Superman

Seeing the ads for Man of Steel carries me back to my boyhood. I can remember seeing the weekly episodes of Superman in black and white on our family TV which was the size of an upright Amana freezer with a 10 inch screen. I would sit on the edge of my chair and watch the trailer that would announce: “ Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. Look up in the sky, it’s Superman.” Clark Kent would rip off his glasses and duck into a phone booth and next you would see him taking off into the sky to rescue some poor wretch in distress.

My little five year old grandson, Benjamin, suffers from multiple personalities. I will see him on a particular day and I will greet him with a hello, Benjamin. He will respond with “ I am not Benjamin.” Well who are you? “I am Green Lantern.” On another occasion it’s hello Green Lantern. “ I am not Green Lantern, I’m Batman.” Lately he has been assuming the personality of Mario, from his addiction to Super Mario Brothers. Never do I hear him say “I am Superman.” I remember being his age and tying my Mother’s dish towel around my neck and climbing up a tree and leaping out on my younger brother when he passed underneath. Fortunately I did not hang myself nor harm my younger brother. I would always explain my intentions as trying to save him from harm or evil. He would respond that he did not want to be saved.

In my opinion, Superman has sort of gone out of style. Not enough people believe in him any longer. I would guess that it has to do with his fake identity of Clark Kent. Now, I was a dumb little seven year old kid back in his heyday but even I could determine that Superman looked just like Clark Kent without glasses. That gullible Lois Lane was in love with Superman, but she did not have the time of day for poor, hardworking Clark Kent. You talk about issues she had to have had some. Today she could be cited for some sort of political correctness impropriety. Lack of respect for sight impaired people or some such.

I keep trying to talk Benjamin into assuming the identity of Tim Tebow. This would make his father, Galen, deliriously happy. Benjamin always asks the same question when I suggest that he be Tim Tebow. He always asks, “ Who is Tim Tebow?” I can see the look of derision in his father’s eye when he makes that statement. Galen is one of Tebow’s most ardent and  fanatical supporters.

I think that Tim Tebow has the same problem that Superman does. You take him out of a Bronco uniform and put him in a Jets uniform. He still looks the same. You take him out of the Jets uniform and pour him into a Patriot’s uniform he still looks the same.

Maybe if the makers of the Man of Steel can cause there to be a resurgence in the popularity of Superman then Tebow’s agent should look into producing a movie about him. Man of Jump Pass.

Being a super hero is a treacherous business. You just cannot take your fan base for granted. One day you are cruising and the next day you are a crumpled, shell of a man wearing Kryptonite underwear.

Perhaps if Tebow makes a resurgence in Boston, Superman should hire his agent. I think it is all about promotion and the public’s willingness to believe in you and your super hero powers. I want to tell Superman, that I have always believed in him and always will. I think it was him looking over me that kept me from hanging myself with my Mom’s dish towel.