Superman Needs an Agent
Here is this extraterrestrial with amazing powers. Among other things, he can fly; he has super strength and super breath; he can run and perform other tasks with super speed; he has x-ray, telescopic, and heat vision; he has super hearing; and, famously, he is virtually invulnerable save for exposure to kryptonite. Compared to the average human, the guy's super. Why isn't he using his skills more productively? FULL ARTICLE
Comments (17)
Brilliant!
And I also like the cost argument at the end of the article: it's probably more efficent (and thus helps much more!) to make much money and use that money for good purposes, than to use your own labor to help somebody (say, on a farm somewhere in the 3rd world).
Some people think demonstrating all day helps somebody, when in fact it doesn't (industrial lobbies will always have more influence to change laws than a few people carrying big signs). Working helps somebody (your employer) and gives you the resources to *really* make a difference in the world, if you choose to do so (by donating etc.). It's not selling out, it's making yourself useful to other human beings.
Even when I used to be a leftist, I understood this and chose to become part of capitalism (i.e. I used my time for studying, not for demonstrations) instead of whining about evil capitalists all day. Too bad, many people still haven't understood it.
Published: July 11, 2006 8:27 AM
"Dictator" is a job at which Superman is uniquely qualified to excel. As smart as Lenin but with better hair, he'd whip up a doozy of a five year plan and convince the peasants to follow it with a minimum of coercion, which of course he can perform himself.
Fewer goons needed for internal security means fewer agency problems and abuses to rile the populace.
Still got dissenters/terrorists? Warrantless searches are a breeze with X-ray vision. No hidden microphones are needed to overhear conspiracies.
How can it be that (a) Superman should pass on this excellent career choice on moral grounds, yet (b) the same career should be open to a mere mortal just because he is elected to the position.
Published: July 11, 2006 9:19 AM
Superman was invented at around the time that the American government became all-seeing and all-powerful. He can be seen as a kind of unconcious propaganda, the goal of which is to convince people that an all-powerful being can be wise and beneficial.
His profession (a combination cop, soldier, spy, relief worker, journalist) reflects the way that the executive and propaganda arms of the Nanny State think and act as one - for the good of the public in their own minds, but in actuality to the detriment of the public.
The movie "The Incredibles" exposes this fallacy, when it turns out that the government and journalists are simply unable to tell the difference between good and harm as they team up to villify and then shut down the "supers".
Like the supers' nemesis "Syndrome", the agents government kill off real heroes (entrepreneurs and charitable givers) in order to pretend to be heroes, fighting disasters which the agents of government themselves created.
Published: July 11, 2006 10:00 AM
I don't think Superman could win any medals in the Summer Olympics. Firstly, Krypton is not a member state of the IOC. Seconly, despite his support for the American way, he probably couldn't represent the USA due to lack of birth certificate or formal citizenship papers. Maybe Superman was an illegal immigrant?
Published: July 11, 2006 10:16 AM
See Orwelltoday.com here for a discussion of "the Red Superman"....a "champion of the common worker" who "fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, socialism and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact."
Published: July 11, 2006 10:23 AM
Unlike Superman who doesn't seem to have confronted communism until well after World War 2, Tintin in his commic book visit to the Soviet Union in 1929 got straight to the heart of Stalinism's tyranny. See here. Something pullitzer prize winning New York Times reporters of the day didn't get right.
Published: July 11, 2006 10:32 AM
I can't pass up a chance to denigrate "super heroes." Although the genre appeals to millions, it endlessly irks me to see scenarios portrayed where ordinary people are at the mercy of more-than-a-man saviors. There are two problems with this view: 1. there are no such men, and 2. if there were, they would be no more benevolent than other men.
To inculcate the idea that common men are helpless in the face of super villainy does smack of authoritarian propaganda. The whole plot of super-struggle sounds like a set-up where the autocrats create huge problems that only they can solve and step in to almost but not quite solve them, leading to a downward spiral to absolute tyranny.
The previous reference to The Incredibles and Syndrome is right on the money. I love that movie. The supers are still presented as being saviors of mankind, but really you can interpret Robert Par as being a representation of everyman embodying ordinary virtue.
If we think about what makes him great, it is his love of right, not his exceptional strength. All of us can have that power if we stand up for what we believe is right instead of going along to get along. We should all strive to be superwomen and supermen in promoting good. We don't need X-ray vision, we just need insight.
Published: July 11, 2006 11:34 AM
I really enjoy your article about Superman needing an agent but it might not have occurred to you but Superman is doing Okay on his own.
Let me list the reasons:
1.) His so-called job.
