"Fighter" by Christina Aguilera

Happy Belated Bastille Day! As you may have guessed from my greeting, I intended to publish this yesterday but I was hit by a wave a fatigue and I decided to rest instead of write. It's not all the baby's fault. To be honest, it's mostly mine. It feels as if I have more work to do when I'm teleworking and I don't have that hard "stop" at the end of the day anymore. Being at home, I also feel obligated to stop whatever I'm doing to either parent/play with my child or clean during my breaks - and the cleaning imperative has gotten more urgent the longer I'm stuck at home. Also, my husband has my son and I on lockdown, so I don't even get to go on grocery trips anymore. And I enjoy those grocery shopping excursions. So, if I'm tired, it's because I'm doing too much and not taking enough time for self-care, as perusual. Trying to settle into a new routine but struggling with feeling guilty for taking time to myself? Yeah - sounds like Cancer season, alright.

After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that

I hold resentment for you

But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong

'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know

Just how capable I am to pull through

So I want to say thank you

"Fighter" recounts Christina Aguilera's epic showdown against Spider Pig. "What?!" You may ask. Of course I'm making that up - I'm sure it's about some narcissist Christina encountered during her climb to fame, but I prefer the meaning my husband gave this song. It's kind of a ridiculous story but my husband's phone playlist contains both this song and the Spider Pig theme from "The Simpsons." Due to random chance, we were driving somewhere one day and these two songs play back-to-back. We got to talking about how Christina Aguilera looks like a comic book villain in the video. And, thus, Christina Aguilera became Spider Pig's archnemesis. We gave her a whole back story and everything. Believe me - Spider Pig did Christina way dirty. Anyway, it's hard to hear this song without giving it that context in my mind.

Never saw it coming, all of your backstabbing

Just so you could cash in on a good thing before I'd realize your game

I heard you're goin' round playin', the victim now

But don't even begin feeling I'm the one to blame

'Cause you dug your own grave

After all of the fights and the lies cause you're wanting to haunt me

But that won't work anymore, no more,

It's over

'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture

I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down

So I want to say thank you

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a lot of superheroes were born during Cancer season, which led me to develop a theory as to why Cancerians serve as the Superhero Archetype. Sailor Moon - a show which revolved around astrology - made the leader/ruler of the Sailor Scouts a Cancer. Usagi Tsukino (or Serena, in the American version - and, yes, at one point, I did know all the Sailor Scouts Japanese names) had many faults - she was whiny as shit, boy crazy, was always eating, and was often moping over some perceived slight. But, as she developed as a character, she did come to embody the Evolved Cancer energy, which I'll describe later on. Other superheroes follow similar arcs or come ready made in this archetype - Ray Palmer, the Atom and ultimate Good Guy; Mary Marvel; Johnny Thunder; and even Superman was adopted by the Kents during Cancer season. It's also interesting how many actors who often specialize in playing the "hero" are Cancers - a non-exhaustive list includes Harrison Ford, Vin Diesel, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Sylvester Stallone, Chris Pratt, Patrick Stewart, Olivia Munn, and Milo Ventimiglia. Key historic events - especially those with revolutionary fervor, like Bastille Day and the 4th of July - occur during Cancer season. And let's not forget Captain America himself - Steve Rogers - is a Cancer and will serve as our primary example of the Superhero Archetype. So what is it about Cancerians that lends itself to superhero status?

Cardinal signs in general tend to be sensitive to injustice. However, unlike other Cardinal signs, Cancers have a tendency to be like, "Fuck your rules, this is wrong at the most basic level." Aries has a tendency to say "Fuck your rules" because it violates their own sense of independence. Libras have a tendency to go along with the rules to avoid conflict, while secretly opposing/undermining them. Capricorn, Cancer's opposite, comes from the perspective of "this is wrong because it violates the rules" - being ruled by Saturn, this sign has a complicated relationship with authority - they are more likely to argue against war crimes based on what the Geneva Convention says, not based on the damage it does to the individuals and communities impacted. The thing about opposites is they are often trying to accomplish similar things using different methods. When it comes to the Cancer-Capricorn axis, it's an Emotional approach vs a Logical approach. Cancers, in general, don't have a reputation for being rebellious. That being said, you press the wrong nerve or mess with the wrong person, and their tendency towards chaotic good comes out.

