Thinking about Superman

TV's first Superman.

Remember the old Superman TV show with George Reeves? Well, of course you don't because none of you were born then. Well, I remember it.

And today I was thinking about the show's opening theme, where a booming voice said Superman stood for "truth, justice and the American way." Sounded great. Still does, actually.

But we've lost all three of those things in the intervening years. No one speaks truth anymore; truth is anti-profit. And justice only means that rich people don't face legal scrutiny while every hammer is dropped on the little guy. And as for the "American way" -- it's seen better days. We torture people, imprison anyone without charges, and conduct illicit wars. We invade the wrong country and don't even care. There is no American way anymore unless it's the way of greed, ignorance and cruelty. Actually, I guess it is.