Empowering Change

Contemporary literature is key in addressing issues that are considered taboo for discussion in social circles. A major theme of the blog posts discussed on this page has been the placement of minority groups in social history. We examined the treatment of the working class in Superman, for example, and how the creators of Superman targetted the elite Capitalist business owners to exhibit the corruption of the economy during the Great Depression. The X-Men address social issues in a similar way, but with different minorities. The X-Men are portrayed as mutants, with special powers gained from some genetic linkage. Throughout the series, the X-Men are antagonized and persecuted by people who consider them unhuman. This diversion from the typical superhero image of a role model to society replaces admiration for supernatural powers with disgust.

The X-Men are coerced into hiding their powers or feeling ashamed for the way they are. It is not until they are taken under the wings of Professor Xavier that they become proud of their identities. They come together and unite for a single purpose as a means of using their mutations for good. There is a considerable about of social symbolism that can be gleaned from this aspect of the comic.

Punk rock is a classic example of juvenile rebellion against the expectations of children to grow up into respectable adults. It expresses the need to stand up against conformity and to embrace qualities of individuality as opposed to embracing a false personality for the sake of parents or authority. Punk rock grew in the 1980s, which was also when the X-Men became popular as a superhero comic. These two media share a common theme in their appeal to youth: They celebrate individuality and separation from normality. They both encourage their audiences to be different instead of changing a facet of themselves that may be socially unacceptable. As we can see in contemporary society, the celebration of pluralism and diversity on every scale of cultural identity is now the overwhelming majority of our nation.