Spiderman’s code of behavior, “With great power comes great responsibility,” is a form of noblesse oblige, the idea that those with special gifts must use them to help others. This concept dates back to Balzac’s 1836 novel and was popularized by Andrew Carnegie, who believed the wealthy had an obligation to use their money for the public good. However, true charitable intent does not seek fame or praise, and helping others should not make them feel guilty or inferior. In its purest form, noblesse oblige is a sense of mutual duty to one’s fellows, regardless of social class.
Spiderman lives by a distinct code of behavior, especially in the movies, he is constantly reminded of his uncle’s dictates: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This theme is great to find in a superhero comic or movie and far predates any thoughts of sudden super strength or radioactive spiders. It is essentially the concept of noblesse oblige, the idea that those with special gifts must use those gifts at least in part to help others less fortunate.
Noblesse oblige is a French term, which roughly translates to nobility or royalty. In other words, the lucky ones have to help the poorer classes. The idea is suggested by the French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac in his 1836 novel The Lily of the Valley (Le Lys dans la Vallée), with the concept presented that an honorable or noble person helps others not out of a sense of self-aggrandizement or to be praised for their charitable work, but simply because it is right to do so. Again, nobility obliges, and those who are honorable naturally seek to commit acts of charity because it is part of their moral code.
The idea of noblesse oblige was very popular in America. Andrew Carnegie, in his essay The Gospel of Wealth, suggests that the wealthy have an obligation to use their money for the public good instead of meaningfully indulging in life’s luxuries. Carnegie, especially in later life, practiced what he preached, devoting much of his money to building free libraries across the United States so that all Americans could have access to reading materials.
Unfortunately in Carnegie’s actions, we tend to see the reverse of noblesse oblige. Millions of him were made on the backs of workers who were treated very badly. Instead of directing this noble thought to helping the poor in more concrete ways by helping those in work, he made large gestures of charity where smaller gestures in life might have been more appropriate for his workers. Undoubtedly, the building of the public library system in America is commendable, but one must consider how the money invested in this worthy cause has been made.
This is why you will often see noblesse oblige used sarcastically. When contributions or aid are not particularly helpful, or done in a way that enhances the image of a person who has money, charity emerges at its worst. True charitable intent, if it is to be noble, does not come from a sense that a person wants praise for being charitable. Instead it’s silent charity or help, why Spiderman wears a mask or Clark Kent hides behind his glasses; help does not seek fame but is offered because it is the right thing to do. If you ever look at lists of donations to charities, you may notice many large donations from people who remain anonymous, a type of noblesse oblige in its purest form.
The other way that bonded nobility can be seen in a sardonic light is when the person helping makes the people being helped fully aware of distinctions of class or inferior position. That is why so many will not accept charity. When the donor makes the other person feel guilty for needing help, it’s a bad way to help, and one that people in need may want to avoid.
It should be understood that noblesse oblige in the present day does not necessarily refer to a wealthy ruling class. Helping other people can come in various forms. The sense of mutual duty of one’s fellows, regardless of their social class, can characterize modern forms of noble obligation. Running an errand for a neighbor who is housebound, volunteering in all its forms, and simply showing kindness to others because it is right to do so is an idea that far predates Balzac’s comments. In its truest and most beautiful form of obligation to others, people see the world as one in which all human beings are responsible for each other and help each other, as each is capable of doing.
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