Dean Cain, who had once played Superman on the TV show Lois & Clark, has taken a job as an ICE officer. He is listed as a guest at Cincinnati Comic Expo. He may be a guest at other upcoming conventions I don’t know about. Now that he is working for ICE, he is a dangerous person to have at any gathering of fans. By taking the job, he has shown that he has no regard for human rights. He may well pick attendees for ICE to grab.

What makes Cain’s action especially vile is that he’s 3/8 Japanese, and his grandparents were put into an American concentration camp during World War II. Cain’s birth name is Tanaka. He should be especially aware of how wrong it is to grab people who have done nothing and put them into a detention facility. But then, Cain chose his public surname, and he named himself after the legendary first person to commit murder.

I’m opposed to cancel culture. If Cain had just praised ICE, I’d despise him, but I wouldn’t consider it a reason to break existing agreements with him. Joining a lawless gang of thugs is a different matter. Such people aren’t safe to be around.

Cincinnati Comic Expo is a business-run convention, not a fan-run one. I think any fan-run convention would already have revoked his invitation. When having a guest is just a business arrangement, not an invitation to mingle with the community, the incentive to get rid of him isn’t as strong. However, I think that if fans make their concern known, and especially if they put it as a matter of safety, the convention organizers will respond. They don’t want people staying away because an ICE agent will be wandering the halls.

The best way I’ve found to contact the convention is through its Facebook page. People consider leaving a polite request to rescind Cain’s invitation, citing the risk he poses to the attendees.

Additional thought, August 12: Some people have been favorably citing a viciously racist attack on Cain by an “influencer” I’ve never heard of who says of him, “You’re Japanese. You’re not even white. I know you, and you are not white. You have never been white, and no matter how many of these white activities you participate in, it’s never gonna make that happen.” The enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend.