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Who Are the Real Life Superheroes?
Who Are the Real Life Superheroes?
By Adam Sinicki
When you look at the ink blot to the left what do you see? A butterfly? A beautiful woman? Seven frogs, a donkey and a fish (in which case, see a shrink)? Well there are some individuals who walk the streets at night while dressed in masks and capes; they might just see something different. They might see a role model. For just like Rorschach, the superpower-less vigilante from Alan Moores grounded take on comic book heroes, Real-Life-Superheroes (RLSHs or sometimes 'Reals') are regular individuals who don costumes and take to the streets in search of ways to make a difference in their community. This tends to involve a variety of activities, from simply raising moods, to getting involved in charities and community service. And yes, some of them fight crime. As Enrique once sang: I can be your hero baby!
As a fairly large geek, and the author of Project Superman, this concept intrigued me. Thankfully one RLSH, who calls himself The Dark Guardian, took some time out of his superheroics to answer some of my questions on behalf of the burgeoning community. Read on to see what he had to say...
Hi there and thanks again for agreeing to answer my questions. To start, can you please give me a little bit of background for the Real Life Superhero movement? What is it about? How did it begin?
Real Life Superheroes are people who create their own unique superhero personas and go out to do good in the world. It is a relatively young and growing subculture with more and more people donning masks and capes and going out to make a difference. Being a real life superhero is a fun, exciting and unique way to help others and make a positive impact in our communities. It is unclear how it all began, some brave men and women put on costumes and went out to help others, fight crime and give back to society, and now more people are getting involved.
To your knowledge, roughly how many RLSHs are there today?
Some people have thrown around numbers like 200-300. Realistically I would say there are about 50 legitimate and active real life superheroes out there.
The subject of this interview showing off his threads.
What sort of things does a RLSH typically do? How does it differ fro m the comic books?
The great thing about Real Life Superheroes is that they are all different and have different focuses and missions. Real Life Superheroes fight crime, help the needy, do charity, community service, and many more things. In the comics, there are superpowers, super-villains and all types of extraordinary things. It is a lot more exciting in the comics, though it can be exciting at times.
I get the impression that the focus is more on social service and creating a safe environment. Are you aware of many cases of 'actual' crime fighting? Could you describe one?
While social service and creating a safe environment are very important, many real life superheroes do actual crime fighting. Here are a few examples: I [The Dark Guardian] have been confronting drug dealers in New York City, working to get them out of Washington Square Park; Citizen Prime works with the Guardian Angels in Utah; The Eye has set up neighborhood watches in California; and there are many more real life superheroes working hard patrolling their cities and fighting crime.
A different take on RLSHs - Directionman - who presumably directs traffic. We like this guy.
Could you describe a particularly successful/well known RLSH?
SuperBarrio of Mexico organizes labor rallies and protests, and file petitions. He has made a political impact in Mexico; Zetaman of Portland has been doing great work helping the needy, patrolling his city and setting up charity events; Citizen Prime has been working with the guardian angels (he started the kid heroes program); and I [The Dark Guardian] have been fighting crime and helping the needy in New York City. There lots more RLSH doing great things.
Do any RLSHs often use tools or weapons?
RLSH's do use tools and weapons. Many carry first aid kits, non-lethal weapons, protective gear and whatever else aids their missions.
The Black Knight, one of the most kitted out RLSHs, and his comrade in arms Agent Null.
What skills/traits do you think are useful for a RLSH?
Skills and traits will differ depending on the RLSH's missions and goals.
If they plan on patrolling and combating crime they should have self defence training and first aid knowledge. Parkour is great to know as well.
What are some of the challenges you face as an RLSH?
The challenge is getting more people involved; if we could get teams of real life superheroes operating in various cities, we could make a real positive impact.
We hope to not only get people in masks and capes out doing good; but want everyone to start getting involved and being a hero themselves.
Geist, looking like a modern day Zoro who likes his greens.
Why do you think it's only now that this has started happening?
We have celebrities, gangsters and thugs becoming prominent in our culture; I think there is a need for change in our society with a focus on positivity, heroism and selflessness. Real Life Superheroes are exactly what we need these days.
Just one example of how RLSHs can raise awareness and (more importantly cash) for worthy causes.
Have you heard of Transhumanism? If so, do you think this is something that might have implications for the RLSH community?
I have heard of Transhumanism but I don't think it is something that has implications or is a concern to RLSH. It is an interesting subject though.
Do you expect this is something that will spread? Do you think we are we likely to see more people donning masks?
I see big things for the future of the Real Life Superhero movement. It will keep growing and we will continue to see more people going out and making a difference.
So there you have it, superheroes are stepping out of the comic books and on to our streets, using a stoic image and a striking logo to inspire good in our society. And while there are some distinct differences between the two worlds the basic essence and idealism remains the same; that with a little bit of determination, some training and a fair amount of spandex, they believe one man can make a difference. Think how much difference a whole bunch of people could make...
Visit:
TheRLSH.Net - A great RLSH forum.
RealLifeSuperheroes.Org for more information.
The Tragedy of the Age for a slightly more opinionated/sceptical take.
The Heroes Network a large RLSH network.
Myspace page of The Dark Guardian
Myspace page of Captain Ozone another Real with a slightly different focus.
Superheroes Anonymous another useful community site.
