{"id":1966,"date":"2012-05-07T12:24:18","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T18:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tinseltalk\/?p=1966"},"modified":"2012-05-09T08:36:57","modified_gmt":"2012-05-09T14:36:57","slug":"politics-and-the-avengers-whos-libertarian-and-whos-progressive-and-how-the-heck-did-they-get-along","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tinseltalk\/2012\/05\/politics-and-the-avengers-whos-libertarian-and-whos-progressive-and-how-the-heck-did-they-get-along\/","title":{"rendered":"Politics and ‘The Avengers:’ If Iron Man is Libertarian, what’s The Hulk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Can the Avengers, lords of the boxoffice, show us the way to getting along a little better? Sometimes it takes a Superheroic effort to cut through the election year noise.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break this down, shall we?<\/p>\n

Iron Man the Capitalist<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A capitalist\u2019s capitalist, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) could not be more unapologetic about\u00a0 his success and his desire to make money. He doesn\u2019t necessarily want to tell you how to live your life, and doesn\u2019t want you to tell him either, but he cherishes the freedom to prosper and play, kind of like the old pursuit of happiness line. He\u2019s pretty much a libertarian.<\/p>\n

Photos: Robert Downey Jr. As Iron Man, Steve Jobs<\/em><\/p>\n

Banner aka The Hulk the Progressive<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When we meet Dr. Banner (aka The Hulk), he\u2019s providing medical care to the extremely impoverished in slums somewhere in India. He is vitally aware of the danger and\u00a0volatility\u00a0of violence and\u00a0eschews\u00a0it completely. Better than anyone, he knows how a little anger and violence can get out of control. Can we say hippy- dippy?<\/p>\n

Photos: Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Banner, Jon Stewart<\/em><\/p>\n

Captain Amercia the Conservative<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Captian America, well, he\u2019s old school. Literally. Transported from the 1940s, he believes in country, sacrifice, and the American way. He\u2019s a traditionalist in every sense of the word. He believes in one God, the Christian God, presumably. One pictures him probably 1940s style Episcopal, before they got all hippy too. In his mind, there\u2019s a right way and a wrong way and, sadly, America\u2019s changed a lot since his day. One thing is for sure: His stars and stripes don\u2019t run.<\/p>\n

Photos: Chris Evans as Captain America, Sean Hannity<\/em><\/p>\n

Thor the Immigrant<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Thor, well, he\u2019s not from around here. First of all, he doesn\u2019t buy into that one god thing. After all, he is a god, and not the one the good Captain means. He\u2019s from a foreign land where things are done differently. He even talks funny. Some very basic things don\u2019t translate well, like sarcasm or what it\u2019s like at home. He\u2019s an immigrant.<\/p>\n

Photos: Chris Hemsworth as Thor, a Sikh-American<\/em><\/p>\n

Black Widow the Post-Feminist<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), she\u2019s both an immigrant from some Russian roots and a woman. She\u2019s pretty post-feminist. She knows what she\u2019s good at (persuading people to do things they don\u2019t want to do) and what she\u2019s not (beating people like the Hulk in a physical contest). She works hard, fights hard, and keeps a mental ledger of whom she owes and who owes her. She doesn\u2019t ask special favors, but she doesn\u2019t give any away either.<\/p>\n

Photos: Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow, Carly Fiorina, CEO of HP<\/em><\/p>\n

Hawkeye the Millennial<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hawkeye, he\u2019s the new kid. We don\u2019t know much about him. He hasn\u2019t figured it out himself yet. He even gets sucked in by Loki\u2019s mesmerizing charm, but comes around in the end. One thing he does know. He wants to make a difference. That\u2019s why he signed up \u00a0to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. He\u2019s Gen Y. The future is yet to be seen.<\/p>\n

Photos: Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, soldiers in Afghanistan<\/em><\/p>\n

Nick Fury the Survivor<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, we have Nick Fury, the leader of the troop. In the comics, he\u2019s a World War II veteran as well (in some versions World War I), whose anti-aging serum gives him long life. Unlike the original comic character, who was white, he is African-American. For all African-Americans, he says hey, we\u2019ve been here all along, contributing to this country.<\/p>\n

Photos: Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, George Hickman, one of the Tuskegee Airmen<\/em><\/p>\n

These seven heroes with widely ranging beliefs. They probably would not all vote the same way. They might not even get along at a party (in fact, they don\u2019t get along in entertaining and spectacular ways in the movie).<\/p>\n

But they have a few things in common: A abiding respect for human life, a love of freedom, and a willingness to sacrifice themselves for those beliefs.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, that\u2019s all it takes.<\/p>\n

Pluralism. It\u2019s a beautiful thing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more, read our Avengers review.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who does each Avenger represent? (Hint: One is Jon Stewart.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":1865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,161,168],"tags":[293,215,459,460],"class_list":["post-1966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment-news","category-featured","category-slider","tag-avengers","tag-conservative","tag-politics","tag-progressive"],"yoast_head":"\nPolitics and 'The Avengers:' If Iron Man is Libertarian, what's The Hulk? - Tinsel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who does each Avenger represent? 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