Superhero on Call
Jul. 12th, 2025 04:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is what's wrong with most renditions of superheroes.
The problem is not that being a superhero is inherently bad. The problem is that most people writing superheroes have little to no grasp of labor history or psychology. Nobody can stay on call 24/7 forever. Although if you want to see an example of what happens when you leave traumatized superheroes on call 24/7 with no rest or mental care, Civil War is a good rendition. Superheroes are a type of first responder or other aid worker.
So if you want to be a superhero, you follow some basic principles for safety:
* 8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, 8 hours for what we will. (If you prefer to work longer shifts for fewer days like some first responders, that is fine as long as you can sustain the effort safety.)
* As with any activist, choose your worthy causes(s). Nobody can do everything. You choose to take responsibility for some issue(s), and the vast array of other issues are somebody else's responsibility.
* As with any emergency work, choose your area of service. Depending on your resources, this may be as small as a neighborhood or as large as the whole planet. Even those with planetary range usually choose a subset of locales to attend, whether disaster zones or environmentally sensitive habitats; the ozone layer is a different type of subdivision. Nobody can be everywhere, and especially, you cannot be in two places at once unless you have sufficient personnel to cover multiple emergencies at the same time.
* Network with others to provide wider coverage over time, space, and needs.
* Consider the skills and resources you already have. It is best to choose a sphere of influence that relies on those. However, you may also choose to learn new skills suited to heroic action, especially if you have a gap in any important area.
* Do not work where you are not wanted. There is more than enough work to do and people who desperately want help, so anyone who prefers to solve their own problems should be free to do so.
* It doesn't take superpowers to be a hero, it just takes super compassion. You need to notice what you could do to help, and then care enough to do it.
The problem is not that being a superhero is inherently bad. The problem is that most people writing superheroes have little to no grasp of labor history or psychology. Nobody can stay on call 24/7 forever. Although if you want to see an example of what happens when you leave traumatized superheroes on call 24/7 with no rest or mental care, Civil War is a good rendition. Superheroes are a type of first responder or other aid worker.
So if you want to be a superhero, you follow some basic principles for safety:
* 8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, 8 hours for what we will. (If you prefer to work longer shifts for fewer days like some first responders, that is fine as long as you can sustain the effort safety.)
* As with any activist, choose your worthy causes(s). Nobody can do everything. You choose to take responsibility for some issue(s), and the vast array of other issues are somebody else's responsibility.
* As with any emergency work, choose your area of service. Depending on your resources, this may be as small as a neighborhood or as large as the whole planet. Even those with planetary range usually choose a subset of locales to attend, whether disaster zones or environmentally sensitive habitats; the ozone layer is a different type of subdivision. Nobody can be everywhere, and especially, you cannot be in two places at once unless you have sufficient personnel to cover multiple emergencies at the same time.
* Network with others to provide wider coverage over time, space, and needs.
* Consider the skills and resources you already have. It is best to choose a sphere of influence that relies on those. However, you may also choose to learn new skills suited to heroic action, especially if you have a gap in any important area.
* Do not work where you are not wanted. There is more than enough work to do and people who desperately want help, so anyone who prefers to solve their own problems should be free to do so.
* It doesn't take superpowers to be a hero, it just takes super compassion. You need to notice what you could do to help, and then care enough to do it.
