Signifying Nothing?
Phronesis File—Hang-Ups About Spiderman
My “Spidey sense” was tingling as I finally watched the Spiderman: No Way Home film. I watched it on DVD, not the web.
As an avid fan of this superhero’s 15-cent comic books years ago, I loved the movie’s ability to remember, and draw the best from, the expansive history of Peter Parker.
The latest plot forced Parker, a role model who shines in the “Marvel universe” firmament, to survive a not-very-friendly neighborhood where mysterious menaces battered him incessantly. Audiences saw hypnotic, hyperactive scenes of chaotic violence, deadly hatred, and misshapen lives.
These long action segments, understandably enervating to someone not weaned on a procession of Spiderman products, prompted my book- and symphony-loving wife to comment on younger theater-goers who have consumed the film’s confusion and destruction.
As we watched in our living room, she said compassionately, “No wonder kids are the way they are today.”
This is food for thought. Our society has casually wondered for decades whether deaths on TV shows were affecting kids’ behavior. Now, we face a tougher debate: Is today’s menu of immersive movies, video games, pornography, and other distortions of reality, revisited and binge-watched incessantly, feeding trends of anxiety, depression, and nihilistic anger—toward self, others, the world, and God?
We tend to dismiss these influences as parts of the cultural ocean in which we swim. A spoonful of sugar, in the form of nostalgia for beloved heroes and addictive dopamine hits, helps this bitter medicine go down. Countless customers take not only this medicine, but actual drugs with such acknowledged side-effects as violent ideation.
I will still defend this film because I saw it reaffirming the humble integrity of Spiderman. I observed good conquering evil and marginalized folks—misunderstood teenagers and super-villains alike—overcoming unjust drags on the human spirit.
Admittedly, younger fans may see these battles through different lenses with a less rosy hue. Also, while I saw low-resolution depictions of affection and friendship, complete with clever buddy-movie rapport, other generations may focus on the high-definition kaleidoscope of strange beauty, exhaustion, and adrenalin. Does the dollop of sweetness leave an impression?
But I will offer one additional defense. Peter Parker’s “life verse” seems to be a maxim he learned from his Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is a profound message, rooted in the Bible (Luke 12:48).
Of course, I must again question my Spidey sense. Young audiences can learn about humility from Peter, but does he shine a light on responsibility to the common good, on higher authorities shaping our reason and goodness, or on bland virtues like prudence and patience?
Perhaps a film like No Way Home challenges society to initiate cross-generational conversations about what Baby Boomers and young adults see in Spiderman. In the human and earthly ecology envisioned by Pope Francis, this spider has a certain dignity and an important role. It is our responsibility to reflect on that and to appreciate how each amazing creature fits into a wide-screen view.
Although Peter Parker can be a uniting figure, as he is in the movie, we must ask what bonds he is forging. His artificial reality ideally would resonate with actual responsibility to our society and our humanity. Otherwise, is his story more destructive than constructive as a cultural artifact?
May he still build a web of hope. A mere roller-coaster ride through the multiverse is not even what Peter himself craves. He just seeks a way toward the happiness that only a true home can provide.
Still Chewing on This Story
Albany International Airport recently suffered a bout of soaring inflation. One woman trying to leave the airport’s parking garage in mid-July learned from the computerized billing system that she owed $115,000—even though she had considered hers a safe space.
An airport spokesman told the Albany, NY, Times Union the cause of this accidental tourist trap was a glitch. It made the computer tally her parking fee as if she had entered the garage on Jan. 1, 2000.
“After 22 years, Y2K had its revenge,” the spokesman told writer Steve Hughes. A power outage had caused a not-so-great reset in the garage computer. The reset expected in 2000 had not occurred, but that did not prevent this reprint of scares from the past.
Neither the woman nor the other parkers had to pay the sky-high amounts spit out by the ticket-generator. Airport staff members adjusted the rates on their own, just in time.
Here are my thoughts:
· Thou shalt not become too dependent on computer systems without real-life backup systems. This is a timely commandment in the age of artificial intelligence, hard-to-track hypersonic missiles, and budget cuts that intensify reliance on non-human factors.
· Don’t be lackadaisical about the risks of glitches resurfacing. We must turn to history to understand not only human foibles, but high-tech risks as well. Remember the “precautionary principle” discussed previously in this space.
