Why Batman is Secretly Terrible for Gotham.

At least according to Cracked.com.

I can't say I entirely disagree. In the long term, Batman IS a pretty unsuccessful crime fighter...

 

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=144236

I'm excited to watch this when I get home.

 

The humor doesn't quite work for me, but I think there were actually some good points made. Though Bats is my favorite superhero, I find myself agreeing with the 'anti-Bat' speaker more than the pro-Bat guy.

 

Cracked's video content is pretty uneven. I remember one of those commentators used to have a terrible series (or two?) by himself, but in this group of four it's a little closer to the concentrated written humour the site is better at.

Yeah, I'd tend to agree. Batman's vigilantism makes for great entertainment but it has little relationship to a responsible effort to improve people's lives and reduce crime, and Batman is about the only superhero I really like.

 

Well look, all superheroes fail the "how would this actually work?" test. Superman is GOD; there is no excuse for a single death by accident, crime or natural disaster on his watch. Green Lantern's ring has, in theory, no limit to its power.

 

A lot of writers have latched on to the whole 'escalation' idea, which basically means Batman is responsible for all of the supervillains as well. Without him there would just be mobsters.

Nice job, Bats.

 

I miss Michael Swain's two solo video series. They were fantastic and far and away my favorite things on Cracked.

 

That was his name!

I thought they were pretty awkward. He seems much better in this ensemble.

 

^ I think they were intentionally awkward. That's kind of his style.

And yeah, I was a big fan of both of those series as well, along with Gladstone's Hate By Numbers.

 

They were supposed to have an awkward edge to them, I think.

I think they're just different beasts.

 

That was alright, actually, but these might be some of the best videos I've seen on Cracked (not counting Britanick, obviously, who are comedy gods).

 

Batman is good for Gotham. The anti-Bat speaker is wrong.

For starters, it is not murder, its justifiable homicide. If a cop kills someone who is trying to run him over or shoot him or some else, it is not a crime.

Just putting money into social programs isn't going to stop all crime or put criminals away. They have to get rid of the bad elements. In some stories/episodes, Bruce Wayne mentions some of his charities. It is just not very interesting to read.

When Batman blew up the rails, it saved Gotham. If he had not done that, Gotham would be gone. It is like burning trees to stop a forest fire from spreading.
How is Gotham at Batman's mercy? Batman is not a tyrant. He did not make rules or force ordinary citizens to do anything.

 

A successfull Batman means boring comics.

 

There could be a whole new series where Batman travels to another town and fights crime there. And then another. And then another!

 

One thing that never made any sense to me at all in shared comic universes is that there are a billion superheroes. Shouldn't there be no crime? Ever?

 

Bat-Fu?

 

And when crime spikes in Gotham again he'll have to go back.

 

A cop has been given that authority by the state. And he has to fill out paper work. And it has to be reviewed.

Batman doesn't have to do that. Is he above the law?

One of the reasons people turn to crime is because of education, food, etc. In other words, basic needs. If those basic needs are met--say, through worker training programs, better jobs, etc, then they wouldn't be turning to crime.

So, his money going into social programs would help curb crime. Clearly his years as Batman hasn't done it.

Or because he's just trying to look good to whoever he's talking to.

Or maybe those charities are just fronts for his mad war on crime.

But, if he had spent his money on social programs, Gotham wouldn't be one train crash away from class warfare--which was the point that Ras was trying to do, start a war.

Remember, Ras had been manipulating the society of Gotham? If Bruce had done the same thing, obviously, in the opposite direction, then, Ras would have moved to a different city.

Thus, the train wouldn't have been in any danger. Or the city.

Well. He's not following the law. He drives around in a tank. He blows things up. Not exactly a family friendly guy.

That's right. He did not make the rules. And apparently feels the need to NOT FOLLOW THEM. He's a criminal as well.

As far as being a tyrant, it's his way or no way... That sounds like a tyrant.

 

No, he's just above doing paperwork. No wonder he's a hero to so many of us!

 

Bruce Wayne does donate money to those kind of foundations. Owns one in fact. What do you think the Wayne Foundation is?