Your "political" alignment and how it affects your view of the show

Fed, I am glad you are doing this. I call myself a "Conservatarian." The word doesn't exist I know, but it's a mix of Conservative and Libertarian, think Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Socially I am conservative but at the same time I don't want government or someone telling me how to live my life. Fiscally, I am a free market capitalist who doesn't want money wasted. I will call out the D's because they have gone over the edge, but some R's want wars at all costs and some are still willing to work with the D's.

For me, this past season has been for the most part not so much SJW-driven, except for Reality Bytes.

But yet at the same time I feel this had in the dangers of computers and social media, the writers may have been checking out Infowars, which has warned of the dangers of internet 5-G technology saying it can kill by weakening the immune system. By the way, I abhor the term Conspiracy Theory, which comes from those not willing to know the truth about JFK's assassination.

The same goes with major social media giants, like Facebook and Twitter, wanting to silence those who don't think like they do. That is totalitarianism the Chinese Communist Party loves as they have a stake in big tech and Hollywood. I am not on those anymore, but I am on more freedom loving sites like Parler and Gab.

During season 4 except for Midvale, I feel that season went off the deep end in terms of woke politics. I mean Agent Liberty to me was a smear at talk radio hosts like Alex Jones and the Children of Liberty more behaved like Antifa.

But this goes back to season 1, when Cat called a male business executive an example of white privilege. That was a cringe moment as to me that term is a cover-up for the Democrats terrible history on race, which I would get to, but it would take a long time.

Sometimes I think Supergirl get a bit bogged down by the weight of its social messages and could lighten up a bit.

Again CatPat in season 5 it for the most part went for adventure. There were moments when the show was going to go there, only to put the brakes on it.

As it pertains to the show, I am not a fan of the PTB and writers injecting obvious U.S. Democrat Party ideology into the show. I would prefer if they did so subtly rather than blatantly as has been the case from Seasons 2 through 5, especially Season 4 (which was very off-putting for a good section of the core viewership). Likewise, I am not a fan of current Republican ideology and its variations.

Rom, I suggest they not do it at all come season 6, like say so far Stargirl. But given recent events, and some of Melissa and Chris' social media postings, that may not only be unlikely, but also signal a return to season 4 form. And that is "Supergirl's ultimate kryptonite." Although, given how the show might not return until next spring or summer, having to write about an election that may have already taken place is a bit of a moot point.

And there are those Republicans like a certain Utah senator who grinds my gears as well as a few members of the last GOP presidency who think wars can solve things, not to mention elites like William Kristol and George Will.

I also do not trust most mainstream media, and that includes Fox News given their shift in news direction, though their prime time shows are solid. You'll find me more on sites like the aforementioned Infowars and Breitbart, which has mentioned Supergirl in a couple of articles from a few years ago. I will also be watching YouTube videos from One America News as mu monopoly cable outlet won't carry OAN. The likes of CNN, et al don't matter to me anymore.

Don't mean to come off the wrong way. This is indeed inspired by the exchange on Brierrose's post, but I wasn't thinking of you when I made it. I've been wondering about this topic since 2016.

I don't enforce you to read my content, so if you don't like it, I would appreciate if you would not specifically come here to disparage it. Others have participated quite readily so it seems my idea wasn't too crazy.

Also it seems most here actually agree with your last paragraph, which incidentally answers my survey in a way. So, uh, thanks for participating

@RobertAnthony

I do agree season 5 was less weighted by "social message" than season 4. Although, to be honest, I found season 4 overall better, as a whole. I found season 5 the most overall uneven to-date (50/50, maybe 1/3 at the B+ or higher level). But, thats just my opinion.

My season rankings, as a whole, would probably be 1, 2, 4, 3 & 5. Tomorrow, it may different... lol!

You are correct, season 5 did pull back. I think that was also quite true with Reality Bytes, arguably the most "socially conscious" of season 5, which addressed hate crimes against the LGBTQ (speficallyTrans) community. That was a story I am glad they told and it gave Nicole Maines a powerful showcase. They gave two stories in that episode in what I suspect was an attempt to satisfy all or most fans/viewers. Again, I think the main complaint that I recall reading on the comment board was that the episode was too Kara/Supergirl-lite. So, I feel it was successful. Others are free to disagree.

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I would probably say Supergirl is pro-female empowerment as opposed to feminist. Again, just my personal terminology and not trying to pick any nits. The show is about the Maiden of Might, Kara Zor-el, Supergirl! You can't get more empowered than Supergirl... ok, and Wonder Woman... so psyched for 1984!

Everyone has different views and priorities. I have enjoyed reading them.

Rest assured this is a one-time survey.

Brierrose, you'd probably be surprised at how much I agree with your analysis.

I read an column recently that said almost everything has become part of one big "political deathmatch."

Where I do disagree with you, I don't want to be too combative, especially while treading on real world politics.

I'll simply say that on some of these issues, a previous administration may have benefited from a press and entertainment industry that were--shall I say--content with the party in charge. Were they so inclined, they would have noticed some behavior that by their own standards was pretty reprehensible.

So when Kara overtly aligns with a certain party, I am disappointed. She deserves better than to be a partisan shill.

But that's the way the deathmatch is played.

IF one holds the ideals of a true Libertarian, in that, they actually know what that label means and stands for. BY ALL MEANS raise that title as your own. What I have seen from many however is to use that title in such a way as to say, I'm for neither party......BUT... and then they go on to fall right with Conservative, right wing, evangelical ideology. That is all I'm saying....if you have ideals, you stand ok n certain ideology, then be proud of that no matter where you may fall on the political spectrum. As for a tv show following certain ideology....it is a creative endeavor and if it pushes one direction, it is the right of the show runners to do so as long as the advertisers are happy with what they are doing then more power to them. Myself as a fan do not feel entitled as to think thg hey should follow a neutral stance as to not hurt feelings. If I am so strongly against a private entity, I take eff my viewing, my business elsewhere....

