I know they’re jokes, but I recently had a weird, knee jerk reaction to those posts on social media saying “Be Yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman.” You can replace Batman with any number of other things, from pirates, to fairies, to unicorns to any of a multitude of other superheroes. I used to think these were funny.
Then all of a sudden it hit me. The general idea here is incredibly demeaning and depressing. In effect, it becomes “Be yourself, unless you can be someone/something better.” For most of us, who are faced with doubts and self-confidence issues (me included) it’s not only easy to find someone better, it’s what we do in our private thoughts anyway. Who knows, maybe I’m reading too much into it. Maybe I’m just having a moment and come Monday I’ll realize it’s actually an empowering statement saying you can always better yourself. But for right now, not feeling it.
So, in my ongoing effort to be positive and try to share the silver linings of the world, the thought of someone saying this, which again, I know is a joke, just hit me wrong. So instead, just be yourself. And if you happen to be Batman… well that’s cool, too.
And that’s my thought for a Sunday morning.
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 
What about the meme from a few years ago: W.W.J.D? Which, the first time I saw it was: What Would Jesus Do? but was applied to lots of other hero figures (including Batman). At first glance it could mean applying another persons value system to your difficult question/dilemma/situation to find a solution. But it could also be looked at in a way similar to what you were discussing: You aren’t good enough, so be someone else.
We’re such playful creatures, aren’t we?
Exactly!