one day a client was sitting in my
office waiting to be admitted to the
hospital he was hearing voices and
focused on what they were saying yet he
couldn’t help look around my office with
curiosity why do you have superheroes on
your walls he asked I told him I liked
how many superheroes are wounded and how
they find their strength through
embracing their suffering he looked
around again suffering huh do any of
them hear voices why yes yes professor
axe leader of the x-men hears voices how
can I be the leader if he hears voices
now I had to admit that was a pretty
good question well because those voices
are the cries of the mutants and
Professor X needs to hear them in order
to save them at this he lowered his head
and whispered I can’t save anyone
well I advised him maybe just for today
you can start by saving yourself and he
smiled this is just one example of how
comic-book heroes can guide and inspire
us because at their very core comic
books as a form of modern mythology
reflect back the human experience with
themes like good versus evil
self-sacrifice versus domination and
conformity versus dissent they teach us
Wolverine helped me when I was suffering
he helped me to release my anger and in
no one was more surprised about that
than me because unlike most comic book
fans that learned to love superheroes as
children my personal fascination with
Wolverine didn’t begin until a few years
ago when I was sexually assaulted you
know a lot of people assume that we
psychologists have it all together that
just because we understand human
behavior were somehow immune to trauma
that we don’t feel the same emotional
hits as everyone else I’m here to tell
you nothing could be further from the
truth
there was no special pass for me there
was no clinician heal thyself or this
too shall pass because for those of you
who know trauma is down right brutal the
depression subdues you the anxiety
corners you and the fear restricts your
every movement and if living with all of
that wasn’t enough I also had a deal
with defamation of character and
judgment by those who like to turn the
blame back on the victim namely me but
the worst part was feeling emotionally
numb and the fact that I’d lost myself
before the assault I was strong and
opinionated and loud but after the
assault I didn’t know who I was I’d
stare at the mirror and wonder where did
I go I felt lost hopeless defeated then
I stumbled across this image of
Wolverine he looked like I felt alone in
a sewer covered in filth beaten in
battle that was me
I was there I remember staring at that
image for a long time it was his sneer
that got me because Wolverine knew he
was going to get the bad guys who put
him there there was no way he was going
to sit there and take it no way I mean
just look at him with his trademark
adamantium claws protruding from his
fists he said in the panel ok suckers
you’ve taken your best shot now it’s my
turn and then rising up from the sores
he sliced and he diced and he went all
mount st. helens on his enemies
it was Wolverines darkness his
bellicosity his badassery if you will
that drew me in now most people would
probably go with Superman as their
quintessential superhero but I didn’t
need Superman Superman would just scoop
up the bad guy and take him to the
police because that’s the right thing to
do No
based on the way that I felt Superman
was too perfect I wanted someone raw
someone damaged I wanted this guy
because to be honest with you he looked
like he could seriously mess someone up
I wanted to know overing where he came
from his strengths and weaknesses the
weapon he was created to be and the
wildcard warrior he became that’s when I
devoured as much information as I could
about him among other things I
discovered he is a mutant different an
outcast he’s endured more pain and
suffering than almost any other
superhero that’s why when someone tries
to control or cage him look out he gets
angry enraged
untamed like a wild animal he will
defend himself with ferocity and he
never backs down
never and somewhere deep within me
that’s who I wanted to be I wanted to
it was Wolverines anger that gave me the
strength to say enough enough
self-loathing and hiding in corners
enough giving away my power to someone
that didn’t deserve it he gave me back
my grit and I started to get pissed
really pissed
mutant pissed at all of it the violation
the injustice and the betrayal and as my
anger grew I felt my blood boil I saw
red I felt almost dangerous it got to
the point I couldn’t hold back anymore
and after months and months of suffering
when I was finally able to release all
of my rage it was not pretty
I cried hysterically my hands shook
violently and I screamed at the very top
of my lungs but when it was all over
something amazing happened I have felt
incredible in that moment the depression
anxiety fear gone I had no idea I could
ever feel like myself again
but there I was and there it was
strength suddenly I had perfect clarity
like Wolverine there was no way I was
going to take it anymore
no hell no I was going to fight
if for nothing else to proclaim my truth
this is not my shame to carry and I will
Wolverine he gave me and my fight back
to myself so who exactly is this hero of
mine comic book legends Rory Thomas