· Thank God for newspaper stories like this Albany item. Because of the design and critical mass of newspaper content, publications can encourage us to settle in for a while—to browse and invest in more random and rewarding reading. Those perusing the July 22 front page did not seek, but did find, the Y2K tale. Thank God, too, for light stories that still allow journalists to have fun as wordsmiths and punsters at a time when most news is either taken too seriously or dismissed too readily.
Pandevotional—Reflections for Faith Going Viral
David Gergen was interviewed on C-Span’s “Book TV” about his new book looking at leaders, Hearts Touched with Fire. The seasoned public servant and his book are part of an effort (“With Honor”) to spread wisdom about government leadership among members of younger generations—especially, service-minded military veterans who aspire to continue working for the common good.
Gergen offered these comments about leadership:
· He defines a true leader as someone who “mobilizes others in pursuit of shared goals.” In other words, part of a good leader’s job is to find and motivate good followers.
· Leaders must demonstrate the “3 C’s”—courage, capability, and character. The latter quality is vital because countries have been able to attract deft personnel in the past, but such talent pools easily become corrupt as individuals surrender to their inner “demons” if they lack good character.
· Americans tend to tear down their leaders after they have risen to power. We need to cultivate and continue supporting all sorts of people in whom we find real potential. Gergen turns to the war in Ukraine for an example of personal capability discovered in diverse fields of endeavor, even entertainment. He asks, “Where are our Zelenskys?”
· “To become a true leader can sometimes be the work of a lifetime.” Beyond colleges whose marketing mottos promise to develop leaders, many individuals in their 20s and 30s start to develop impressive traits as they sort out their “core beliefs” and life goals. They fine-tune a “moral compass.”
· It is time to pass the baton to a new generation of national leadership. President Biden, born in 1942, hails from the so-called “silent generation.” Presidents Trump, Clinton, and Bush (George W.) are among the first “baby boomers”—and all three were born in 1946. President Obama, born in 1961, is another boomer.
That’s the Spirit—Guidance from Godwinks
Phronesis contains an element of problem-solving because it aims for virtuous wisdom that can be used for the common good, presumably to address obstacles impeding human happiness. But one does not practice phronesis by privately developing skills for solving problems. Providential prudence requires discernment, and this entails transformative growth—a difficult spiritual journey where one is accompanied by others, and by God.
Father Richard Rohr, the noted (and controversial) Franciscan author, offered insights about this requirement in his 1995 book Enneagram II: Advancing Spiritual Discernment.
“True discernment is not possible unless there is total abandonment to grace,” Rohr wrote. We need to surrender to God, to trust in His love forming and informing us both directly and indirectly through others. Furthermore, we must embrace our journey as a path toward powerful truths we are called to know but cannot discover alone. Some discoveries will entail pain and suffering. Such a journey emulates the “Little Way” of St. Therese de Lisieux,
This requires a humility that “thinks big.” Are we willing to make discoveries in contrarian ways—finding truth not only in the expertise of gurus, but often in the wrongness of circumstances or the brokenness of ourselves and others, as Rohr describes? Our spiritual drama of discernment must include the purgatorio and the inferno, as well as the paradiso, of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
(Harking back to the superhero discussion above, I should mention that I learned, in 15-cent increments, that Peter Parker went through a long trek of travails and lessons. These formed a process of discernment for him and his alter-ego. Of course, the journey is always described in secular, not spiritual, terms. But he has found the Golden Rule somewhere. And he brings such an inspiring, empowering humility to his heroism, I am tempted to call Spiderman more of an altar-ego.)
Father Rohr’s discussion of discernment through the Enneagram, a self-assessment tool which I only recently rediscovered, fits well into the framework of phronesis. But his outline also reminds me that a self-centered pursuit of phronesis can lead us to discern a spirituality that is sadly solitary.
If we see big problems and want to solve them quickly, we may switch on our “elite” leadership abilities and “spurn” the flaws of those who disagree with us. We may retreat into performative acts of symbolism and shallowness because enduring solutions that maximize the good for all are more complex and time-consuming. We look at life through our own lenses and proclaim private revelations sprung from no pain, no journey, no accompaniment of others.
Discernment of the truth as personified by Christ living among us, whether we seek a vocation or a course of action, is a group activity. In mutual trust, we all must learn from the unique strengths, weaknesses, and perspectives we dare to share. Rohr reminds us of Paul’s mandate in Ephesians 4:25. “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
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