Usually I don't like to get political on my blog, but sometimes a story comes out that just really...well, really pisses me off.
Today, there was a story about the right-wing group One Million Mothers (OMM), who are now outraged about DC Comics' recent decision to have one of their more popular characters to come out of the closest -- Alan Scott, the original (or "Golden Age") Green Lantern. OMM is appealing to DC and Marvel to rethink the idea of having gay superheroes, because "children desire to be like superheroes" and the group claims that this is a way of "brainwashing" our youth.
That's right, kids. Brainwashing. Apparently brainwashing our kids to be hate mongers is far less offensive than brainwashing our kids to be tolerant.
So it's been several decades since the Comics Code and all. During the code, topics such as homosexuality (or sexuality, in general for that matter), alcohol and drug addiction, and gratuitous violence were off limits. And then, thanks to Stan Lee (or, as I like to call him, Grandpa Stan...as he has instructed never to call him), artists and writers decided to do the unthinkable...go against the code. And what happened? Comics became...relevant! More real. More thought-provoking. More relate-able to the current and upcoming generations.
Marvel has been ahead of the game far longer than DC in terms of political progression. First it was prominent African-American characters like Blade, Storm, and Nick Fury in the Marvel Ultimates universe. Then it was chronically flawed characters, like alcoholic Tony Stark. Then, in response to the 80's AIDS Crisis, Northstar became the first openly gay comic character, followed by the X-Man Colossus in 2005 as the next big prominent gay character. There is still a rumor that Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe is gay or bi-sexual, though nothing has been confirmed.
DC having the original Green Lantern come out of the closet so publicly is not that surprising. First, we have President Obama coming out and supporting gay marriage, then Joe Biden, and even Colin Powell. So, it's only natural that, since Marvel, who will inevitably be taking "The Dark Knight"'s sweet spot as the #3 all-time grossing film in the US, has already made its stance as pro-gay, DC would finally jump on the bandwagon now that it's popular and socially acceptable to do so.
The thing that pisses me off the most is these right-wing know-it-alls in the OMM think they can use their children as a way to get their point across. I understand the thought process to an extent. Threaten a boycott of something popular, and wait until the company caves in because off detrimental losses in profit.
This may have worked in, say, the 1940's.
The problem with today's youth, Christian or otherwise, is curious about the taboo. When something is deemed controversial and "fundamentally wrong", that's when kids under 16 will race out, give their right arm, left testicle and soul to get their hands on whatever material groups like OMM deem sinful. It doesn't matter what parents say. Even if you tell the kid it's bad, they won't care. You may not buy it for them, but that won't stop them from reading it at a friend's house. Coming from someone who was that age only about 15 years ago, trust me on this.
So. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, and pretty much anyone who chronically watches Fox News, let me make something clear. Straight, gay, black, white, brown, male, woman, whatever. People are people. Whether you agree with their opinions or not, they are all just people. And if kids what to read comics with extraordinary people of any sex, creed or race and that inspires them to be extraordinary in their lives because they can relate in one fashion or another to the character of said comics, what truly is the harm?
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