What bugs me is this is a controversial opinion about Batman. That there’s still objection to the notion that Batman is fulfilling his own violent jollies in the color of seeking justice, rather than using his massive fortunes to serve good.
I think my most controversial Batman opinion is that his code vs. killing is bunk. Even if he just punches goons, he does so enough that goons would die often enough to give Batman a substantial body count. I’m sure his press crew and legal team are occupied continuously with the task of cleaning up his messes.
In fact, there’s not enough dramatic crime (like bank heists, contrast domestic violence or check-cashing fraud, which not even regular police care much about) to support a superhero career¹
Curiously, Batman could make a career going after elite deviance / white collar crime, going after the Sacklers for pushing opioids and starting the current opioid crisis, going after companies that lobby governments to deregulate so they can pollute or push false products (e.g. cars as opposed to public transit; ETA A new video popped up about the wellness industry that pushes mostly pure quackery, and has captured the HHS, so we’re in a bit of a need of this kind of vig.); Or the DeVos family who use MLMs and PMCs to make their millions; Or the private equity companies like Bain Capital and Blackrock who get rich by creating massive bankruptcy sinkholes leveraging the brand reputations of aging companies and foreclosing commodities for their own personal gain. If Wayne wanted to go after the very sorts of things he, his company and his parents did / do to amass their fortunes, he could prevent a lot of cost, destruction and loss of life by orders of magnitude more than all the petty crime put together.
Funny DC doesn’t want to do that, though. Maybe Detective Comics is just state and law enforcement propaganda and they like it that way.
( ¹ ) Batman is not just a mountain of a man and master martial artist, but also has the academic capacity of several doctorates, assuming he – and not a secret task force of backup investigators – does all his detective-work and implements all his backup plans. Personally, I like the idea of Batman as a sophisticated justice and detective agency.
It’s a controversial opinion because it’s ill-informed. Bruce Wayne does give the majority of his money to charity. Even Superman, the goodest person on earth, looks up to him. But no amount of funding food banks or building low-income housing is going to uncurse the cursed land that Gotham is built on
Yeah I recall half the issue being that Gotham is so corrupt, any money is going to be wasted, which is why the Wayne family has to have its own charities to accomplish anythign at all.
I agree with you in the realm of reality. But I think thats why they tried to bring the idea that “some people just want to watch the world burn” to the forefront with Joker. If he wanted to redistribute the wealth to have a better society he wouldn’t burn it all, or he’d use it to counter anti social program rhetoric or something. Try to make some kind of change, but he doesn’t want change, he wants the wealth gap. The bigger the gap, the more desperate the people who he can manipulate into causing more crime and chaos.
Some people just want to watch the world burn is good cause not to deal with such people. The mafia / crime syndicate in an effort to get to Batman hired Joker as a Guy of Gisborne to Batman’s Robin Hood, only they got more than they bargained for.
Considering our billionaires hired Trump to keep their taxes low and are now dealing with a tanking economy, this seems to be the kind of play that tracks IRL. Especially since now Trump is lame duck and Miller, Vought and Thiel/Vance (Mandate, Marbro Man and Lifepod might be their villain names) are now vying for power while Trump is still alive.
If the system allows it, someone will have that lack of integrity you speak of to fill that hole.
The system’s the issue and money helps to gather power in a capitalistic system.
And this is where I ask if I even give you the time of day. I don’t think you understand the failures of modern charity in contrast to, say, the general fund of an actually-democratic society.
In fact, Oakland, California IRL is doing a lot of the things that Gotham should be doing including food banks and low-income housing projects, but also extending the list of 911 responders to provide alternatives to a police force that is eager to escalate to violence and can’t handle mental health crises, kids programs, school breakfast and lunch programs. You know, the kinds of things that an actual society might do.
Unless you’re arguing there’s a literal magical curse on the city of Gotham, in which case no amount of face-punching thugs is going to help either, and DC’s writing is proving as consistent as ever.
I posted below in more depth regarding the serious failure of the Batman paradigm, and would argue the fantasy is as much utopianism as Starship Troopers.
Unless you’re arguing there’s a literal magical curse on the city of Gotham, in which case no amount of face-punching thugs is going to help either, and DC’s writing is proving as consistent as ever.
What bugs me is this is a controversial opinion about Batman. That there’s still objection to the notion that Batman is fulfilling his own violent jollies in the color of seeking justice, rather than using his massive fortunes to serve good.
