A guest post by Dalrock.
Alan Roebuck recently asked Can Man Live Traditionally?
Alan answered yes, and went so far as to argue that a man has an obligation to marry even though this means marrying in a legal and social regime which has done all it can to eradicate traditional marriage, and even if this means marrying a woman who wouldn't have been considered appropriate to marry by tradition minded men of past generations.
Women have been continuously renegotiating the social contract in their favor for over 40 years. They have been incredibly successful by making never ending incremental demands. When you consider the full scope of their success it is truly awesome.
Normally when progressives and cultural marxists make demands for change conservatives point out that by changing the terms of the agreement there will inevitably be unintended consequences.
I've gotten more emails to write about this Duke slut Karen Owen than I have on any other topic. I wasn't interested at first, having scanned the notorious Powerpoint (also at this link in case first doesn't work) and concluded that it was just another story of a whore riding the (alpha) cock carousel who happened to forego discretion and publicize her sluttery, nothing to see here move along dystopia down the hall and to your left.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/janiceturner/article3675766.ece
(This link may not work for non-subscribers)
Sensational headline much? I thought I would do Janice one better and make her point even more clearly. According to Janice, middle class men are “useless” because they don’t read Martha Stewart and STILL get all pissy about screechy harridans living in the house with them.
Come on now, lads. What is your problem?
3) Action and His Powers vs. Romance and His Relationships
This is another one where I’m like, “Oh whatEVER.” For some reason, probably Smallville, there seems to be a debate regarding what a Superman story should have….kick ass action, or passionate romance. Um. Superman’s story has always been full of both. It’s rooted in love, from his bio parents, to his adoptive parents, to the love he felt for Lana, Lori Lemaris, and ultimately Lois, and then finding family again with Kara, and having to deal with the realities of Conner’s existence. Superman has ALWAYS been about love and family, that’s not new to the mythos in any shape or form.
But he’s a friggin’ superhero. Some of us wanna see him blowin’ shit up.Who doesn’t wish they could do that? Or this:
So what’s my point here?
IT’S NOT EITHER/OR. IT’S BOTH/AND.
What the hell is wrong with people? There is, and always has been, room for both incredible kick ass super powered action sequences and heartfelt passionate romance in any Superman story. This truth IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES HIS STORY SO GREAT AND TIMELESS, APPEALING TO BOTH MALES & FEMALES OF ALL AGES. No one wants to see a heartless, detached Superman, but no one wants to see a completely nostalgic and wimpy stalkery love story either *cough*Superman Returns*cough*. 
No one wants to see an unthinking machine of destruction, but no one wants to see a hero that just ponders and pontificates and never acts.
I have not understood, and still do not understand why this is so hard for some to grasp. Superman has evolved to be a hero, the hero, that inspires. His mighty power coupled with his unbelievable humility, his mighty love balanced out by his overwhelming responsibility, his bright costume and shield married to his mild mannered suit n’ tie-ness. Any way you look at him, there’s enough there for many, if not everybody to relate to, why can’t we have it all? The problem here is lazy writing. Of course you have to work harder to come up with conflict for a nearly all powerful hero, and of course you have to work harder to make Lois stories relevant because we know she can’t die. But it can be done.
Smallville squandered a major opportunity with Clark Luthor/Ultraman…because that 
could’ve involved every aspect of Superman that we know and love. It would have been epic, and it could have given Clark a stark sense of contrast as to what he’d be like without his heart, and that could’ve sealed the deal as he flew off into the future, but whatever. My overall point here tho, is that doing justice to Superman requires both action and romance. It requires both a larger than life scope and a values driven plot, because it’s both his perspective and his powers that make him great. Batman, as always, said it best:
See? Such interesting dynamics come built in with this character, and his endless love for humanity, his mom, Lois, Kara, and his desire to stop evil without killing or becoming a dictatorial tyrant. PuhLENTY of action, melodrama, conflict, and romance to mine. Just don’t be lazy when writing him. And again…it’s not him. It’s crazy people that want extremes in every story.
