(Observer Network News)
Since 1938, when the American comic book company DC (Detective Comics) launched the superman image in comic magazines, this "superhero" has swept the world, and the character's slogan has changed many times with the times.
On the 16th, DC officially released a statement on its official website announcing that it would change Superman's slogan from the old "truth, justice and in the American way" to "truth, justice and a better tomorrow".
This change has sparked a heated discussion on the Internet. Some people say that Superman is part of American culture, and DC can't suddenly separate the two, and Superman is good because he was "raised by Americans with good values." A female host at Fox directly called those who changed their names "conscious" to "hate America."
But others argue that Superman was originally from space and had a mission to save the world, not an American hero, that changing the slogan was justified, and that the American way in the old slogan "always represents imperialism like hell."
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Founded in 1934, DC Comics is an American comic book giant. In June 1938, the company published The Story of Superman in the inaugural issue of Action Comics. This "superhero" has become popular all over the world since its release, and has an exclusive publication "Superman" independent of "Action Comics".
As times have changed, Superman's slogan has changed several times over the decades.
According to the American entertainment magazine "Variety" reported on the 16th, these slogans involve the words "truth" and "justice". However, in a Superman-themed radio drama in the 1940s, the phrase "truth, justice and the American way" first appeared and reappeared in the TV series "The Adventures of Superman" that aired in the 1950s.
Image source: DC official website
In the 1960s, in the children's cartoon Superman's New Adventure, Superman's slogan was changed to "Truth, Justice and Freedom".
In 1978, the phrase "truth, justice, and the American way" re-emerged in Christopher Reeve's Superman: Man of Steel, establishing its superhuman status.
But Variety said the phrase "in the American way" has since become unpopular and faded into some subsequent adaptations. For example, in the 1993 TV version of Superman's Lois & Clark, Superman's lines only mention "truth and justice"; in the 2006 film "Superman Returns", a major character asks him if he is still fighting for "truth, justice and these things" during a dialogue with Superman.
However, there are also some Americans who are obsessed with the old line.
On July 8, 2018, the Chicago Tribune published an article titled Superman's old line "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," in which it said that Superman and Captain America defended American self-confidence in an era of international uncertainty, an idealized concept of American character, and a concept that was later closely intertwined with U.S. foreign policy. As America's international popularity declines, "maybe we should go back to comic books and find inspiration in Superman and Captain America's early adventures."
Image source: Chicago Tribune
The authors also said that the early stories of Superman and Captain America reinforced America's image in readers' minds as the righteous and noble head of nations, saying that "in a world that is once again hungry for moral leaders, this is the image we must strive to awaken." ”
However, DC did not stop modifying Superman's slogan. Eight months ago, DC changed Superman's slogan again to "Truth, Tolerance and Justice" in an issue of the comics.
On the 16th, Jim Lee, DC's chief creative officer and publisher, announced at a fan event that Superman's slogan would be changed from the previous "truth, justice and in the American way" to "truth, justice and a better tomorrow."
Image source: American Entertainment Magazine Variety
On the same day, DC also released a statement on its official website, saying that this new slogan can better reflect the global plot told by DC and commemorate Superman's contributions to "building a better world" for more than 80 years. "Superman has always been a symbol of hope, he inspires people around the world, and this optimism and hope give him the motivation to move forward with a new motto."
The statement said the new motto will be used in superhuman-themed works, including comics, movies, games and other media.
This change has caused a lot of netizens to discuss on Twitter.
There are opposition ↓
"Superman is part of American culture and ideals, a role model for Americans, and a representative of American values. You can't suddenly separate Superman from the United States and expect people to embrace it. ”
"Cheng, who's going to explain to me how 'in the American way' has become a bad word?"
"Superman is a great guy just because he was raised by Americans with good values... He is being taken! United States! Way! Raised! Have you ever seen what you wrote? What's going on here? ”
There is a favorable ↓
"It's fine, I don't see any problems. For me, at least, this change fits his personality. Superman exists not just for America, he's the hero of the entire planet. The old slogan may be more in line with Homelander (a blackened version of Superman in the American drama "Black Pickets"). ”
"'In the American way' itself doesn't make sense to Superman, because this dude came from space and saved the world, and it makes no sense to define him as an American hero, and to be honest, America's core values run counter to his ideals."
“...... He was raised in the United States, but he was not from the United States (or even earth), and he did not only save and protect Americans... Some people will say that the American way is to metaphorically better tomorrow, but this statement does not apply to everyone. ”
"This change is definitely better. The American way has always represented hellish imperialism, and there is no reason not to support this new slogan, it is much stronger than before. ”
In another tweet, two comments were directly "right" because of the news:
"Without America, there would be no tomorrow."
"I'm pretty sure the earth would go around without America."
As the controversy intensified, this "change" also fermented to a larger news platform. Host Laura Ingraham said in Fox News' "The Big Sunday Show" that she didn't know what was wrong with the phrase "in the American way" and that she thought these "conscious" people just hated the United States.
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