Random stuf

The scene I am specifically talking about is the criticism about the writing choice to have Luthor broadcast to the world Superman's Kryptonian parents' message in full.

Critics think this is the writers deciding to demonize Clark's biological parents.

I personally think anyone who says that is missing the point of the scene.

If we back up, the audience is specifically made aware that Luthor is determined to dig up dirt on Superman, at any and all cost. We see his absolute hatred of Superman be underscored and emphasized over and over from the beginning to the end of the movie. So when he went into the arctic fortress and he saw the first half of the message and that the file was corrupted, he KNEW that Superman had only ever heard the first half. It was OBVIOUS the first half that Superman only ever got to see had zero indications of some ulterior motive. Saying otherwise was a blatant lie. He knew that the second half couldnt possibly affect Supermans behaviour or motives. He. Did. Not. Care.

Instead he subjected a woman into physical and memtal distress to force her to recover what was very corrupted data with zero concerns for her well being because Luthor was laser focused on his hatred of Superman. We see this obsession highlighted later when he risked the destruction of planet earth itself just so he could have a chance to kill Superman. Its even the one thing that made him start the war: his hatred for Superman. He wanted an excuse to kill him and he didnt care how many human lives were killed or ruined in his determination to do so.

Then we hear the second half and it is very clearly spoken in Kryptonian. This is not just a foreign language, this is a language that didnt even originate on Earth. This message is the only known Kryptonian media for translation teams to work with.

To fully understand the gravity of how cruel and deliberate Luthor's 'exposé' on Superman's parents was, you also need to understand how language and translation actually works.

Do you know why Google Translate is so bad at actually translating from language to language? Its because of word for word translations. Its because it is a robot that cannot understand tone or linguistic mannerisms or language culture. It is over literal and cannot translate with any nuance.

now dont get me wrong, translating word for word absolutely has benefits, namely for learning a new language and to help you understand the way that language culture thinks. But it is trash for actually conveying true meaning. All word for word is, is a STARTING place for translating. Thats it.

We see the issue of language culture and mannerisms clearly when we compare the English language from the United States to Europe to Australia. The same word can mean drastically different things, but it is all still English. Thats because culture has a massive influence to the actual meaning of the individual words.

This is true of ALL. LANGUAGES. And then on top of that, you have individual mannerisms and tonal inflections. In some cultures, talking loudly is considered normal communication style while in a different person or language culture, speaking loud is rude and indicates anger and conflict. Even pacing of the syllables can change a meaning and so can facial expressions!

All these are nuances within just the languages on earth where there is (usually) a very great abundance of material for translators to work with.

But Krypton has only one known living person in existence (until Kara shows up, but thats neither here nor there). This lone survivor knows NOTHING about his own people. planet. Culture. If not even HE knows anything, there is no way possible to form an iron clad translation of the only kryptonian material they have to work with.

So when Lex Luthor told the interviewer and the world that Superman's "secret goal" was to build a harem and rule the world.... thats the interpretation he was looking for. Not the actual intent behind the message. The interviewer even ASKED Luthor if there was any room for an alternative interpretation. But Luthor, despite everything he should know about linguistics that i stated above, LIED and said no.

FYI, there is ALWAYS room for interpretation, even in your own native language. Thats why we have dictionaries! and the thesaurus! Thats why you have to be certified to become a language interpreter! Thats why its called spinning a story in your favour- which, by the way, is exactly what Luthor was doing.

He made the most disingenous interpretation of the message he possibly could. A much more likely and KINDER interpretation of the footage would be something to the effect of "You are the last survivor of Krypton. Please, do not let us go extinct. Get married and have children so that the legacy of Krypton will live on. The people we sent you to are of a much simpler civilization, they are very far behind technologically. you must help guide them to a better way of life."

So what Luthor effectively did was destroy Superman's reputation, self esteem, sense of identity, sense of purpose, AND stripped away from him the one and only thing that tied Superman to his birth world and people, parents, and culture.