Some may wonder why I haven’t specifically mentioned or focused in on the villains, 
but that’s because as incredible as they may be, it’s Superman’s reactions to them that always make or break the story. Again, it comes back to him. How far can he be pushed before he snaps? How much of the American justice system does he really believe in? Which laws will he enforce; does he focus on white collar crime, blue collar crime, or metahuman villains? What are his feelings toward vigilantism as he is indeed a vigilante? Does he see himself reflected in Darkseid’s eyes and that’s why he always keeps guard over his heart? Does he understand Lex on some level, does he always strive to see the best in people, no matter what? Does he secretly want Brainiac to succeed, just not in the way that B-Lac has planned? It’s what they bring out of him that always makes the story great.
So in conclusion, I categorically reject the idea that Superman is boring, too ‘square,’ outdated, not relevant, or unrelatable. Rather, the world around us has gotten so cynical, so polarized, so extreme, so exploitative, so dirty, so low down and so narcissistic that it’s preCISEly a hero like Superman THAT IS NEEDED. He’s needed to friggin’ remind us of a time and of a mentality where doing the right thing was its own reward. A mindset that says that serving others is still a noble and a high calling. Where using all of your strength in standing for what serves the greater good is still admirable, yet never denying the deep and powerful love that you feel for those closest to you is acceptable and emulation worthy as well.
When it comes to Superman….don’t wussy him up, don’t dark him up, don’t push the story into an either/or category, and don’t ignore any aspect of his character.
We NEED him. ALL of him.
As.
friggin’.
is.
2) His Triple Identity
I’ve seen this one played with in many different ways over the years, and it’s just like anything else, people have their own favorite perspective.
This alien friend of ours was born Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara, of the House of El on Krypton.
He was adopted and renamed Clark Kent because he was found and raised by Johnathan and Martha Kent.
He became Superman because of the influence of both his families, and the fact that he landed in America.
Let me tell you what I’m not about to do. I’m not about to engage in a debate as to which one of those identities is the ‘real’ one, and which one(s) is/are the mask. There have been both good and bad takes and both sensible and raging diatribes on this particular subject…and my response to all of that is…whatever. I’ve enjoyed many different Superman stories. He’s all three. He can’t exist if you strip him of any one of the three parts of his core self…because it takes all three to make the hero. And therein lies the problem.
This whole post post-modernistic idea that the hero has to be shown to be ‘human’ and ‘flawed’ and ‘dark’ and ‘screwed up like the rest of us.’ Um…no, he 
doesn’t.
(Let me also hasten to say, that I am not referring specifically only to the Snyder reboot; I mean going forward with Superman in his future in media.)
Superman is first and foremost an alien. Period. The only reason that he has powers underneath a yellow sun IS BECAUSE HE’S FROM KRYPTON. So let’s imagine two things…let’s imagine that Krypton never exploded and he grew up there like anyone else…or let’s imagine that the yellow sun actually doesn’t give Kryptonians powers. Either way, he’s still Jor-El’s kid. Either way, he has some of his father and mother and their culture in him, meaning that there is absolutely nothing to indicate, unless the plot requires it(as with Zod), that Kryptonians are as ‘dark’ and ‘screwed up’ as Terrans are. Do people just like, forget that? Just because 
they LOOK like humans doesn’t mean that they necessarily have to have our motivations or weaknesses or value systems. Again, much has been done in terms of spinning that to fit or support the story, 
but what if it’s as simple as, Jor-El was an intelligent, good man? How come Kal couldn’t be that way as well? Kryptonian culture has been depicted many ways, but it’s always indisputably alien…writers often fall prey to the Star Trek tropes, meaning that all planetary cultures are monolithic, humanoid, and full of the same greed and lust that we are. Maybe not. I often imagine a Kal-El that grew up on Krypton to be a man of science and exploration, becoming embroiled only in politics as is absolutely necessary.
