Ella
04-24-2009, 07:20 AM
Taking Personal Responsibility: Why I love with Lois Lane.
I just wanted to open up a thread about how wonderful the Lois Lane character is and how last night’s episode made me fall more in love with her. The reason for this is because we saw Lois Lane mess up. Yes, as a loyal Lois Lane fan I know when to admit that my character is flawed, and last night was one of those times. Lois messed up and she did something that she shouldn’t have done for a plethora of reasons. And while messing up is very common—each and every one of us and each and every one of the characters in the series has at one time or another committed some kind of error or blunder; it’s part of being a human being—what is not common is taking personal responsibility for your actions. And that is why I fell in love with this character even more last night, because once again she reminded me of how incredible she is.
Saying "I'm wrong" or "I messed up" is incredibly difficult, and yet Lois Lane does it anyway. Even though she is the most arrogant character on the series, the most conceited, most stuck up, most rude, and most obnoxious, she doesn’t hesitate to take personal responsibility for her actions, admit that she is wrong and apologize to the people whom she has endangered. Lois Lane had to cook up some humble pie last night and she took a piece of that pie (actually she took two pieces. Seriously, did you see what a food hog Lois is, by the way? :eek::lol: Poor starved Clarkie! :p) and bit into it and didn’t try to defend her actions.
My favorite lines of the episode were: “Okay. I get it. I messed up,” And: "Fine. I admit it. Sometimes the Lois fast lane ambition runs into cruise control and gets away from me."
Not only did Lois take personal responsibility for her actions, but she also admitted to being wrong to the two most important people in her life right now, to her cousin Chloe Sullivan and to the man she is in love with, Clark Kent. That cannot go unnoticed and it hasn’t by me.
No one is perfect and certainly no one on this series where even the man of steel himself has proven he has faults. But while most characters either have the habit of ignoring personal responsibility or doing the complete opposite and always taking responsibility, Lois Lane is a special character who doesn’t apologize for who she is UNLESS she has made a serious and real mistake. She isn’t Clark who is always saying “It’s all my fault” even when things are clearly not his fault. Lois doesn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders and not because she isn’t a “superhero” but because she is a very introspective confident character who has a realistic view of herself and of the world. She knows how wonderful, special and brilliant she is and she isn’t going to apologize for that. But she also isn’t like the other characters that are treated as being “perfect and flawless” and yet rarely if ever take real responsibility for the grievous errors that they do commit.
So when someone admits they are wrong and apologizes for it, it is special, especially if they are pure of heart and especially if they are someone like Lois Lane. Let’s face it, that woman is as tough as nails and has about one hundred and one walls around her. If admitting defeat is hard for someone to do, it’s for Lois Lane. It's on the same level as Lois opening up emotionally, whether to show her insecurities of being left behind or to show her deep affection towards the man she has fallen in love with. Showing any kind of human frailty for Lois is very tough because she was taught by her father that it makes a person look weak and deep down inside we all want the acceptance and approval of our parents. So when Lois does show her weaknesses, when she gives you a peak into her heart, it sort of takes your breath away and amazes you. And for the same reason, when you do see her being completely humble and apologetic as she was in the final Daily Planet sequence with Clark Kent, instead of having the need to say, "See, I told you so, Lane. You messed up." You just want to tell her quite the opposite. You want to tell her, "Hey, I understand. You messed up, but it happens to all of us. Deep down inside you're a good person and you'll learn from this and become an even better person for the future."
And for me it goes beyond that. For me it makes me love the Lois Lane character even more and be grateful that she is such a great role model. I love that she is flawed. I love that she is bossy and arrogant. I love that she is impulsive and stubborn. I love that she has the tendency to get a little obsessed and the habit to leap before she looks. I love that she is passionate and driven. I love that she is the world’s worst speller and yet has the world’s most brilliant mind for truth and justice. I love that she is human, flawed, and yet beautiful.