How could this man I thought I knew

Turn out to be unjust so cruel

Could only see the good in you

Pretended not to know the truth

You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself

Through living in denial

But in the end you'll see

You won't stop me

I've compiled a brief list of typical Cancerian attributes and how those reflect what society expects of a superhero:

• Cancerians have a fierce protective instinct over those who are unable (or need help) to defend themselves. Superheroes are meant to defend the weak and unheard. Cancerians tend to have an inflamed sense of justice - and will take action if it is in their power. And they have no qualms about putting themselves in danger to fight the good fight. Famous Cancerians - such as Frida Kahlo and Lena Horne - used their notoriety to bring attention and assist those in need. Lena Horne was active in the Civil Rights Movement and during WWII, refused to do USO performances for segregated audiences. Steve Rogers fucking jumps on a (fake) grenade to protect his fellow soldiers, which is the catalyst for him being selected to become Captain America. However, in real life, that shit is dangerous and stupid - and as a Cancer, I know I've done similar things in the service of Freedom, Beauty, Truth, and Love (Moulin Rouge reference). Maybe not as dangerous, but definitely as stupid.
• Cancerians are loyal - sometimes to a fault. We see this in Steve Rogers relationship with Bucky Barnes. Bucky did terrible things as a Soviet asset - but Steve still saw the good in him and refused to give up on him, even when Bucky was kicking his ass. There's this amazing YouTube analysis of the final fight scene in "Winter Soldier," explaining that the only reason Cap was fighting Bucky was to protect others. When he succeeded in this mission, he would've let Bucky kill him and it's this willingness to sacrifice his life to avoid hurting Bucky that ultimately broke the Soviet programming controlling the Winter Soldier.
• Evolved Cancerians understand and honor boundaries, although it may take them some time to do this for themselves. This is a fine line to walk, because Cancer - like fellow water signs Pisces and Scorpio - has issues with boundaries. They often cross them in an effort to protect or help others; and they'll often allow others violate their boundaries out of a misplaced fear that enforcing boundaries is unkind. Due to these issues, they'll let toxic people into their lives and will let them stay for a long time - until they learn to find the balance and protect themselves. Then, Cancer becomes an expert at loving and respecting people from a distance. It's a hard lesson to learn - to care for someone so much yet also understand that they can't be in your life for some reason. When Tony Stark cut ties with Steve after learning what Bucky did while he was being mind-controlled, it hurt Steve immensely. But he accepted that Stark needed space to heal. And that's what Cancers are good at - holding emotional space for others.
• Cancerians may move on, but they don't let go. The line which struck me most in "Avengers: End Game" was during the scene where Cap is leading a grief support group. Cap tells the attendees that "You just gotta move on." Then he repeats it quietly to himself. It struck me because - although he has adapted to life as a man displaced in time - he never fully let go of the hope that he'd be with Peggy Carter someday. Cancers are excellent at this. They can go through the motions and even find some semblance of happiness after a tragic event. But, in their heart of hearts, they still cling to the past and the hope that the perfect life they envisioned will someday come to fruition. They are idealists and romantics to the extreme. They are just really good at keeping that part of themselves secret from others.
• Cancerians are empathetic. They understand emotions and relationships at a deeper level than other astrological signs. As a result, they tend to reserve judgement. They may disagree with your opinions or beliefs, but they'll genuinely try to understand where you're coming from. Cancers have a reputation of being the Nice Guy or Good Girl of the zodiac - it's not undeserved. Evolved Cancerians tend to be "evolved" because they've faced some sort of hardship in their life. Because of these experiences, they try to keep in mind that everyone has their own story and pain to deal with. As such, characters like Ray Palmer and Steve Rogers tend to be the epitome of what a "good person" should be like. Kind, respectful, calm, friendly, protective, generous, and always willing to help someone in need. In other words, all the positive traits that Cancer energy embodies.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading this blatant Cancer stan post. You're picturing Spider Pig, aren't you? I told you - that guy is a fucking bastard for what he did to Christina.

"Fighter" Video