibly.
Now, let’s be real. Yes, the storyline that Clark’s parents “adopted” him is widely accepted, but considering that the storyline dates back to the 1930s, it was also understood that birth certificates and DNA tests were sketchy in most rural areas. All Jonathan and Martha had to do was inform their doctor or state officials of Clark’s home birth and no one would be the wiser. He probably came of age with little, if any, documentation or legal paperwork. Indeed, he probably didn’t even have a driver’s license, although he is depicted as driving a tractor, a pick-up truck and even a car. Bottom line, who would suspect the Kents of kidnapping? And there were no reports of a missing baby. Documents, if requested or needed, were just “pushed through.”
Where are you, Mr. President? You did eventually admit in 2016 that President Barack Obama was born in this country, but silence, nothing but silence on this issue of Superman’s questionable citizenship. So far, you’ve been successful via the Supreme Court, advancing your agenda regarding birthright citizenship, as universal injunctions have been curbed. But, the question of Superman’s, or Clark Kent’s, U.S. citizenship remains unchallenged.
Superman came into Americana originally as a violent socialist, writes Paul Hersch, author of “Pulp Empire: A Secret History of Comic Book Imperialism.” He was, early on, a champion for the under-privileged masses. The BBC’s Nicholas Barber continues Hersch’s writing, dealing with the question, “How did Superman start as a radical rebel?
“The comic-book industry was founded largely by people barred from work in more legitimate fields,” Hirsch explains to the BBC, “because they were Jewish (like Superman creators Siegel and Shuster), they were immigrants, they were people of colour, they were women. It was a creative ghetto where a lot of very talented people ended up because they weren’t able to get a Madison Avenue advertising job, and they couldn’t write for Life Magazine. A lot of those people were radical – or at least not mainstream – and DC was founded by men who very much fit that : men who were recent immigrants, men who had leftist sympathies from growing up in New York City at that time.”
Clearly there were young people who were frustrated with the injustices of the world as young people tend to be the leaders of most movements of uprising or change. Siegel and Shuster were simply two young Jewish men coming of age just before World War II, who envisioned a kind of alter ego who could not only mitigate and fight external threats to America but internal threats against justice, truth and the American Way.
“There was plenty to be angry about, so the Superman character could speak to their concerns and hold the corrupt accountable,” writes Matthew K. Manning in “Superman: The Ultimate Guide.”
Unfortunately, as Superman evolved, the stories became less socially conscious and more about fantastical villains and his relationship with Lois Lane. Nevertheless, all the wrongs Superman made right do not change his illegal status that has existed for more than eight decades.
Incredibly, Superman continues to loom large with or without legal or official citizenship. He came across the border and still remains widely accepted. Personally, I’ve found no connection with this caped man in red and blue. To the contrary, I have found some connection with Batman—the Dark Knight—and, to some degree, Spiderman. But America’s love affair with “the man of steel” leaves me mostly nonplussed. I’m just not a big fan. But, if he represents the American Way (which, to me, hints at the same negative emotions and thoughts I have when I hear the words, “Make America Great Again”), then like all of the rest of us, let him abide by the laws of the land, self-deport or the Trump administration should send him back home.
James Gunn, director of the newest Superman movie, is quoted as saying that there’s a scene where Superman is hurt and bleeding after a battle. He calls for Krypton, the Superdog, for help, and upon the pup’s arrival asks him to take him home. Gunn asserts that he hopes the Superman movie will act as a place “we can all go home” to, in the same way I find comfort in some classic TV shows. Yet, the irony is that Superman’s home doesn’t exist anymore.
Perhaps, Superman’s or Kent’s immigration will be one of this administration’s exceptions–especially given the superhero’s European looks. The 47th president may even claim him as family. Without a doubt, “the orange man,” does possess an ego that allows him to think of himself as a superhero. In fact, on July 10, the White House posted a movie poster with the 47th president’s face superimposed on the Man of Steel’s body. I guess, then, he would have to deport himself, but to where? Where? Who, or what country would be willing to take him? Where is home for the orange? “Red and yellow, black and white, we’re all precious in His sight…” goes the Sunday School song. But is there a place for the orange?
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.
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