Phoenix Jones, Superhero
And
The Most Idiotic Criticism of All Time

So, Phoenix Jones is a quasi-superhero in Seattle.

And here's a story about him by one Jonah Spangenthal-lee. It contains what may very well be the very stupidest criticisms I have ever read of anything in my entire life. Behold:

While Jones seems like a genuine enough guy, it’s still a bit tough to buy into his costumed altruism.

Aside from being unable to provide hard evidence of any of his good deeds, he’s clearly not equipped to do more than react to crime, rather than deal with the root causes.

While he may be able to chase down a purse snatcher or break up a bar fight, it seems highly unlikely that he has the ability to, say, get a 14-year-old girl out of a life of prostitution and into therapy and a stable home life.

Jones’ costumed heroics are ultimately rooted in comic book morality where crime is all about black and white/good and evil, with no gray areas or contributing socioeconomic factors.

When asked whether he’d try to arrest someone he caught smoking marijuana, he said he follows police guidelines and considers it a low priority. Then he says he doesn’t have a problem with people using drugs, but wants drug dealers to “sell somewhere else.”

That’s the kind of circular logic that makes Jones’ alleged costumed do-goodery great on paper, but impractical in real life.

Jones has the right idea—as he says, people don’t take care of people—but putting on a costume doesn’t make one a hero. Hopefully he and Seattle’s new crew of costumed crimefighters can do some good without getting killed.

First, of course, Jones is not just putting on a costume--he's going out on the streets and, apparently, taking care of business. Imprudent, perhaps, but very admirable. But on to the real stupidity above...

So...it's supposed to be some kind of criticism of Spiderman that he doesn't run for Congress so that he can pass bills to fund Head Start? Is it a criticism of e.g. Daniel Hernandez that he didn't work to pass gun control? And if I feed the hungry, I am blameworthy if I do not also have a plan for eliminating world hunger? Idiocy. Sometimes fixing a short-term, immediate, local problem is exactly what's needed.

And thinking that smoking weed is fine, but drug-dealers aren't is hardly "circular logic," though there is a certain tension between the two positions.

Anyway, I think Jones is cool, but mostly I post this just because the criticisms were so godawful stupid.