Final Paper

Chapter 1

A. Background of the Study:

Our society today is rapidly changing, what we need is someone we could model ourselves

to. First of all, what is a superhero? A superhero is a character possessing extraordinary or superhuman powers that is dedicated to protecting the people or the public. Superheroes, to most people, are just fictional characters mostly seen in comic books, TV shows, and movies. The people don't believe in superheroes in the modern world because they haven't seen anything that would make them think otherwise, "Seeing is believing", some would say. In other words, when the world is changing, we search for stability—something or someone to tell us it’s going to be all right. It is this insight into this subculture, and its reflection and representation of the larger society. Well for me the world is a mystery and you could really not predict what may happen in the future.

We are interested in superheroes because of their appearance, sexuality, superpower and more. Most superheroes have our " dream bodies " because we all like the bodies superheroes have. For the guys, they would like the bodies that male superheroes have because of the big muscles. For the women they would want the sexy body female superheroes have.The next factor is the clothing, most people are interested in what the superheroes wear. The color, masks, uniforms; it's what differentiates superheroes from the rest of the people. People are into the details, they check the capes, the skin tight jumpsuits... and for some cases rugged trousers like what the Hulk wears. Another factor is the story line of the superhero. People tend to compare and contrast themselves to the superhero they choose. Yup, it's normal for people to role play. They want to be the character that they want to be.(http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/312/superheroes-superpowers-and-sexuality)

Normal personality was far more endearing than their superhero persona. While people admire the superhero, they feel more attached to the ordinary person who may remind them of the person next door. Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Billy Bateson, Peter Parker all are people of character. They are compassionate, sensitive, kind, loyal, and want to make a difference in the world. They live their lives with integrity. They are a good friend, someone you would want in your life. It is their essential humanity that attracts us to them, not only their super powers. Think about how it would be to be a friend to Superman, if there was no Clark Kent. How would it feel to know that this person was imperturbable, in some cases inhuman? Would you feel inferior? Intimidated? Inadequate? There would be little reciprocity or mutuality. There would be nothing you could do for this person. You could only bask in his/her glory and triumphs. You would feel good by proxy or association, i.e., “my friend Batman.” The women in these comics admired the superhero, but befriended the human being. No doubt that would like to have a superhero in their life, but would they like to marry one? Back in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, women looked to men for their strength. It was expected that men would protect the women-folk. That was their job. Who could do that job better than Superman? He protected Lois Lane. And Bruce Wayne, the multimillionaire playboy was a good catch just as he was; how much better to be Batman! (http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/312/superheroes-superpowers-and-sexuality)

There are a lot of people in this world who have extraordinary abilities that you won't see with other people. There is this boy with a nickname "Das Uberboy" His real name is being kept a secret to protect the person's privacy and security. On 1999 a boy was born in Germany, at that point the nurses and doctors knew that there was something different with the boy. The baby's muscles were twitching and it's shaped unlike any other muscles we see babies have. How did this happen? It is a genetic mutation technique that cattle farmers intentionally use in order to breed muscular cows. All we have is this quote that is from The Washington Post despite sounding like it's from a Marvel origin: "But inasmuch as no one has ever encountered a child such as this boy or studied animals with defective myostatin genes into old age, his health and eventual strength remains unknown." It means that he is the first person ever recorded to have defective myostatin and we cannot assure what the future will bring him. Another example would be Ben Underwood, he uses Super Echolocation in order to see things in a different kind of way. He is like Daredevil because he uses Sonar waves in order for them to see, and they're both blind. Just like how the bats and dolphins see their surroundings. Ben Underwood rapidly clicks his tongue and uses the sound to determine what's around. (http://www.cracked.com/article_16449_7-people-from-around-world-with-real-mutant-superpowers.html)

Several people act like superheroes and it gives the people hope.. They have names like Phoenix Jones, Moon Dragon, Geist, and Purple Reign. They wear ski masks, gas masks, or, occasionally, no mask at all. They are the Real Life Super Heroes, civilians who dress up in costumes and head out into the night for some comic book inspired crime fighting. There are Real Life Super Heroes operating in Australia, Italy, Norway, the UK, and even Liberia. The vast majority of Real Life Super Heroes, however, are in the United States. Although they often work alone, they sometimes organize themselves into collectives like the Rain City Superhero Movement in Seattle, the Black Monday Society in Salt Lake City, and the Great Lakes Hero Guild in Minneapolis. Some Real Life Super Heroes are specialists, fighting one particular type of crime. Brooklyn’s Terriffica patrols the bars on weekends to help stop women who have had too much to drink from being taken advantage of. Dark Guardian, in Manhattan, is mostly concerned with keeping drug dealers out of Washington Square Park. But most simply go on patrol, looking for any crime or suspicious behavior that they can find. (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/20/showbiz/comic-book-real-life-superheroes-phoenix-jones/)

So a hero is someone who we look up to because they are envisioned as an embodiment of what a human aspires to be. They are the type of being we wish to be because with their abilities and powers we could do anything we wish to be done. They are the answers to most of the societies problems so they are basically the solution created by the writers who created the persona of a superhero.