“Wow. Look who got grazed by a funny bullet.” ~ Lois Lane to Clark Kent, Stiletto.
I just wanted to open up a thread about how wonderful the Lois Lane character is and how last night’s episode made me fall more in love with her. The reason for this is because we saw Lois Lane mess up. Yes, as a loyal Lois Lane fan I know when to admit that my character is flawed, and last night was one of those times. Lois messed up and she did something that she shouldn’t have done for a plethora of reasons. And while messing up is very common—each and every one of us and each and every one of the characters in the series has at one time or another committed some kind of error or blunder; it’s part of being a human being—what is not common is taking personal responsibility for your actions. And that is why I fell in love with this character even more last night, because once again she reminded me of how incredible she is.
Saying "I'm wrong" or "I messed up" is incredibly difficult, and yet Lois Lane does it anyway. Even though she is the most arrogant character on the series, the most conceited, most stuck up, most rude, and most obnoxious, she doesn’t hesitate to take personal responsibility for her actions, admit that she is wrong and apologize to the people whom she has endangered. Lois Lane had to cook up some humble pie last night and she took a piece of that pie (actually she took two pieces. Seriously, did you see what a food hog Lois is, by the way? :eek::lol: Poor starved Clarkie! :p) and bit into it and didn’t try to defend her actions.
My favorite lines of the episode were: “Okay. I get it. I messed up,” And: "Fine. I admit it. Sometimes the Lois fast lane ambition runs into cruise control and gets away from me."
Not only did Lois take personal responsibility for her actions, but she also admitted to being wrong to the two most important people in her life right now, to her cousin Chloe Sullivan and to the man she is in love with, Clark Kent. That cannot go unnoticed and it hasn’t by me.
No one is perfect and certainly no one on this series where even the man of steel himself has proven he has faults. But while most characters either have the habit of ignoring personal responsibility or doing the complete opposite and always taking responsibility, Lois Lane is a special character who doesn’t apologize for who she is UNLESS she has made a serious and real mistake. She isn’t Clark who is always saying “It’s all my fault” even when things are clearly not his fault. Lois doesn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders and not because she isn’t a “superhero” but because she is a very introspective confident character who has a realistic view of herself and of the world. She knows how wonderful, special and brilliant she is and she isn’t going to apologize for that. But she also isn’t like the other characters that are treated as being “perfect and flawless” and yet rarely if ever take real responsibility for the grievous errors that they do commit.
So when someone admits they are wrong and apologizes for it, it is special, especially if they are pure of heart and especially if they are someone like Lois Lane. Let’s face it, that woman is as tough as nails and has about one hundred and one walls around her. If admitting defeat is hard for someone to do, it’s for Lois Lane. It's on the same level as Lois opening up emotionally, whether to show her insecurities of being left behind or to show her deep affection towards the man she has fallen in love with. Showing any kind of human frailty for Lois is very tough because she was taught by her father that it makes a person look weak and deep down inside we all want the acceptance and approval of our parents. So when Lois does show her weaknesses, when she gives you a peak into her heart, it sort of takes your breath away and amazes you. And for the same reason, when you do see her being completely humble and apologetic as she was in the final Daily Planet sequence with Clark Kent, instead of having the need to say, "See, I told you so, Lane. You messed up." You just want to tell her quite the opposite. You want to tell her, "Hey, I understand. You messed up, but it happens to all of us. Deep down inside you're a good person and you'll learn from this and become an even better person for the future."
And for me it goes beyond that. For me it makes me love the Lois Lane character even more and be grateful that she is such a great role model. I love that she is flawed. I love that she is bossy and arrogant. I love that she is impulsive and stubborn. I love that she has the tendency to get a little obsessed and the habit to leap before she looks. I love that she is passionate and driven. I love that she is the world’s worst speller and yet has the world’s most brilliant mind for truth and justice. I love that she is human, flawed, and yet beautiful.
“Wow. Look who got grazed by a funny bullet.” ~ Lois Lane to Clark Kent, Stiletto.