Stayed up late last night reading The Girl In The Spider's Web. The novel, written by David Ladercranz, a well known Swedish author, is the fourth volume in the saga of Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo, a very peculiar young woman and experienced hacker. A good thriller series started by Stieg Larsson. Salander's hacker handle is Wasp. This volume reveals that the handle comes from a Marvel Comics female superhero admired by Lisbeth when she was a child.
Reminds me that I read Superman, for example, whose ideals were "truth, justice and the American way." Superman, Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior and other superheroes of my generation fought for the betterment of mankind, not for themselves. They did not seek wealth or self aggrandizement, they fostered diversity and cooperation.
Those of us who went to Sunday School learned about the Sermon on the Mount.
We despised dictators and authoritarian figures and valued mutual cooperation.
Internationally, Roosevelt and Churchill laid the foundation for victory in WWII when they signed the Atlantic Charter in August, 1941. Other nations wanted to join in the effort and our alliance was victorious. We joined together to, in the words of Woodrow Wilson, "make the world safe for democracy." That laid the foundation for postwar peace and prosperity.
Keeping that peace was hard work.
Our American Dream was the same as Lincoln's: Government of the People, By the People, and For the People. All of them, not just the white people.
Now we are led by a president who thinks he was elected Dictator.
The Great White Hope.
How did we get to this place?
How do we get out of it?
One thing I know for sure - we can't rely on superheroes. Only we can fix democracy and we'd better start the job right now!
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