Originally Posted by
manduck37
Superman's SI is kind of a key element to his immigrant story. In order to avoid discrimination, many immigrants have kept their culture and past quiet. Look at what Stan Lee contended with. He changed his last name to Lee so people wouldn't know he was Jewish and would hire him for jobs. That's the kind of experience Siegel and Shuster were working with when they created Superman. It's a key element of actual experiences that people can relate to. It's not some gimmic to give Superman problems or cause wacky adventures. It's to show that people have to sometimes hide who they are or be looked down upon by their new society. It's certainly not trolling. If you take away a core concept of Superman like this, it really diminishes the character and people's connection to him. It's like saying "well, no one really believes in alien planets, so we'll say Superman is from New Jersey".
Particularly now, with everything going on here in the states, the SI and immigrant story seem so much more important. So many people could really use this connection and relate to it. But it's getting cast aside because Bendis doesn't seem to understand younger people or the roots of Superman.
Kind of strange considering we also have Superman Smashes the Klan, which dives right in to the immigrant aspects of Superman and feels so relevant. Honestly Superman Smashes the Klan is a real treasure and handles these struggles of identity so well. It's really striking the contrast between this wonderful book and Bendis' Superman.