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Happy Valentine's Day and NO MORE DISCRIMINATION
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Hi James, welcome to Our Shared Shelf! In the interest of keeping things organized (because we have so many members), we encourage new topics to only be made for completely new topics.
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Now that I have joined Our Shared Shelf, I would like to tell you what kind of books I love reading. Most of the time, I enjoy glossing over graphic novels while searching for something enthralling. The main type of genre I feel confident with revolves around the lead female superhero who defies the damsel-in-distress cliché. Among the heroes I became interested in is Batgirl who is the female counterpart to my favorite male superhero Batman. I collected all five volumes of the New 52 series and would like to bring up the first one called “The Darkest Reflection.”
Before I get into it, I will elaborate on some plot elements from Alan Moore’s “Batman: The Killing Joke” that have been incorporated in this graphic novel. There will be spoilers in this paragraph, and it is essential to skip it if anyone has not read the book. In Mr. Moore’s acclaimed magnum opus, it primarily deals with the exploits of the Joker and gives an in-depth origin story of this menace. His patented ghastly method is photographing a random person he has finished doing business with. One of the people he has been taking a picture of is Barbara Gordon who is the daughter of Gotham City Commissioner James Gordon and brings justice to felons while donning her bat costume at night. At the time of this brief photo session, she experiences spinal trauma caused by him which leaves her paralyzed from the waist down. Even though she can not fight, Barbara aids Batman in certain missions via communications and goes by the name Oracle. This would continue on throughout the comics and the video games until the new series resurrected her former alter ego.
Written by Gail Simone, “The Darkest Reflection” focuses on Barbara Gordon returning to her crime fighting duties after a successful surgical procedure that got her back on her feet quite literally. She is sometimes pressured by Dick Grayson/Nightwing over her choice, but she hates receiving concerns from her superhero colleagues because they might undermine her redemption. The biggest challenge Batgirl comes across is Mirror, and this anonymous person is not a firm believer in miracles. Like her, Mirror has experienced a very traumatic experience I will not divulge and stands by the fact that death should fairly select who is next. The villain’s most effective tool against Batgirl is a set of mirrors plastered all over the suit designed to take her back to the moment of her despair. She spent three years in a wheelchair which deprived her of her freedom as well as disintegrated a part of her humanity. Batgirl may be a woman with certain vulnerable traits, but that does not mean she requires anyone’s help to give her the strength she needs. We all can relate to her even if our personal real life events are different from hers, and the best option to alleviate the pain is to stand up for good which is what she never gave up on.
In case someone is thinking that I am afraid of some things, I would have to confirm this speculation. There are certain fears spiraling in my mind, and they are not too simple to heal up in an extended period of time. If there is one person I am scared of the most, it is Donald Trump who has made a reputation of utilizing his own methods of bigotry. Since this is a feminist book club, I think it is in the best interest of Ms. Watson and her key affiliates not to have a complete discussion of his opinions toward different types of people in the near future. He is up to par with Kanye West who recently released a song called “Famous,” and it consisted of lyrics about his misogynistic lascivious desire for Taylor Swift. For your information, I thankfully never listened to that music track because I read an article on the Internet. Let us hope that neither of these two men applies the same action to Ms. Watson, Daisy Ridley, Malala Yousafzai, and most definitely Reese Witherspoon. Utilize
Back in 2002 at high school, a speaker in the auditorium asked either of the students, including me, “What is discrimination?” As I stood up, the crowd applauded loudly at me, and I raised my right arm up high. This extravagant reception occurred before and after I gave my answer to the woman on stage. The best way I can define discrimination without the use of a dictionary is that it is a form of controversy involving intolerable actions whether it is related to race, gender, age, or health. I know what Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” means. Being great means being better than others, and that is a form of superiority many perfectionists utilize in their affairs. More superiority leads to competition and jealousy between separate sides which might promote discrimination. Aside from being tormented by Trump, I am frightened of people supporting him such as Kirstie Alley and the media immortalizing him on his contentious debates. Let me set the record straight by stating that it is not a good choice to be on the side of people who are mischievous to others. Currently, I discovered that Trump was offending the disabled reminding me of the time Kanye West made an intentional mistake to a handicapped person in Australia if I am not mistaken. Commenting harsh words or acting reprehensible around this sensitive demographic is immorally wrong on all counts. This part combined with other events relevant to offending others is what making America great again signifies.
As you probably guessed, I am a supporter of Hillary Clinton, and we need a president who can decide what is right. Please do not listen to the articles regarding Ms. Clinton being at fault for the email issue because it is a complete lie. Does this group believe she is not capable of becoming the 45th president of this country I live in since she is a female? Let me say firsthand there is nothing wrong with being different depending on what a person is. Because I am an albino, I do have an optical problem and can be labeled a mistake. Since females are not similar to males genetically, they are considered a mistake, too. Why do you think the women have X chromosomes? Judging from my disability, I am classified as an X-man. It is a good thing I mentioned Batgirl because we are similar to her. After she recovered from her paralyzed state, she did continue on becoming a hero which is a mistake to people closer to her. On the other hand, something good came out of that flaw on several occasions. Even though I was born with this trait, I went to school and made certain accomplishments. At the end of middle school, I garnered the Presidential Academic Fitness Award signed by Ms. Clinton’s husband/42nd president of the United States Bill Clinton. After that, I went on to succeed in high school and two colleges without getting into trouble. It was a risk going to high school a year after Columbine, and the same can be said with the second college I studied at in spite of Virginia Tech. Then again, Batgirl took that risk of putting her newly recuperated body on the line and did help out as best as she could. We may be born with flaws, but that does not give us the right to live in doubt. Queen Elizabeth II of England, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, and President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan outdid the impossible while defying pessimistic expectations. Even though we are mistakes to certain individuals, there is one thing we should never forget. Mistakes equal solutions.
Carroll is Gaelic for “fierce warrior” whose purpose is to protect and defend the people from imminent situations even personal problems. The strength that I am gaining currently is for saving lives as opposed to taking lives. A friend of mine once told me, “Vigilance over vengeance.” If anyone is reading this, please do not make America great again. Make America EQUAL. Hopefully, other nations will come to that choice in the near future while we remain patient at all times. Today is Valentine’s Day which is when we start sharing the love to the people we have been friends with. Once this action is omnipresent, love will conquer fear. To the men and women who side with equality, we are the good guys, and good guys never die.
This is James Carroll, and I have faith in you.