... is somewhat analogous to being in the closet for gay people. I'm not gay myself, so I can't speak from personal experience. Everything I say on this subject is second hand, from things I've read or heard, so it's all pretty obvious. But gay people who have been in the closet all say it's divisive to your personality, that they hate lying to their friends and family, and that coming out is a relief, that it makes them stronger and happier.
I know it's not quite the same thing for Clark. Clark is the last Kryptonian, as far as he knows, so there isn't going to be a Kryptonian Liberation Front waiting in the wings. His parents are the first to know his Kryptonian identity, not the last, as is often the case with gay people and their gay identity. His identity as an alien is far more dangerous for his friends and family to know about, than would be his identity as a gay person. So I'm not suggesting it should be as easy for him to 'come out', and that he should come out publicly. I'm saying that hiding his identity as an alien must have something of the same effect on him.
In fact, the original comics did realize this. There is that split between 'Clark Kent' and 'Superman'. They're two different people, really. And Clark Kent from the comics was a rather unpleasant person, which was why Lois Lane didn't like him much. It was 'Lois and Clark' that really made Clark the hero of the show, I think. Though Christopher Reeve's Clark was an improvement on the comics Clark, too.
SV's Clark is shaping up to be much more like the Clark of the original comics. And it is his lack of any sympathy for, or understanding of, how his lies affect other people that I find distressing.
People keep saying he's young. Well, how mature do you have to be to realize that you hurt people when you lie to them? When Clark ran off, leaving Lex to be taken back inside Belle Reeve and essentially tortured, all to protect himself... that was unspeakable. But when he and his parents justified his actions, by saying it was all for the best, and Lex was happier for having his brains fried.... Gah! That was the worst. He'd just had a terrible revelation of how he hurt people by lying. If he'd seriously questioned his own actions, if he'd even seemed to consider whether or not it was worthy of him to allow his friend to be tortured to protect his secret, if he'd shown any sign of maturing through his experiences and being less judgemental of other people's faults, I'd like him more. But there it is.
I've been thinking about how maintaining a secret identity...
I know it's not quite the same thing for Clark. Clark is the last Kryptonian, as far as he knows, so there isn't going to be a Kryptonian Liberation Front waiting in the wings. His parents are the first to know his Kryptonian identity, not the last, as is often the case with gay people and their gay identity. His identity as an alien is far more dangerous for his friends and family to know about, than would be his identity as a gay person. So I'm not suggesting it should be as easy for him to 'come out', and that he should come out publicly. I'm saying that hiding his identity as an alien must have something of the same effect on him.
In fact, the original comics did realize this. There is that split between 'Clark Kent' and 'Superman'. They're two different people, really. And Clark Kent from the comics was a rather unpleasant person, which was why Lois Lane didn't like him much. It was 'Lois and Clark' that really made Clark the hero of the show, I think. Though Christopher Reeve's Clark was an improvement on the comics Clark, too.
SV's Clark is shaping up to be much more like the Clark of the original comics. And it is his lack of any sympathy for, or understanding of, how his lies affect other people that I find distressing.
People keep saying he's young. Well, how mature do you have to be to realize that you hurt people when you lie to them? When Clark ran off, leaving Lex to be taken back inside Belle Reeve and essentially tortured, all to protect himself... that was unspeakable. But when he and his parents justified his actions, by saying it was all for the best, and Lex was happier for having his brains fried.... Gah! That was the worst. He'd just had a terrible revelation of how he hurt people by lying. If he'd seriously questioned his own actions, if he'd even seemed to consider whether or not it was worthy of him to allow his friend to be tortured to protect his secret, if he'd shown any sign of maturing through his experiences and being less judgemental of other people's faults, I'd like him more. But there it is.