Our friend is Clark Kent because he was (illegally) adopted and raised by the Kent family. Often it’s been told that it’s those Midwestern values that shaped him, and I’ve always believed that to be true. The love that he felt from this previously childless 
family that took him in and made him their own, and kept him safe from the scientists that would dissect him and the governments that would enslave and duplicate him created the part of him that is Clark Kent. His tether to humanity. The face that he wears when he’s not in costume, and the face that he’d wear if he lost his powers(as he has many times). It’s really funny how when Superman loses his powers, he’s still Clark. He’s still Johnathan and Martha’s boy(notice the same initials as Joseph and Mary). I have a friend from Kansas, and she is one of the sweetest, most trusting, 
most unassuming people that I know. I’m not saying that that’s because of her Kansian roots, but I am sure that it’s because of her family. I’m saying that it’s possible that some people just want to live their lives and be happy and not go all ‘dark.’ This is how Clark has struck me from the beginning. Even in Kingdom Come, one of my favorite books of all time, when Diana goes to find out where Clark’s been hiding all of this time, he’s friggin’ baling hay on his holo farm. Clark being naturally inquisitive and loving knowledge makes absolute sense. Clark becoming a reporter so he can be on top of the world news cycle makes absolute sense. But it also makes loads of sense to me that even stripped of the ‘Super,’ the man underneath could easily content himself with a good day’s work and a cold glass of milk, falling asleep enjoying the varied farm noises as a lullaby. What. is so freakin’ wrong. with that.
And then we have the hero. The Ubermensch. El Hombre de Acero. The Superman. 
Clearly, this aspect of his self is fueled by the other two, as he’s forced to realize that while he himself may be averse to disguises, 1) people respond better to symbols and 2) the ones that he loves grow targets on their chests if the world knows who he is. Plus there’s that whole no vacation thing. Putting on a costume doesn’t enable him, because he has abilities all the time…but rather putting on the costume gives society a name and a shield and a color scheme to hold onto. People love that, and they love him for that.
Why does he have to go dark? Why does he have to be overly flawed? Superman does indeed have flaws anyway…sometimes he’s very self-righteous, often he cannot see the impact of his actions on the world around him, and he has a deeply rooted fear of abandonment mixed with a semi-Messianic complex about saving people, always fearing that he’ll be too late, or that he’ll lose this whole planet as well. All of which is totally understandable.
He also has a co-dependent relationship with Lois. 
A truth about him that I can’t stand. (On a side note: Amy Adams, it has just been confirmed, has been cast as Lois Lane. I’ve never been a fan of Lois Lane as a character, and if you read my article about her, I don’t dislike their relationship per se, but what they’ve done on Smallville is just atrocious. This casting news, however, gives me more hope, because I have liked Amy from day one, in absolutely every thing I’ve seen her in, and I think she can bring the beauty, maturity, spunkiness and gravitas to the character of Lois in a way that will be her own, with no slight on Noell or Erica or Margot or Dana or Teri. I don’t know how much confidence I have in Snyder…but I *do* have confidence in Amy.)
Superman clearly isn’t perfect. Isn’t that enough? Do we have to drive him even further down the ‘feet of clay’ path to make him ‘relatable?’ I personally don’t think so. As I said, given his unique tri-partite origin, he doesn’t have to be any more warped or imperfect than he already is.
And there’s yet another part of his three way personality that makes it a concern, but here again…the problem is not with him. It’s with us. His tagline reveals the issue: “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”
Exactly what is the American Way these days? Clearly it depends on whom you ask. And, the fact that almost any descriptor word that you use is going to offend someone or some group is a part of the current cultural landscape. His triple identity is rooted in the 
fact that he’s an alien, but that has become an incendiary word. What about him being adopted…or a Midwesterner? Or even American at all? Lois quipped in Superman:The Movie that he’d end up fighting every elected official in the country…and would he? Would Superman categorize himself as a Republican, Democrat, Progressive, Independent? At some point in many of the telling of his origins, Johnathan dies, which means that like Jesus, Superman was somewhat raised by a single parent. But he is also in a very real sense an orphan. And he’s white, or the Kryptonian equivalent of caucasian. And we call him SuperMAN. Not SuperPERSON.
So, have the hackles on the back of your neck started to rise yet?
