James Bond is turning 50. And this is a serious thing. Bond is like the father of all things action movie and he is turning fifty. Actually no, he is not turning fifty. To the envy of a great deal of the ladies around James Bond has found the elixir of eternal youth. He has been in his mid to late thirties for the last fifty year – much like an aunt of mine who’s been twenty eight for, well, a while. Actually according to the authorised biography James bond was born in 1921, strictly speaking he is actually 91 years old. Anyway, the James Bond idea is turning fifty and that is that. It is a cause for celebration. The fact has been passed. There is nothing more to be said.
Wait, maybe there is something more to be said.
There are over a billion Chinese people in the world. They make up a large fraction of our population and in an article here I touted them as the next super power. They have trumped on everyone in everything.
Except for superheroes. James Bond is British. Properly so; He went to Eton College grew up in a little town known as Pet Bottom (believe it or not there’s a town called that, how many times would the kids make fun of you if they knew). He is probably the most British Briton alive – or otherwise. And Britain was – and probably still is – a super power. They held the reign of power for so long and the UK still has colonies around the world.
The Americans have had their turn as well. The Avengers was Disney’s highest ever growing film at USD 55.6 Million. And it was full of American heroes, it even had a guy called Captain America. Some super soldier who can beat people up and live, well, almost as long as James Bond.
Sure you can give it to the Chinese. They have Mao, who was more of a terrorist than a leader, but a brilliant man none the less. They have Yue Fei, heck they even have Mulan. But how many of those heroes are internationally recognised? How many of them can stand side by side with Superman, James Bond, and Captain America?
In order for you to be a super power you need the people to be beside you. To have you in their hearts even when they don’t want you there. The Greece had Alexander the great. The Romans, Ceaser; even Kenya have taken a shot at it, we have Makmende. You need people to identify you with some level of superiority. To give some superhuman ability; a post modern feel to society. Otherwise you can’t call yourself a super power. You’ll just be lacking in a little super. So here’s to fifty years of the 91 year old James Bond; and, with Skyfall opening on 26th October a couple more too. Living, or otherwise, proof that Kenya still has a better chance of being a super power than China ever will.
UPDATE: Apparently Eton College is a high school…. Why the hell is it called college then?
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