The common consensus among scholars, citizens, comic creators, and literary experts is that superheroes have the potential to empower and inspire people. Individuals can look up to these characters to develop a wide range of qualities to succeed in life. However, some people identify these critical cultural artifacts as works of art that are capable of promoting discrimination. Some of these analysts identify comic superheroes as creations intended to portray the ideologies associated with dominant racial groups. According to some critics, such artifacts do so by promoting the American way of life and enhancing the notion of patriotism (Hall 18). Despite these views, superheroes remain powerful tools capable of critiquing most of the injustices existing in the society while guiding people to focus on the most acceptable attributes, including justice, equality, liberty, and fair allocation of resources.
Numerous examples of superheroes are notable in comic books tackling various social issues and injustices. The creators of these artifacts examine some of the predicaments different races and groups encounter in their societies. They rely on the emerging insights to develop characters and use them to address the identified injustices. For example, Cook and Frey identify the X-Men as superheroes that attack the existing discrimination against the LGBT community (8). In Superman, the reader observes how the Man of Steel remains involved and encourages some of his audience to monitor and help resolve some of the challenges refugees encounter in their lives. It becomes clear that such characters are developed with the aim of fostering equality and inclusion in a society that avoids such outcomes.
Most of the stories surrounding around Superman have over the years focused on the challenge of racism. For instance, the representation of the Ku Klux Klan showcases the problem of racial-based discrimination and how it affects the experiences of the targeted victims. The 2019 work titled Superman Smashes the Klan tries to depict the actions of the Ku Klux Kan and how they abuse individuals from minority groups. Through the lens of this superhero, viewers and followers are encouraged to emulate the identified actions and in a position to address the long-standing social problem of intolerance (Andrae 25). When individuals consider these insights, chances are high that they would become more involved and consider desirable practices that can make the respective societies more inclusive,
Similarly, superheroes continue to play a positive role regarding the question of gender-based discrimination. Wonder Woman emerges as a feminist superhero interested in the gains and challenges many women go through in their respective communities. This portrayal succeeds in challenging the status quo and encouraging more people to engage in actions and decisions that have the potential to empower these individuals. Producers of these comics have realized that the use of these heroes can help reshape the world and deal with all social evils (Malone 352). Based on these evidences, it becomes quite clear that the options are limitless for designers and creators of comics. They can continue to use superheroes to challenge most of the injustices in the community and help more people achieve their goals.
The adoption of these artifacts is a trend that has helped push the idea of just society forward. Through the lens of superheroes, many members of the society are able to pinpoint and form solid assumptions about the aspects of an impartial society. Specifically, fans of these artifacts would acknowledge that they symbolize equality for all. They portray this attribute by helping those facing challenges and uncertainties equally and without any form of bias (Patton 187). The characters also appear to promote opportunities for all through a number of principles, including fair provision of resources. The reader of any given comic work of art would acknowledge that the presented superheroes work tirelessly to empower others and help them achieve their maximize potential. These aspects resonate with the features of any society that would be deemed just.
Members of the society relying on these superheroes as role models find a reason to pursue societies that are acceptable. The emerging insights will encourage them to promote economic models that can help more people get competitive wages. They will consider evidence-based approaches to pursue legal, political, and social practices that foster inclusivity. The individuals benefiting from such achievements will benefit from the notion of fairness (Andrae 26). Unfortunately, the American society does not meet the threshold of a community that could be identified as just and acceptable. Consequently, more people have been keen to rely on these superheroes as a model for promoting change.
When societal stakeholders consider the ideas and practices described above, chances are high that more people would be keen to make their societies more inclusive and just. In a nutshell, this description has showed conclusively that superheroes will always remain powerful tools for guiding members of the society to criticize social injustices (Hall 89). Such artifacts go further to provide evidence-based approaches for tackling such problems. Similarly, they offer a powerful model for questioning and promoting ideologies that could help promote just societies.
The emergence and creation of comics is a trend that has led to many superheroes who continue to serve as representations of the cultural issues and challenges associated with the wider society. Many scholars and anthropologists have identified such superheroes as powerful artifacts of culture. Creators have mastered how to recast and remodel these works of art depending on the issues and challenges members of the selected communities appear to encounter. Michael Chabon uses the work In the Adventures of Kavalier & Clay to explore the unique roles of superhero comics in the wider society. With this form of understanding, the biggest question is how these artifacts contribute to people’s responses to their anxieties and problems.
