When I was a child, a family friend
gave my mother a job-lot of Superhero comics for my brother John and
me to read. John wasn't really interested in these works of art, but I
loved them, especially Superman and Spiderman.
I would read these comics over and over,
and often dreamed of developing the ability, like my hero Superman,
to fly. But all this coincided with my having a science lesson about
“propulsion”. Little did I know what effect this lesson was going
to have on me; I think it was the start of me being one of life's
incurable pedants! You see, to demonstrate the effects of propulsion,
my teacher talked about the jet engine and how it worked, and the
force needed for the aeroplane to get off the ground. That evening, I
ran home as usual and sat in my bedroom to read one of the Superman
comics again. In the story I was reading, Superman saved humanity by
catching a nuclear missile and flying it out into deep space. While I
read on, it suddenly dawned on me, WHERE'S HIS PROPULSION? The
lesson I had had that very day proved to me that it would have been
impossible for Superman to fly. If he were lighter than air he would
float about aimlessly and he wouldn't then be the man of steel.
I later found out that the original
Superman couldn't fly, only run at the speed of a bullet. Why didn't
they leave it at that? Pedants like me might have worked out that if
he could run that fast and jump in the air with his cloak
outstretched then he could have flown! I know that I'm glossing over
all the other unbelievable things about him but it was this fact that
made me lose interest in Superhero comics.
But. many years later. I discovered that
there are actually lots of superheroes walking amongst us. They, too,
are of an unknown identity, but some of them have been unmasked.
The first superhero, as far as I know,
has not yet been unmasked. There is a powerful photograph taken in
the 1960s of a Ku Klux Klan rally. (They can't even spell properly!)
The KKK came out to counteract the civil rights marches. These
fascist imbeciles taunted the civil rights demonstrators and things
turned ugly. I wish the demonstrators had shown more restraint in the
face of these idiots, because they ran and attacked - which didn't
help their cause, even though they had extreme provocation. Three of
the KKK found themselves alone with a large group of the
demonstrators converging upon them. In the photo (which can be found
on YouTube) you can see the only thing between the KKK and the group
of black demonstrators was one lone cop with his baton drawn. He
fended off people, even though the odds against him were enormous.
This would really be enough to make the man a superhero, a man doing
his job to protect the community (although in this case not the
innocent). But what raises him above mere superhero status was the
fact that this policeman was BLACK! Yes, this man was standing to
defend people who hated his very existence. Not only this, can you
imagine the internal conflict he must have felt as he went about his
duty? I would have probably turned on them with the demonstrators…
So if there's anyone from South
Yorkshire Police reading this, that is what policing is all about.
Not making up stories to cover up your disgraceful practices at
Hillsborough. Not turning a blind eye as children were systematically
raped. It's about serving the community even if it makes you
unpopular amongst your own peers.
The other superhero who has been
unmasked is sadly no longer with us but he did live until the ripe
old age of 106! His name was Nicholas Winton. Just before Britain was
dragged into the Second World War in 1939 he was supposed to go on a
skiing holiday to Switzerland. But he decided to do a detour to visit
a friend in Prague. It was there that he learned about the plight of
the Jews, if/when the Nazis moved in. He abandoned his holiday and
set about trying to arrange for children to be shipped out to Britain
and safety. It's a long story, but one well worth reading. He managed
to organise a train to take 669 children to Britain. He tried to get
America to take two thousand children but Roosevelt wouldn't agree.
The only other country that took some of the children in was Sweden.
He tried to rescue another 250 children but the war broke out and the
Nazis moved in. Only two of these 250 children survived the war.
Winton petitioned for, and was granted,
conscientious objector status in the Second World War. He started to
work for the Red Cross, but claimed that he could no longer object
against the tyranny of the Nazis and joined the Air Force, where he
rose through the ranks. After the war he became a stockbroker, but was
also a life-long socialist. He was finally unmasked on the Esther
Rantzen show, That's Life in 1988. Unbeknown to him, lots of
the children, now middle-aged men and women, whom he had saved, were
invited to be in the audience. His story was read out and then Esther
asked if anyone in the audience had been saved by this remarkable
man. The entire section of the audience where Nicholas was sitting
got to their feet, a living testament to the difference just one
person can make to so many people.
So when you hear all the claims about
why we shouldn't take in the children who are fleeing tyranny in
Syria, go and read about the plight of the children on the Kinder
Train (as it became known). Read about the bravery of not only
Nicholas Winton but of all the people who worked with him to save
these innocent young lives. Read about the people who took these
children in, and in many cases, because their parents were killed,
adopted the children. Then when you feel the need to give your
pitiful excuses about why we shouldn't take these children, hang your
head in shame!
Luckily for people suffering oppression
and injustice around the world there are still superheroes, unsung
superheroes, who work tirelessly on their behalf. It's good to know
that when humanity descends to its darkest hour, beacons of light
arise to show the way back to reason.
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