Every "Batman should retire the cape and dedicate his life from social programs" is the desperate ideological rattle of a culture convinced that media should perform your values, because if you read the right comics the world, will suddenly become a better place
If Batman found a way to defund the cops or give people M4A or whatever, it still wouldn& #39;t fix real life suffering or authoritarianism
And tweeting about it once a month as if it would radically shift society is just kiiiiiind of pathetic at this point
And tweeting about it once a month as if it would radically shift society is just kiiiiiind of pathetic at this point
Yes, Batman is an authoritarian symbol
Many superheroes are
If they stopped being superheroes tomorrow, it wouldn& #39;t change that
Many superheroes are
If they stopped being superheroes tomorrow, it wouldn& #39;t change that
And if it wasn& #39;t Batman, because he spent the last century building hospitals or whatever, that wouldn& #39;t prevent other characters from becoming authoritarian symbols
Because symbols can and will also be appropriated regardless of the original intent
Because symbols can and will also be appropriated regardless of the original intent
You can critique these stories, themes, and how they impact social discourse
But asking superhero stories -- stories which are founded on One Good Man With Power Making Choices -- to not be superhero stories doesn& #39;t unmake their impact on society, or why they became successful
But asking superhero stories -- stories which are founded on One Good Man With Power Making Choices -- to not be superhero stories doesn& #39;t unmake their impact on society, or why they became successful