This paper aims to make people from all walks of life understand whether a superhero is really relevant in our present society and to distinguish the effects whether it benefits or harms the society. The researcher will commit oneself to the challenge of trying to explain to the people how they are able to apply the persona of a hero to the present world.

B. Statement of the Problem:

This study aims to answer the following questions:
1) In what ways can the superhero persona benefit or harm the society and the individual?



C. Significance of the Study:

Society:

This research paper will benefit the society as a whole because a hero embodies what we believe is best in ourselves. A hero is a standard to aspire to be, as well as an individual to be admired. So it means that a superhero could be a figure everyone could look up to and aspire to be.

Students:

Knowledge of this study can benefit the students because by studying a variety of superhero characters, students can see what qualities a well written character has and therefore be able to identify other well written characters in all types of stories as well as incorporate these traits in their own writing. Creative writing is an important skill for all students and one way to enhance creative writing is to write from an image.

Teachers and Professors:

This research paper would help the teachers and professors because they can make use of the information indicated in this research so that they can inform their students about the benefits of having a superhero.

Future Researches

This study is crucial for the future researchers who will make similar researches on this specific topic because there are only few researches conducted about this topic and the future researchers can use this research as a stepping stone to formulate a better research so as to be able to provide more information to the society in the future.

D. Scope and Delimitation:

This paper focuses on the possibilities science could give superpowers or extraordinary abilities to the human race, and if we produce a superhero, what are the possible effects it could lead to. Will it harm the society? or Will it benefit us? The researcher limited this paper to the science and psychology of having superheroes and super powers. This research would not really go into the deep science wherein the researcher will discuss about the laws of physics or the like but the researcher will give the necessary and important information about the topic.

E. Materials and Methods:

The materials used in this research paper consist of both tangible and electronic components because information relevant to the study was gathered from various reference materials including magazines, comic books, and internet journal articles from online sources.

The researcher aims to make a prediction on whether a superhero is really relevant, appropriate, or important to the present society and try to explain the possibilities of having that persona of a superhero in this current time.

F. Definition of Terms:

Superhero: A character possessing extraordinary or superhuman powers that is dedicated to protecting the people or the public

Myostatin: is a secreted growth differentiation factor that inhibits muscle differentiation and growth in the process known as myogenesis.

Echolocation: the location of objects by reflected sound, in particular that used by animals such as dolphins and bats.

Chapter 2

How can the persona of a superhero harm or benefit the society?

Factors why people are interested in superheroes.

A. Superheroes have a strong influence in our society.

the researcher have examined the sexuality and gender roles that superheroes suggest through their appearance, the way they are written about, the way that they talk, the distribution of superpowers, and their relationships. 

Raised on images of buxom women and studly men, who spout definite ideals about what the perfect man or woman is, our cultural ideals laid out in complete exaggeration, how can we not expect our children to emulate and eventually perpetuate these ideals on the next generation? The women are shown as overly curvaceous, subservient, and relationship impaired, but strong and capable because of all of these aspects and the men are shown as strong, intelligent, forthright, and true, protectors of the weak and small.

It is as Campbell says,

"The hero is defined and defines society, and the sexuality and gender roles that the Superheroes of ours and our parents’ time symbolizes are evident in how our society works and functions." (Campbell, 1968).

Women are given power and status by the men who hold control, men in power can have healthy families and relationships while many women sacrifice their home life for a successful career. And the children see this as the hero rescues thousands, and the adults write of this as a hero defeats the enemy and emerges victorious, and the cycle rolls on. (Campbell, Joseph. 1968The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Princeton; Princeton University Press. DC Comics.)

Effects of a superhero idea to the children.

A. Children uses superheroes as motivation to be better people when they grow up

Why superheroes? Because Superheroes by definition are courageous, powerful, and they seem to overcome any obstacle that comes their way. Young children are faced with challenges or obstacles everyday because they learn new things daily. Of course sometimes they won't be able to overcome these challenges so they feel small, powerless, fear. They are unable to do what they want to so they become troubled. But when they get to play as a superhero. They feel strong and awesome so they feel relieved for the moment because they get to be the person different people wants to be.  

