The world needs some real life super heroes right now.
Indeed, there is a real subculture of genuine heroes, that bridge the gap between the fantastic and the practical. Anonymous and selfless, they choose every day, to make a difference in the world around them. Whether it be feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, or cleaning up their neighborhoods, they save real lives in very real ways. These are not “kooks in costumes,” as they may seem at first glance. They are, simply put, a radical response… to a radical problem.
introducing Mr. Xtreme.
“I’ve been a volunteer crime-fighter for more than 10 years now,” he says, “but the thing that really made me get involved in this is that I myself have been a victim of violent crime and have also come from a struggling background. I’ve been jumped by gang members, bullied at school…,” he pauses for just a moment, “and I was molested as a child,” he reveals. But from the gauntlet of those experiences, Mr. Xtreme was born. “I wanted to do something positive, heroic and also as a way of protest against indifference in society. People are being victimized, and I feel that someone has to take a stand. Someone has to stand up and put a stop to it.”
introducing Nyx.
The night has many faces, but none more intriguing that that of Nyx, a Real Life Superhero who is active in and around the New York City and Northern New Jersey areas. Clad in black, with striped leggings and a distinctive red mask, Nyx sets out to do her patrols and homeless outreach in a mysterious, stealth-like manner. “Like the night, I cannot be proven or disproven to certain degrees; and also much like the night, when morning comes, there will be no trace of me.”
A series of life-changing events came to provide her with a new perspective, and helped crystallize her goals. After discovering the active online Real Life Superhero community in 2006, and visiting New York to meet up with her online confidantes on her first patrol in March of 2007, the die was cast.
introducing Soundwave and Jetstorm.
It’s said that heroes come in all sizes—and Soundwave and Jetstorm are testimony to that. Whereas many Real Life Superheroes cite their childhoods as the genesis of what would become their adult activities, these two have chosen to exercise their altruistic impulses while they’re kids. “If you can walk, you can help somebody out,” says Soundwave. And Jetstorm is quick to agree, adding, “Anyone can do it. Except babies, of course.”
introducing Samaritan.
Father of five and with a broadly drawn mission - encompassing work with the elderly, the environment, safety patrols, outreach and childhood literacy - Samaritan goes where he is needed most. “I’m looking to touch all bases, and maybe even create some no one has thought of.” And in his ready-for-anything tactical gear, he is doing just that. “For me, these acts of kindness are the province of heroes. Being a hero for me is a battle with my human nature—to put others ahead of myself. It’s a constant struggle that I know I haven’t quite mastered, but I know that when you stop trying, that’s when you lose sight of what you’re about,” he says candidly.
To learn more about these folks and see even more real life super heroes,
i like the 'radical response to the radical problem'. I also just wrote about these guys, as im looking at how fiction can reall inspire life. Good article. Here's mine @pabloalacampo.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/are-you-an-egotist-or-an-altruist/ regards, Pablo
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