So in the late, great “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises” there’s a fair amount of violence. One thing that I like about Batman and how he handles justice, it doesn’t matter if it’s one person getting mugged in an alley or if the whole city is about to get nuked, he’s going to handle it the same way. He has a bottom line rule or creed that he is able to fall back on, and no matter the situation it will guide him to the correct response.
Without ignoring the fact that he’s a super hero and the movie is not a retelling of real events, he goes about dealing with evil I feel in a very just way that I feel can be modeled in real life. He’s never killing his opponents like they’re trying to do to him, and he never uses the same weapons that they do. Both of these symbolize how he’s above the petty level that these criminals are on, which as peacemakers I feel is very important moralistically. If we can’t deal justice without reciprocating the same amount of terror that the “bad guys” are inflicting, then are we any better than they are? Or are we just inflicting our will because we have the money to flex our guns against anyone who doesn’t play by our rules?
Also Batman is not a power thirsty figure enlisting to fight crime so he can fulfill some sick fantasy of inflicting pain and justifying it because they are criminals. You wouldn’t see Batman on some YouTube video harassing prisoners of war, that's not what he's about. The thing that I love about Batman is that he sees himself as a public servant; if there was no crime, he wouldn’t exist, he wouldn’t be out looking for trouble. He waits until he’s called upon (The Bat signal). Which I feel we could learn a bit from this in the form of foreign policy.
No doubt Batman is not afraid to inflict pain on a few to save the innocent many, but there’s no question that’s not the right thing to do in that situation. As messy as things can get and as harsh of a reality that war and violence is, I feel we can look at some of the fundamental qualities that make Batman great, and apply them to real life to ensure justice is being carried out in a humane way.
I haven't actually seen this movie, but many of my friends watched it and wouldn't quit taking about it. I think you made alot of good points connecting it to how violence is okay as long as it's used for the right reasons. I think this is the case in any superhero movie. Another movie I think would follow this is all of the Transformers movies. For the most part, movies with superheroes use violence for the better.
ReplyDeleteI think you made some really good points about how, although violence is used, it's used in a way that is meant to be for the better. I think at first glance all the violence and action scenes in this movie might keep the audience from seeing the bigger message behind it all, but the points you made help to uncover the importance of what Batman stands for and what he is trying to accomplish through his heroism.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the character of Batman and how he's a morally sound and humble hero. I like particulary how you mentioned and articulated Batman as a man who doesn't go out looking for trouble if evil and danger is not existent at a particular moment. I also like how you tied this into foreign policy which I believe you are inferring that we as a nation should take notes and follow Batmans non- interventionist model (when necessary). Great Blog!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point you make that “we can look at some of the fundamental qualities that make Batman great, and apply them to real life to ensure justice is being carried out in a humane way.” However, I also think that there are some gray areas when it comes to ensuring justice in real life that is not always evident in Batman.
ReplyDeleteIn Batman, it is always easier to approach every violent situation in the right way because Batman is always the good guy while the people that he is fighting are usually the bad guys. In real life, however, it is sometimes hard to tell the “bad guys” from the “good guys.” I think this alone makes it very hard to approach situations in the same way Batman does.
I love Batman. I love the new reboot series. But... the vigilante nature of Batman still makes me a bit uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it complicates the villains at all? Or is it fairly same good guys are good/bad guys are bad easy split?