A political analysis on Superman in the wake of Superman Returns

Below is an article written by an individual called Dr. Haider Mahdi who believes that Superman is an American propaganda tool due to showing his preference and patriotism towards that country. He may be right since that is clearly shown in Christopher Reeve's Superman movies.

Even a pair of American critics of Superman Four mocked the scene of Superman showing his American patriotism when the alien himself is not American. I'm not advocating/opposing his opinions, but the article did receive critical responses in America and I was looking for it since 2006 and I just want to share it here.

Quoted bellow is the article:

It may be news to foreign policy Pundits in Islamabad as well as to the majority of readers that Superman, the highly coveted American film hero, is an expression and a creation of fascist minds rooted in a political culture that epitomizes power and the use of force.

This is so, as Superman alters the nature of reality and creates a reality of his own, which defies human understanding and logic. He also violates every rule of physics and all scientific principles known to humanity. The notion of Superman is based on the idea of a battle between "good vs. evil," from an exclusively American perspective, where the battle always demonstrates an external threat to American society and its people.

In the end, obviously, "good" prevails and America is saved. What could be more virtuous than that? Superman is naturally and invariably a white male, handsome, debonair, brave, moral, and kind, potent, exciting, loving, and capable of generating ecstasy at the touch of a finger. And of course, he is in love with a white female equally kind-hearted, devoted, beautiful, loving, noble, pious, pure, and honorable – and together the pair fights the "evil-doers" to ultimate victory for "good," and lives in love and peace thereafter.

Filmgoers, overwhelmed with the human emotions of goodness and a sense of envy (I wish I were like him) just like the foreign policy Pundits in Islamabad, applaud and go home happily, little realizing that they have all been fooled. The momentary experience of the film is not only an entertainment odyssey - it is in fact a well-planned and well-administered dose of indoctrination into the American ideology of "demon-hunting," "external threats," the use of force and the obsession with power.

No wonder then that at the height of Bush's neo-con-manufactured war on the so-called terrorism of Islamic militants, Superman is back with a "bang" in American movie theaters. "Superman Returns," which opens in the United States this week, is receiving knock-out reviews from critics and is winning over audiences as the latest crime-fighting, evil-smashing, and sincere "Man of Steel."

How else would America express its solidarity with the Bush Administration and its faith-oriented politics? Indeed, the concept of Superman can only be explained by unflinching faith - absolute faith that transcends ideas and is based on unshakable convictions and messianic notions that overwhelm the need for analysis. Superman is absolutely unreal, and yet he is admired for the deeds he performs. It all boils down to the promotion of Bush's fascist doctrine, both inside and outside America.

Superman is not the only entertainment available from American that promotes Bush's agenda of aggression against a self-perceived evil world, which is out to destroy America and its values.

A Los Angeles-based company, Pandemic Studios, has just developed a video game, "Mercenaries 2," which features mercenaries invading Venezuela to guarantee oil supplies for the United States.

The game graphically depicts Caracas being engulfed in flames after aerial bombardment, even depicting the logo of Venezuela's national oil company. Given Venezuela's desire to press for an independent foreign policy and a domestic agenda free of the heavy-handed treatment once meted out by the U.S., the development of "Mercenaries 2" is not accidental. It certainly shows the psychotic and fascist ideas that underlie the fundamentals of American thinking in the contemporary Bush era.

In a remarkable recent article, Professor Adel Safety, UNESCO Chair of Leadership and President of the School of Government at Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, concludes that ideologues of the Bush regime propound fascist ideas without claiming to be fascist.

Here, I will summarize Professor Safety's thesis:

Bush, himself, is driven by an absolute sense of "faith" which overrides rationality and analysis. In doing so, the American President believes that he is ordained to carry out divine will. Referring to the Iraq invasion, Bush told Bob Woodward, "Going into this period, I was praying for strength to do the Lord's will." Absolute religious extremism, isn't it?

Safety's article quotes a summer 2004 issue of Daedalus, in which professor of constitutional law, Sanford Levinson, writes, "… Carl Schmitt , the leading Nazi German philosopher, is the real source of inspiration of the Bush regime." Schmitt held the view that in politics, "the ultimate distinction is between friend and foe. And this comes before … any notion of justice and morality."

Safety's article quotes a summer 2004 issue of Daedalus, in which professor of constitutional law, Sanford Levinson, writes, "… Carl Schmitt the leading Nazi German philosopher, is the real source of inspiration of the Bush regime." Schmitt held the view that in politics, "the ultimate distinction is between friend and foe. And this comes before … any notion of justice and morality."