Which totally illustrates my friggin’ point. This character, this hero, this superhero archetype his an undeniably rich background…he has three aspects of his personality to choose from, but no matter which part you emphasize, somebody’s gonna get offended. I’ve seen pictures of Jesus as a black man, and as a Hispanic man, I’ve gotten into serious debates about Wonder Woman and female heroes in general, as well as the place of Lois Lane in his life, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m sick of it all. And by ‘sick of it all’ I mean, I’m sick of the offense taken by some people at the most basic foundations of his character. Superman is who he is, and none of it bothers me, and it never has. But every story, every TV show, every movie eventually decides to showcase or highlight whatever they believe works for their platform and their particular tale…and that didn’t use to bother people, or maybe, just maybe, they were less vocal about it. 
Whatever it is, I call friggin’ bullshit. Let him be white looking, let him be Kryptonian, let him be Kansian, let him be altruistic, let him be a farm boy, let him be a man. What. the. hell. EVER. people need to get over themselves. Also, I know that some people will use my own argument against me over my rantings over Smallville and Lois Lane, but in my view, it’s because they so fundamentally change his origins and emasculate him that’s the problem there. Not his actual origin. But in any event, a character has to have some parameters or they become a cypher, and I have no desire to see Superman warped any more just because somebody might get their panties in a bunch over the fact that he is who he is. All three parts of him. 
…Well, at least you can tell when they’re putting forth more effort.
Which just makes all the other lazy writing that much more evident.
Smallville has always been about the tease, the set up, the anticipation of a thing…never about satisfaction, pay off, resolution or closure. This episode pretty much was a spot on representation of that standard.
So it’s really kind of hard for me to care; it’s similar to the feeling from the Star Wars prequels; there’s so much at once, and very little of it makes sense. That makes it hard to generate any real emotional resonance.
And, the big one: way too much happened in OffScreenVille. When you don’t show the audience events that the characters keep referencing, again, it makes the audience disconnect. More on that later.
Best moments came from Erica.
So, specifically:
1st Reel:
So, it’s 2013. Okay. We see where things will be in three years. Three years.
So there’s the nod to Michael, and the revelation that Lex will be making his presidential run in three years. Since Smallville, they keep claiming, is supposed to line up with either Superman:The Movie or the comics by the time it’s done, it’s waaaaaaay too soon to have Lex running for President in 2013. Also the elections are in 2012 by the way.
Also, this first section proves definitely that everything about the flights, tights, and he-has-to-stay-out-of-sights is complete bullshit.
Know why?
Because when it comes to copyright law, and trademark infringement, it’s not feasible that they could actually use Lois Lane, Perry White, Zod, Krypton, Jimmy Olsen, the Daily Planet, Martha & Johnathan Kent, kryptonite, “Look up in the Sky!” and the red & yellow shield against a blue background, and not use the name and likeness of Superman. Not legally possible. It would be analogous to seeing the golden arches but not being able to use the word “McDonald’s” or “Big Mac.” So pretty much as I said…just a purposeful tease. All that stuff they tell us about how if Clark flies and wears the suit it’s over and legally their hands are tied is just bratwurst glaze.
I’m a little unclear as to what motivated Martha to all of a sudden make the costume, but it was good to see a few small glimpses of it.
2nd Reel:
Zod must have “super-convincing” powers. I’m glad that Lois is redeemed later, and that she was hesitant at first here, but it seems kind of lame that Fake Blue could convince her to doubt Clark so quickly.
Aaaaaand Watchtower is back up and running like its destruction and Chloe’s breakdown never happened…and to so many Chloe is angelic again. Whatever. How exactly would Chloe know that any other planet would be desolate? Especially since she knows that J’onn was from a planet with a viable atmosphere and culture?
And Chloe and Oliver are now in love. Ummm…okay. When? How? Because they bone a few times?
Aaaaand…so Lionel was the “Kryptonian Vessel” and then Martha was upon his death and we knew about this transfer when?
And the biggest WTF of all this sudden WTFishness: The Book of Tao transports the Kandorians to a new world. Really? I have to go Embee on this plot point; how could Jor-El have all of this prescient knowledge? I don’t remember, but was it explained how Jor-El created/discovered Blue Kryptonite and what it does? Because kryptonite wouldn’t have existed before the planet exploded. And why didn’t he just send them to this new planet IN THE FIRST PLACE? And why didn’t Lionel or Martha or AI Jor-El share any of these details with Clark before Nao? And how exactly does this portal/transporter work? More on that later.
