It all started, I suppose, when S-Boogie was a baby and I got in the habit of putting on Justice League DVDs while trying to get her to go back to sleep in the middle of the night. That planted the seed. Then when she was two, I dressed her for Halloween as Supergirl. This past year I've brainwashed her with the full canon of our scriptures, starting with the complete series of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited DVDs, then on to Teen Titans and Batman and most recently Superfriends. I have put the icing on the cake of indoctrination, as it were, by buying her her very own idol as a Christmas present:
I justify this blatant projection of my own values onto my daughter by reminding myself that just last week, while watching Superfriends, she said of her own free will, "Superman's my favorite." (I later asked, to clarify, whether she liked Superman or Supergirl better; she replied that she liked them both the same. I debated with myself as to whether Supergirl would provide a strong female role model or simply yet another example of a teenaged girl dressing like a skank in order to impress men. Ultimately the comic book shop decided for me by having only Superman figures.)Obviously her statement of preference is more proof that the brainwashing has already happened than justification for further acts of brainwashing. (Though, truth be told, I like Batman better myself.)
I'll be honest; I have no intention of stopping this rampant brainwashing of the innocents. I will likely continue to watch superhero cartoons with them, buy them superhero toys now and then, and encourage them to read superhero comics when they're older. I will, however, encourage them to explore other faiths as well. And most importantly, as they grow up I will support them in whatever choices they make, even if they decide they like Marvel Comics superheroes better than DC Comics superheroes or (Krypton forbid!) that they don't like superheroes at all.
So I guess I'm not all that sorry for this sin, Blogger. But at least I admit it is one.
7 comments:
When I was a kid, my dad told us that he was Superman.
Blasphemy!
My dad did actually kinda look like Clark Kent. So we figured maybe Kent's cover was blown, and he had to take on a new secret identity. As my dad.
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Speaking of, if they had made a "good" Superman movie in the Sixties, Gregory Peck really looked the part. I just noticed that.
I kinda want to see I Am Legend, but I never go see movies. Now I'm seriously considering changing my mind: ten minutes of the Dark Knight precede the movie. I'm terribly excited.
Will you be moved to Berkeley by the time that movie comes out?
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It's just occurred to me that one cannot simultaneoulsy believe in Superman and Santa Clause as they both live at the North Pole.
How do you think Santa gets all those presents delivered in a single night? Rudolph may be fast, but he doesn't have superspeed. Santa's roommate, on the other hand...
My favorite episode of Superfriends was when Chandler got stuck in the bathroom stall in his underwear because guest star Julia Roberts...
...Oh wait, I got mixed up, didn't I?
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