In that distant 1968 the world was another, social tensions, political conflicts and pro-rights demonstrations arose around the world. That same year Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were killed. Today, nearly 50 years into the events of 1968, it seems that we have not changed much, this is due to recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States.

During that 1968, Stan Lee, who served in the army during World War II, wrote a column that launched against injustices, intolerance, racism and Nazism. Today the legendary Marvel creator has decided to share again this column, which is instantly adapted perfectly to this times...

Let's get this straight. Intolerance and racism are among the deadliest social ills that are plagueing the world today. But, unlike a team of supervillains in disguise, they cannot be stopped with a punch, or with a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them - to reveal them as the insidious evil they really are. Intolerance is an irrational hatred - a blind, fanatical, indiscriminate hatred. If your target is black people, you'll hate ALL black people. If a redhead offended you once, you'll hate ALL redheads. If a foreigner overtook him in a job he will hate ALL foreigners. This hatred is towards people he has never seen - and people he has never met - with the same intensity - with the same poison. Now, we're not saying it's unreasonable for one human being to disturb another. But, even though anyone has the right not to like another person, it is totally irrational and insane to condemn an entire race - to despise an entire nation - to show contempt for an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge others on their own merits. 

Stan Lee, 1968

More than half a century ago, Stan Lee created characters in response to the protests that were then taking place, where violence and racial hatred filled the streets not only of the United States, but also of other regions of the world. Stan Lee's idea of creating superheroes was for them to fight hate, this while reflecting the ideals of the population.