Yes he gets to hear the latest news and disasters as they happen but if is a typical staff reporter Perry White will say to him. "I don't care if the
world's needs saving right now. You got the finish up that article on the scanadal why the police have to away call Superman instead of doing the job we
payed him for. And another thing Clark. You and Lois have been disappearing too often. I don't know what's going on but it got stop. Last thing we need
is office hanky pankies. After you finish this assignment you're going to have to take the sexual harrassment class."
No the only way Clark Kent could come and go as he would be if he OWNED the Daily Planet. And while readership for newspaper is shrinking, it doesn't come
cheap. And the Daily Planet is a major news and
information outlet. It owns a television network. (At once time Clark Kent anchored the News) It has
magazines and other outlets including comic books.
I would guess Clark owns the Daily Planet and gets more then enough money selling T-shirts (see what happen so you if you try to sell a bootleg Superman
T-shirt) and other Superman related stuff.
2.) Founder and head of the Justice League of America. Now you may have thought the Justice League of America was just a place other superheros gathered to hang out. Nope, Itis their business. No one uses a 30 stories skyscraper to hang out in. It would be unecomonical.
First to build a skyscraper costs about a million dollars a floor. Then you have, staffing,
Security (Wouldn't a super-villian like Lex Luthor love to break in the Justice League headquarter), communications. (Ever see the communication center inside the JLA building? It is not to shabby!) Insurance, Office staff and Taxes. City State Federal and anything else the government can think of charging. It is not unusual for a 30 stories building to be worth half a billion dollars.
But wait! There's more. There is the Teen Titans building that looks like a giant "T". Since Teenagers cannot legal sign contracts someone has to own it.
And since the the Teen-Titans are a subsisary of the
Justice League, I bet it was Superman who had to sign on the dotted line. There is Justice League
Obiting Satialite. Yes Superman man can fly up there but what about the rest of the heros. They need rockets And the rockets they look a lot like the
Shuttle. Since the Shuttle costs a billion dollars per flight and these heros met at their space station once a week, you know what they say,... a billion
here, a billion there and soon you're talking about real money.
There is other property There that fortess of Solitate. I don't care how far away it is. Superman is going to have to pay property taxes on it. Ditto,
that city in the bottle where all the lillte Kynoties live. You figure it out. You own an entire city. Therefore you own all the taxes for that city. I
probably forgetting other property Superman owns but you can bet the government hasn't forgotten and want they cut.
3.) You claim Superman doesn't work for the rich. The hell he doesn't. They are probably the ones paying his bills. Let's take his friend Batman. Also known as Bruce Wayne. The Wayne Foundationn is one of the richest rackets in the world. At least a close second to Bill Gates's Foundation. So why do
Superman and Batman hang to together or when they need to relax Bruce and Clark pal around. Because the rich hangs around the rich. And if Superman gets tired he can do a superhero team-up with Professor Xanier,
(Another super rich do-gooder dude,) Reed Richards (Who have the same real estate problems as
Superman in The Fantasic Four Towers)
About the only poor hero Superman hangs
around is Spiderman who always on the hustle to make a buck (Can you imagine how bad a job you're got where the only way to make a buck is to take pictures
of some supervillian pounding the hell out of you)
4. Superman has lot of legal problems. Think about it. He spents most his time hauling bad guys off to jail. Now in these days where a thugs can sue you
for everything just because you have the nerve to shot him for breaking into our home. Imagine the number of lawsuits against Superman. Why sue Superman?
I don't know if you heard but word on the street is
Superman is actually a mean son of a bitch. He will pound the hell out of you with his super-strenght
and then for the fun of it fry your balls with your X-Ray vision. No if you want someone to arrest you, you want it to be Supergirl. I hear she an easy
mark because she understands you're just a poor victim
of society.
Also, Superman is a target for lawsuits even by people who are not criminals. Superman delayed the Super Chief when he picked up that train to show he was
most powerful than a locomotive. Now I've got passenger sueing me because they missed connections, frieght didn't get delievered on time and more. I'm sueing Superman for damages to m y railroad.
Paterty suits. Yes Superman is the father of my child and I want child support from the bum. (There is a very interest story by a famous science fiction writer about Superman and his super sperm causing all sort
of problems.)
The fact is Superman is free to pursue Truth Justice and The American way also tells me he has big bucks to big off all these people and not spend every
minute of every day in court.
There is a lot more but I think you get the idea Superman is rich. Really rich. Only he doesn' go flaunting his wealth nor telling people how he makes
his money. If he would do the thing you suggested, it
would be obious he's rich and would have even more problems than what I listed.
Thank you for your essay.
Published: July 11, 2006 12:38 PM
You forgot to mention that he's an illegal alien that never applied for asylum or citizenship or even a green card. He's clearly taking away well paying jobs from Americans and should be deported.
