On superheroes, spokespeople and empathy
Suzy Hansen and Sheelah Kolhatkar at The New York Observer are a little mystified at how movies like Team America and The Incredibles have connected with American audiences — and that shock — these movies almost espouse conservative values! Like the fight between good and evil! Or between the State and the Individual! For example!
The movie is about a family of superheroes forced by the government to go into a superhero-relocation program, suppress their awesome powers and hide out in the beaten-down, charmless miseries of suburbia—among tract homes, leftovers, cubicles, commutes, and dreary elementary-school commencement ceremonies in which every kid is celebrated for being "special."They're miffed! "The right wing has even wit and creativity on its side these days," so they grumble. And what's worse — the left has no voice to counter this growing cultural force.Eventually, of course, the superheroes—up against it in a dangerous world—release their superpowers, break free of Anytown, U.S.A., and explode with enough personal initiative to make The Fountainhead look like a bedtime story....
The message of The Incredibles—reported everywhere!—was that the chosen few should have the right to exercise their powers over a wide, bland majority of fans and mediocrity-worshippers, and save the world from a bitter, deadly evil.
The authors bemoan the fact that the left has no one capable of speaking sincerely and capably for the cause. And in spite of the glut of actors ready and willing to speak up for the left — they just don't count. No one believes them or trusts them. Team America rightly skewered them. The right has cornered the market on its ability to connect with the everyday "little guy". And, sadly, the left has no "superheroes" of its own to do the same.
And in what would have been an interesting enough article that could have stopped right there, the authors wrap up their piece by seeking the opinion of one of the worst possible spokespeople the left has at its disposal: Ted Rall.
What kind of heroic, larger-than-life figure could occupy that Hollywood void? ...Yes, Ted. That's exactly the problem. The RIGHT — unlike you — is the side that needs empathy."I would be in favor of Empathy Man," said Mr. Rall. "The man who plants the seeds of empathy into the cold, stony heart of the average red-state American."
Here's Ted Rall mocking the widows who lost their husbands in the attack at the World Trade Center.
Here's Ted Rall mocking Pat Tillman, a man who gave up a contract paying him over $3 million a year to play pro football because he thought he could make a difference in the fight against the Islamic extremists who attacked us.
And here's Ted Rall mocking the 60,000,000 people who voted for Bush by comparing them to the mentally and physically handicapped.
Ted Rall, please do us a favor. When it comes to expressing your opinion on how others need empathy,
Posted by Matt at November 14, 2004 2:10 PM
