X-Men and Philosophy Notes
The lure of the normal:Who wouldn't want to be a mutant? Patrick D. Hopkins
• From the 3rd Live Action X-Men movie-cure found-who would want cure?-who would want to be normal?
• Fans see reason in cure for Rogue-other fans see it as a rejection of something special and glorious
• Rogue wants to be normal so she can fit in and be able to do normal things such as touch
• Being ordinary or Being Unique-Why wouldn't anyone want to be a mutant?
• 'Normal'-an indication of how something should be-e.g not getting angry at the simplest of things would be seen as normal, getting angry at the simplest of things would be seen as not normal
• Something being 'normal' has to be the measurement for how things should be?-Just how things are which make them 'normal'
• 'Normal' would be to fall into the standard traits-Abnormal' can be seen from being talented
• Human beings normality would be that we want to fit in the suitable range of people not to stand out e.g goths with goths and emos with emos-We also want to attract the attention of others so that we are distinguished and noticable from the ranges of emos and goths-We want to be normal enough to show mates that theres nothing wrong with us but enough normality to allow us to attract attention and give us an advantage over competitors
• X-Men are mostly normal although they class themselves as mutants-see themselves as normal as the look human whilst there powers are not visible unless shown-certain mutants aren't seen as normal because of their mutation being physically shown through skin and objects shown on their body
• So these mutants would want to be cured and be normal in the sense that they would seen as normal and human and won't be distinguished to the extent they were with the mutation and be outcasted and seen as a threat
• Michel Focault (1926-1984)-history of the abnormal beginning with concept of 'monster'-a mixture of the unnatural and impossible-as something seen different from the majority of what you see that are similas is seen as abnormal
• Mutants like Wolverine, Jean Grey and Storm are seen as normal as their mutations isn't visible through sight, touch or smell-Where as mutants like Mystique, Beast and Nightcrawler have their mutation visble through sight, touch and smell and would be seen as abnormal
• The same probem with Rogue as she is unable to touch as she would sap the life out of the person she touches-because of that she has to maintain her distance and beware-makes her become abnormal as she isn't acting in the way to what is perceived as normal-which is why she would want to become normal
• The perceived notion of normal is that which constitutes the natural behaviour or traits of someone so humans are seen as normal because it has been accustomed to the society of humans-when mutants show up abnormality begins to ascend-but if the majority of the population could fly then it would be seen as a normal form of behaviour
• Morlocks are a prime example of abnormal because of their mutation and have to hide in the sewers as they feel they are not seen as normal because of their defects
• Although we as humans would want to some of the powers of the Morlocks some would choose to look like them-we function with the evolutionary sense of what is attractive and what is ugly and would find the Morlocks ugly-no matter what powers you would have of the Morlocks the knowledge that you would be despised by normal humans and perhaps even normal looking mutants as they would see themselves as prettier than you
• The fixation of wanting to be an X-Man is to be different-way which makes them stand out-in terms of beauty, power and normality-wanting abnormailty trait to the level where they wouldn't have anything inhibited socially or physically-People want to stand out on conventional terms
• Fantasy and science fiction provide an escape of the normal-allow us to imagine riches of life by having enhanced special abilities and extraordinary experiences-wondering what we could do if we weren't so restricted or limited/ordinary-creators, would have felt they did not fit in society so made this world where characters who did not fit were magnificent and enviable
• Excitement in being abnormal with new abilities-Comfort in being normal without worries of being judged-but whole point of these worlds is for comfort to escape into
Amnesia, Personal Identity, and The Many Lives of Wolverine Jason Southworth
• Personal Identity-what makes a person a person-praise and blame of person on their actions which constitutes to their personal identity of praise and blame of the act that the person has committed-the visuals are not the personal identity but the mind of the body
• within the superhero world we have an identity of this hero such as Wolverine-who had many identities due to the amounts of memories that were erased a new identity was created-a hero has an identity of being almighty, almost god like, superior over everyon else due to the advantage you possess
X-Istential X-Men:Jews,Supermen, and The Literature of Struggle Jesse Kavaldo
• "Each storyline becomes a new attempt to rewrite human history through the lens of a superheroscience fiction, where the world can be saved..."
• Picking one X-Man through their constant traumas over the years they feel unaffected of the act after a while-unscathed as if they have healing powers for the traumas-but can we?
• Sigmeund Freud (1856-1939)-if supermans is a wish then the X-Men are the flipside of the wish:fear-superhero's appeal are their powers that each individual has to distinguish one another-unlike superman the powers also represent the possibiliy of what could happen if it came true
• Mr. Incredible "No matter how many times you save the world,it always manages to get back in jeopardy again."
• Camus' Myth of Sisyphus-Sisyphus is condemned to roll the boulder up the hill everyday for the rest of his life and before it reaches the top it rolls back down the mountain hill and althought Sisyphus knows this will happen for the rest of his existence he doesn't rest for the next day as he does his chores and contains some aspect of being normal
Layla Miller Knows Stuff: How a Butterfly can Shoulder the World George A. Dunn
• "Hi, I'm Layla Miller. I know stuff."
• Layla Miller can anticipate the future-Not through means that are usually associated with future gazing-but in a Butterfly Effect form-where she can predict what will happen by the events that lead upto the specific moment of that future
• Edward Lorenz (1917-2008)-Flapping of a butterflys wings cause a slight change in the atmosphere and therby setting off a chain reaction
• Due to Layla knowing the future-weight of the world is on her shoulders-using her powers came with a responsibility and instead of using it for her gain she sacrficed herself so that the weight of the world lifted
When you know your just a comic book character:Deadpool Joseph J. Darowski
• Deadpool knows he's a character in comic book
• PostModernism-Breaking the fourth wall
• Deadpools awareness that he is a comic book character is generally used to deliver the punch line of a gag
• Wise cracking pop-culture refrencing attitude
Professor X Wants You Christopher Robichaud
• Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)-...it's heart is the idea that a person's well-being consist in her maximising her pleasures and minimizing her pains.
High-Tech Mythology In X-Men George Teschner
• Creating and beleiving in mythical heroes and heroic deeds are ways that human consciousness conceptualizes major forces and conflicts
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