I said SHAZAM-A not SHAZAM-er!

There are few words in comic books that evoke the level of power that SHAZAM does. Imagine being able to say a single word and transform a life r empower and depower others. While SHAZAM bestows Billy Batson the power of a pantheon of Gods, the word Nigga/Nigger carries a very different kind of power. In this episode we will explore the awesome power of words in both comics and politics and those who wield them!

Transcript

Unknown Speaker  0:00  
What's up everyone, and welcome to superhero politics. I am your host, Michael Holmes. And here we are with episode number eight. And we're about to kick off also our first YouTube, like so you'll be able to find us and SuperHero Politics, Podcast. So as we're recording this, we're actually video taping it as well. So once this is all done, we'll upload the video once it's fully edited to YouTube. And so it's pretty, pretty awesome day. So I wanted to kind of get into this episode because it deals with a pretty tough, touchy subject. And if you guys read the title of when you read the title of this episode, the title will make sense now that we're talking about it. So what if you could say a word? What if you could say a word that when you said the word, it changed you? Like what if you could say a word that would transform you and give you an I knew identity? What if you said a word that if you were able to do this, it would take power from others, and give it to yourself. And then you would be able to use that power. And then even if you want it to you could distribute that power to others for them to use

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at

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kind of your leisure. Now, if we're talking about comic books, we're talking about the word Shazam. Shazam is one of the most powerful words in all of comic book lore. Why? Because it allows the speaker of that word to perform this ritual of lightning, and then be bestowed with the powers of a group of God pantheon of gods not just a God, but pantheon of God like a pantheon of gods like. So if you look at the word Shazam, the way it spelled s h, a ZM. Shazam phonetically. So you've got amongst this pantheon of gods whoever speaks this word is imbued with the wisdom of Solomon for the s, for the age, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Achilles, or Atlas, stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the cutting of Achilles, and then the speed of mercury. So you get all these superpowers that are given to you by speaking this, this this word, this one word. So it's it's such a powerful word that it's even allows Billy Batson who is who has the power of Shazam, from the rock of eternity from the wizard, Shazam, to even be able to distribute this word to his family. So now, when his family speaks the word Shazam, they have power to. So. But Billy is the gatekeeper, Billy Batson is the gatekeeper. So he's the one who gets to decide who he allows to have that power. He's the one who gets to then determine who else comes into the family, to then be able to speak the word Shazam, and then gain access to the pantheon of gods that allow that empowers him. Now, a lot of those people, they're not really blood relatives. If you look at the Shazam family, they're all kind of orphans, billions and orphan themselves. So they're kind of cobbled together as a family. And so he's able to kind of pick and choose a loosely group of people and he gets to decide, based on his stewardship of the power, who to give it to. And so but only he gets to do that. Only he gets to do it. Just him like nobody else. Like even the wizard Shazam. You know, once that power has been transferred, he doesn't even get to get kicked anymore. That's Billy. So obviously, this is a substitute for another word. Now, this episode, we'll be talking about the power of words and we'll get into some other things and later on in the episode and we'll talk about oath, and things like that and why these words are powerful, but throughout comic books there have been individuals who have been you know imbued with such power that they released that power they exercise that power by words when you think about the tennis a guitar one of the most you know Opie characters and all the comic books

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she

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uses her magic by speaking words backwards you know when you think about you know you think about the the Suzanne family you think about extrication you think about Jason blood who was bound to the demon etrigan the only way he can release that power is he says this oath gone gone the form of men give rise to demon etrigan and he says that and that releases the demon etrigan who is an immortal beast? Who speaks in rhyme? His words, speaking, Rami speaks in, in poetry. And so words denote power. But we're talking about Shazam, which I can't even think of another word in all the comic books, not Marvel, not wildstorm, not image, not anything that produces a being as powerful as Shazam or Captain Marvel, depending on and I don't really want to get into that right now. But that produces another being with the power of Captain Marvel slash Billy Batson. Now, when you look on the flip side of this, there's another being as well, Black Adam 10th, Adam, who was the original bear of the worshipers, and now he moved on to a different pantheon of gods that pop gods that power him. But it was still the same. You spoke a word. And then you were imbued with the powers of a pantheon of gods. And so he abused that power, though. He abused that power, and it got him banished to another dimension. Now, I'm going somewhere here, guys, like I'm going somewhere like I really am going somewhere. So you on one side, you have Billy Batson who has the power Shazam, and he's responsible with it. You know, it's a powerful word. It's a it's a powerful word, like he's responsible. And so he gets to allow other people to use it, his family, the people that are in his group, the people that are most like him, the people that fit within his demographic, he gets to allow them, they are allowed to use the word and use the power of that word. Now on the other side, you have one who abuses the word takes the power uses it for nefarious purposes. And because of that, he gets banished. Now, if you haven't figured it out yet, this is not about Shazam. This is not about the word Shazam. And for my younger viewers, younger viewers in you know, now, listeners and now viewers, Hey, everybody. We're not talking about Shazam, we're talking about the word nigga, or nigger, the N word, a word that has immense power in our society. We're talking about that word that has been used to oppress, that has been used to belittle to other eyes, to torture, and demean, and break the spirits of black people in this country. For hundreds of years. That word has now been reclaimed by my community, and repurposed for power. Like we use it in a completely different manner. Now, I'm not saying that it's right, because it's a it's a racial epithet. And I so it's a word that has its founding in racism and, and slavery and bigotry, and, and evil.

