A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER - How the world would react if Superman really existed

We fear what we do not understand
We hate what is different
We destroy what we cannot control
           
                 - The nature of man

I was watching Henry Cavill in an interview this morning and he was promoting Man of Steel, he explained the premise of the movie with a what if. He said, what if we discovered that an alien was living among us for 33 years and we couldn't hurt it and it was more powerful than we were, how would we deal with it? How would it deal with us? Over the decades Superman has dealt with many foes and villains, some of them human but I haven't run across a story that was given a more contemporary spin where Kal-El had to deal only with humans. If Superman really existed, would the world really accept him? The one story to come closest that I know of was the 1987 film Superman: Quest For Peace, the suckiest of the Christopher Reeves franchise. QFP touched lightly on the hero directly involving himself in the affairs of man on a global scale by getting rid of all the nuclear missiles every country owned (in the lamest manner possible). But then it stops there and goes into the typical super hero vs super villain trope.

I thought about the scenario of how the world would actually react to a super powered being using both ancient and recent  history of how people have usually dealt with an exceptional person in their midst. By the way if you know of any comic book or graphic novel story that actually did a scenario like this please drop the info in the comments section, I'd love to check it out.

We're all familiar with the story of Superman, Krypton destroyed, last surviving child, crash lands on Earth, raised by John and Martha Kent, love affair with Lois Lane, fights for truth and justice. Kal-El was raised as Clark Kent and lucky for us the Kents instilled in him a strong sense of upright morality. But its that upright morality that would put him in direct conflict with his host planet in a real life scenario.

Throughout the decades of the comic its been depicted that Superman has a degree of conflict within himself about his place in world as well as who and what he is. It's the main reason why he built the Fortress of Solitude, the interior of which is a recreation of his home world, so that he can gain some idea of what his people were about and how he's suppose to conduct his life. And after obtaining that knowledge of self, coupled with the foundation of christian/judeo values via the Kents, I would imagine Kal-El coming back to society reinvigorated and excited to share his goodwill and news of justice and fair play.

If that sounds familiar to you its because we've heard this story before. If you believe the Bible it played out some 3000 years ago. A being not of this world was born to an upright family, grew up and after some time isolated away from people came back to tell and demonstrate to all who would listen about a better way of living.

Zack Snyder, David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan may be dipping a bit deeper in the religious parallels of the Superman and Jesus Christ more than any other film director whose tackled the story so far but its really interesting to me how that would play out if that being really existed (I'm talking about Superman). And I imagine it would end in a similar sad way.

Does Michael Jackson's "Manifesto" strongly hint to why his features changed so dramatically?

Well, mission accomplished we suppose, but the recently uncovered handwritten manifesto by the late King of Pop from 1979 reveals more than an overwhelming desire to become the greatest entertainer of all time, it also reveals a young man driven by a strong determination to be the best at what he does and become the King of Pop. MJ's meticulous attention to detail was renowned and his career was one of the most enduring of all time, and with this recently unearthed document we now know that Michael didn't just turn on his drive in the studio or on stage, but had planned his future way in advance and stuck to the plan.


The manifesto was found etched on the back of a tour itinerary in Michael's handwriting, and was tucked away in a secret warehouse full of Jackson's belongings that until recently had been completely forgotten about since Michael's untimely death in 2009.In his letter he writes; "MJ will be my new name. No more Michael Jackson. I want a whole new character, a whole new look. I should be a tottally [sic]different person. People should never think of me as the kid who sang "ABC," [or]"I Want You Back. I should be a new, incredible actor/singer/dancer that will shock the world," continuing, "I will do no interviews. I will be magic. I will be a perfectionist, a researcher, a trainer, a masterer [sic]. I will be better than every great actor roped into one."

The new finding may be the catalyst to what was a career like no other, and one that will likely not be emulated any time soon. Later in 1979 the singer released his first solo record, Off The Wall, to great critical and public appreciation and the rest, as they say is history.
source


Yeah, mission accomplished... like a BOSS!

MJ did the damn thing to death...literally. I want to say that Jackson accomplished more than he dreamed but its clear that he dreamed pretty big. I mean there's nothing else better than perfection. There's no other level higher than master. Michael Jackson wanted to do it bigger and better than anyone ever had before him and he did. But there was one part of those goals that jumped out at me.

He wrote: "MJ will be my new name. No more Michael Jackson. I want a whole new character, a whole new look. I should be a tottally [sic]different person. People should never think of me as the kid who sang "ABC," [or]"I Want You Back. I should be a new, incredible actor/singer/dancer that will shock the world,"

Something about that gives me the impression that he wasn't speaking figuratively.

Could Jay Z or Kanye West become the President of Hip Hop?

Air Force One is for sale. And I think Jay Z or  maybe Kanye West should buy it.

Okay, not the plane that carries President Obama from place to place but an older model is up for auction. Here's the ad for the auction from The General Services Administration:

As you can see its a vintage model that was in service through the six Presidents, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton & Bush 2, so it must have something like half a billion miles on it. But it is a historical item that is an indelible symbol of America.

Which got me to thinking about how simultaneously appropriate and annoying it would be for a rapper to own such an item. It would be appropriate because hip hop being a decedent of jazz, rock and blues is the most pure american music form. And it would be annoying for all those ultra patriotic, old Tea Party conservatives and Republicans who hate to see a successful Black rapper, who likes to flaunt his riches, take control of one of the most recognizable symbols of the country.