The Bluestocking 2022-23

Finally, becoming Batman is principally illegitimate; vigilantism is bad because there is no due process. Batman operates in the shadows, and there is no way for the police to control him. He is beholden to nobody’s rules, only his own ethical sense. Batman’s “no killing” moral is premised upon his parents’ death and the grief he felt. Batman could have benefited more people if he had gone against his principle of “no killing” to kill the Joker and save the lives of thousands but he chose not to. Vigilantes are not like police officers and public officials, who are chosen and trained in order to execute through aggressive means. Batman was never chosen. There should be a process to determine who is a criminal and how punishment should be dealt out based on the crime—in other words, the law. Batman goes outside of the law and punishes violently based on rumors. Even if Batman doesn’t use violence in some cases, he still goes through unethical processes of breaching people’s privacy and coercion to get information. The creation of Batman is the creation of corrupt mechanisms. Ultimately, it’s clear that Bruce Wayne’s power and status as an elite would have been better at achieving change, better at benefiting Gotham, and better ethically. Batman is not the heroic vigilante the comics and movies paint him to be because of the damage he has done to Gotham and its people. Knowing this, Bruce should have used his mon ey and influence to help Gotham instead of wasting his efforts on vigilantism. Batman serves as a symbol for justice, but he only worsens the state of Gotham. Despite his heroic facade, Batman only serves as evidence that unnecessary sacrifice will never achieve justice.

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