Unknown Speaker  9:33  
But

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it's been reclaimed by the community that it sought to undermine and to terrorize. That's fine. Those things happen in society. You know, and it's unique to us as unique to us as black people. And so, when you think about this word, when you think about how Billy Batson who is the gatekeeper of The power of Sheikh Zayed allows his brothers and sisters to be able to use the word and empower them as well. Like you think about that. Now you think about Adam, Adam Black Adam, ironically, Black Adam, who uses that word keeps it to himself, but he abuses the power that comes with that word. And so he gets cancelled. There it is. That's the word he gets

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cancelled.

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And so, recently if you guys haven't known there's a country singer, and I have no idea who this dude is. Never heard a song. I don't know him. I don't know what he stands for what his music is about. I don't know anything about Morgan Whalen or Wallen, I don't know, wouldn't have known his name, but apparently, he got on one. And on video started screaming out negative, negative, negative this blah, blah, blah, you know, out, you know, whatever. And so the backlash was furious, and was fast, fast and furious. And that's another segue. I'm really not intending to do these guys, because this is just coming up. Because, you know, as we talked about Black Adam, obviously, Dwayne The Rock Johnson will portray Black Adam, and the upcoming DC films.

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But

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the backlash was fast and furious against Morgan Wailing Wall, and I hope I'm pronouncing his name right? To be honest with you. If you are, you're saying nigga, I don't really care about your name. Because you ain't in the group, you haven't been given the ability to speak the ritual to allow you to come to the cookout to allow you to be able to use the word now, because that word has so much power, because she exam has so much power, other people outside of the exam family have sought to control that power. Mr. Mind, you know, you, Mister mind, Dr. sivana. All these people have sought to control the power of Shazam. And so you know, even even, you know, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Alexander Luthor, he said it backwards maza. But people have sought to control that, that word because it has so much power Imagine being able to get the power of a god to have the power of a god. But not only just one guy, but seven, you know, six, from spelling, right? But imagine having that much power in one word. And so obviously, people who don't have access to it want to get it. But that word, if you're not worthy to work to carry it or or been, you know, justified to carry it, to, to speak it, it will cause damage and harm, but didn't stop people from speaking in any way didn't stop people from pursuing it, even though they got destroyed over and over and over again. Even though they got banished even though they got canceled. But what I want to talk about is how this word has been used politically. in our, in our society, like it's, it's become a third rail, but not really a third rails become kind of a lightning rod pun intended. Between conservatives and liberals. Because if you talk to conservatives today, they feel like the entire world has been taken away from they, they feel like they have just been banished. Like there's nothing left for them, like the entire world has been stripped away from them, and that they have nothing left. So in their minds, when they get a chance to take something back from the groups that they think are brutalizing them, then obviously, they want to do it. Because you know, I can't I can never understand, like, the obsession of white America with having the ability to say that word. Like, why why is it so important for you as white people to be able to say nigga,

Unknown Speaker  14:47  
like why?