And if Clark said the word “destiny” any more in this episode I think I would’ve jumped through the TV and told him to shut up.
And for the first time, I agree with the notion that Clark as a savior is just completely ridiculous and overblown. BECAUSE HOW COULD JOR-EL KNOW ALL OF THAT?? HOW COULD CLARK BE THAT IMPORTANT? HOW COULD JOR-EL BE SMART ENOUGH TO HAVE ALL THESE FAILSAFES AND DUMB ENOUGH TO CREATE THESE DANGERS BY SENDING SUPER POWERED CLONES TO EARTH IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THEN NOT HAVE HIS AI BE PROGRAMMED TO TELL CLARK HOW TO DEAL WITH ALL OF THIS?? ugh. My head hurts from all this philosophical and continuity inconsistency.
And….Chloe is the one to try and convince Clark to do this? Chloe? Can anyone else see how having Chloe interpret “The Trials of Kal-El” as being prep for “the ultimate sacrifice” and his “true purpose being leading his own people” makes no sense in the light of all her previous Clark motivational speeches? AND MARTHA KNEW ALL OF THIS AND JUST MADE HIM A COSTUME AND DIDN’T TELL HIM ANYTHING ELSE?
Anybody else sick of people just walking into Superman’s crib and messing stuff up? Does that even make any sense anymore?
And how exactly would Zod know how to shut things down so that Jor-el couldn’t communicate anymore?
And Mess…. I love Cassidy’s acting, but Mess is the most convoluted pile of conflicting loyalties and motivations that I’ve seen in a while. And….ummmm….Kryptonite brass knuckles? Just when I thought the ridiculous of kryptonite money couldn’t be topped. Oh well, somebody has to be Batman on this show. And I’m not quite sure how that kryptonite makes him weak enough to lose his invulnerability(’cause Tess would’ve broken her hand if he was still steel) and yet he can just dramatically stand up and shake it off(which Clark never seems to be able to do) and he can still use his heat vision. With impressive precision I might add, since we know that Kryptonian heat vision can actually be strong enough to destroy a tower, and Zod flash fries half her face without killing her. Um, okay.
3rd Reel:
“If everything you’ve trained me for was for another purpose.”
Um, what training? What exactly can Clark do that other kryptonians can’t? The only benefit of this training that we’ve seen is the fact that Clark can bone someone without worrying about breaking them in half…which Zod and Bizarro seemed to be able to do just fine. So I’m trying to understand both the point and the results of this training that Clark’s been fighting all of his life and finally gave in to…he actually has less prowess with his powers after 2 years than other kryptonians do after 10 days.
“Have you taken a look around you? It’s always like this: Might. Makes Right!” Great line.
“I killed my own father.”
Have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it’s good to see Clark talk about this, although lame that he didn’t mention that it was because of Lana. On the other hand, as I’ve said a million times, I’ve never seen Superman as a tragic figure, or a hero motivated by that kind of guilt. Survivor’s guilt, yes. “I killed my own father” guilt, no.
“You have to forgive yourself.”
“My entire team is equipped with Kryptonite weapons.”
Anybody else see the humor in those two juxtaposed statements?
And, so much has been said about the lameness of Clark being grounded until it’s become Smallville’s Jar Jar Binks.
Funny how Tess-Face’s left eyeball wasn’t affected. And again, I can’t make heads nor tails of her character motivations.
The Red X was blatant, maybe it’s Granny Goodness, whatever. Tess-Face isn’t dead, and now she’s going to come back next season as….what?
And I’m laughing at how much money Oliver is going to have to spend to repair the damage caused by the ZodDorians around the world.
4th Reel:
…What was the point of having the video JLA/JSA guest stars without seeing them in action? I guess it was good to see them. Still makes Lana’s absence and Kara’s lack of mention all that more blatant.
And all of a sudden Chloe is willing to follow Clark’s lead. How convenient. And really funny that the “team” still seemed to be struggling with their strategy even though Chloe and Oliver had been planning for this war all year.
