Supergirl, or Kara Zor-El, first appeared in comic book form in 1959, and since then has had numerous adventures not just in the comics but also on the big and small screen. Introduced as Superman’s cousin, she too is from Krypton and therefore shares his abilities: specifically, on our Earth – under a yellow sun – she possesses powers such as superhuman strength, flight, X-ray vision and freeze breath (to name but a few).
She uses these abilities to fight crime and help humanity: sometimes she’s battling other aliens, and sometimes the foe is merely an evil human being. Although she freqently suffers trials and tribulations, she usually wins the day, saving the world on a regular basis.
‘How can I possibly be like Supergirl?‘ I hear you ask. Well, admittedly, none of us mere mortals can aspire to the abovementioned superpowers; but I’d like to look at this from a slightly different angle. Let’s not focus on Kara’s specific abilities, but instead on what they represent.
Supergirl’s multiple talents, and her capacity for performing heroic feats that are beyond the reach of any regular human, put her in a position of special privilege. She has access to skills and capabilities that the rest of us do not, and although she does not quite take it for granted, this is her ‘normal’. It is what she is used to (at least, since she arrived on Earth), and a significant part of her journey involves her quest to discover how best she can use these abilities.
Should she keep quiet and attempt to live a conventional human life, fitting in to society, ignoring the traits that make her special? In the recent TV series starring Melissa Benoist, she does indeed try to do just that – until one day her adopted sister’s life is threatened by an imminent plane crash, and Kara decides that she cannot hide her powers any longer. She realises she owes it to humanity to use her privilege, to help those who cannot help themselves.
And it is this decision, this choice of action, that we can all take inspiration from. Many of us have some privilege or other, some way in which we are luckier than those around us, some gift that enables us to pass through life without the hardships suffered by others. It might be wealth, education, skin colour, health, connections, popularity, or any number of other advantages. It will be something that is such an integral part of our identity that we barely give it a thought, except perhaps to note that not everyone has ‘it’.
We may choose to live quiet lives, looking out for ourselves and keeping our head down; but what if we were to follow Supergirl’s example? What if we chose to see all of those without our gift as the equivalent of Kara’s sister on that plane? What could we do to help them? Is there a way we can use the thing we take for granted – our ‘normal’ – to provide hope and support for those who aren’t so fortunate?
For example:
- If we have money, we could give to charity.
- If we have our health and stamina, we could lobby for better provision for those who don’t.
- If we have a good education, we could share our knowledge to help others become better informed.
- If we have access to areas because of our age, skin colour, gender etc, we could use those connections to change the system so access doesn’t depend on these traits.
Of course, there is a difference between being truly helpful and being patronising, and it’s important to understand the difference (and our motives) before acting. Similarly, it’s vital to recognise our own Kryptonite: there might be something we could do that would be supremely valuable but which would destroy us in the process. However, neither of these cautionary statements is a reason not to try and find a way.
I’m aware this sounds idealistic: after all, it’s one thing agreeing that change needs to happen in society, but it’s quite another – and a more exhausting – task to actually persist long and hard enough to make it happen.
But think about it. Earlier in this post you might have been thinking, ‘Well, I haven’t got super-strength, so I literally can’t lift a building off someone!’ But now we’re talking about advantages that many of us do genuinely possess: the only barrier to action is finding the will to start and the determination to continue.
Of course it isn’t easy. Of course we all have competing demands in our lives: we all have days that go wrong on multiple counts before we’ve even left the house. But watch any episode of Supergirl and you’ll see that she too has her doubts, her setbacks and her days when all she wants to do is stay under the duvet and eat ice-cream.
But she doesn’t. Whether it takes hours or weeks, she eventually realises that she has more reason to act than to sit quietly, and she picks herself up and gets on with it. Anyone who’s ever rescued themselves from an apathetic fug by making a positive effort to do something practical will recognise that feeling.
Just think what change could be effected if those of us with gifts – whatever form they might take – could do just one thing for someone without our advantages. Small and incremental change works just as well as – and sometimes better than – a big revolution.
What are your powers? And who can you help?
Be like Supergirl: use your privilege and help save humanity.