原标题：媒库文选真理、正义和美国方式：我们需要新的超级英雄
Truth， Justice and the American Way：We Need New Superheroes
真理、正义和美国方式：我们需要新的超级英雄
Benjamin Moore 本杰明·穆尔
uperman was the first superhero to introduce Americans to a new role for their government. Unlike the grandiose spectacle of the hero's current cinematic iterations， Superman's first appearance in 1938 showed him combating social issues. In the debut issue of Action Comics， he saved a woman from death row who had been wrongly accused， prevented a domestic abuser from further harming his wife and stopped a gangster from blackmailing a senator.
Delivering justice， protecting family and stopping corruption， Superman represented the newly expanded New Deal state. His immense power could seem threatening - after all， an unstoppable alien could just as easily be villain as hero - but Superman vowed to use his powers only to advance the greater good and fight pervasive social ills. He had an infallible moral compass and an unquenchable desire to make the world a safer and fairer place.
At a time when President Franklin D. Roosevelt made bold claims of leadership and executive power， Superman mirrored the benefits for American society， embodying the palpable determination of an administration calling for“action， and action now.” Admonishing the greed and selfishness of the Roaring Twenties， the Roosevelt administration swiftly enacted laws and executive orders aimed at protecting and assisting those most vulnerable in society， such as the Social Security Act， the Wagner Act and the formation of the U.S. Housing Authority.
If Superman helped readers adjust to the sweeping social reforms of New Deal America， another superhero - Captain America - prepared them for war. Making his first appearance for Marvel （then known as Timely Comics）in March 1940， this indefatigable patriot represented “the American ideal - individual freedom， individual responsibility， moral sensitivity， integrity， and a willingness to fight for right，” an editor wrote in one issue.
Both his costume and his iconic round shield were emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes of his home country. Captain Marvel battled Nazis and any other villain who dared threaten the unquestionable divinity of a free world.
On comic pages， Superman and Captain America championed American self-confidence at a time of international uncertainty.On the cover of Captain America Issue No. 1， a fearless Captain delivers a knockout punch to Hitler，decrying fascism as “the menace of hate and oppression， of tyranny and evil which is sweeping over the world.” Superman， in turn， sought to raise money for the war by encouraging readers to buy war bonds to “knock out the Axis.”
These characters sold a particular version of the war and its aims： celebrating diversity， domestic cooperation between labor and business and an international role for the United States abroad. Contrasted against the evils of fascism， America became the antithesis to a gruesome ideology espoused by Nazi Germany and its contempt toward freedom，individuality and human rights.
And it worked. The overt patriotism of Captain America and Superman contributed to the confidence， morale and pocketbook of the Allied Powers. Their moral certainty stood in stark contrast to the chaos and anarchy ravaging the European continent， and it helped Americans adjust to a new internationalism that the war ushered in.
Superman and Captain America were idealized notions of the American character， notions that became deeply intertwined with U.S. foreign policy. These heroes acted as a vehicle through which America could explore， dissect and ultimately understand both its national character and，eventually， its Cold War foreign policy.
And so， perhaps as America's international prestige diminishes and its national identity becomes more exclusionary for the first time in decades， we should revisit the pages of comic books and those early adventures of Superman and Captain America for inspiration. Their early stories cemented the vision of America as a righteous and noble leader of nations in the hearts and minds of readers， a vision either lost to antiquity or simply lying dormant. And it's a vision that we must endeavor to resuscitate in a world once again yearning for moral leadership.
超人是第一位向美国人介绍政府新职能的超级英雄。与这位英雄当前电影迭代的浮夸场面不同，超人1938年首次亮相是在与社会问题作斗争。在《动作漫画》的创刊号里，他拯救了蒙冤女性免受死刑，阻止了家暴者继续伤害妻子，制止了歹徒敲诈参议员。
超人伸张正义、保护家庭、遏制腐败，代表了新近扩大的新政国家。他的巨大力量可能显得可怕，无论如何一个势不可挡的外星人既可能是英雄，也可能是恶人，但超人誓言只用自己的力量行善和整治无处不在的社会顽疾。他有着永不出错的道德罗盘以及让世界更加安全和公正的无尽热望。
在富兰克林·罗斯福总统慨然接掌领导权和行政权之际，超人反映出了这对美国社会的好处，体现了呼吁“行动，现在就行动”的政府的明确决心。罗斯福政府谴责“兴旺的二十年代”贪婪而自私，迅速实施了旨在保护和扶助最脆弱社会成员的法律和政令，比如《社会保障法》《瓦格纳法》以及成立美国住房管理局。
如果说超人帮助读者适应了新政美国的全面社会改革，那么另一位超级英雄——美国队长——则让他们做好了战争准备。这个不屈不挠的爱国者1940年3月在漫威（当时叫及时漫画）首次亮相，一位编辑在某一期中写道，他代表着“个体自由、个体责任、道德敏锐、正直和愿为正义而战的美国理想”。
他的服装和标志性的圆形盾牌都装饰着祖国的星条旗。漫威队长与纳粹和其他一切胆敢威胁自由世界无可置疑的神圣性的恶人作斗争。
在漫画书里，超人和美国队长在国际上充满不确定性的时代捍卫了美国的自信。在第一期《美国队长》的封面上，无畏的队长重拳击倒希特勒，谴责法西斯主义是“正在席卷世界的仇恨与压迫之祸、暴政与罪恶之祸”。相应地，超人鼓励读者购买战争债券来为战争筹集资金，以便“打倒轴心国”。
这些人物宣传的是特定版本的二战及其目的：推崇多样性、劳动力与企业的国内合作以及美国在国外的国际角色。美国与邪恶的法西斯主义形成了对比，站在纳粹德国拥护的可怕意识形态及其对自由、个性和人权的轻蔑态度的对立面。
这很有效。美国队长和超人不加掩饰的爱国主义增强了同盟国的信心、士气和财力。他们的道德确定性与肆虐欧洲大陆的乱象和无政府状态形成了鲜明对比，帮助美国人适应了战争带来的新国际主义。
超人和美国队长是美国品格的理想化概念，是后来与美国外交政策紧密交织的概念。这些英雄充当了载体，美国可以通过这个载体探索、剖析并最终理解其国家品格，最后理解其冷战外交政策。
因此，随着美国的国际声望下降以及国家认同数十年来首次更具有排斥性，也许我们应该重新回到漫画书里以及超人和美国队长的早期冒险中寻找灵感。他们的早期故事强化了美国在读者心目中作为正义而高尚的众国之首的形象，这种形象要么因为年代久远而被人遗忘，要么只是处于休眠状态。在一个再度渴求道德领导者的世界里，这是我们必须努力唤醒的形象。（葛雪蕾译自美国《芝加哥论坛报》网站7月8日文章）
