In a 1978 interview, Superman director Richard Donner (1930-2021) explained how he came to appreciate the "conservative attitude of what Superman stands for."
Great article, as usual. But I do have a slight disagreement with you. The idea of individualism is not part of Superman's character or even the founding character of the United States. If Superman was purely behind individualism, he would have used his powers for his own profit. Obviously, he didn't. The same is true of the Founding Fathers. They certainly could have paid the taxes the Crown was levying on them and the American people. Instead, they risked it all (literally) to defend the rights of others.
Pure rugged individualism (libertarianism, if you will) is not part of the character of the United States. In fact, over the last 75+ years, our country has lost its way. True liberty is not license to do whatever we want. As St. John Paul II says, God has given us free will to do what we ought to do. That is the true legacy of America and hopefully, we can return to that ideal soon.
I think you misunderstand individualism. Many people seem to associate it with selfishness, and I understand the confusion on this point, since individualists do celebrate selfishness (i.e. objectivists). But this isn't what individualism is actually about. I think this article is a great primer on what individualism is really about. https://fee.org/resources/individualism-a-deeply-american-philosophy/
Great article, as usual. But I do have a slight disagreement with you. The idea of individualism is not part of Superman's character or even the founding character of the United States. If Superman was purely behind individualism, he would have used his powers for his own profit. Obviously, he didn't. The same is true of the Founding Fathers. They certainly could have paid the taxes the Crown was levying on them and the American people. Instead, they risked it all (literally) to defend the rights of others.
Pure rugged individualism (libertarianism, if you will) is not part of the character of the United States. In fact, over the last 75+ years, our country has lost its way. True liberty is not license to do whatever we want. As St. John Paul II says, God has given us free will to do what we ought to do. That is the true legacy of America and hopefully, we can return to that ideal soon.
I think you misunderstand individualism. Many people seem to associate it with selfishness, and I understand the confusion on this point, since individualists do celebrate selfishness (i.e. objectivists). But this isn't what individualism is actually about. I think this article is a great primer on what individualism is really about. https://fee.org/resources/individualism-a-deeply-american-philosophy/
Certainly possible that I misunderstand the idea of individualism. I'll definitely check out the article. Thanks, Jon!