Hence, this helps us understand Bush's categorical declaration and demand for absolute submission by other nations to the American foreign policy agenda, for example when he said that nations are either with "us" or with "them," meaning if a nation is not with the U.S., then it is America's enemy. This also illustrates Bush's doctrine of the pre-emptive and unilateral use of force against any actual or perceived adversary. By any measure, this is a truly fascist position to hold in a system of competing nation-states when, at our present stage of human development, the emphasis should be on dialogue and collaborative decision-making.

The analysis offered by Professor Safety explains how Leo Strauss, Professor at the University of Chicago in the 1970s, had a "powerful influence over the thinking of the Bush regime." Strauss, a protégé of Carl Schmitt, has been described as the "Fascist godfather of the neocons."

Strauss's doctrine advocated a truly "Machiavellian approach to politics and foreign policy," completely devoid of morality and ethics. Strauss believed that "a stable political order required an external threat and that if such a threat doesn't exist, one should be manufactured." Safety further states that "Strauss has directly influenced some of the leading ideologues in the Bush administration:

Paul Wolfowitz, the architect of the Iraq War, and Abram Shulsky, the director of the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans, set up by Douglas Feith to produce its own evidence to bolster the case for war. Both Wolfowitz and Shulsky studied under Strauss at the University of Chicago in the 1970s." It is in this framework that a connection between the Bush Administration's thinking and its global foreign policy agenda can be made and explained.

It seems that pundits in Islamabad, the architects of Pakistan's foreign policy, pride themselves on conducting the country's foreign affairs on the basis of Realpolitik. But the issue inherent in Pakistan's contemporary domestic and foreign policy is that it is aligned with the fascist doctrine promoted by the U.S., which is hell-bent on carrying out an agenda aimed at global instability, war, and the promotion of conflict around the world. How can this be justified by Pakistan and its decision makers?

It is obvious that Pakistan is also out of sync in the way it conducts its domestic war against so-called terrorism, when the task is to achieve close human interaction and dialogue to resolve issues between several adversaries. How long will Pakistan continue in this wrong direction?

Indeed, the majority of people around the world, especially the Muslim world, harbir reasonable doubt as to the American version of how 9/11 happened. Similarly, Iraq was most definitely for the purpose of manufacturing enemies for the U.S.

The question that begs an immediate answer and change in course from Pakistan is: How much longer can Pakistan support America's line in the "war on terrorism," which was artificially manufactured by the United States?

It is also clear that a similar doctrine of manufacturing enemies is being followed in Islamabad's corridors power. But the more pressing matter is to find a strategy that will disengage Pakistan from the fraudulent, fascist-oriented ideology of the American regime. Pakistan can no longer afford killing its own people under the pretext of a war on terrorism.

It is also clear that a similar doctrine of manufacturing enemies is being followed in Islamabad's corridors power. But the more pressing matter is to find a strategy that will disengage Pakistan from the fraudulent, fascist-oriented ideology of the American regime. Pakistan can no longer afford killing its own people under the pretext of a war on terrorism.

Philosophers since ancient times have maintained that knowledge is power - and the power of knowledge can set us free. It would be instructive for Islamabad's pundits to heed this wisdom.

Critical post on Spiderman the movie

I watched the movie in 2002 on cinema and a few times on DVD at friends/families' houses. I liked the action sequences but overall I wasn't too crazy about it.

My main problem with the film is it's portrayal and the horrible audience that the makers seem to  target. Spiderman is a superhero and a superhero is supposed to serve as a role model for young people. Instead the character is a reckless high school teenager who craves for cars, women and uses his powers to beat up school bullies.

I recently bought it on DVD very cheap in order to sell it for a profit and was appalled by the use of homophobic language by no other than the "hero" himself during the fighting match scene. I'm not homosexual, nor do I advocate adoption rights to homosexuals, but it doesn't mean I don't respect their rights to be homosexual.

The wrestling stadium scenes and the "hero's" not-so-attractive childhood crush being amused by fancy, expensive cars is the ultimate symbol of greed and violence in North American culture.

Instead of being a mature university student finding his own way, Spiderman had to be a reckless teenager getting superpowers and beating up bullies. I'm not excusing bullying, but Peter Parker's response will certainly send the wrong message to teens wanting to be brave and heroic.

