RLSH Why The Hell Are You Doing This?

Dark GuardianReal Life Superheores are growing. It is becoming more popular and becoming more mainstream. The media is getting more and more interested in the idea. There are news reports, news aticles, books, photoshoots, magazine articles, talk of TV shows, and more.
I have been a real life superhero for about 8 years now. I did this when there was seriously only a handful of people doing this. I was out patrolling 3-5 times a week for the first few years. I did this for years before I did a news article.
I have spent thousands of dollars doing this of which the majority was spent on food, water, clothes, pillows, blankets, neccesities for the homeless, school supplies for underprivleged kids, donations, presents for sick children, and more. I have reported crime and faced criminals. I have had my life threatened by actual criminals. I have done the little things like picking up trash and removing grafitti. I have a long history of training. I teach martial arts as my job. I have fought amateur kickboxing. I have taken a cpr/first aid course. I have studied private investigation, surveillance, even majored in criminal justice for a while.
I’m not listing things to go wow look how cool I am. I’m showing my history and qualifications in doing this and my dedication.
I see new people coming around looking to be famous. I see people who just put on a costume and are talking about how they should be on a TV show. People doing this for a couple months and acting like they are someone special. I don’t think I’m all that special. I see people talking about fighting criminals with no real training.
I did this, just to do it. I did this to help make a difference. My own little way of trying to change the world and make up for past mistakes.
I never expected to be on TV or in the newspaper. It was the furthest thing from my mind. My focus was on helping people and making a positive impact. The TV and news stuff wound up coming because of the work I have done. I have never pursued a news story or article. In fact I turn down media all the time. The only reason I do TV or news stuff is to spread a positive and inspiring message and to hopefully get more people involved not just in being rlsh but getting everybody a little more involved and aware in their communities.
I titled this article why the hell are you doing this. And that is a question you should constantly be asking yourself as a real life superhero. If you are here to get famous or be in a newspaper, you shouldn’t be doing this. If you are doing this because you want to beat up criminals, you shouldn’t be doign this. If you are here to make a postive difference and hopefully inspire some other people to do good, you are doing the right thing. If you are doing this because it is a fun way to do some positive things, you are doing it for the right reasons.
Please constantly reevaluate why you are doing this and keep working to make a positive change.
I believe in real life superheores and the positive change this idea can bring. Let’s work together and create that change.

Crusading’s Downsides

By Captain Black
If you think crusading out in the open against corruption is all sweetness and light, have I got a rhetorical bucket of cold water for you!
It invites any number of attempts to discredit; dismiss and/or disconnect you ( from the economy where you live ). I caution all would-be crusaders to think hard about weathering the storm when home sweet home ceases being so.
We can be full of the strength of our convictions. Our eyes firmy fixed on the prize. Neither good intention stops the opposition from slandering and even starving those labeled rabble rousers. America recognizes freedom of speech but also punishes speakers running afoul of someone’s status quo.
There is a crying need for people o speak truth to power.
Actual real life super villains often don’t have gimmicks like costumes or code names to warn the public. Lurking behind respectable masks like chamber of commerce; community leader or the titles doctor; officer; mayor; father; mother, etc. is a rogues gallery to make fiction’s top worst green with envy. Once you cross the line and become a known dissident get ready for the hatin’ to begin.
I eat hatred like candy.
Negative feedback means my job is being done and done well. The trick is possessing an invulnarable identity, i.e a sense of self no amount of criticism nor dirty tricks can penetrate. Anything less and even the most idealistic will cave in. There’s an ugly side to activism that most folks see when viewing old black and white footage of civil rights marchers being beaten by police and mobs.
Lesser known abuse impacting activists are rumor campaigns and pressure to end employment; deny new jobs; clients and even due process when law enforcement is part of the insidious act.
America and Earth desperately need many, many more crusaders. It’s only fair to be up front about crusading’s downsides as well.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info

Malcolm X: Real Life Superhero

By Captain Black
I like stretching the real life superhero ( RLSH ) concept to include figures who don’t wear costumes or identify with comic books per se.
Malcolm X career had numerous real life superhero ( RLSH ) overtones:
* He changed his name, like many creative activists who present themselves to the public with new names.
* He fought injustice at great personal risk. Attacks and eventual assassination illustrate dangers crusaders face in the so-called real world. Anyone who thinks do gooding doesn’t have serious consequences should study his example long and hard.
* He advocated people embracing a larger vision of themselves through self-education and activism. RLSH often describe their persona as fuller expressions of personal potential. Constant skill development is another wide spread practice among Movement members.
Individuals can either live lives of quiet desperation or dare to become bigger than fear and doubt dictate.
Malcolm X exemplified transformation. Real life superheroes also promote transformation as central to improving society. Absent the power of change we become prisoners of a stifling status quo.
Like us his message challenged conventional wisdom. Like us he had more than a few detractors. Like us he believed in his calling and followed it to the end.
Crime fighters in our ranks should note the very real peril invited by actively opposing evil. Actual costumed adventurers will inevitably make enemies, some of whom may retaliate.
Just food for thought as RLSH determine their role in the Movement.
Malcolm X shows us the risks and rewards of uncompromised courage. In fictional terms he was Batman without the mask. Without a secret identity to hide behind he presented himself to deadly opponents every time he left his home.
How many activists, RLSH or otherwise, would do the same?
Malcolm X was a real life superhero who showed this Movement and humanity what is expected of those who stand up without flinching.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

Pepsi goes RLSH

Originally posted: www.refresheverything.com/blog/2010/07/21/how-to-be-a-real-life-superhero-with-or-without-the-cape/
heros_72010_howto-300x200
How To: Be a Real Life Superhero (With or Without the Cape)
By Rebecca McQuigg Rigal of GOOD
So you want to make the world a better place? Maybe start with your block, or your neighborhood. Maybe start with an awesome costume. You don’t need superhuman powers or otherworldly resources to be a Real Life Superhero, just plenty of passion and a taste for the theatrical. We recently spoke with DC’s Guardian, about what it takes to be a costumed crusader for good. He had these six tips for making the world a better place, one neighborhood at a time.
1) Know what you stand for. It’s not a prerequisite to don tights or a mask, but every Superhero builds an identity around good morals and values.  Likewise, you’ll need a cause (or several) for which to crusade. Look around your community for actions groups that need help.
2) Identify your weapons. And we’re talking personal skills here, not nunchucks.  After identifying a cause, ask yourself what you can bring to the table to help fulfill that need. Take stock of your interests and find a way to donate your time and talents in ways that will be compatible with your lifestyle.
3) Dress for the fight. While it doesn’t take spandex to be a Superhero, always come prepared for the task. Whether the job entails managing logistics for a fundraiser, educating local youth, or just showing up to the right place at the right time with the right supplies, you’ll want to be known as a responsible and accountable crusader.
4) Don’t get mistaken for the bad guy. Real Life Superheroes can be activists, volunteers, educators, or neighborhood safety patrollers, but in order to establish an identity as a community crusader for long-term success, you’ll have to work closely with local citizens, civic leaders, and law enforcement. Collaboration and communication are key.
5) Don’t break the law. Never go above the law, and always stands firm behind your actions. As DC’s Guardian says, “If you can’t stand up and say ‘I did this!’ you shouldn’t be doing it.”
6) Be humble. There’s no such thing as a self-serving superhero, in real life or otherwise.
DC’s Guardian is prominent figure in the RLSH community and President of Skiffytown League of Heroes – a national network of original superhero characters dedicated to performing acts of community service.
 

Shadow on the Sun

I have had a hard time as of late. It could just be me, but I see stagnation in our community. This could just be a break in the constant drama we usually are consumed in, but I just feel like things are sagging. Maybe this is the summer feel, maybe it is something else.
I just feel hard to be motivated at this point. Down on my spirits if you will. I am working to get the rally organized and trying to do meetups, but there is just this burning itch that says it is not enough, that urges me to go on forward. But I do not feel it.
With the advent of the new Heroes Network comes and opportunity to build. There has been a tremendous amount of influx and reorganizing on RLSH.net as well, but despite this I still just feel that at this point, we have hit a level.
It is a time of regrouping, reorganization, and, in a lot of ways, rest. Many RLSH have retired from public eye, and the private organizations among us are coalescing in their own hidden ways. Meets are being organized, things are on the verge of occurring, but as of right now, I see very little actually happening.
This could just be my interpretation, but I believe that we are seeing a new growth in the way our wacky world works.
In the beginning days, we saw individuals all arising to the same idea: dress up, go out, and help people. With the information age fueling connectivity between people it was not long before we saw groups form. Small, private, and hard working, these groups set the tone and bars of expectation.
It was not long before these small groups gave way to larger groups, and all the drama and fragmentation we have seen from their formation. We saw things go two ways: private and public. One side embraced the idea of individuals, the other of community. Both brought different things to the table, but the fall of these two systems is once again imminent. Why is this so?
We are going mainstream.
Deny it all you want, but interest in whatever the hell you call what we do has risen to popular status. With the exposure brought on by the Mr. Tangen’s project, movies, ads, and general interest by the media, we are now stepping out of the shadows into a greater one: that of the public.
RLSH.net alone has seen a tremendous boom in users, and many are staying and contributing. Other sites are springing up, and as I have said before we are all starting new projects and paths it seems. We are at a new age of public involvement with what we do, or at least dangerously close to the cusp of such.
I do not state any opinion with this. This is merely the marking of a growth our lives. It is important to note things, and I believe that if anyone else feels this same stagnate quiet of reorder and growth that I do, then we are at a very interesting time indeed, my friends.
I will post tomorrow about summer patrols. In the meantime, reflect on where we are. As the old saying goes, you have to know where you have been to know where you are going.
Stay frosty.
Written by Mr. Jack
Original Content –  http://maskedmusings.blogspot.com/2010/06/shadow-on-sun.html
 

Citizen Prime retires

citizen_prime_02Message from Citizen Prime

It is with a sense of resolute peace and serenity that Citizen Prime is putting down the cape and cowl. I am going to be spending my time making my own children strong and resilient, and fostering love in my family. Truthfully, this is a decision that I have been wrestling with since the birth of my second child and it has finally won me over with its reason and wisdom.
Truthfully, the Real Life Super Hero movement and I have always been somewhat at odds. My message has been one of hope and peace through positive action. The darker elements of the movement always threaten to engulf the social enlightenment I, and others, advocate and it eventually kept me at arm’s length from the majority of the RLSH. While I always found this regrettable, I also found it inevitable, and it made me wonder if Citizen Prime’s presence was contrary to the very message I evangelized.
I wish no one or no thing ill will and encourage all who have taken this path to see what differences they can make in the world. The Real Life Super Hero movement is powerful and important. I must put it aside as I have three people in life that take priority and I feel I must dedicate my life to them now. Those three people are my wife, my son and my daughter. I have come to a decision that they are far better served with a husband and father who can dedicate his energies to making their lives everything they can possibly be.
I leave this movement knowing there are many of you who are good people. You will and must carry your awesome message forward to the world.
God bless you all and perhaps Citizen Prime will live on in a fictional Prime-verse through stories and graphic novels. Who knows what the future will bring. And whatever that future is, it is up to each of you to contribute your fair share.
Best Always,
Citizen Prime

Citizen Prime was one of the original founders of Reallifesuperheroes.org as well as the short live super-group the Worldwide Heroes Organization. He also founded Kid Heroes, a group dedicated to education kids on personal empowerment and taking action in emergency situations.
We here at Real Life Superheores.org wish him the best in his future endeavors and know that he’ll be making a difference uniform or not.

Real-Life Superheroes or Masked Activists?

