Superman arrested - Confessions of a Superhero (2007) Discussion

[–] ruinously 14 years ago

I don't think the answer was to ban all of the celebrity impersonators from the blvd outright.

Some of those people, Maxwell Allen included, obviously did not belong there. But Christopher Dennis wasn't a threat to anyone and he was such a natural at it that he didn't have to beg for tips (and even if he did beg for tips, he would not go so far as to chase someone who refused to tip him down the street).

They should have taken it on a case by case basis. If somebody doing the celebrity impersonating gig on the blvd is a real menace, then kick him out (like they did to Maxwell Allen), but if they follow the rules, and behave themselves, let them do their thing. They could even make it a one-strike and you're out rule.

reply

[–] rookgaroo 14 years ago

The cops shouldn't have to spend time that could be spent elsewhere monitoring who is a bad panhandler and who is a good one. This would be especially difficult because of the costumes. I can see some good "Batman" filing a lawsuit because he was mistaken for a bad "Batman".
I feel bad for the homeless. I can't imagine how it must feel (and I hope I never find out) to be reduced to begging to live. But these "superheroes" aren't homeless people. They can obviously afford costumes and all of them that I've seen appear fit and clean. They also are clever enough to earn a living on their own. I don't begrudge them trying to earn a buck or two, but they could be looking for real jobs while they wait for their big break.
It's not reasonable to expect the cops or anyone else to monitor a mass of costumed panhandlers and decide who stays and who goes. It's more than a matter of menace.

reply

[–] Slogutis 12 years ago

Roogaroo - Actually, picking and choosing is exactly what we do every day in this country. You are not supposed to damn an entire community of people simply because of a few bad apples. The ones that break the rules (like batman) should have been arrested and kept away. But I seriously doubt that Superman, Hulk or Wonder Woman ever bothered anyone.

reply

[–] johnnypanic13 14 years ago

I just watched the documentary. I'm still deciding what I thought about it. Interesting, a little sad. I think I came out of it thinking different things about each of them. They had that superhero thing in common, but they were very different behind the mask (sorry, couldn't resist). The only fundamental thing they all seemed to have in common was that they all seem broken. Not in a bad way, and you could probably say that about all of us really.

Still, this news article breaks my heart. I was hoping he could just grow old doing his superman thing and scraping by. He really was trying to do something good. And maybe he wasn't going to save the world, but he was trying to help.

That's more than most of us "sane folk" can manage.

reply

[–] blackjackt 12 years ago

It kind of makes me sick reading all of the people on here calling these people "mentally ill". That word is thrown around so much it barely means anything anymore. Like johnnypanic said, we all are a little broken. And people like Christopher Dennis, an honest and WORKING American should not be punished. The part about putting his dream of creating a union on hold broke my heart.

reply

[–] denise1234 12 years ago

Bottom Line: If Hollywood can't make money off of you, then Hollywood doesn't want you there (with the exception of someone buying their product).

If one of these costumed folks gets aggressive, then kick them off and don't allow that person to return.

But leave the other folks alone. They aren't hurting anyone, they're trying to make a living, and they add a unique charm to the community.

Hollywood: Quit being so darned greedy.

"I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than..a rude remark or a vulgar action" Blanche DuBois

reply

[–] TheManInOil 12 years ago

Such *beep*

What's good about this documentary is you get to know these people a little bit. I don't think anyone who sees it would come away believing that he's any threat to anybody or doing anything harmful.

So they're panhandlers. So what? They aren't scaring off tourists - quite the opposite. What's the problem?

"I'll book you. I'll book you on something. I'll find something in the book to book you on."

reply

[–] bek-12 11 years ago

If you saw this documentary and the aggressive, annoying way that Batman acted about getting his tips--not to mention the fairy tale land he lived in and his visit to the shooting range, you'd see the problem.

reply