With human beings experiencing numerous challenges and fears in their lives, superheroes found in comics have been observed to empower and inspire them to greater heights. According to Malone, the creations tend to represent higher ideals and positions that people could find it hard to achieve (359). Consequently, fans find a virtual world whereby they feel protected and empowered to do greater things. More people would emulate such superheroes whenever addressing their situations in an effort to record positive outcomes. This reality means that such comics are essential and capable of empowering people amidst their anxieties.
The American society is characterized by a number of institutions and policies that have failed to maximize representation for the greatest majority. Numerous problems continue to exist, thereby compelling them to look up to these superheroes since they portray a sense of fulfillment. This attribute explains how such people find solace in these superheroes since they are brave enough and capable of confronting some of their problems directly. During the ongoing coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), people expected to find real heroes capable of providing efficient services in different facilities. However, many individuals would acknowledge that such an outcome did not come to fruition. Consequently, many communities recorded numerous deaths and social divisions associated with this pandemic. This gap explains why the love and admiration for superheroes is valid (Hall 54). More people examine their achievements and consider the appropriate and replicable when addressing their challenges.
Ordinary heroes or leaders are known to let followers down. For example, some politicians find it hard to address corruption and other malpractices that result in unfairness and inequality. These trends maximize people’s fears and anxieties. Superheroes appear to provide an escape to such feelings, thereby encouraging more individuals to focus on them because they help fill the existing void in the real world (Cook and Frey 16). Those who focus on the actions associated with most of these artifacts can transform their lives and become resolute.
Some psychologists have offered riveting insights to support the role of superheroes as powerful cultural artifacts. For instance, Patton indicates that superheroes encounter a number of experiences that are capable of altering their lives. Some of them include increasing level of trauma, desire to find a destiny, and the problem of making the best choice (188). While faced by these uncertainties, these characters remain resolute and eventually pursue what is deemed right. Humans find it easier to contrast their lives and appreciate the anxieties that have to confront. Following the examples such superheroes present, more people can engage in desirable actions and eventually succeed in achieving their goals. Through such efforts, they find it easier to overcome most of the predicaments affecting their lives. Additionally, the emerging insights make it possible for people develop targeted strategies to confront their personal predicaments.
Finally, people look upon these superheroes as reliable role models with appropriate qualities. In most of the cases, individuals try to relate with their actions, decision-making approaches, and abilities to develop qualities that are deemed acceptable in the wider society. In most cases, individuals trying to confronting anxieties would benefit from some of the characteristics associated with superheroes, such as increased sense of responsibility, efficient leadership, humility, courage, and involvement (Hall 76). The characters present additional attributes for helping people overcoming anxiety and remaining focused to achieve meaningful success in life. Those who are experiences different fantasies and pains find a powerful model for remaining involved, engaging others, and eventually recording meaningful results in their lives.
From this analysis, it would be agreeable that superheroes in most of the comics play a positive role towards influencing and supporting social change. People find such superheroes appropriate for guiding and empowering them to respond more efficiently to the challenges they face in their respective lives. With the increasing level of anxieties in the world today, more individuals find a compelling reason to remain resolute and develop their unique qualities that can eventually make them successful (Cook and Frey 18). These superheroes, therefore, help fans fill a void associated with the society, thereby making it easier for them to remain in all activities. With this analysis, it becomes quite clear that the admiration for these cultural artifacts will always continue to rise in different societies across the globe.
Works Cited
Andrae, Thomas. “The Darkest Knight: The Gothic Roots of Batman Comics.” The University of Chicago Press Journals, vol. 40, no. 1, 2020, pp. 19-33.
Cook, Mike P., and Ryle Frey. “Using Superheroes to Visually and Critically Analyze Comics, Stereotypes, and Society.” SANE Journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education, vol. 2, no. 2, 2017, pp. 1-32.
Hall, Richard A. The American Superhero: Encyclopedia of Caped Crusaders in History. ABC-CLIO, 2019.
Malone, Paul M. “Truth, Justice … and the Austrian Way? Opposing Political Agendas, Duelling Sovereignties, and Austrian Superheroes.” Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies, vol. 56, no. 3-4, 2020, pp. 345-367.
Patton, Brian. “On the Origin of Superheroes: From the Big Bang to Action Comics No. 1.” Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, vol. 9, no. 2, 2018, pp. 187-189.