Recorded March 13th and 20th. First contact, ship detection and landing, Zod's ultimatum, The War of the Worlds, and The Wizard of Oz.
Answers, insights, and commentary on:
I. First Contact
As an intended approach
Guidelines for what counts
Prior in-story contacts
Detecting Kal's vessel and landing
Military response and suppression
Ultimatum questions
"Are we alone in the universe?"
Winston Churchill
II. War of the Worlds - The Book
H.G. Wells and Jules Verne
Man versus the mechanized future
Superman terraforming Earth
Superman's arc enabling The League
Man as animal
Panic and fragility
Human heroes overcoming instinct
III. War of the Worlds - The Broadcast
1938 Orson Welles broadcast
Halloween public panic
Press exaggerated story
Fake news, virality, and creative control
Real public panics
Humbling humanity
Myopia and normalizing the extraordinary
IV. First Impressions
Lois Lane and handshakes
Pete picking up the tab
Definitions, Apologetics, and "Yucatan"
Selling Superman
Judgment, taste, and capacity
Clark is more able than we see
Superman is more human than we know
V. Wizard of Oz
Similarities to Superman and BvS
Hero's Journey and circular story
Flexible and open to interpretation
Explicit Oz references
As an allegory for populism
VI. Application
Academic scholarship
Fandom good for empathy
Superheroes inspire altruism
Science fiction, escapism, and reality
To learn more:
The War of the Worlds 1938 broadcast | Orson Welles
American Experience: War of the Worlds | PBS
War of the Worlds | RadioLab
Big Picture Science | SETI Institute
Churchill Ordered UFO Cover-Up | BBC
Churchill Essay on Aliens | NY Times
Should Humans Try To Contact Alien Civilizations? | Motherboard
Don't Panic | WNYC
How the Panic Broadcast Really Went Down | Michigan Radio
American Icons: Wizard of Oz | Studio 360
The Wizard of Oz | TED Ed
Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy | Louis C.K.
God, The Universe and Everything Else (1988) | BBC
Does Smiling Make You Happier? | HowStuffWorks
Power Poses Work - Amy Cuddy | TED
Power Poses Are False (replication crisis) | Fortune
Are Fandoms Good or Unhealthy? | SciShow Psych
How Harry Potter Turns You Into A Wizard | SciShow Psych
Always take social science studies with a grain of salt.
End-notes (recorded on March 23rd):
Superman: War of the Worlds (2000, Elseworlds) | Lark
Planet of Oz | SuperFriends
Warner Bros. v. AVELA | 8th Circuit
H.G. Wells meets Orson Welles (1940) | KTSA
Superman Meets Orson Welles (1950) | Superman #62
Somewhere Over The Rainbow A Wonderful World | Kamakawiwoʻole
Go The Distance Defying Gravity | Kick Full
Justice League Universe Podcast:
Interview with Clay Enos - Appreciating intention and interpretation
Batman v. Superman Anniversary Special - Value fans get from BvS
Web: ManOfSteelAnswers.com
Twitter: @mosanswers
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