So, how about that election huh? I really hope _____ wins this year, ___ would be great in office. And mercy on America if ____ wins. I think we'd all like to avoid that future. If you can't tell by now, I'm not big into politics. Nor am I a patriot. But gosh darn it! I am an American! And despite what can be said about our country, there will always be one man who holds our flag high. When he isn't a brainwashed terrorist, that is.
Steve Rogers. The First Avenger. The Sentinel of Liberty. Captain America. While guys like Batman and Superman represent rodents and....words, Captain America wears, talks, and breathes America. An entire nation on a man's back is a lot to live up to. That might be why guys like Guardian and The Collective Man haven't gotten their chance at stardom. Only Cap has ever made a character fully representative of their home country work. Why is that? When you think of America-currently-there's not a lot to smile about. Obesity, poverty, war, racism. Hell, we can't even celebrate Thanksgiving without someone reminding us that ancestors we never even met stole this land from Native Americans. By the way, America was named "America" after Columbus got here, right? So then why do we call Native Americans "Native Americans"? Shouldn't they be called "Native People" or "Pre-Americans"? What do I know? I am but a humble Hispanic Gringo.
Back on topic. Proud Americans have things to take pride in, but we have plenty to be ashamed of too. Slavery, mistreatment of women, immigration, behind all the glamour of being an American there is always a history of ill-gotten victories and mistakes. But despite our past and our present, Captain America has always been pure of heart. Well, not always. He's still a comic book character after all. But for a character who's been around for 75 years and has been reinvented numerous times, he's never been a "negative" American. What do I mean? Well, consider this. On television when you see a stereotype of a "proud American" what do you see? Supports war? Drives a truck? Has a blonde bimbo around the waist? Maybe you think this description is of a hillbilly or a Southerner (no offense), but people like that are proud to be Americans. And you see them in film, television, and other media too. That's not too say they're all "Took Our Jobs" guys from "South Park". Sometimes they're Ricky Bobby from "Talladega Nights". That kind of stereotype isn't always bad. And yet Captain America has never been that. He's always been the best our country has to offer. And that's the point!
Remove Captain America from your brain and follow me on this, okay? It's 1941 and there's a man. A man who was born and raised in Brooklyn, a man who grew up to be a soldier and lose his fellow soldiers in the violence of war. He saw racism, he saw sexism, he was told which countries were our friends and which countries had to be stomped out. This is a man who has been told smoking isn't bad for you, that a man sleeping with another man is an upfront to God. This is a man who's been "listening" for his entire life and bases his entire world on what he's been told. This is the kind of man you'd avoid at an old folks home or say "well it's about time" after he's been arrested for a hate crime. Now take this man-at the age of 30-and bring him to our time. Bring him to America in 2016. Show him that there are not only gay couples, but an entire spectrum of gender classifications. That not only can women vote, but that they can do any job a man can do and receive equal pay and equal respect. Not only are black people allowed to drink from the same fountain as white people, but one black man even managed to become President of the United States. Teach that man that just because someone is from the Middle East it does not mean they are a terrorist. Some terrorists even come from America! Some people of Middle Eastern, Asian, Hispanic, African or European descent were born and raised in America. Show this man the results of lung cancer and unhealthy eating, show him the poor and the hungry, the rich and undeserving. Show him how every stone carved from his life has been shattered. Show him a world alien in everything but name. Would he change? Would he slap a woman without fear? Would be call a black man by his name or by a slur? Would he accept that America is no longer the home of the white, the male, and the privileged? Honestly, I don't think he would. There are men alive right now who had decades-generations-to change with the world. To accept what this country has evolved into. Not a melting pot. But a stew where our nation's aroma is not of varied cultures. It is of every culture.
In this one, fictional man we can find pride. We can believe a man who was instilled with outdated opinions can adapt to a new world. We can believe that not every man from the 1940's nodded there heads when they heard racist and sexist thoughts slung around. Some men stood up and said "no". But while Steve Rogers abandons those criticisms, he keeps something important. The proud ideals of our country. Freedom, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. The pride to say where you come from, the humility to admit when you are wrong, and the strength to overcome adversity. Rogers does not lie because "we" have nothing to hide. Rogers does not discriminate because "we" have no right to judge. All Rogers does is hope because hope is what got us here. Hope is what got our country out of the stinker and hope is what will pull us out again. The lessons a character like Captain America instills into us are not only morally sound, they are patriotically sound. Because the more people hear the sounds of equality and perseverance and understanding, the less they will here of fear, anger, and disgust. America is a land where all other nations become one. Not through force, but through acceptance.
And that is why America is great.
Thank you for reading.
Are you proud to be an American? Where at least you know you're free? Comment below!
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