Lynne Wien John Romita senior and herb
Trump II created Wolverine also known as
Logan to be a strong and feisty mutant
with razor-sharp claws just look at
Logan’s a war veteran wears dog tags
rides a motorcycle
drinks hard liquor and enjoys the
company of many many women how’s that
for a match.com profile he is a
natural-born predator he heals from
almost any injury making him both
violent and indestructible and when he’s
done with whatever carnage he’s
inflicted upon those who clearly
deserved it he simply finds a bar has a
drink and lights a cigar dismissing the
whole thing make no mistake Wolverine is
not your typical superhero he is an
antihero who plays by his own rules and
acts within his own moral code he also
has a near-perfect body let’s all take a
moment to thank you Jackman for playing
Wolverine on the big screen his
performance was absolutely incredible
and we are very grateful but Logan’s
dualistic in nature beneath that tough
exterior he’s also kind witty
compassionate he defends the innocent
against the bad guys and he’s a loyal
member of the x-men
now the x-men our crime-fighting mutants
created during the civil rights era to
represent the struggles of minorities in
America as a member of the x-men
Wolverine essentially is a minority who
fights oppression you see in the Marvel
world humans fear mutants they
see them as dangerous freaks of nature
and so target them for prejudice and
persecution and yet the x-men try to
rise above it they protect the humans
try to work with them in the hopes that
one day they will also be seen as equal
members of society
Logan fits right in sort of well most of
the x-men are logical he is not he is
the muscle of the group the enforcer but
just like other mutants he’s unwanted
and so struggles to find his place in an
unjust world and so it appears the x-men
tales of societal oppression continue to
be relevant to this day think about it
every day minorities have to deal with
hate messages or some new law or policy
designed to suppress them whether you’ve
been detained at an airport because of
your religion ban from using certain
bathrooms because of your identity
wrongfully beaten or arrested by police
because of your skin color or have been
dehumanized by being called a rapist a
murderer or an alien you know oppression
on a very personal level you are
victimized and then blame for your
victimization and even if you’re not a
minority almost anyone can understand
the outrage that comes from mistreatment
how many of you you have been harassed
at work body shame by your partner
emotionally abused by your parents
patronized because of your age gender or
disability teased because of your
religious beliefs judged for how you
look or who you are Wolverine and the
x-men remind us of the most important
things to fight for in this life respect
inclusion and equality so what can we
learn from Wolverine quite a lot
actually first his erratic nature
reveals something within each of us it
calls into question whether or not we
should act upon our anger or continue to
submit to injustice wolverine teaches us
that sometimes
in life things are not okay we should
not be silent and we most certainly
should not be complicit when we get
pushed to our very limits when we are
blatantly disrespected when we are
assaulted like I was or oppressed
because of the color of our skin our
religion or whom we choose to love rage
is a very appropriate response because
anger can lead us to understand what is
wrong and what we need to do to change
it which brings me to the second thing
we can learn from Wolverine we can’t
hold on to rage forever
Wolverine traveled the world to learn
control he became a samurai warrior and
with the help of his mentors learned to
tame the animal within like Wolverine we
can’t go around slicing and dicing
everyone who makes us angry even though
at times we may secretly like to do so
we must choose our battles wisely but
when we do find a cause worth fighting
for we must find our voice and make it
loud and redirect our rage to one of
positive action and then we must release
our anger third like Wolverine we can be
heroes in our own right we have within
each of us the ability to stand up for
ourselves and to defend others in a
prejudiced and unjust world Wolverine at
the very minimum reminds us that we need
courage to assert ourselves in the
battle for justice and equality and it
is in the acceptance of that fight that
we discover what we’re really made of
and who we are lastly while Wolverine
represents this struggle and our
suffering he also represents our healing
resiliency and growth he teaches us that
it’s possible for us to be good while
also embracing our pain our truth and
our own bed essary as it turns out I
didn’t need Wolverine to save me I was
going to save myself
I didn’t need him to be real either but
he inspired me reminded me I am still a
fighter and so are you I embrace my
inner Wolverine by accepting my own
suffering with the intent of moving
through it regardless of the end result
and in that process like Wolverine I
became what I can accept to be the very
best version of myself
I wish the same for you may you embrace
your inner Wolverine and become your own
superhero thank you [Applause]