Originally posted: http://bigthink.com/ideas/19080
By Tal Pinchevsky on March 15, 2010, 7:15 PM
It sounds like a ridiculous premise for a bad Hollywood script. A very, very bad Hollywood script. But a confluence of forces over the past two years could be contributing to a bizarre rise in real-life, mask-and-spandex super heroes. With a heightened sense of online activism and large-scale cuts in a number of police forces, these pseudo-superheroes appear to be part vigilante, part activist. That’s right, superhero activists.
The cuts in police forces across the Western world, from England to Michigan, have inspired fears of impending crime waves. And while not every region has seen a sudden rise in crime, the past few years have seen the emergence of a fascinating networks of street-fighting superheroes inspired by a century of iconic comic culture. A culture, mind you, that has seen recent record prices for old superhero comics.
In a bizarro parallel of online activist networks, a number of traditional mask-and-spandex pseudo-heroes have taken to the web to mobilize. One of the first calls from action came from a New Jersey resident calling himself Phantom Zero, a masked man who seemed to fashion himself more a humanitarian than a crimefighter. The idea of the superhero-as-activist has indirectly contributed to a number of sites, like Superheroes Anonymous, which looks to inspire “the superhero in all people through outreach, education, and creative community service.”
But community activists (of sorts) are doing more than borrowing the basic superhero ethos. There has even sprouted a national network of costumed individuals patrolling streets across the country. You can follow a number of them on an official World Superhero Registry. And in a bizarre case of life imitating art, mainstream media, both print and online has embraced the work of these individuals in a not-completely-ironic way. Even Hollywood has jumped on the concept of the DIY superhero with upcoming films like Kickass and Defendor.
So is all this emerging superhero activity a vigilante uprising or a call to activism? Perhaps a bit of both. Either way, there is no denying the dozens of people suddenly fashioning themselves in the Superman mold.  Some, like Captain Australia, even have their own web site. With 2010 already declared the year of the real-life superhero, it’s hard to tell how many of these street fighters are embracing a true activist imperative. There are some we already know of, including Mexico’s Superbarrio, who acts primarily as a political organizer. Nobody’s saying masked vigilantes are the future of activism, but it certainly appears to be a new take on an old standard.
 

Zetaman: Portland's real life superhero

Originalhttp://www.koinlocal6.com/content/news/webextras/story/Zetaman-Portlands-real-life-superhero/Gj-MIzP0p02-I7Ig13-bJw.cspx
Reported by: Tim Gordon
Last Update: 3/11 10:52 pm
PORTLAND- The real life superhero movement is sweeping the country. And Portland has one of its leaders, helping others in his costumed crusade.
Zetaman leaves the hard core crime fighting to the professionals, but is trained in first aid and CPR. He dresses up to help the homeless, and support good causes like the March of Dimes. He also might change your flat tire if he finds you stuck on the side of the road.
Just don’t be alarmed by the bright blue costume. It’s all about being a community activist in costume – a creative outlet that helps others.
Zetaman is part of a group of Americans that refer to themselves as Real Life Superheroes. Comic book superheroes have traditionally exemplified the values of trustworthiness, bravery, selflessness, and passion. These hallmarks of fictional iconic characters are the same that the Real Life Superheroes strive to embody.
The Real Life Superheroes is a grassroots movement that works to make the world a better place. They are using the iconicism of comic book superheroes to try to make a difference, inspire others, spread a positive message, and call attention to issues in our communities.
They believe ther is a hero in everyone and they want to bring it out to help make this world a little more super.
The Real Life Superheroes movement is (sort of) the basis for a new full-length featured movie coming out in April. A preview is below.

Superhero supports community groups

CARBONDALE – Community activist and talk radio host, Treesong, has launched a new effort to support local community groups by adopting a superhero identity.
As Carbondale’s “Real Life Superhero,” Treesong will help environmental, social justice and community service groups with their programs, fundraising and volunteer opportunities. He will also promote these groups online through social networking sites such as Facebook and the new “Causes” section of his website,.
Treesong believes that his distinctive costume and public superhero persona will demonstrate that community involvement can be a fun and rewarding experience. He also hopes to inspire others to join him in supporting these local groups and invites group organizers to contact him with their requests for support.
Treesong first became active in the community by joining the Student Environmental Center in 1997. In 2000, Treesong received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from SIUC. After receiving his degree, he chose to remain in Carbondale to continue his involvement in the local community.
Treesong is part of the international Real Life Superheroes movement. This movement, with an estimated 200 publicly known members worldwide, consists of individuals who have chosen to adopt a unique new identity inspired by the fictional superheroes of movies and comic books. Their methods of public service are as diverse as the individuals themselves and include neighborhood watch patrols, volunteer service for charitable causes, and political activism on issues such as the environment and women’s empowerment.
For more information call Treesong at 618-525-0625, e-mail to [email protected] or visitwww.treesong.org.
http://www.thesouthern.com/news/local/plus/article_ef49e030-e37e-11de-a7f9-001cc4c03286.html