But, Clark did have a good entrance, and he was very Supermanly in his posture and speech. Good job making him finally step up, in a sense. Clark on Smallville is very good at taking blame and taking punches. But whatever, at least he came across as inspirational.
But everyone adjusted to it too quickly. But whatever, you can’t expect poached salmon from a fast food drive through.
So now we’ve got a satellite dedicated to WatchTower. That Zodjack missed. That got launched into orbit right after the events in “Sacrifice.” Um, okay.
Would Lois realistically be going through Clark’s things like that? People sure make a lot of excuses for Lois friggin’ Lane. Maybe it’s just me. I hate nosy people.
Well, the best scene in the episode was here; I really felt Lois’ pain when she was asking Clark for the truth. Especially since he started the conversation out with a promise to tell her something revelatory. Erica played that well.
Even though it’s a complete rehash of the thecweth and lieth theme of Clana. But who’s counting?
Ummm….wouldn’t it have been easier, and quicker, to send J’onn up to activate the new Watchtower? Someone who could hold his own if the KanZoddians showed up? And, if they weren’t Kandorians then everyone thinks they were from Apokolips. Okay fine, whatever. I’m actually not looking forward to a Smallvillized version of Darkseid. He’ll probably fall in love with Lois and need counseling.
5th Reel:
And so, we get to the climax of this lovely drama and BlurZod the Fake has his jig full of up, but at least Lois is vindicated. If she can recognize the touch of the real Blur, surely she can recognize the kiss and the smell and the touch of her boyfriend. So Lois Lane isn’t totally blind or stupid. 2nd best part of the episode.
Good special FX with the Clark sucker punch and the save of Lois with the nod to the phone booth.
So Clark has made his decision, and up shows Doz and the Super Krypto Battalion, ready to kick some Kal-Ass, having full mastery of powers that they’ve had for less than a month.
Sure.
And does anybody else think that these KandyDorians are easily swayed? Zod is our leader no Clark is telling the truth no Zod no Clark no Zod no Clark no Zod no Clark. And Clark finally decides to speak up.
And then…..
Zod confesses to his pregnant wife’s murder surrounded by a bunch of beings with super hearing.
Sure.
So they all rip off their Heil Zod armbands, and Zod’s sister-in-law says, “Kal-El take us home.” And they just surrender to it, without question or hesitation. Okay.
So Clark didn’t really beat him or even outthink him. Zod just did something tactically stupid and that’s what turned the tide.
And then the portal opens, and all the Blandorians are almost simultaneously sucked up into the yellow hole…except Slod and Clark. Um, okay. And the portal stays open long enough for them to fight. Um, okay. And was it permanently opened, or a time release transporter? Umm, dunno. And since we know that Blue Kryptonite blocks powers but doesn’t change DNA since they’re still Kryptdorian because once the blue kryptonite is removed the powers come back it still should’ve taken Clark, unless it was pre-programmed to only take Kryptonians that had active super power signatures. Umm, okay.
So they fight…and some of those moves were cool. Slightly longer fight than Doomsday. Great uppercut from Clark. Bar room brawl, lots of cutting, leaping, slashing, stabbing, jumping, falling, sure.
So Clark lets himself get stabbed in the gut, and fall to his probable death(in a Christ-like pose no less) and that’s how he beats Zod, who then gets sucked into the New Pimpton C Train.
What was his back up plan if Zod hadn’t confessed to Faora’s murder?
So anyway…Clark’s image as savior was pretty much cemented, and he took a blow rather than land a punch and counted on fortuitous circumstances to win, as usual. And in the opening episode of Season 10, he’ll either pull out the blue k’nife and land without a scratch, or J’onn or Carter will catch him. Okay.
Because we have a version of Superman that the writers and the “Smallville can do NO WRONG -ers!!!” keep trying to defend by saying that “these are his Pre-Superman years!!!” and that even after a lifetime of super abilities and at least two years of “training” isn’t any smarter, faster, or stronger then any peer of his that happens to find their way to Earth, and couldn’t really directly tell the woman that he loves who he is.
Sorry. Can’t really muster up any more than a strong meh.
Now it’s looking totally freaking friggin’ awesome
FLAME ON!
MY BLOG’S ON FIRE!!! HOLY CRAP!!!