I think my most controversial Batman opinion is that his code vs. killing is bunk. Even if he just punches goons, he does so enough that goons would die often enough to give Batman a substantial body count. I’m sure his press crew and legal team are occupied continuously with the task of cleaning up his messes.
In fact, there’s not enough dramatic crime (like bank heists, contrast domestic violence or check-cashing fraud, which not even regular police care much about) to support a superhero career¹
Curiously, Batman could make a career going after elite deviance / white collar crime, going after the Sacklers for pushing opioids and starting the current opioid crisis, going after companies that lobby governments to deregulate so they can pollute or push false products (e.g. cars as opposed to public transit; ETA A new video popped up about the wellness industry that pushes mostly pure quackery, and has captured the HHS, so we’re in a bit of a need of this kind of vig.); Or the DeVos family who use MLMs and PMCs to make their millions; Or the private equity companies like Bain Capital and Blackrock who get rich by creating massive bankruptcy sinkholes leveraging the brand reputations of aging companies and foreclosing commodities for their own personal gain. If Wayne wanted to go after the very sorts of things he, his company and his parents did / do to amass their fortunes, he could prevent a lot of cost, destruction and loss of life by orders of magnitude more than all the petty crime put together.
Funny DC doesn’t want to do that, though. Maybe Detective Comics is just state and law enforcement propaganda and they like it that way.
It’s a controversial opinion because it’s ill-informed. Bruce Wayne does give the majority of his money to charity. Even Superman, the goodest person on earth, looks up to him. But no amount of funding food banks or building low-income housing is going to uncurse the cursed land that Gotham is built on
Yeah I recall half the issue being that Gotham is so corrupt, any money is going to be wasted, which is why the Wayne family has to have its own charities to accomplish anythign at all.
Atleast in reality, a lot of the time corruption happens is because people don’t get paid enough to have the luxury of principles/integrity.
So it’s a case of self fulfilling prophecy
Clarence totes needed that lux RV
Fair point, but that’s also why every branch of government also needs to be beholden to another which did not sign them in the first place.
The fact that they are assigned for life is a glaring potential for abuse.
Also every person in every governmental position from county to federal needs a no confidence/recall method.
I agree with you in the realm of reality. But I think thats why they tried to bring the idea that “some people just want to watch the world burn” to the forefront with Joker. If he wanted to redistribute the wealth to have a better society he wouldn’t burn it all, or he’d use it to counter anti social program rhetoric or something. Try to make some kind of change, but he doesn’t want change, he wants the wealth gap. The bigger the gap, the more desperate the people who he can manipulate into causing more crime and chaos.
Some people just want to watch the world burn is good cause not to deal with such people. The mafia / crime syndicate in an effort to get to Batman hired Joker as a Guy of Gisborne to Batman’s Robin Hood, only they got more than they bargained for.
Considering our billionaires hired Trump to keep their taxes low and are now dealing with a tanking economy, this seems to be the kind of play that tracks IRL. Especially since now Trump is lame duck and Miller, Vought and Thiel/Vance (Mandate, Marbro Man and Lifepod might be their villain names) are now vying for power while Trump is still alive.
Heck, this would make a great comic book.
If the system allows it, someone will have that lack of integrity you speak of to fill that hole. The system’s the issue and money helps to gather power in a capitalistic system.
ill informed
And this is where I ask if I even give you the time of day. I don’t think you understand the failures of modern charity in contrast to, say, the general fund of an actually-democratic society.
In fact, Oakland, California IRL is doing a lot of the things that Gotham should be doing including food banks and low-income housing projects, but also extending the list of 911 responders to provide alternatives to a police force that is eager to escalate to violence and can’t handle mental health crises, kids programs, school breakfast and lunch programs. You know, the kinds of things that an actual society might do.
Unless you’re arguing there’s a literal magical curse on the city of Gotham, in which case no amount of face-punching thugs is going to help either, and DC’s writing is proving as consistent as ever.
I posted below in more depth regarding the serious failure of the Batman paradigm, and would argue the fantasy is as much utopianism as Starship Troopers.
There literally is lmfao
Did this guy forget that we’re talking about comics?
It’s so on the nose, it almost feels like bait.
He could go after alpha agencies that are the biggest source of illicit dope, and also other kinds of trafficking.