Sandra Lorena Rios Montoya
ENG 101
Proff: Kimberly Thatcher

Superman: The Perfect Representation of an American

Superman's gender and race deeply influenced his status as an American mythological hero. As Gary Engle, author of What Makes Superman So Darned American? says, "It makes him an exemplar in the American dream." (740) The fact that superman was a male doted with powers makes him an exceptional character for Americans. On the other hand, Superman as a Caucasian determined his presentation of self, which suggested to define who the "real" American is, and what "correct" American values, mores, and political beliefs are. (Omi 567) Superman had to be a powerful "white" male in order to represent the American society, a society full of gender inequalities and racism movements.

I like when Engle says, "Even in the comics.there simply was no image that presented a blending of identities in the assimilation process in a way that stressed pride, self-confidence, integrity, and psychological well-being. None, that is, until superman." (744) That is totally true. Even though superman was a person who also migrated from other place (the same as many other immigrants weather Latin or black whom have also came to the U.S. from other places) he was a very secure, self-confidence man. Superman was in the process of cultural assimilation; however, the people who invented superman tried to reflect his assimilation process through Clark Kent. But who was Clark Kent for real? Clark Kent just was the reinvented or faked other identity of the real superman. Thus, it made superman a special immigrant who didn't see himself affected by this process of cultural assimilation. The reason why superman is so different to those other immigrants representing the minority in the U.S. is because superman is Caucasian or better saying "white".

Engle makes a good point when he says, "he is the male, heroic match for the statue of liberty."(745) There is a cultural superiority of males in the U.S. The patriarchal gender schema currently in use in mainstream North American society reserves highly valued attributes for males. (Devor 485) This patriarchal gender schema has made us believe that only men have the right to be powerful and independent while women have the right to remain submissive and dependent of men. This male dominance of power is heavily reflected in superman's maleness. If superman hadn't been a man but a woman, he wouldn't have happened to be a super hero because he just wouldn't have looked as strong and powerful as he did; otherwise, he would have looked weak and defenseless and wouldn't have captured the attention of all Americans.

In conclusion, Superman had to be a man in order to represent the American's society dominance of men over women; furthermore, he had to be white so that he could be adopted as an American and accepted in the American society; a society, as I said before, full of racism movements and gender inequalities since its beginnings.

Sandra Lorena Rios Montoya
ENG 101
Proff: Kimberly Thatcher

A Race Manner

In the U.S everyone tends to stereotype people according to their race or cultural background. Michael Omi in "In Living Color: Race and American Culture" is right in saying (with a quotation by Stuart Hall) that inferential racism is "more widespread, common, and indeed insidious since 'it is largely invisible' even to those who formulate the world in its terms" I think that it is true; however, we wouldn't be so use to the practice of this inferential racism without the existence of overt racism. Although less widespread, overt racism is even harmful because it is the direct and explicit way of expressing racism.

We can experience overt racism every time we look through a magazine or watch a TV program. It is because the main vendors of overt racism are the media. As Omi says, "Our 'common sense' assumptions about race and racial minorities in the United States are both generated and reflected in the stereotypes presented by the visual media." For example, every time you see a Hollywood movie, you can see how people from different cultural backgrounds have been stereotyped; for example, the Asian is the typical "dumb" Kun fu hero, the Afro-American is the classical "clown", the Latino is classified as the criminal, and so.

Other kinds of overt racism can also been seen in some American comedy skits, where they tend to show the quality of life of the different people from the different cultural backgrounds in a derogatory manner. Omi is right in saying "the necessity to define characters in the briefest and most condensed manner has led to the perpetuation of racial caricatures." It has had an effect over people, and that effect is that we perpetuate those stereotypes from the media back to the culture. We start to believe in what we see. However, what the media don't show, and what the reality is, is that not all people from a certain ethnic group act or are the same. There are also differences within the people from the different cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately, it will take a long time before we can change those stereotypes created by the media.

Inferential racism, in the other hand, can also not be offensive depending on who is applying it. As Omi says, "Jokes about blacks where the teller and audience are black constitute a form of self-awareness.the meaning of these same jokes, however, is dramatically transformed when told across the 'color line'" For example, if a black calls another black "come here nigger" he may not feel offended because he may be his black friend; however, if a person from other cultural background calls a black the same way, this may feel offended. Another example of inferential racism can be seen when some people say "I've heard that most Colombians are drug dealers so it must be true" but they still don't question in finding out weather it is true or not; they just don't care.

In conclusion, as Omi says, "Concepts of race and racial images are both overt and implicit within popular culture" I strongly believe that both inferential and overt racism are harmful and affect in the way people think and act; especially in the moment that they have to interact with the people from the different cultural backgrounds.