I tried using a greenscreen in my last video post and got rumbled very quickly. Ha! But undeterred, I thought I’d have a stab at another video post today, with a lot of help from the Fleischer studios.
Nice job on the video. I like video posts, and that quote from the post office has always been a favorite of mine. I have a couple of ideas to add to yours.
1. The superhero is by his nature someone different from others, an individual but also in some way an outcast. The very high levels of immigration in the US ensure that there are plenty of people who feel out of step with the core culture at any time. I heard a story on the radio which I can’t find now about the creators of superman, who were kids of Jewish Eastern European immigrants as I recall. The interviewee speculated that the idea of needing to hide your true identity behind a bland persona, of being in some fundamental way disconnected from your parents, and of having this one fatal weakness all sprung from the superman creators’ experiences as children of immigrants trying to fit in.
2. I hesitate to say this because it’s hard to put to words without sounding condescending, but to me there is a sort of childishness in American adults today that I don’t think you find in other cultures. Maybe it is just a desire to resist aging. But cartoons, sweets, superheroes, teen fiction & TV shows, and other trappings of childhood that it seems to me most people grow out of elsewhere or hide as a sort of guilty secret, remain quite popular amongst American adults, perhaps not the over 60 set, but still, mainstream. There are lots of Americans of course who don’t fit that mold, so this is a generalization, but I think may still be relevant to explain in part why new superhero-oriented movies do so well in the US.
Funny you should mention this because I’ve encountered different attitudes to snow removal on the two sides of the pond. Folks seem more likely to be responsible for shovelling snow out of the way themselves here. We’re responsible for clearing the sidewalk in front of our house in Philly, for example, and if someone slips and falls we could be legally liable – that could be very expensive. (I have a a story related to that for another day)
I think more folks can expect the local council to clear the pavements in the UK. In the heavy snowfalls last winter, if I remember rightly, there was a bit of a kerfuffle where a council somewhere was actually chastising residents for clearing it.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Karenne Sylvester, joaquín cabrera. joaquín cabrera said: RT @kalinagoenglish: via @vickihollett American superheroes #beltfree […]
Now re the desire to resist aging, there’s a good quote on that in a book called Brit-think, Ameri-think by Jane Walmsley in which she maintains:
“The single most important thing to know about Americans – the attitude which truly distinguishes them from the British, and explains much superficially odd behavior – is that Americans think that death is optional. They may not admit it, and will probably laugh if it’s suggested; but it’s a state of mind – a kind of national leitmotiv if you like – that colors everything they do. There is a nagging suspicion that you can delay death (or who knows? avoid it altogether) if you really try.”
Nice to meet you Trent and thank you so much for chipping in! I vaguely remember receiving a similar warning about the post when I lived in the Philly burbs.
But you’re from our Indiana? Wow! Hope the weather is being kind to you there. (It’s getting chilly in Philly!)
Nice job on the video. I like video posts, and that quote from the post office has always been a favorite of mine. I have a couple of ideas to add to yours.
1. The superhero is by his nature someone different from others, an individual but also in some way an outcast. The very high levels of immigration in the US ensure that there are plenty of people who feel out of step with the core culture at any time. I heard a story on the radio which I can’t find now about the creators of superman, who were kids of Jewish Eastern European immigrants as I recall. The interviewee speculated that the idea of needing to hide your true identity behind a bland persona, of being in some fundamental way disconnected from your parents, and of having this one fatal weakness all sprung from the superman creators’ experiences as children of immigrants trying to fit in.
2. I hesitate to say this because it’s hard to put to words without sounding condescending, but to me there is a sort of childishness in American adults today that I don’t think you find in other cultures. Maybe it is just a desire to resist aging. But cartoons, sweets, superheroes, teen fiction & TV shows, and other trappings of childhood that it seems to me most people grow out of elsewhere or hide as a sort of guilty secret, remain quite popular amongst American adults, perhaps not the over 60 set, but still, mainstream. There are lots of Americans of course who don’t fit that mold, so this is a generalization, but I think may still be relevant to explain in part why new superhero-oriented movies do so well in the US.
Interestingly, I’ve been informed that failing to shovel a path through the snow to my mail slot may cause the mail to go undelivered.
Why yes, Trent. Where are you based?
Funny you should mention this because I’ve encountered different attitudes to snow removal on the two sides of the pond. Folks seem more likely to be responsible for shovelling snow out of the way themselves here. We’re responsible for clearing the sidewalk in front of our house in Philly, for example, and if someone slips and falls we could be legally liable – that could be very expensive. (I have a a story related to that for another day)
I think more folks can expect the local council to clear the pavements in the UK. In the heavy snowfalls last winter, if I remember rightly, there was a bit of a kerfuffle where a council somewhere was actually chastising residents for clearing it.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Karenne Sylvester, joaquín cabrera. joaquín cabrera said: RT @kalinagoenglish: via @vickihollett American superheroes #beltfree […]
Oh I love your ideas, Kate! Why yes, now you’ve pointed it out, the Clark Kent biography clearly has strong parallels with the tales of American immigrants. And the Jewish link was very interesting too. I associated the Hollywood studios with Jewish immigrants, but not comic books. Thanks to you, I’ve just been reading and learning more here: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/2/Literature/Jewish_American_Literature/Into_the_Literary_Mainstream/Comic_Books.shtml
Now re the desire to resist aging, there’s a good quote on that in a book called Brit-think, Ameri-think by Jane Walmsley in which she maintains:
“The single most important thing to know about Americans – the attitude which truly distinguishes them from the British, and explains much superficially odd behavior – is that Americans think that death is optional. They may not admit it, and will probably laugh if it’s suggested; but it’s a state of mind – a kind of national leitmotiv if you like – that colors everything they do. There is a nagging suspicion that you can delay death (or who knows? avoid it altogether) if you really try.”
Sorry about that. I’m based in the US. Indiana, to be precise.
Nice to meet you Trent and thank you so much for chipping in! I vaguely remember receiving a similar warning about the post when I lived in the Philly burbs.
But you’re from our Indiana? Wow! Hope the weather is being kind to you there. (It’s getting chilly in Philly!)
Yeah, it’s currently 7.5F outside. But I’m not complaining just yet. Gotta save that for February. 🙂
[…] American superheroes | Learning to speak 'merican […]
There’s a fantastic interview with Stan Lee (Marvel Comics) over at my new favourite website: http://www.webofstories.com/play/16776?o=MS