Distancing ourselves from Kick-Ass

First things first: I want to publicly say that Real Life Superheroes (or anyone that claims to do what we do in the peacekeeping sector) should NOT be endorsing the Kick-Ass movie.

Main reason? It's not us. It's not the image we want to portray... the ones who have any sense, anyway. The guys over at the RLSH.org ( http://reallifesuperheroes.org/ ) who are endorsing this movie (and have been bought and paid for by Liongate, the company that made it) are making a huge mistake. They don't realize the damage that it could do to our already ridiculous public image.

And public image is what gets our message out. The message that we're tired of laying down and falling in line... being faceless and nameless and powerless... We are tired of rendering ourselves harmless and ineffectual to the media because some of us are scared of asserting ourselves and failing... we are using formidable minds and talents to make a change, and not compromising our creative true selves in the process. We are pushing the boundaries within the rules.

Unfortunately, the people that represent us in the press are the very people who shouldn't be anywhere near a soapbox . Normally i wouldn't be speaking out like this against former compatriots (at least not in public), but in this instance I can't stand by and watch something that I and others are fighting so hard to get started crash and burn due to something as simple as self-indulgence.

RLSH.org's actions are irresponsible. It's very simple. They endorse a movie that has nothing to do with us, besides the image. They justify that with the idea that it's ok to endorse a movie about vigilantes murdering people, as long as it gets attention for their agendas. That goes against everything we should stand for.

Not to mention, for the last year or so they've been railing AGAINST anything remotely resembling vigilante activity, very publicly, very loudly. To endorse it now is a spit in the face of our entire community, and the movement itself.

And yeah, I'll admit, I have a personal stake. When I tried to protest about this on the RLSH site, I was censored and eventually banned for linking visitors to the other RLSH site, The Heroes Network, to try to run some damage control on the image they're projecting. (Google us if you'd like.)

Note: THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE. Don't get to the RLSH.org and believe that's all there are. We can be reached. But we won't be tied to that site. We have to distance ourselves from that for now. Maybe forever, i don't know. Depends on whether or not they stand up for what's right, and true.

Continuing...While I understand that the RLSH.org IS a privately run website, I also understand that they claim to be the essential RLSH website, meaning they CLAIM to be the official representation website for the guys that do this... and that just isn't right. You can't make yourself spokesman for a group and then totally ignore their wishes and say whatever the hell you want. OR not even consult them before making a decision this big that involves public opinion. And then censor them when they protest.

They never even asked the rest of the community if we thought that this was a good idea. There are people out on the street, us, putting our lives on the line all the time. We're trying to stay in good standings with the police, trying to build a presence in our communities, trying to get creative instead of simply strong arming our missions... and all that could be blown by people relating us to this movie. The public or police could become antagonistic due to seeing this movie, and then hearing of it related to us. If anything, as soon as this movie was announced, we should have publicly distanced ourselves from it.

We should NOT have made a deal to endorse it. And get paid for said endorsement at the expense of our message.

The appearance of dubious or even simply ambiguous intentions would render this community ordinary, at least to the standards or the world. Ordinary in the way that every corrupt cop or self-deceiving cheating husband or wife is... Our only power in this world is our honor, and to let that be cloudy and uncertain strips us of what some of would die for.

If I have to move to split this community into factions to preserve a clear-cut set of values, I will do just that.

If we are to create change, we need to spread positivity, competence, originality, and most importantly, ACCOUNTABILITY. Every action counts. You can't sacrifice responsibility for media exposure.

We also want to attract more competent and honorable recruits to this movement. If we keep on sacrificing values we are suddenly pariahs to the world of honorable people. If we condone bad behavior, all we do is open the door to more of the same.

It's in my opinion that we should stand for something more than some tired ideals. Whether we adhere to the name RLSH ( and I do not), or Peacekeeper, or Knightmen, The Tribe, or whatever... We should be represented by competent, proactive people with creative ideas for change. Not just some pretty cliches about truth and justice in a time of questionable laws and an alarming hike in corrupt government officials. We need to be out there protecting people with ALL of ourselves. Our minds, bodies, and resources.

We need to be out there mixing with humanity. Worrying less about our spandex and more about the cause.

This Movement can be something incredible... but first, we must gather the ones that will make a REAL difference, not just do what makes them look good.

That's all for now.

-Z