An article in today’s Guardian claims that modern superheroes are bad role models for young boys.
We are clearly not watching the same movies.
Or at least not together. If I’m going to watch Robert Downey, Jr., I’ll do it privately with the shades drawn, thank you. With my kids I watch things like Despicable Me, Toy Story 3 and The Incredibles, which we just borrowed from our local library.
Not only are the superheroes in The Incredibles not bad role models, they have gotten my son to eat whole wheat bread so he can be as super speedy as Dash. Crusts and all. I have no idea how this happened.
The claim that superheroes are bad for kids was made by Professor Sharon Lamb of UMass, Boston. She says the modern superhero is “aggressive, sarcastic, and rarely speaks to the virtue of doing good for humanity.”
I guess we can’t just let our kids learn from pixels after all. Darn.
The only issue I take with The Incredibles is ElastiGirl’s mom-hair; I have subconsciously used her as a role model. I suppose as long as they’re kicking ass and taking care of their kids, it’s okay to emulate superhero moms.
Now to go jam myself into some lycra and watch Iron Man.
