There was a thread started on HoptownHall when “The Dark Knight” debuted in theaters. It stayed fairly on topic until Falstaff announced that Batman was actually George W. Bush. Needless to say the whole discussion swerved sharply into philosophical/political areas. Read on for more discussion/Batman spoilers.
Per the comparison between Batman and Bush, I think Gordon summed it up best at the end of the film when he says that Batman is the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one that we need.
We need Harvey Dent, the law-abiding idealist that shows the light and goodness of Gotham. We need the leader that everyone looks up to and admires. We need the hero that inspires others to be the best they can be by leading by example. But we don’t deserve him. We deserve the criminal vigilante. The one who flaunts breaking the laws and taking matters into his own hands. We deserve the hero that interrogates with torture.
So, if there is a Batman / Bush parallel, it’s that we have him because we don’t deserve any better.
Isn’t it true that the best leaders of today aren’t involved in big game politics at all. The leaders who we would want elected to state and national office are involved in their own projects making a difference in the areas where they have influence. Thus the primary reason for forming a limited Federal government; A limited national government even with the worst leadership doesn’t have the reach to control it’s citizens. Neither doesn’t it have the power to save them from poor personal judgement.
Are you kidding? Batman breaks dozens of laws. Not to mention the public and private property damage. In the big picture, it might be worth it in the end, but what if your car was one of the dozens that he blew up in that parking garage? How many roofs had to be replaced after he drove that tank over them all in ‘Batman Begins’. I can see why the average Gotham citizen would have bad feelings against him.
As for the Jim Gordons’ of the world, absolutely, we need more of them. If that had been the case, Gotham would never have ended up in the shape that it was in. However, Gordon didn’t go out and try to change anything until Batman showed up. He was an honest cop, sure, but not an instrument of change like Batman or Harvey Dent.
Batman is the hero, but not without a cost.