Unknown Speaker  14:50  
I think if you if you go back and you always I always try to make sure that I relate this to To the pursuit of power, which is one of the central themes. in comic books, you always have this group, this guy, this one, this individual or this group who is desperate to obtain power or to keep power. And so you look at how society now that word is prevalent in a lot of things and so not to kind of follow on to their talking points. But you look at how throughout rap music throughout other different mediums, you have the word being spoken. And now it's part of the popular lexicon. It's part of our social anatomy, in our social vocabulary. But, obviously, if you're not in the group, if you're not part of the Shazam family, you can't speak the word and you shouldn't speak the word. And so the obsession of individuals outside of the Shazam family, and I'm gonna call black people's wishes and family right now. to possess the word has led them to destruction. Now, this dude, Morgan Whalen is not the first one and he won't be the last. If you go on tik tok. If you go on Instagram, if you go anywhere, you have little white kids running around, you know, older people like Hulk Hogan, you know, was temporarily canceled, you know, because he made this entire big argument about well, I can't, you know, or I can't say it. Why can't you know, rappers say it all the time. And that's always the argument. And this is the this is what they don't get. Is that yes, rappers say it all the time. But rappers are part of the Shazam family. rappers are part of the Shazam family. They're part of the group that has been blessed to say the word. You, sir. Are not Hulk Hogan. You sir. Are not Morgan Whalen, you, sir, are not random. White tic Tock girl, you are not part of this family. And you cannot say this word because you seen it invokes a entirely different response and encapsulate an entirely different power set. Then when I say it, I don't even like it that much. I haven't said it in years. Like it's not I don't even like it that much. So it's not something that I look at and say, yeah, just because I have the power to do it. I'm gonna do it. Just because I have the power to imbue someone with it and allow them to do that. That I'm going to do it like here I dubbed the with the ability to say nigga raise your right hand and swear this oath to use the word nigga responsibly. Like, nah is dumb. But what we're gonna do is, we're going to see this now just like we see everything else is a political struggle. It's now become a political struggle is now become a position of whether or not you are conservative or where you are liberal, whether you're Republican, whether you're Democrat, like just like everything else, we've taken this word and we've divided ourselves over the use of a word that shouldn't be controversial, because it's only supposed to be by one group by one family. Now, if if we the Shazam family want to have you know, an internal debate on whether or not this word still holds any value to us, then yeah, let us have that. Let us have it, let us let that reside within my family. I shouldn't be having to debate this word, or the use of that word on the floor of the Senate, or in political debates on Facebook. Matter of fact, shouldn't be debated on Facebook anyway. But that's not the point that's neither here nor there. Because the word resides, just like she's in a family. It should be distributed by the family. And if it ultimately could get to the point to where, you know, it becomes, you know, a worthless No longer even valuable to us, let us decide

Unknown Speaker  20:03  
that.

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But this is better. This is not this is better than having to go through who was cancelled and who's not. And this is this is solely because what you're finding among white people who are, who are mostly conservative is that they feel like they've been banished. They feel like they've been canceled. They feel like because we have the power to disseminate this word that we also have the power to cancel them as people. But that's not what's happening. Because white people Morgan Whalen didn't get canceled by black people. We don't know who we use. Morgan Whalen got canceled by his record label. Other white people canceled him. Other white people looked at him using a word that he did not have the power to use. And they banished him. Not really because, you know, in my research, I found that you know, his records and his videos and in apparel and merchant whatever it is just went through the roof. Because you all white people rallied around him. I mean, so did he really get canceled? You know, other words recently that have power words that are about another family. My Jewish brothers and sisters. anti semitic words. We had Gina Carano, former MMA fighter turn actress who was on a very who was with Disney, who was with Disney. You know, she was started on the Mandalorian