Published: July 11, 2006 2:44 PM
Prof. Murphy,
You've put way too much thought into this. Seriously.
Miss you at ASC. Hope Rachael and kids are doing well.
- Josh
Published: July 11, 2006 3:47 PM
I've noticed with interest that it is taboo to say "truth justice AND the American way"--it's always truth, justice "and all that stuff," as in the recent movie.
i don't think he could make much money putting on a show in a stadium, unless he can sing--it's interesting if I lift a car over my head and then throw it 100 yards, it's not interesting if Superman does it (unless it's your car or it lands on your head).
Published: July 11, 2006 3:51 PM
Even if Superman is an illegal alien he's doing a job that American's won't do. :-)
And Kirk Reeves, fix the spelling, grammar, and formatting of that post and you may actually have something fun to read.
Published: July 11, 2006 3:54 PM
This is an interesting perspective; however, it ignores one point -- Kal-El is an illegl alien raised in a deceitful manner by a couple of Kansas farmers.
His values, although forged in a lie, are clearly those of simple mid-West people. Hence Superman's drive to do 'good'.
He is similar to Spiderman in his philosophy that with great power comes great responsibility; however, he is also fairly subordinated to the all powerful US government. He's basically a big blue boy scout that takes orders from big brother.
One can argue that should he not do that he would either have to destroy the US government and rule as king of Earth or be engaged in constant battles with the government trying to subdue him.
As an agent of the government he has access to confiscated money to develop the tools of the Justice League of America -- on the other hand, those funds could be morally raised by the sale of his services (ironic that Superman's Jewish creators where in no position to collect a share of the Superrevenue, especially considering most outlets for comic stips wouldn't even consider Superman becuase of his Jewish origins in the 1930's).
The bottom line is as a fictitious charachter, Superman reflects the chocies of his puppet masters; however, in the real world Superman is a big money machine.
I'm just glad that at some point in the future Batman will kick his ass for being a government dupe.
Published: July 11, 2006 3:56 PM
Neat article. Your point regarding Superman lofting a communication satellite into orbit reminded me of an older post from Donald Boudreaux, Super-wisdom:
Published: July 11, 2006 10:39 PM
He's definitively going to need an agent after the performance of his latest movie.
Published: July 11, 2006 11:18 PM
Dear Mr. Murphy,
Like the herd moralists, you miss the point. 1) Superman has no desire to work for money because it will not contribute to his happiness - he has not material desires - he is living in the "city of necessity". Therefore he has no need for legal tender to trade for material things. an ultimately, as economists are so wont to forget, money doesn't make you happy. Or even comfortable. A balanced psyche does.
2) If he truly wanted, he could make ALL the money in the world. If he was truly the "Uber Mench" he could rule our planet free from any resistance. This would be the true superman, beyond any or all notions of good or evil, what values he creates for himself notwithstanding.
You asked "But what is the basis for this judgment? Does it apply to normal human beings as well? That is, should everyone in the telecom industry quit tomorrow and go volunteer for the fire department?"
The answer is yes, if it should result in their psychological fulfillment. If not, then they are the insignificant herd. Once again the economist reduces the equation to all they can see - money.
Superman does not need an agent because he already has one - that's Lex Luthor. Economists, agents and Lex all have one thing in common - they always try to screw the Strong to get their revenge upon their betters.
Published: July 12, 2006 12:08 AM
Contraculture, you missed the point from the article.
You say superman man has no value for money? how do you know that? and what do u mean money can't bring any happiness? value is completely subjective, and money is the vehicle to express subjective values towards one's welfare. For example, money would make me happy knowing i'll have enough money to eat tommorow and the rest of the year, and that sure will balance my psyche. Is that so unreasonable? You seem to make the mistake that money is an end in itself. Actually, money can and is a means to ends both material and immaterial. Sure it's not always the only means, but why claim that money is in any way an inferior means?
Hell, if superman got an agent but still made time to fight bad guys and kryptonions, don't you think he could invest that 100 billion or so into research into anti-kryptonite technology? or hell, if he has "morals" you don't agree with, he could use his newfound time, since he doesnt have to work since he's rich, to sleep around with as many women as he can without protection and have a bunch of superkids running around beating up bad guys. isn't that "immaterial" social welfare and make him happier(imagine if they all had agents too)? I think it's a great psychic value to know that you have so many more opportunities opening up since you got that 100 billion no?
Finally, superman isn't ALL powerful, as Mises said "ideas and ideas alone change the world", and even superman is powerless against an intolerant majority if they believe he's an "exploitive capitalist" that should be stoned by kryptonite. If they have this permanent conviction, all he could do is kill everyone but destroy the very thing he was trying to protect.
Published: July 12, 2006 1:51 PM