“If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You” by John Chu

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Story can be read on-line: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/if-you-find-yourself-speaking-to-god-address-god-with-the-informal-you/

Rating: 3/5 Stars

A superhero story with a difference, when the superhero turns out to be East Asian, in a country where the police prefer their superheroes to be white. Racial and police violence against Asians are part of this story.

It starts of blurry videos of a well-built costumed man jumping and flying. Initially dismissed as viral attempts by some unknown video production company, things get ‘real’ when the man begins to save people. Problem is, the man is Asian, and in this land, people prefer their superheroes to be white.

As speculations and more videos surface, another Asian man, who works out and like to help people in a gym, speculates that one well-built person in the gym might be that superhero. But it remains speculation even after said person asks him to become his gym partner. Things come to a head when police attempt to arrest him for being the superhero (to the police, all Asians look alike) and has to be rescued.

Thing escalate when police, who hate (Asian) vigilantes, begin to crack down on gatherings of Asians who see the superhero as standing up to racial police violence, resulting in communal violence. But through it all, the superhero still finds time for acts of kindness and, perhaps, to also find some love in a land where not everybody in the public likes him for being who he is.

Story read from 2024/03/27 to 2024/03/27