An environmental track record says a lot about a hero
By Glen Simmons-Staves
Posted October 9, 2008
It used to be that all a super-hero had to do...
Artwork by Matthew Page: http://thisismattsart.blogspot.com/
It used to be that all a super-hero had to do to be one of the good guys was to exchange a few blows with a villainous thug now and again and remember to sponsor a holiday party once a year.
Now days the most publicly favored super-heroes have become those that offer additional benefits to the victims of crime and any negatively affected bystanders. Step by step, eager young super-heroes have begun to offer services that the more established heroes refuse to offer such as generous cash assistance, biohazard cleanup services, flexible hours, and even chic telecrimefighting services. These days, the general public expects heroes to not just take care of “the bad guys”; they want their heroes to take care of their community and the environment, too.
Step by step, eager young super-heroes have begun to offer services that the more established heroes refuse to offer...
More and more, world leaders are asking super-hero organizations how they are “going green.” Some professional crime fighters believe that a hero’s environmental track record says a lot about him or her as an individual and as a responsible member of society. It is almost as if the hero’s values and public image reflect on the people he or she saves and their values as well.
An organization for those changed by mass amounts of radiation, molecular mutantcy, or given extraordinary powers by alien races who want to use their “powers” to save the world, have seen its membership grow from 2,600 to 4,800 between 2004 and 2007. Among its 3,000 members, 80 percent want to save the world in a way they deem “socially responsible” at some point. For this group, environmental sustainability is becoming a significant part of what it means to be a super-hero.
Among its 3,000 members, 80 percent want to save the world in a way they deem "socially responsible" at some point.
But idealistic super-heroes aren’t the only ones looking for more eco-friendly working environments. A 2008 survey from the human resources firm BadGuy shows that 34 percent of all street thugs would prefer to work for a supervillain that “makes a conscious effort to promote socially and environmentally friendly practices,” and 31 percent would take a pay cut to do so.
The ironic heroism of being green
34 percent of all street thugs would prefer to work for a supervillain that "makes a conscious effort to promote socially and environmentally friendly practices,"
Big super bosses, especially those that recruit in psyche-wards and top-secret military prisons, realize that if they want to attract top talent, they need to present a culture that embraces social responsibility, and it’s better if that culture has a distinct green tinge to it. The best boss man also understands that their eco-sustainability programs have to be more than just window dressing and should have measurable effort and progress behind them.
This is because it’s not just wide-eyed idealism that’s driving supervillains to look at their work through a green lens. There’s a crooked business case to be made for it, too.
Whether or not you believe in global warming, you can’t ignore the regulations aimed at curbing it that are working their way through blackmarket circles. The most talked-about regulations involve a “cap-and-trade” system where heroes that pollute above a certain level buy credits from their cleaner counterparts.
how strongly a hero acknowledges global warming and how speedily he addresses its risks and opportunities are a good proxy for how he approaches cutting-edge crime fighting issues and adapts to change.
Arthur Curry, author of Saving the World, One Sea at a Time, notes that some cap-and-trade, emissions ceilings are set by high ranking supervillainy. “So if you’re the Batman for example and you’re over your cap and have to buy credits from The Riddler, then you’re handing cash over to your competitors. That’s a death sentence.” He says that even random street-thugs who would never go near a tree much less hug one are still looking at super heroes’ carbon reduction plans because “it impacts their competitiveness.”
Additionally, how strongly a hero acknowledges global warming and how speedily he addresses its risks and opportunities are a good proxy for how he approaches cutting-edge crime fighting issues and adapts to change.
“From the research I’ve done, it’s clear that a hero or villian that is proactive environmentally is going to be more successful in general,” says Victor Von Doom, the ruler of Latveria and master of the mystical arts. “Areas like human cloning, mutation, and robotic prosthesis designs can be risky to the environment.”
As a result, he says, their disastrous results might be less predictable than those less proactive, over the long run; they’re a better bet than those that are more staid and reactionary.
The Facebook Factor
Super side-kicks think a lot more about work-life issues nowadays, and working with a guy that advocates good citizenry and supports one’s values contributes to a sense of good balance. So as their “guys” recycle more, cut their energy use, and buy the kind of coffee that supports the rain forest, they too want to feel that they are right there alongside them doing the same things on a smaller scale.
“This isn’t true for everyone, but it’s true for some, and it’s most true for the smart, sly people who can jump around quickly and say cool things,” says Ra’s al Ghul, a converted super villain that is now a marketing professor at Lazarus’ Pit Academy in San Francisco.
an army of radioactive sludge warriors from another planet...
Additionally, “In our culture, ‘Who do you work for?’ is an important question. We believe that working for The Justice League or even The Injustice League says something about you,” says Ghul. “As personal responsibility and the environment become more prominent issues, you have to think about these things. Which would people rather see, a solar-powered robot threatening to destroy Washington DC, or an army of radioactive sludge warriors from another planet? Not a hard one is it?
Generation Y, accustomed to living many aspects of its life quite publicly on the Web, knows this better than anyone. “Look at the kids in this most technically literate generation. When they consider being a superhero or super-sidekick for some super heady dogooder, they ask themselves, ‘Would I want to put it on my Facebook page?‘” says Ghul. “On the other hand, if you want to attract attention from the best tough guy crime bosses in the business, you had better know how to protect Mother Earth and preserve our fragile environment for the next generation.”