B. Being the superhero affects the child and makes them more happy.

When they are playing, the character they portray gives them knowledge in what is right and what is wrong. So they learn lessons not only about which power is stronger but also the lessons valuable in life. 

The researcher read an article entitled "From Superhero to Real-Life Hero: Encouraging Healthy Play" by Shelley Butler and Deb Kratz from the website "earlychildhoodnews

"Through play, children test the waters, try out roles and behaviors, investigate right and wrong, experiment with language, use creativity, find outlets for physical activity, and learn more about difficult skills like impulse control and conflict resolution" says the editors.

It simply means that play is very important to a child's learning process because they get to test out things that they find interesting. What more if they play as super heroes? They get to be the character they wish and they get to feel happy and contented. This is a positive effect because the children get to portray what it feels like to be a superhero, and at the same time instill the values of what a good person is supposed to be.

C. Superheroes promote violence

Movies with scenes of the superheroes beating up the villains causes the child to be more violent. It gives kids more information and knowledge about the things they shouldn't be doing, like fighting each other. They become more prone to fights because of the things they see in the movies. They will think that it's cool so they themselves will try it out.

D. Most superheroes in the movies show bad behavior that children shouldn't do.

An example is the movie Iron man wherein the main character there is Tony Stark. When he is not in the suit he exploits women and show of his richness to other people. That is not a good trait to show the children because the children might imitate what the character does.

The next article is entitled "Superheroes Send Out 'Wrong Message" to boys" by Richard Alleyne from the website "Telegraph"

"There is a big difference in the movie superhero of today and the comic book superhero of yesterday." They say that in the comic book, the superheroes were presented as powerful gentlemen. They were more respectable in the comic series than in the movies nowadays.

It will depend on the people surrounding them too. Of course the kid will get confused with what is right and wrong, but if their guardian is always there to clear things with them then it will be alright. They will be guided in the right path because they will get answers from people older than them.

Present time superheroes.

A. Vigilantes give people hope

In an article entitled "Caped crusaders on patrol-meet the real life superheroes" by Milena Veselinovic from the website "Edition". There are certain individuals who take it to the streets and impose justice to the oppressed. The most popular of them all, Phoenix Jones. He is a 25 year old African American; six feet one and 205 pounds, armed with only his high tech suit which costs 10,000 dollars; and his martial arts techniques which he uses too beat up bad guys. Phoenix didn't know this when he first donned the suit about a year ago, but he's one of around 200 real-life superheroes currently patrolling America's streets, looking for wrongs to right. There's DC's Guardian, in Washington, who wears a full-body stars-and-stripes outfit and wanders the troubled areas behind the Capitol building. There's RazorHawk, from Minneapolis, who was a pro wrestler for fifteen years before joining the R.L.S.H. (Real Life Super Heroes) movement. There's New York City's Dark Guardian, who specializes in chasing pot dealers out of Washington Square Park by creeping up to them, shining a light in their eyes, and yelling, "This is a drug-free park!" And there are dozens and dozens more. Few, if any, are as daring as Phoenix. Most undertake basically safe community work: helping the homeless, telling kids to stay off drugs, etc. They're regular men with jobs and families and responsibilities who somehow have enough energy at the end of the day to journey into America's neediest neighborhoods to do what they can.

B. What vigilantes do for the current society

In an article entitled, "Real-Life Superheroes Patrol New York to Fight Anti-Gay Crime" by Andrea Swalec from the website "dnainfo". The superheroes mentioned are fighting together to protect the gay or homosexuals. It's a great cause because the superheroes in the "New York Initiative "; which namely are Spyder, Spectre, Dark Guardian and Zero, find time to help the people surrounding them with nothing in return.
After the May 18 killing of gay Harlem resident Mark Carson, 33, and several beatings of gay men across the city, the group of self-styled heroes plans to hit the streets of Greenwich Village and the West Village dressed in tactical clothing and bulletproof vests, explained Staten Island-based crime-fighter Dark Guardian.
"Violence on its own is wrong, and it's even worse when a specific group is being targeted," said the martial-arts instructor, whose real name is Chris Pollak, 28. "We care about everyone, from every walk of life, and we want to keep everybody safe. Our focus now is the Village." It means that what the people are doing is wrong because they are targeting a single group ( homosexuals ) and they mean to inflict damage to their social groups. They New York Initiative is now focused on helping and protecting the homosexuals in order for them to become safe again.