The "Green Goblin" wasn't even a goblin but a man in a suit resembling a goblin. Instead of creating a creature who was the last of it's kind and wanting to take revenge on humanity for it, they put a man in a fake suit.

Dr Osborne could have been transformed into Dr Doom as he was a mad scientist, but instead this is the movie makers version of a "Green Goblin."

The story also doesn't really focus much on the superhero Spiderman, but rather Peter Parker's crush on the unattractive Mary Jane and how heroic it is to die for her. Even the opening narration by Parker discusses his story on the woman who he liked instead of character development.

The movie is everything aimed at a North American audience who have a lust for such themes of violence, greed (ie. love for fancy cars etc.), prejudice towards those who are not like the majority.

Even the action sequences were mostly lame and propagated as such a heroic thing to risk your life for the girl you like. As mentioned I purchased the DVD from Amazon for a low price to sell it for a profit. I can't wait to get rid of it!

Google+ ruining blogspot

Now after ruining all the previous sites owned by Google, this new Google + is doing it's typical corporate takeover by ruining the simple, easy-to-use layout of blogspot and turning it into a cluttered mess.

YouTube was the last Google feature to be ruined by this. How long before "Google +" goes into a full rampage and ruins everything created/purchased by Google.

Terrible day for those who have used blogspot like me.

Good review of Superman Returns

 Good review of Superman Returns:

"Star Wars Revisited" rants

I was browsing a website about fan edited movie, better explained as movies edited by their fans which include/exclude scenes, special effects and dialogue between the characters. I have actually been planning for about two years on doing some fan edits on my own and posting them online but since it consumes time and hard drive space, I think it'll be a long time before I make any of them.

So on this website I entered a search for Star Wars to see what edits have been done. I've actually seen some great edits on YouTube of films including Revenge of the Sith though it was wrongly retitled as "Dark Force Rising."

That movie was included amongst many Star Wars edits listed there. But one that caught my interest was "Star Wars Revisited."
It was an edited version of Episode Four A New Hope, a first one in an upcoming re-edited trilogy of the original Star Wars movies.

I viewed the movie on YouTube and I think it was great. Usually with Star Wars and Superman films re-edited I drag through the scenes and feel like I'm watching the exact same thing again even though I'm not.

But with this edit I enjoyed every moment of, especially the final space battle scene. Overall I think i was a great edit and I'd give it four out of five points.

The thing that I disliked was what I'll probably see more of in the upcoming fan edited versions of episodes Five and Six and that is that they contain too much of George Lucas's lame edits.

In the case of A New Hope, too much of the CGI X-Wing fighters were visible. The worst shot was the close up 3D shot of the X-Wings in space after departing the Yavin moon. I don't need to specify what I mean. That itself was the worst shot in the movie I think.

It was just too obvious they are CGI animations and not real life spacecraft like in the original 1977 cut in which real life models are used. The use of models for X-Wing fighters and star destroyers where much more realistic than the lame CGI substitutes especially in episode four.

The other problem was that the edit also unnecessarily put the millennium falcon in light speed after escaping the death star. This made it unrealistic since the death star eventually floated to the Yavin system, ready to destroy the moon and the rebel base on it.

And the last and least most bearable problem was the voice-over of Luke's aunt Beru. That was unnecessary and even if it had to be done, it could have been done with a better tone and fluency. But other than those major significant flaws the edit was awesome.

Despite that I still wouldn't get it on DVD. According to the makers of these fan edits, you have to own an original copy of the film in order to own these DVDs. I would have acquired this and sold my original cut but the mentioned problems don't make it entirely enjoyable or realistic.

I've seen previews of The Empire Strikes Back and some of the coloring looks even worse than the current versions. This only increases my doubts that it will be the perfect fan cut that we all have been looking out for.

Unless you don't have a problem with any of the ridiculous flaws in these "Star Wars Revisits," don't get them on DVD.

No edit of your favorite movie can be perfect unless it's your own cut. While mentioning that, I can't think of a better version of Empire Strikes Back than the 1997 special edition.

If you really want your favorite edition, then like me you'll get on your feet and make your own that you like best. Of course you may need help in creating DVD chapters and a box cover art which you can customly order online, but you can always inquire on those, again online.

The Star Wars Revisits are great improvements but not recommendable substitutes to the current Star Wars movies unless they are made as realistic as possible and reduce the lame changes made by Mr Lucas which actually contribute to this reduction.

And since these edits are available online there is not need to trade in your current cuts until you can get the best edit for yourselves.