Superheroes vs Bad Guys

Lately, my six-year-old and four-year-old have become fascinated with superheroes. This year’s Halloween (or Harvest for those of who don’t do Halloween) costumes are Spider Man and Batgirl. Frequently they tie blankets around their necks, jump off my couch (without permission) and pretend to fight “bad guys”. Lately, the term “bad guy” has caused me to feel uneasy. It’s a familiar term used by children to describe the opponents or villains often portrayed in film. Villains in film and tv are often one-dimensional figures whose sole purpose is to do evil, and the only retribution for their crimes is death. I can’t remember a single Die Hard film in which the terrorist survives and actually stands trial. Why does it matter, you might ask? Cinema is a type of art form, and it has been said that art is often a reflection of real life. Art also has the ability to influence our lives. So, I begin to ask myself, what is cinema teaching us about how we view and treat those who do wrong (the “bad guys”)? 

Before we answer that question, let’s first ask: What is a “bad guy”?  Perhaps it’s a person who hurts another. Maybe it’s a person who breaks the law? In order to determine who is bad, we should determine who is good. In Matthew chapter 10, someone refers to Jesus as a “good teacher”. Jesus replied in verse 8: "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.” In my opinion, Jesus was being a little facetious here. Because He is God, so He is indeed good. But they probably didn’t realize that yet. If Jesus (sinless Emmanuel – God with us) is the standard for goodness, then no one can be good. We all sin and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23). If no one is good, how can we single out the “bad guys”? We can’t. There are people who do bad things at times. Perhaps that’s why death is the punishment for villains in film. It’s probably because there is a measure of goodness that is ascribed to the superheroes and victims. We can accept their judgement and execution because we place them in authority to do so. But in real life, Jesus reminds us that no one is good, except God. Jesus tells us that a person who is angry is just as guilty as a murderer (Matthew 5:21-22). Sin is sin. This is why we all need a savior. If we can recognize the “bad guy” in ourselves, we can see the humanity in others. 

Does this mean that we live in lawlessness or reject accountability? As victims of wrongdoings, does this minimize your pain and trauma? No and no. Recently I watched a mini documentary about convicted criminals sentenced to life in prison for crimes they committed as minors. There was a teenage boy who shot two women in an armed robbery, killing one and greatly disfiguring the other. Interviewing the survivors, my heart broke for their loss and the trauma they still experience 20+ years later. When interviewing the gunman and his family, I learned that he grew up in a low-income neighborhood that was devastated by the crack and cocaine epidemic. He was first exposed to cocaine at the age of 11 by his father who was an addict, unbeknownst to his working mother. By the age of 12, he was a full-blown addict and committing robberies to feed his addiction. Interviewing the convicted murderer in jail 20+ years later, we come face to face with a sober man who communicates remorse for what happened. While still hurting for the victims of this crime, my heart began to brake for the assailant. Thinking of the circumstances in his life before the shooting, the tragedies inflicted upon him before he tragically took a life. To be given drugs by your father at age 11!!! Even now, my highly sensitive personality laments this tragic situation.  Watching this documentary allowed me to see the humanity in those who do things that are inhumane. I prayed for all involved, because Jesus loves them all, died for them all, and offers restoration to all. 

I recently heard a pastor give a sermon about cynicism. The pastor challenged us to change our way of thinking, recognizing that everyone has a story, and most time we don’t know what that is. Therefore, we should be slow to speak and avoid assumptions. Everyone, regardless of what they’ve done (or are suspected of doing) is someone’s child, friend, relative, and most importantly a person whom Jesus loves and died for. Perhaps if this was kept at the forefront of our minds, it would change that way Black and Latinos are policed. We would be viewed as more than a suspect, more than a criminal, more than a threat. We would be humans, part of a family and a community, people loved by God Almighty. Perhaps if this was kept at the forefront of our minds, we would be kinder to those who have different political views than we do. We could see each other as more than Liberals vs Conservatives, Democrats vs Republicans, but instead as people. We could recognize that some women have abortions because they are alone, scared, destitute and hopeless instead of labeling them as the sexually immoral looking for convenience. Perhaps we could see women who are pro-life as women who’ve experienced the trauma and pain of abortion instead of calling them mindless women blindly following the policy of WASP men. Perhaps we could see undocumented immigrants as people running away from extreme poverty, war and violence, instead of merely lawbreakers. Perhaps you could see the children separated at the border as what they are…children!! And not just collateral damage. 

So now I encourage our kids not to use the phrase “bad guys”. We remind them, that there are people who do bad things at times. We remind them, that we are not perfect and do bad things at times. They love to bring up all the times Mommy was wrong. But it’s ok, because I am able to point them to the grace that was extended to me from above.  I remind them that that same grace is available to them. But to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).