Kindness is our super power

Yesterday at dinner time there were only a few people home for various reasons, so G. suggested a movie night watching the new Superman movie while we ate. I'd wanted to see the movie, so I was all for it. 

There are two things I want to discuss about the movie. The first is actually more about watching the movie. I realized that while I enjoy some action/adventure movies, I also find them very stressful. It helped that G. had already seen it once so could assure me that all the animals and children would be okay. But more than once G. looked over and said, "Mom, you look like you're in pain. Are you okay?" I think I don't do peril well. In a book I can skim possibly upsetting parts, but it's hard to do that with a movie. I'm glad I didn't see it in a theater because sometimes the adrenaline rush I feel is pretty unpleasant. (Can you tell I don't watch many movies and see movies in theaters even less?)

The other thing is about the movie itself. After it was over I was trying to figure out why it got labeled as "woke" by the MAGA crowd. Yes, there was the one Iago-like bit where Superman, the alien, explains why he is human, but that was an extremely small part of the movie. There has to be another reason. 

Here's what I think. Superman is kind. He's kind to everyone and everything. He really cares about every person and animal he comes across. I realized that if Superman was nearby when someone was being disappeared by ICE, Superman would have protected the person being attacked. But abusers don't like being shown for who they really are. I think the whole "woke" thing was straight out of the abuser's playbook... either blame the victim for the perpetrator's behavior or gaslight the victim into believing something other than the truth. To MAGA, being called woke is supposed to be a slur. (Do we tell them that most of us see it as a compliment?) They disparage the movie to shift the attention away from themselves. 

It was an entertaining movie. It would be an interesting movie for a movie discussion. I would like to know what the actress playing the  character of 'the engineer' thought about it, though. I thought she had some of the corniest and worst written lines of the whole thing. The other superhero types were an interesting contrast to Superman, because in the end, being a superhero didn't mean someone was good. I found the whole point of the movie was to show that Superman's super power wasn't his strength and speed; his real superpower was his kindness and compassion. Abd those are things that we can all be. 

And to that end, here is my holiday reminder for everyone. Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. Now is the time to check-in with your friends and neighbors to be sure they have somewhere to go for the holiday. If they don't, invite them to join you. Issue your invitation early enough so that the days leading up to Thanksgiving aren't filled with anxiety for someone who might not have family they can join. Your house doesn't have to be perfect. Your food doesn't have to be fancy. Your table doesn't have to look like Martha Stewart's design team created it. It's the company that is important. There is always... always... room for one more. 

Remember, make kindness your super power.