Superman on the stand
What if it fell to you, the defense attorney of Lex Luthor, to cross-examine Superman as witness in your client’s criminal case? Aside from proving Kal-El’s blatant violations of Luthor’s Miranda and Due Process rights, you must establish that the Caped One’s testimony is inadmissible in a court of law. One great strategy would be to present to the jury a logical proof that completely discredits the Man of Steel. The title of your presentation would be, “Superman: Liar or Schizophrenic.”
From the moment Superman flew into Metropolis he passed himself off as one who represents “Truth, Justice, and the American way.” The inconsistency here rests on the “Truth.” According to Superman in his first motion picture, he “never lies” under any circumstances. He maintains it as an absolute, uncompromised fact that he does not intentionally conceal what he perceives to be reality. Yet verifiable facts do not support Superman’s position.
Recall in Superman II, when Lois Lane was firmly convinced that Clark was in fact Superman. She asked him, point blank, “Are you Superman?” To this Clark responded, “No, no, of course I’m not Superman. Don’t be ridiculous, Lois.” To test her belief, Lois flung herself into Niagara Falls, expecting Clark to don his cape and rescue her. Lois survived this brash act, but just barely.
The point of this incident is clear—Clark Kent is quite willing and able to lie even when it puts his supposed loved ones in danger. Every moment he dons his non-prescription glasses is a lie. The woman he loves, Lois, is constantly being misled as to his identity. Who knows how far this ruse goes, to what lengths Clark/Superman is willing to go to fulfill his own needs at our detriment. Unless Superman regards himself as a completely separate entity from Clark Kent, and is in fact psychologically independent from Kent, Superman must be considered a liar, pure and simple.
Which brings us to the next point. If Superman is in fact telling the truth, that in a real sense he believes he is not Clark Kent, he must be battling a multiple personality disorder. In layman’s terms, he is bonkers. Consider how dangerous a proposition this is. Someone who is strong enough to crush Earth into bits, who, indeed, is fast enough to reverse the spin of the planet and send us back in time, is crazy. What’s worse, he routinely zips this way and that, acting as judge and jury for criminals everywhere. Superman reads no rights, does no surveillance, and seems to have little regard for law. How is Lex Luthor any worse from this madman?
In passing, it should be noted that concealing his identity from the public is not the only sneaky thing Superman (an extraterrestrial) has done. It is common knowledge that Superman adversely possessed a 25 square mile stretch of land just south of the North Pole, depriving Denmark of an estimated 3 billion dollars of potential revenue. All of that just to erect a pretentious piece of modernist architecture (The Fortress of Solitude). Someone this petty and crazy should not be granted authority to go above the law. Your freedom or your home could be next.
From the moment Superman flew into Metropolis he passed himself off as one who represents “Truth, Justice, and the American way.” The inconsistency here rests on the “Truth.” According to Superman in his first motion picture, he “never lies” under any circumstances. He maintains it as an absolute, uncompromised fact that he does not intentionally conceal what he perceives to be reality. Yet verifiable facts do not support Superman’s position.
Recall in Superman II, when Lois Lane was firmly convinced that Clark was in fact Superman. She asked him, point blank, “Are you Superman?” To this Clark responded, “No, no, of course I’m not Superman. Don’t be ridiculous, Lois.” To test her belief, Lois flung herself into Niagara Falls, expecting Clark to don his cape and rescue her. Lois survived this brash act, but just barely.
The point of this incident is clear—Clark Kent is quite willing and able to lie even when it puts his supposed loved ones in danger. Every moment he dons his non-prescription glasses is a lie. The woman he loves, Lois, is constantly being misled as to his identity. Who knows how far this ruse goes, to what lengths Clark/Superman is willing to go to fulfill his own needs at our detriment. Unless Superman regards himself as a completely separate entity from Clark Kent, and is in fact psychologically independent from Kent, Superman must be considered a liar, pure and simple.
Which brings us to the next point. If Superman is in fact telling the truth, that in a real sense he believes he is not Clark Kent, he must be battling a multiple personality disorder. In layman’s terms, he is bonkers. Consider how dangerous a proposition this is. Someone who is strong enough to crush Earth into bits, who, indeed, is fast enough to reverse the spin of the planet and send us back in time, is crazy. What’s worse, he routinely zips this way and that, acting as judge and jury for criminals everywhere. Superman reads no rights, does no surveillance, and seems to have little regard for law. How is Lex Luthor any worse from this madman?
In passing, it should be noted that concealing his identity from the public is not the only sneaky thing Superman (an extraterrestrial) has done. It is common knowledge that Superman adversely possessed a 25 square mile stretch of land just south of the North Pole, depriving Denmark of an estimated 3 billion dollars of potential revenue. All of that just to erect a pretentious piece of modernist architecture (The Fortress of Solitude). Someone this petty and crazy should not be granted authority to go above the law. Your freedom or your home could be next.
posted by Brian Lee Ellison @ 5:47 PM
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