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and she got

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out there and got dome. And she got fired from the Mandela from the Mandalorian and she decried Oh, I'm oppressed. Oh, I'm so oppressed. I'm, um, I can't take this depression is, is you know, being a republican or being a conservative is like being a being a Jew in Nazi Germany. Like we're gonna dumb is that to say like, it's just dumb. Like, even if you think and this is the thing, like, even if you think these things you should not say that you have the right to and this is the thing about the First Amendment like you have the right of free speech, but you also have the right of the consequences that come with free speech. Like this is the thing about conservatives that you know is is ironic and a little bit hypocritical, is because you guys love the First Amendment, or at least you love to talk about the First Amendment. You love to talk about the first minute you say you love capitalism. You know, you say you love it, you love the free market, you love to let the free market go unfettered. And you know, unobstructed. But the moment that the First Amendment brings back first world consequences, in the moment that the free market returns the consequences of making bad decisions, then you guys cry about oppression. Like she got out there. And she got stupid. And she lost. He got out there. And he got stupid. And he lost. It's not some nefarious plot by black people to take down on white conservatives is not that it's consequences. It has consequences. And see, here's the thing, conservatives. The reason why you're so pissed about consequences is because you never seem to have them. This is why you have no sympathy for black and brown people who are murdered in the street by police. This is why you have no sympathy for 12 year olds who are shot dead in the park because they're playing cops and robbers. This is why you have no sympathy for when man is choked out because he happens to sell loose cigarettes or nine year old girl who has pepper spray because she's having a manic incident because she's being abused by her mom. And she's pepper sprayed in the back of a car and handcuffed by four police officers. But yet there's a 17 year old murderer on the loose right now, who travelled across state lines with a with a illegal weapon. He killed two people he made another conservatives put up $2 million for his bail. And now they cannot find them find him because he flew the coop. And you guys heal this guy's a hero. You put them up as a hero and I'm talking about Carl Rittenhouse you put them up as a kin hero. And now you're crying because you're facing consequences. When Mr. Mind and Dr. sivana went after the power of Shazam and they were not populate popper properly damn properly blessed speak it into wield it. It drove a man it drove him crazy. And so they were unable to properly receive the power. Why? Cuz it was never meant for them in the first place. Nigga is not meant for you. Is not.

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But

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you know, when we talk about consequences, and we're getting into I guess the second chapter of this episode, when we talk about consequences in the power of words, when we talk about that. There is another group of words like there's an oath, there are things called oath. And you you speak these oath and it reaffirms your commitment to doing something. Now

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this is

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seems like primarily a DC thing because I can't really think of a lot of different a lot of different examples over in Marvel that that are so wordy, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's not a bunch of things like maybe, maybe Thor, you know, maybe Odin when he says, you know, Whosoever touches this hammer, if they be worthy shall possess the power to like maybe that but you don't say that when you pick up when you pick up the hammer. But DC has a lot of words that evoke power. Like and this is one of my favorite ones. This is one of my favorite ones and being Black History Month. You know, it is,

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you know,

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I would be remiss if I didn't, you know, talk about you know, the titular black hero of DC which is Jon Stewart, aka Greenland and of sector 2814. And I remember that being spoken and it was voiced by the great Phil LaMarr. And it says in blackest day, you know, in black is day in black is in Brightest Day in Blackest Night. No evil shall escape escape my sight that those who worship evils might be where my power Greenlanders light and even though the ring was already charged, you would say this while you're charging the ring in the battery. Sorry, I flub that a little bit. And Brightest Day in Blackest Night. No evil shall escape my sight lead those who worship evils might be where my power agreement lanterns light and so you're charging the ring. But you don't have to say that to charge the Ringling you don't have to. But every time Jon Stewart and this is no disrespect to how Jordan Great Green Lantern what rose Black History Month obviously I'm gonna talk about Jon Stewart and then you know to seal your rez cruise and Simon bass lanterns of color and then we've got to know Luton new land lantern in future state. But I want to go off on a tangent here rabbit hole. But obviously I'm talking about john Stuart why because

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this

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this is a an oath of power. Now the power doesn't come from that oath. The power is already in the ring but even the exercise the power of the ring it the power comes from within the green light lantern in their willpower that allows jon stewart to create the constructs that allows him to wield one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, and the Green Lantern ring. And then you look at the lantern, that the Pantheon or the spectrum of the lanterns, you've got the blue lanterns and the and the Red Lanterns and the Indigo Tribe and all these different landers, and they all have these ocean, we won't go through them now. But you have this, this this oath that reaffirms Greenlanders commitment to fighting evil wherever it may be. Now, there is another oath that is spoken, that when it does, it turns the speaker into the most powerful being on the planet Earth. And this is Tom, this is in reality in this is the oath of the presidential office. I blank, do solemnly swear to execute the powers of this office, to the best of my ability and service to country. So help me God, not paraphrase there. But when you speak those words, to become the president, United States, you are imbued with the full power of the United States military of the United States economy of the United States intelligence

Unknown Speaker  31:32  
organizations of the United States judicial system, diplomacy core, like in every one of those is the most powerful respectively, of its kind on the planet. So it's like getting your own pantheon of gods speaking that oath of presidential confirmation is almost like saying, Shazam. Because you get the power of all of these different agencies in bude, in you as a chief executive, and commander in chief of the United States, it's the most powerful position on the planet, there is nothing bar none, not King, not prime minister, not Pope, not anything that is more powerful than this

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position.