The Superhero Registry to read up on all the registered RLSHs, or to register yourself (just don't tell Cap' (damn that was a geeky in-joke)). As ever, someone comes up with an idea based on non-conformity and someone else tries to take it and put it in a box. They have a rule system but personally I can't see this fitting with the RLSH philosophy. It's just like what happened to Parkour all over again... (may its soul rest in peace)
Copyright 2012 The Biomatrix.Net
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Who Are the Real Life Superheroes?By Adam Sinicki
When you look at the ink blot to the left what do you see? A butterfly? A beautiful woman? Seven frogs, a donkey and a fish (in which case, see a shrink)? Well there are some individuals who walk the streets at night while dressed in masks and capes; they might just see something different. They might see a role model. For just like Rorschach, the superpower-less vigilante from Alan Moores grounded take on comic book heroes, Real-Life-Superheroes (RLSHs or sometimes 'Reals') are regular individuals who don costumes and take to the streets in search of ways to make a difference in their community. This tends to involve a variety of activities, from simply raising moods, to getting involved in charities and community service. And yes, some of them fight crime. As Enrique once sang: I can be your hero baby!As a fairly large geek, and the author of Project Superman, this concept intrigued me. Thankfully one RLSH, who calls himself The Dark Guardian, took some time out of his superheroics to answer some of my questions on behalf of the burgeoning community. Read on to see what he had to say... Hi there and thanks again for agreeing to answer my questions. To start, can you please give me a little bit of background for the Real Life Superhero movement? What is it about? How did it begin? Real Life Superheroes are people who create their own unique superhero personas and go out to do good in the world. It is a relatively young and growing subculture with more and more people donning masks and capes and going out to make a difference. Being a real life superhero is a fun, exciting and unique way to help others and make a positive impact in our communities. It is unclear how it all began, some brave men and women put on costumes and went out to help others, fight crime and give back to society, and now more people are getting involved. To your knowledge, roughly how many RLSHs are there today? Some people have thrown around numbers like 200-300. Realistically I would say there are about 50 legitimate and active real life superheroes out there. What sort of things does a RLSH typically do? How does it differ fro m the comic books? The great thing about Real Life Superheroes is that they are all different and have different focuses and missions. Real Life Superheroes fight crime, help the needy, do charity, community service, and many more things. In the comics, there are superpowers, super-villains and all types of extraordinary things. It is a lot more exciting in the comics, though it can be exciting at times. I get the impression that the focus is more on social service and creating a safe environment. Are you aware of many cases of 'actual' crime fighting? Could you describe one? While social service and creating a safe environment are very important, many real life superheroes do actual crime fighting. Here are a few examples: I [The Dark Guardian] have been confronting drug dealers in New York City, working to get them out of Washington Square Park; Citizen Prime works with the Guardian Angels in Utah; The Eye has set up neighborhood watches in California; and there are many more real life superheroes working hard patrolling their cities and fighting crime. Could you describe a particularly successful/well known RLSH? SuperBarrio of Mexico organizes labor rallies and protests, and file petitions. He has made a political impact in Mexico; Zetaman of Portland has been doing great work helping the needy, patrolling his city and setting up charity events; Citizen Prime has been working with the guardian angels (he started the kid heroes program); and I [The Dark Guardian] have been fighting crime and helping the needy in New York City. There lots more RLSH doing great things. Do any RLSHs often use tools or weapons? RLSH's do use tools and weapons. Many carry first aid kits, non-lethal weapons, protective gear and whatever else aids their missions. What skills/traits do you think are useful for a RLSH? Skills and traits will differ depending on the RLSH's missions and goals. If they plan on patrolling and combating crime they should have self defence training and first aid knowledge. Parkour is great to know as well. What are some of the challenges you face as an RLSH? The challenge is getting more people involved; if we could get teams of real life superheroes operating in various cities, we could make a real positive impact. We hope to not only get people in masks and capes out doing good; but want everyone to start getting involved and being a hero themselves. Why do you think it's only now that this has started happening? We have celebrities, gangsters and thugs becoming prominent in our culture; I think there is a need for change in our society with a focus on positivity, heroism and selflessness. Real Life Superheroes are exactly what we need these days. Have you heard of Transhumanism? If so, do you think this is something that might have implications for the RLSH community? I have heard of Transhumanism but I don't think it is something that has implications or is a concern to RLSH. It is an interesting subject though. Do you expect this is something that will spread? Do you think we are we likely to see more people donning masks? I see big things for the future of the Real Life Superhero movement. It will keep growing and we will continue to see more people going out and making a difference.
So there you have it, superheroes are stepping out of the comic books and on to our streets, using a stoic image and a striking logo to inspire good in our society. And while there are some distinct differences between the two worlds the basic essence and idealism remains the same; that with a little bit of determination, some training and a fair amount of spandex, they believe one man can make a difference. Think how much difference a whole bunch of people could make... Visit: TheRLSH.Net - A great RLSH forum. RealLifeSuperheroes.Org for more information. The Tragedy of the Age for a slightly more opinionated/sceptical take. The Heroes Network a large RLSH network. Myspace page of The Dark Guardian Myspace page of Captain Ozone another Real with a slightly different focus. Superheroes Anonymous another useful community site. The Superhero Registry to read up on all the registered RLSHs, or to register yourself (just don't tell Cap' (damn that was a geeky in-joke)). As ever, someone comes up with an idea based on non-conformity and someone else tries to take it and put it in a box. They have a rule system but personally I can't see this fitting with the RLSH philosophy. It's just like what happened to Parkour all over again... (may its soul rest in peace) Copyright 2012 The Biomatrix.Net
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