I do see your point. In fairness, getting a group of radical individualists to agree on a common platform is problematic. If you ask 100 Libertarians what a true Libertarian is, you're likely to get 150 different answers.

I agree that it is absolutely the showrunners' prerogative to advocate as they see fit. I have greatly enjoyed shows that I have profound differences with. (For example, Legends of Tomorrow paid homage to Obama in "Guest Starring John Noble." Now I don't hold nearly as high an opinion of him, but I found the episode freakin' hilarious. "Run, Barry, run." OMG! ) The bottom line is not whether they are telling a relevant story that I agree with as much as whether are they telling an entertaining story. Increasingly, I find they are not. Part of that is the manner in which they handle social and political issues. kdogg87 speaks for me in that a larger part is the continued marginalization of the "main" character.

For me personally most of my life I had a sense that whichever party was in charge things were going to be ok. I haven’t felt that way in three and a half years.

I agree. Under normal circumstances, I too have felt that things would be OK regardless of which party was in power. Like you, the last 3-1/2 years have changed that sense in me. We are not in normal circumstances. We are in one of the most dangerous periods in our history, certainly in my 70 years. We all value balance and may want to treat this election as any other, but No. This isn't a typical contest between two parties debating tax rates, spending priorities, and the like. This is about defending liberty for all, truth, justice, competence, decency, tolerance, and much more. These are things that Supergirl champions, so I'm OK with the show taking a stand.

By contrast, I haven't felt that way in over twenty years. With each passing election, I'm more disheartened by the available candidates.

I don't ask that people agree with that assessment, but if you can understand it, you may see why portraying Supergirl as a staunch Democrat would turn my stomach as much as if she were portrayed as Republican.

Comic books were used early on to push back against Fascism.

Especially Superman and Captain America, and I even think Wonder Woman got involved getting after The Axis Powers. I have in my vast DVD collection the first Batman serial from Columbia. The bat outfits look silly by today's standard, but, their enemy was deadly...Professor Daka, portrayed as someone who idolized Japanese dictator Hirohito. Of course on TV WW Season 1 had her battling Nazis and the like. And George Reeves' Superman went after mostly the mob.

Yep. In fact, Wonder Woman's first appearance featured the WW2 era slogan, "Keep 'em flying!"

But...let me bring up another character. This one with my golden age of radio collection. Namely one Britt Reid...THE GREEN HORNET! During WWII, The Hornet not just battled Nazis, but the underworld of racketeers and saboteurs. After WWII and until its 1952 ending, Reid and his faithful valet Kato battled the Red Scare of communism as well as the underworld.

Loved the Green Hornet radio show. IMO, not as awesome as the Shadow, but still great. Reid was related to the Lone Ranger. Something like his brother's grandson?

I hadn't planned on contributing anything more than my original ideas a couple of weeks ago, but there are a couple of things that keep coming up that I'd like to make observations about.

1) I am quite fascinated by the fixation that some people have on the need for clear or precise labels. While this can be a helpful shortcut at some times, it can also be less helpful at other times.
I personally refuse to identify myself with a specific political label, and that isn't about not being able to commit to something, but rather that I am flexible, to a certain point.
As noted in my earlier submission, I have voted for every major political party at one time or another. However, with only one choice on the right side of the political scene here in Canada, and three choices on the left side, I have way more 'liberal' choices than voters in the States do. And with each election, based on what is of interest to all voters at that time, I look at what each party is offering as their platform at that time; and, even as a 'lefty' for many years now, based on what they are offering, the three or four candidates I can choose from have to earn my vote. This isn't about not being able to make a commitment to a specific political label or designation, but rather about using my vote as carefully as I can at each election.
And if this means not labeling myself, then I can't see why that should be a problem to anyone else.

2) The other item that I wanted to comment on has to do with the several references that have been made to comic-book heroes battling the Nazis (and their "Axis" allies) back in the 1940's. But back then most of the world was at war, and fighting against what was a very real threat to the freedom of the whole world in general. (My own father served in the RCN during that war, so it has some historical meaning for me.) And with literally tens of millions of young men from dozens of "Allied" nations rallying against the Nazis and their allies, it really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the comic-book heroes of the day were openly against the Axis enemies of the free world too.
However, most of the conflicts that are going on in the world today, however horrific they are for those people and civilians directly caught up in them, are very localized 'civil wars' that do not have huge armies and navies and air forces from dozens of nations massed against each other.
Indeed, the wars that are being waged in America today are not military in nature, but rather philosophical and ideological. And while people can, and should, speak up for where they stand on those issues, it isn't like the Second World War, where which side the comic-book super-heroes were on was never in question; so I find the comparison interesting, but not really as compelling as some others might find it.

And to get back to what this topic was supposed to be about - how personal politics influences how each of us view a TV show, and not just this one - I'd like to quote kdogg87:
"I think fictional media do their best takes on social issues when they make it an allegory, and leave it up to the audience, child and adult alike, to draw those comparisons to the real world. When this is done correctly, a viewer feels like they are learning, but doesn't feel like they are being preached to."
Although I tried to say something similar earlier, kdogg87 put it much better.

Despite the differences of opinions expressed on the Forum, on a wide number of topics, there is something that I have always believed in, and that is that we are all fans of this show and care about it greatly, regardless of whether it is our number 1 favourite, or just one of them. And because of that, all of the criticism that is offered is constructive in nature, and with the desire to see this show be the best that it can be.
I continue to be impressed by the many different points of view being offered by contributors to this particular topic, and look forward to reading many more. As long as we can keep it civil towards each other, then we can all learn from others.