In the late 1940’s, America was still grappling with the devastating effects of World War II. One of the effects was fear of Nazi ideas gaining momentum in the United States. The concept of there being a “pure race” or that Jews were evil scared a significant portion of the country. In response to this fear, the Institute for American Democracy began a campaign to reduce the spread of hateful rhetoric that resembled that in Nazi Germany. In the image depicted below, Superman appears to be speaking to a group of school children about what it means to be “American”. In the written dialogue, Superman points out that attacks on people because of their race, religion, or nationality is an “un-American” quality and not welcome in the United States. When analyzing this cartoon image in relation to the events taking place in the country in the 40’s and 50’s, there is definitely some hypocrisy. Segregation was existent in many schools and discrimination was prevalent. In order to help bring an end to these actions occurring in the country, the youth was the main audience as their views on the world were still developing and easier to persuade.
Given this information about the rhetorical situation surrounding the publication of this image, the commonplace is the ending of hatred towards groups of people. This commonplace of tolerance and respect leads to the qualities that make up being “American.” In order to get this commonplace spread throughout America, gaining the attention of a large audience was essential. In this particular circumstance, American youth was the target. The use of a fictional character like Superman is useful in persuading a young audience because he is a respected and admired figure in their eyes. From there, the artist uses these admired qualities in the hopes of motivating the youth to act in a way that embodies the best of being “American. ”
When Superman Fought Xenophobia in a 1949 Comic | Mental Floss
Superman_American_599fc05023f332.03698933.jpg (869×1200) (dccomics.com)
Though the message in the image is a great one, I do agree that it was very hypocritical for its time. However, understanding the impressionability of children and using it for positive social outcomes is certainly something we still see today in PSAs and similar messages.
Looking at this cartoon and comparing it to the time period it was produced in, I agree there is a lot of hypocrisy. But I believe that the idea behind it and the targeted audience it was after was a very effective strategy for this time period. Targeting a younger audience and using a role model figure such a Super Man was a great step in the right direction to help end segregation during that period.
Young kids are the most impressionable, and I like how you conveyed it here. They looked up to Superman, so using him as a symbol of the values of America was successful.
I thought your delivery was great and really kept me engaged. I like how you said exactly what commonplace and lens you were connecting it to because from an audience perspective it helped me to understand as well. I also really liked your ending question and I overall thought the pitch was really good
It’s the first time I hear about this topic and it sounds very interesting. I really like how you explained a lot of background information before starting to analize.