The closest possibilities there is to having superheroes

A. Superpowers are abilities uncommon to the average human.

There are many different types of superpowers though most are physical, mental, technological, or mystical. Powers can be inherited from parents, bestowed by a higher power, acquired by exposure to an outside force or passed to them by others, people say that having super powers or unnatural abilities isn't possible. Like having the powers of spider-man wherein he can shoot spider webs from his wrists, jump over buildings, have unnatural flexibility, his super-sensing ability. Science is systematized body of knowledge and it continues to grow as more knowledge is learned by people around the world. Having super powers because of science is possible. What are the possible powers science can give us?

In article that the researcher read entitled "5 Superpowers Science Will Give Us In Our Lifetime" by Luis Prada in the website "Cracked". The rapid evolution of technology has made it possible for people to experience or see unnatural abilities in real life.
An example of the powers that could be possible because of science is Spiderman's web-slinging and wall climbing ability.

How? Carbon Nanotube Technology. It is similar to Velcro which can be formed as a series of hooks and loops that interlock, thereby creating a clinging effect. Unlike Velcro, these hooks and loops are microscopic and can latch on to nearly any surface imaginable, even while underwater. According to Italian scientist Nicola Pugno, the creator of nanotube, if the material is placed on gloves and boots, spiderman's wall-climbing ability would be attainable because nanotube could be able to keep a fully grown person suspended on a ceiling.

In an article called "New Nanoglue Likes It Hot" written byMagdalena Kogutowska in the website "newscientist" It states that there is another spiderman tech but is more of a theory, it is called the nanoglue.
Nanolayers are composed of molecular chains of carbon molecules with elements such as silicon, oxygen or sulfur. A group of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute scientists working with nanolayers accidentally found out that heating nanolayers creates a bond that is similar to copper and silica. Professor Ganapathiraman Ramanath, who was the leader of the project, said that the nanoglue technology could be the right material needed for spiderman's web shooters.

"If we can find a way to create threads and/or intertwined bundles using the molecules in a scalable fashion, while retaining the adhesive properties, then creating web-shooters similar to Spiderman's is a real possibility," says the proffesor.

It simply means that if the team could only find out ways on how to make strands with the material while keeping its adhesive ability, he could turn spiderman's web-slinging ability into a reality.

Chapter 3

Summary

This paper stated events, facts, and evidences about the effects the persona of a superhero brings to society.

This research paper used the descriptive method wherein data from documents, and articles were used in order to show the relevance of the statements to the issues posted beforehand. The research findings are the following:

1. The persona of a superhero is the created answer to the current society's problems.

2. We are interested in superheroes because they are the type of being the typical human aspires to be.

3. Vigilante crime fighting is happening in the real world because of the lack of response by the law enforcement. Because of the vigilante fighting, people have more sense of safety.

Conclusion

According to the research study conducted for this paper, there are a number of conclusions that can be drawn from this paper, but the major or most relevant ones are going to be stated below according to the gravity of their importance concerning the significance of the study. They are namely:

1. The persona of a superhero affects our society in two ways, positive and negative.

2. The positive effect is all about giving the people a sense of inspiration because they are the type of beings humans aspire to be.

3. The negative effect is all about the persona of a superhero promoting violence to the youth. Thus creating a negative mentality for the children because they would think that violence is normal.

Recommendations

After presenting the conclusions found in this paper, the researcher has a few recommendations/suggestions which will help give clarity on what the effects an idea of a superhero can do tho the society.

1. When watching superhero based movies, it would be wise that the children will be accompanied by an adult so that they can be guided in what the children sees.

2. The idea of a superhero is a good role model to the children so it would be best to explain the good traits and qualities to children.

References

Butler, Shelley, earlychildhoodnews, "From Superhero to Real-Life Hero: Encouraging Healthy Play" (http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=567)

Alleyne, Richard, telegraph.co.uk, "Superheroes send out 'wrong message' to boys"(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7941690/Superheroes-send-out-wrong-message-to-boys.html)

Veselinovic, Milena, edition.cnn, "Caped crusaders on patrol - meet the real life superheroes'' (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/20/showbiz/comic-book-real-life-superheroes-phoenix-jones/)

Swalec, Andrea, dnainfo," Real-Life Superheroes Patrol New York to Fight Anti-Gay Crime" (http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130604/greenwich-village/real-life-superheroes-fight-anti-gay-crime-greenwich-village)

Prada, Luis, cracked, "5 Superpowers Science Will Give Us in Our Lifetime"

(http://www.cracked.com/article_16400_5-superpowers-science-will-give-us-in-our-lifetime.html#ixzz2nKQ2UXFr)

Demarest, Rebecca, studentpulse, "Superheroes, Superpowers, and Sexuality"

(http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/312/superheroes-superpowers-and-sexuality)

Van Hellemont, Neils, grumbleltd, "Superheroes, why do we like them?"

(http://grumbleltd.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/superheroes-why-do-we-like-them/)