Just reading the news today is enough to get even the most positive optimist a little down. Story after story involving senseless violence, mobs in the streets, robberies and beatings can be discouraging.

Unemployment and a weak economy can be a recipe for disaster. It’s times like these that we need a little help. But from whom? Who can protect us from ourselves? It may be time for a modern day superhero.

Our superheroes of yesterday can't help us much in today's world. Superman? He would be sued by the very ones he saved. Stories of illegitimate children would surface as soon as he helped an attractive lady cross the street.

Batman wouldn't fare any better, branded as an elitist, he would be questioned about his immense wealth, Why doesn't he donate more to charity? Why does he pay a lower tax rate than his butler?

Today’s superhero would have many modern day obstacles, he or she should be sensitive and help those who need it most. He or she needs to be politically correct and understand the complex nature of today’s world.

He or she should stay completely out of the polarizing world of politics. These days, stating your political views can be a death blow, our superhero should stay clear. Politicians would clamor for his/her support and feel scorned if they didn't receive it.

Sexuality should be avoided at all cost. If our superhero is gay it will create a backlash with the conservatives, and yet a straight superhero will set of the criticism of the left. They will wonder why in this day and age our superhero is straight, it’s so old fashioned. It’s a lose/lose, don’t ask, don’t tell is the way to go.

What about the wardrobe? I think earth tones would be the correct choice for today's superhero.. Avoid red or blue, we don’t need our superhero setting off gang wars. Wearing blue and he could become Captain Crip, wear red, and he/she may be considered a blood.

Although the racial identity of our superhero shouldn't be important, invariably it would be. Obviously our superhero cannot be a white male, that’s just not going to… fly. If we go with a male, ideally he would have to be of mixed race, this avoids controversy, maybe. An accent of some sort is a nice touch.

Today’s superhero needs to be slightly flawed, our society loves a comeback. The public wouldn't go for a perfect superhero who’s never had a little adversity in his or her life. Perhaps a recovering drug addict who has vowed to remove the filth off of the streets. A victim of spousal abuse whose main goal is to abolish domestic violence, or maybe both.

Our superhero will need a message, or perhaps a catchphrase. Stay in school or Just say no is outdated. Perhaps he or she could just remind kids to recycle or buy organic.

Religion should not be touched. it will set off a firestorm. Regardless of one's beliefs, there's no winning this battle. We want our superhero to be of solid moral character, I think we can all agree on that. Christians won't want a Muslim superhero, and Muslims wouldn't want a Christian crusader. Atheist will have their own vision of a hero, no one will be happy.

Our superhero would have to be careful with volatile international affairs. Choosing sides could lead to chaos, how would our hero know what side to take?

Today's Superhero may be out there, but he or she may decide we are not worth the hassle. There are too many rules, nothing makes sense. Why come down and perform good deeds only to be slapped with a lawsuit or be fined for not adhering to regulations?

The media will want to know his/her intentions. Why would someone help others in need, there has to be a motive? Investigations would begin, digging up an old Twitter feed or facebook post, looking for something to print. If our superhero survived all of this he would still have to avoid other pitfalls such as Kim Kardashian.

There would surely be protests. It would be deemed unfair that our superhero was given these gifts. Or perhaps he saved one victim while another didn't survive. What is the reason for this? We would demand answers on his decision and reasoning. Meanwhile PETA would be upset about the dog left in the tree.

Today's Superhero would be wary of getting involved in such a modern society, we have worked many years to get to this level of enlightenment, we have evolved past ancient customs that involve logic and common sense. For a modern superhero, life on earth would be no easy task, hiring a publicist and a lawyer would be crucial. Our superhero would have two jobs, protecting himself/herself from us, as he/she protects us from ourselves.