Unknown Speaker  32:39  
Why, because you will build the most powerful entity on the planet United States, bar none, is the most powerful civilization that has ever existed in the known universe. Now, there could be the Cree out there, that could be the car there could be, you know, the scrolls, there could be, you know, you know, different entities out in the known you it could be, but until we discover them, where they discover us, the United States is the center of the universe. It's the most technologically advanced, is the wealthiest is the most military is the most has the most military power. It's the freest up well, supposedly, even though we're 26 that's something on the freedom index. But he or she who leaves this nation becomes by extension, the most powerful person on the planet. Now what happens when the most powerful person on the planet becomes Black Adam? What happens when the person who speaks that oath in gains the power of the Pantheon turns and abuses it? What happens? Well, we we witnessed that recently. Unfortunately, on January 6, after the inauguration was a pretty dark day for the United States. It was pretty dark day, I mean, in respects to democracy anywhere. But it was a pretty dark day because the current at the time, now former wielder of that power, decided to abuse it even more than he already had. So when the power has been transferred over from one to another, that power normally is willingly training. For over when, when Billy Batson says to Darla, hey, I'm going to give you power, the power of Shazam, speed of mercury. That is a willing transfer of power from Billy to Darla.

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But

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when Adam tries to come back and take the power from Billy, that's he tries to rip it away from him because he doesn't believe he's worthy to wield it. So what we saw was a pretty president, who was unwilling to willingly give over the power even though it had been determined that he was no longer going to be the wielder. So what did he do? He directed his followers to the Capitol, to attack the institution, which essentially, the Capitol Building served as the rock of eternity. This is where they were certifying the votes. This is where they were certifying the Electoral College, to make it official, that Joe Biden would then become the 45th, President of the United States. So he sent his followers to attack the rock of eternity, and stop the transfer of power. And people die man, like people die, like people actually died in this coup in this insurrection. People die, five people died, not just five people died that day. But people, because this was such a traumatic incident, people committed suicide after that, then you have some people who lost eyes permanently maimed forever. Why? Because you had someone who had become addicted to the power that those words imbued him with, he was unwilling to give it up. Even though the people had determined that he abused it, and they were going to strip him of it, and they had stripped him of it. So what do you do? Because this is such a powerful position, because even those who no longer have the power, current, they currently don't have the power, there's a there's a portion of that power that stays with him. Once you have wielded that power, you are forever amongst an exclusive club, you have some form of power and influence because of that, because you would have that power prior. Look at the influence of former President Jimmy Carter, he spoke the oath. Look at the influence of former President Bill Clinton, he spoke the oath for President George W. Bush, he spoke the oath. Now the degree in which the power stays with you and wanes over time, the further you get away from the time when you actually actually actively held the power. It begins to wane over time, unless you continue to do to do great things with the power that you have remaining. So you look at President Jimmy Carter, he's he's, you know, he was not necessarily loved during his presidency. But, you know, his post presidency, he's been extraordinary

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powerful.

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extraordinarily powerful. But for four others, not so much. And so now that you look at that,

Unknown Speaker  39:03  
as what what do you do when the former president refuses to relinquish the power?

Unknown Speaker  39:12  
What do you do?

Unknown Speaker  39:13  
How do you hold them accountable? The only tool that we had in our toolbox to do this was impeachment.

Unknown Speaker  39:26  
You

Unknown Speaker  39:27  
have a trial, you convict the president, and you remove him from office. Well, we did that once. And he was acquitted by his followers. So even after this violent insurrection, we had to do it again. And once again, he was acquitted. So what essentially we said to the world is that who you have these individuals who have more power at their disposal than any other humans on Earth, and there's no way to check them. They speak these words, they're imbued with this incredible power, and there's no way to check them. There's no balance against them, there's no way to counter them, they can essentially do whatever they want. They're essentially gods. Because there's no way to check in balance. There's no way to hold them accountable. That's what we said. When yesterday, Senate Republicans acquitted Donald Trump, for the second time, for the abuse of the power that he received, when he spoke the oath of office. They acknowledged that he abused the power mitch mcconnell stood on in Florida Senate, and he said, he incited this insurrection, he led these people, he was responsible for these people's deaths. And then he turned right around, went to the Senate floor and voted to acquit him for his own selfish ends. Why? Because they want to continue to use the power that he will have remaining, even though he's been stripped of the full power, former president, you will never be able to take that title from him. You will never be able to take it as much as we may want to banish him to the nether regions, like.....