Discussion on:

The superhero down the street

I liked the watchman movie because the crime fighters donned masks to fight criminals who were wearing masks. The other interesting aspect of Watchmen is that there was no clear definition of who was a hero or a super villian. The Watchmen were a combination of hero and criminal.

Rorschach really fits into both categories, hero and criminal. I especially liked when Night Owl said in a matter of fact way, "Rorschach threw him down an elevator shaft" when Silk Spectre asked about a wannabe villain. Even the Watchmen knew that they sometimes walked the line.

It would definitely appear so. Since an entire nation is seriously obsessed with something any rational human being should grow out of at about the age of 5. And now this 'article'.... what is it with you people, why can't you understand that every society creates it's criminals, and in the case of the American government, it also finances most of its own criminals and quite a few abroad. Why can't you understand that so many criminals are, in fact, victims of society or of circumstance?

You wanna fight crime? Fight the government. Fight yourselves. Ram your head into the wall and home you get some sense into it this way.....

Weren't you the one under the bridge, messing with the 3 billy goats or something??

If you are thinking of just comic books; you may have a point although most 5 year olds are not sufficiently literate enough to read most comic books.

Every culture has heroes and many stories have been passed down through generations about heroic acts. It serves to inspire as well as to comfort people. Think of stories like Robin Hood, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor while standing up against a local tyrant.

We haven't lost the ability to dream and make our dreams real.

'nuff said

"...why can't you understand that every society creates it's criminals, ... Why can't you understand that so many criminals are, in fact, victims of society or of circumstance?"

I'll remember that the next time a Palestinian sets off a bomb in your country. He's just a victim of circumstance.

Whether someone located in israel is a zionist or not? And then, 20% of israelis are palestinians, or however the terms go, maybe they're called israeli arabs. Well, anyway, there's those too.

Ultimately, we're all victims of our discourse. The kind of rhetoric that zeroes in on empoverished minorities because of crime rates is often used against moslems in Europe, and that's one of the better examples of why not to go that way.

Poverty and crime do correllate, so poverty prevention/alleviation should be a part of crime prevention efforts.
And no, I'm not talking about that "Why the poor should be blasted into space - we have the technology, you know" idea from the Critic.

P.S. I don't know why Rhodent got ticked off so much by the Watchmen post though. Of course, it's creator has some serious democracy-issues. Frank Miller is another one I wouldn't want running anything at all.

I've got your 'should' right here.

Fantasy goes along way I have had a vision as a child that I will be known for what I did in history for the world when I die it is slowly coming true and if I did not have that vision it would never happen it gives me something to live for some people call it a fantasy.

You're from Israel and talk about rationality in regards to humans? I almost drowned in my coffee laughing so hard. Humans are rarely rational to each other. And there's nothing intrinsically wrong with viewing the world through the eyes of a 5 year old. One of the reasons Jesus of Nazareth urged us to be more like children is an innocence that doesn't make excuses to justify all our misdeeds.

I already know I have a nearly infinite capacity to do evil. I'm currently content to keep myself from doing so. But if I could channel the wolf to serve humanity ...

I understand that you come from an area where tolerance is not exactly an option but we have the freedom to respect other people's views. If you don't like the article.... don't read it.

Sometimes I think we take things too seriously. What is wrong with wanting to be a hero? Most of us would like the opportunity to save someone and to right a wrong. It doesn't take a special mentality, just a caring one.

For me, it was the elderly gentleman who stood up to a bunch of punks who wanted to kick my ass when I was five waiting for the bus.

Seems like NY had the Guardians, they had a costume. Could be there are other groups that may patrol neighborhoods to make them safe.

They could be superheros. Just the news would make fun of them if they were in a masked tight costume! Just like the spiderman that climbs buildings, of course he is arrested at the top of the building.