@kadeem said:
" @Demas: There is a difference between perception and reality, this is very true. The issue here is how using and manipulating peoples perceptions can have very real consequences. While Superman is percieved as being an US citizen serving US interest, the US government can misrepresent Superman's actions as reflecting their authority and misrepresent Supes as their national weapon as a sort of means to assert more influence and power internationally. By explicitly declaring himself a lone agent acting as a citizen of the world, Superman successfully neutralized the possibility of such actions. "
This is weak reasoning because: 1) The government hasn't done that; and 2) If they did, transparency would defeat it... Superman merely has to SPEAK. You list the sole requirement yourself "declare himself a lone agent"... guess what, you can do that WITHOUT renouncing your citizenship. What exactly did renouncing accomplish that declarations would not? Are the people in Tehran any safer? Is Superman any less grounded to the continental US?
The story had only ONE high point, the flower passing, and guess what, THAT HAPPENED WHILE SUPERMAN WAS A CITIZEN! Did the flower passer think Superman was there as an agent of American aggression? Of course not. The people on the ground can segregate Superman's actions from state action so why does Superman think so lowly of people that they wouldn't be able to tell? Or that HE wouldn't be able to tell them? So the American citizenship didn't affect his ability to intervene in Tehran ONE IOTA! What, if anything, has been improved through renunciation? Is he any more free to invade foreign sovereign soil? Is Tehran any safer? The ONLY thing that has changed is a convenient legal status, it's not like Superman has renounced America geographically or culturally, he's not moving out or speaking in a faux British accent.
The ONLY reason IN THE STORY (as opposed to invented by people applauding the RESULT) that Superman gives is the subsequent flak. He doesn't say that American citizenship is a bad thing. He doesn't say that America is bad. He doesn't say he wants to be a more global hero or that citizenship prevents him from intervening (it certainly didn't stop him from spurring the flower exchange). So if that's the only downside presented- mere perception- why not fix that by SPEAKING as opposed to the ridiculous hypocrisy of renouncing a legal status while enjoying the practical benefits and appearance of citizenship (again, living in the country, using its language and cultural norms, being part of the JLA, etc). If Superman simply SPOKE then he could do all the same actions, avoid all the flak, and keep his citizenship.
So if the sole problem is perception, should Superman be behaving on the basis of perception alone? OF COURSE NOT! Lex Luthor PERCEIVES him has a barrier to human progress. It is conceivable that a person gives up trying to achieve because the alien Superman exists and is prominent. Does that mean Superman should hang up the cape just because someone MIGHT think Superman sets an unachievable standard? Of course not. By the same token it's ridiculous to preemptively revoke your citizenship because the government MIGHT try to claim you as an agent or that a hostile force MIGHT perceive you as an agent (all the while Superman is supposed to stand mute and not defend the accusations?).
The applauders, in general, are espousing a bunch of views which aren't actually expressed by the story and- even if they were- would be fairly insulting if you take them to their logical conclusion which is that no American citizen- or citizen at all- can act and be held as objective and independent of their nationality... which is patently absurd. OF COURSE people of ANY nation can have disparate, dissenting, and independent thoughts and actions. The close minded people who think otherwise AREN'T the people you should be catering to. Moreover you retain freedom of speech to SAY what your positions are lest there be any confusion!
What is gained by LOSING citizenship? American citizenship is almost entirely a bundle of benefits (with few to no obligations). If you want to be multicultural, more global, etc. why not GAIN citizenship? Why not actively attempt to adopt MORE nations showing respect for their legal processes and domains? You can have dual or multiple citizenship. How is being from nowhere more global than being from everywhere?
At the end of the day, neither the story nor the applauders have thought this out, it's merely a result that they're pleased with so they're glossing over the gaps in the logic of the story and the motivations of the character. Here are 5 ways to get this result with a superior story:
- Have Superman renounce his citizenship THEN go to Tehran. By having all his grand actions occur UNDER citizenship it COMPLETELY UNDERMINES the point of renouncing citizenship. It shows Superman can do whatever he wants no matter what his citizenship status and the only consequence is wrongful perception which he COULD correct, but in the original stupid story he sees as so overwhelming that he needs to give up and into the misperception that citizen = agent.
- Have Superman actively seek ADDITIONAL citizenship. Rather than a NEGATION of American, why not AFFIRM globalism by embracing MORE countries. Since American citizenship is mostly a benefits package, renouncing it accomplishes nothing but slighting America for the benefit of idiots who think citizen MUST equal agency and no amount of speaking to the contrary will change their mind.
- Have Superman FIGHT the misperception. He doesn't like how the media are portraying him or how his actions are construed? GET ON A MIC and SAY what you THINK. That would give us a story where Superman espouses the POSITIVE virtues of global citizenship, unity, human rights, etc. With a wrong assumption in the air, have Superman shown as smart enough to perceive it, and diligent enough to FIGHT it, dismantling the absurdity of the citizen = agent myth.
- Have Superman ACT relevantly rather than naval gaze about perception. You want a global Superman? Just have a story where Superman intervenes into diverse nations and cultures, speaking through his actions, the wrongful interpretation of said actions be damned. Why is Superman absorbed with the WRONG interpretation of his actions when they have no basis in fact, are easily shut down by speaking, and didn't stop him from acting in the first place? Given that it's ACTION #900, why not simply have Superman ACT? The story undermines its own premise that Superman can't act given that he did (see 1).
- Have Clark or Lois lay the groundwork. This story is stupid because it revolves around a spontaneous incident which has NOTHING to do with citizenship. The point is entirely muddled. Is it about intervention or is it about citizenship, because the two aren't logically connected in the story. DECIDE what you want the story to be about and then do it RIGHT / legally. If it is about intervention, the tell a story of how Clark and/or Lois exhausted every legitimate avenue FIRST - which enables Superman to act globally OR is forced to intervene outside legitimate avenues. If it is about citizenship, then have Lois and/or Clark actually EXPLORE that... see what the obligations, benefits, perceptions, opinions, and realities of all of that is and follow that to its logical conclusion. If you want a story about BOTH then you need a situation where citizenship ACTUALLY LIMITS Superman's actions, the Tehran incident didn't stop Superman from acting AT ALL!
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