Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Green 'Pink' Lantern

Well as of last week, DC Comics announced that Green Latern is gay.  (See here)  Yup! How else can I begin this post, but by just cutting to the very marrow of last week's 'breaking' news about a DC icon.  My position on this as a Catholic is obvious, yet from the so-called secular lenses, (as with the Starbucks post here) it begs the question as to why DC or Marvel or any publishing house would want to weigh in on such a political hot potatoe and risk alienating fifty percent of their readership?  It just doesn't compute...

Superheroes have always fascinated me, as a child, an adult, even as a discerning potential seminarian.  They are imperfect beings trying to strive for virtue and always willing to lay down their lives for a cause.  Kinda the way we are called to live our lives as Catholics.  Optimus Prime, gave his life for the autobots and always took blame for questionable decisions.  Wolverine always tried his best to control his temper and not decapitate someone.  Hulk's problem was that when enraged, the little bit of Banner's personality restraining him would get cloudy and he could easily level a town.  The list goes on.  Green Lantern, was part of the Green Lantern Corp, a collection of people chosen by the Green Lantern ring to act as guardians of the universe.  Earth's version, has also been associated by membership with the Justice League.

So the debate is on, and (surprise!) because I'm a huge comic book buff, I was asked to comment, what are my thoughts on Green Lantern's 'outing?'  Silly media,..think u can outsmart me?  My answer, is that we'll have to wait and see.  First off, I take the position of the Church, that there is no such thing as a 'gay.'  There are only people, and some of these people have a cross that is same sex attraction.  They are to be treated with respect and dignity, they are to be offered God's mercy and love, knowing that even if they fall, like any great saint before them, they have the sacrament of Reconciliation readily available.  They are called to chastity as their act is intrinsically disordered, meaning that God cannot draw a greater 'good' out of it.  A straight couple, even using a condom, can still be open to new life...(condoms break..).  Homosexual acts are dangerous period.  This link has statistics, don't believe me? (here)  Then look it up.  Just because something is 'politically correct' doesn't make it right. 

So maybe Green Lantern, like Wolverine or Hulk will see his affliction as a cross to bear.  He will strive for virtue, by living a chaste lifestyle, trying to guard the universe!  Okay, let's be honest, this is about as likely as Leadership Conference of Women Religious submitting to humility!  DC, sadly, will probably look toward the issue in the future, whereby Green Lantern will marry his lover, and thus a whole new generation of kids will become desensitized to a very problematic moral issue.  Freedom?  Ha!  Funny thing is,..Aquaman or Robin would have fit the gay agenda a little better,..



Sacred Heart of Jesus,.....................Have mercy on us!

2 comments:

Young Canadian RC Male said...

Great Post Optimus, but I'm still asking one question that hasn't been answered that well ... what the heck is this whole thing with people wanting/wishing Robin was gay? Why Robin? Some people even were thinking of Batman and Robin as a gay couple? Really?

I can't stand it anymore! Why gayness and Robin? ARRRGH! Please! Leave the boy alone!!!

SMH said...

it begs the question as to why DC or Marvel or any publishing house would want to weigh in on such a political hot potatoe and risk alienating fifty percent of their readership?

Its a vexing question. I'm going to go out on a limb here and offer a suggestion. Much of it comes down status raising among peers by appearing more "sensitive to victims of injustice" and thereby gaining a sense and image of being morally superior to oppressors. Its easy to do, especially if you are not actually required to do anything to damage your own success. If DC had decided to make Green Lantern convert to a neo-nazi skinhead group or undergo a conversion to an outspoken pro-life position (not an equal comparison in other ways obviously) there would be a barrage of letters/emails, public laminations by activist groups, and calls for boycotting. Those against a gay Green Lantern are unlikely to do any of these things and as such remain silent and just not buy the product or buy it and look past their disagreement. Heck, they may very well feel that in buying the title, they themselves are acting morally by giving their support to James Robinson and his gay son. Indeed, I can easily see a negative blowback being seen as an attack on gays in general.
On a side note, one wonders what will happen when his sexual orientation interferes with the third principle law of the Book of Oa that states: A Green Lantern must practice "Noninterference with a planet's culture, political structure, or its population's collective will."