Maybe because I really didn't do super heroes as a child. I vaguely remember Superman on television and remember him better when he was played by Christopher Reeves. Adam West as Batman I watched in reruns on the not network local television station, back in the day, Channel 2. I have vague recollections of the Green Hornet when Bruce Lee was Kato. Then there was Wonder Woman with Lynda Carter and the Bionic Man with Lee Majors and the Bionic Woman with Lindsey Wagner.
I can honestly say, I don't really remember a single episode. I remember some of the characters and that's about all.
Today, superheroes are big, really big business.
I just finished watching a two and a half hour or so invasion of Earth 1 by aliens. Supergirl, The Flash, the Green Arrow and all their associates banded together to fight off a group of aliens who were set to exterminate a special group of humans with special powers because these aliens were convinced they would be the scourge of Earth and of their home world. A preemptive strike as it were.
I love the concept of superheroes. I love the idea of individuals and small groups of people saving others from themselves or from being in harm's way. I like the idea that they apprehend the bad guy and see that the police "catch" them, and that the criminal element, as strong and ferocious as they might be, are held accountable for their deeds. I love the idea that they are strong, seemingly invincible and they care for the average man or woman on the street.
These comic book heroes being brought to life in film and television fuel the idea of justice, in a world where it seems justice is unbalanced and the punishment does not fit the crime. During the summer, various cities have comic conventions (Comic-Cons) where ordinary people get a chance to meet the ordinary actors that portray these extraordinary heroes.
But I sort of hate these guys too.
This all makes for an interesting, if not aggravating story line. Why is it that these heroes, so bent on making things right, make the same mistakes over and over. Why is it they don't learn? Why do they heap piles of guilt and condemnation on themselves, vomit out apologies and then turn around and make the same decision all over again?
I blame the writers, of course. They've become good at helping our heroes grow externally, but internally, they are stuck in the same place. The Green Arrow refuses to let anyone know the full story until it suits him. The Flash and his team are adept at keeping secrets from one another, even though they are all bffs. Parents tell their kids, no you can't do that because you aren't ready, but then don't help them get ready. Trust and forgiveness are huge issues that our superheroes don't know how to resolve.
So, the superheroes are stuck in an immature emotional vacuum, which is really too bad for us as their fans. This venue is so huge in teaching young people about right and wrong, justice and injustice, how to handle crisis when they come our way, and loads of other great things.
I've watched Oliver Queen develop into a hero whose actions I can respect as the Green Arrow when it comes to taking down the criminal underworld. What I can't accept is the fact that he chooses to keep his team in the dark and only reveal the tiniest bits they need to know, or be forced into telling them that information.
I've watched guilt eat away at Oliver and Barry because of what they know and what they did and how they kept it a secret and how that secret came back to bite them in the behind. I've watched as members of their own teams heap guilt on their leaders for the same things they've done.
So, I have a love/hate relationship with superheroes. I'll keep watching them because they remind me to be just and fair in my life when I deal with others. Hopefully, I won't make the same mistakes their partners do, especially in the realms of forgiveness. God knows I've made enough of my own mistakes. I'd like to think I'm not repeating them over and over and I sure as heck would like to think that I don't blame anyone else for doing or reacting exactly as I may have once upon a time.
Let's hope all the young people watching these shows, heck, everyone watching these shows, take away the bigger themes. People need hope, love, forgiveness. People need to judge others by the same stick they judge themselves and to be liberal in remembering the same "crimes" they may have committed in their past.
I'm reminded of a story in the Bible. A lot of people were going to condemn a woman to die, until they were challenged to remember their own "fatal" flaws. Jesus told the people, "He who is without sin cast the first stone."
That should be something the writers of our superhero stories remember. Our heroes need to grow and remember their life lessons, the ones that change them on the inside, not just the outside.