American Mythology...

I was once an avid comic book collector.

I'll buy a graphic novel if it looks like it has a good storyline.  Since my sons are eighteen and twenty-eight, I can no longer use the excuse "it's for the kids."  I have to own up.

I once had large reprints of the original copies of Action Comics and Detective Comics that Superman and Batman appeared in, respectively.

During his debut in 1938, Superman could only leap; he could not fly. Nor did he have "Super Vision"; "Super Hearing"; "Super Speed" or the other redundant metaphors used to elucidate his abilities.

Batman's origins haven't changed much. It was a tragic beginning and a plausible storyline: if a young man had experienced a tragedy and had the money to DO something about it, what would he do? It was more believable than a Kryptonian. Like the Man of Steel, Batman could first box and wrestle; the whole "Ninjas thing" came with our collective exposure to the martial arts as the world became a smaller place.

However, with our imaginations centered around the video game systems and cell phone apps, I applaud the imaginations of the creators of the superhero genre.  It invigorated science fiction.  It collectively got us thinking, imagining, and most important: reading. I spent many a Saturday with my friends trading comics on rainy days (instead of now, controllers for virtual "shoot-em-ups" and getting to the "next level" in the game).

This can't be overstated. In a report by Barry R. Nathan, PhD: "Reading and Math Skills Needed for the Manufacturing Industry Cluster: Based on the full report 'Thinking for the Future – An Analysis of Students’ Readiness for Work in Pennsylvania’s Targeted Industry Clusters' Prepared for: The Advanced Manufacturing Career Collaborative (AMC^2):

- High school students are grossly deficient in both reading and mathematics skills needed for skilled jobs that require some form of additional technical training.  More than any other cluster, manufacturing demands mathematics proficiency for skilled jobs that require technical training; only 3% have the math skills for the skill jobs on the next wrung up the manufacturing career ladder; only 38% of high school students have the reading skills required for high skilled jobs that require technical training.  (2nd key point; Executive Summary)

Quoting page 4 of the same report:

- Those who claim that reading and mathematics do not correlate with worker productivity are simply wrong.

- The cost of improving reading and mathematics to meet employers’ needs is high.  A study in Michigan concluded that “$40 million per year was spent by Michigan businesses to teach their workers how to read, write, and perform basic math operations.”

For the report, Google with the Boolean search term: "United States: Reading Levels".  The third link has the Word document.

This does not advocate similarly named documentaries.

However, the American Mythology we don't need to carry further into our globally competitive futures is that of "American Exceptionalism."

Note the quote above Tom Welling's promo photo: "Destiny [is] Now."

Smallville wraps its 10th season as we enter our 2nd decade in the 21st Century.  Destiny is now.

To more rainy Saturdays and less controllers...