Why do all superheros have secret identities.
Superman is Clark Kent
Batman is Bruce Wayne
Spiderman is Peter Parker
Iron Man is Tony Stark (the identity is no secret here, but the personality behind it is)
Why don't superheros live like normal people with normal names. It is not because that will put their loved ones at risk. A supervillian could potentially pick threaten anyone off the street and use them as bait against the superheros. Then what is it that compels them to hide their true identity.
It is the fact that human beings are more afraid as well as believing of the unknown, than they are of the known. Few examples -
"If you tell people that there is a person sitting high up in the sky who runs their fate and guides all their actions they will believe you, but if you tell them that the paint on the wall is wet, they have to touch it to verify for themselves"
"If you write in front of your house, 'This is my home. Please do not throw garbage in front of it', people will deliberately throw garbage there. However, if you write, 'This is God's house. Please do not throw garbage in front of it', people will do everything possible to keep your doorstep clean"
So if a superhero (or a boss at office or the Central Intelligence Agency, in a more realistic context) were to live like a normal man, people will be able to judge his strength, and will therefore not be in perpetual fear or respect of him. He will loose the element of unknown which is most feared by human beings.
That in my view compels and justifies the deliberate lack of visibility into the life of some people or organizations who have the responsibility of upholding the law or terrorizing the people. In this respect, the superheros and supervillans are the same.
They all have secret identities.
Superman is Clark Kent
Batman is Bruce Wayne
Spiderman is Peter Parker
Iron Man is Tony Stark (the identity is no secret here, but the personality behind it is)
Why don't superheros live like normal people with normal names. It is not because that will put their loved ones at risk. A supervillian could potentially pick threaten anyone off the street and use them as bait against the superheros. Then what is it that compels them to hide their true identity.
It is the fact that human beings are more afraid as well as believing of the unknown, than they are of the known. Few examples -
"If you tell people that there is a person sitting high up in the sky who runs their fate and guides all their actions they will believe you, but if you tell them that the paint on the wall is wet, they have to touch it to verify for themselves"
"If you write in front of your house, 'This is my home. Please do not throw garbage in front of it', people will deliberately throw garbage there. However, if you write, 'This is God's house. Please do not throw garbage in front of it', people will do everything possible to keep your doorstep clean"
So if a superhero (or a boss at office or the Central Intelligence Agency, in a more realistic context) were to live like a normal man, people will be able to judge his strength, and will therefore not be in perpetual fear or respect of him. He will loose the element of unknown which is most feared by human beings.
That in my view compels and justifies the deliberate lack of visibility into the life of some people or organizations who have the responsibility of upholding the law or terrorizing the people. In this respect, the superheros and supervillans are the same.
They all have secret identities.
