Comic book fans around the world are mourning after hearing about the death of Stan Lee at the age of 95. He was responsible for producing many comic books in his career and creating characters, including the Hulk, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and others. People around the world loved his creations and he made them a believer of justice coming from the form of a hero.
Stan Lee did more than create comic book characters, he also shared his thoughts from time to time with those who had a listening ear. A 1968 column entitled “Stan’s Soapbox” may be more than five decades old but it still stands out as relevant to the issues we are dealing with today. If we are to remember him for one thing, it should probably be for that quote. You can read it below.
Fans around the world are mourning the death of Stan Lee, who died at the age of 95.
He was responsible for creating many comic books in his career.
Those stories included The Amazing Spider-Man, Iconic Daredevil and Fantastic Four.
He also inspired many around the globe who found comfort in his creations.
In 1968 column entitled “Stan’s Soapbox” is still relevant after five decades. It touches on a very serious issue.
If we are to remember him for anything, it should probably be for those words.
Stan’s Soapbox
Let’s lay it right on the line. Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumes super-villains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot, or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them – to reveal them for the insidious evils they really are. The bigot is an unreasoning hater – one who hates blindly, fanatically, indiscriminately. If his hang-up is black men, he hates ALL black men. If a redhead once offended him, he hates ALL redheads. If some foreigner beat him to a job, he’s down on ALL foreigners. He hates people he’s never seen – people he’s never known – with equal intensity – with equal venom.
Now, we are not trying to say it’s unreasonable for one human being to bug another. But, although anyone has the right to dislike another individual, it’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race – to despise an entire nation – to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to trust each other with our own merits. Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance. For then, and only then, will we be truly worthy of the concept that man was created in the image of God – a God who calls us ALL – His children.
