this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024
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Showerthoughts

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[–] MiltownClowns@lemmy.world 57 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Bruce Wayne is just another billionaire who likes to get dressed up in leather and beat the underprivileged of gotham. The problem is guns are too quick. He needs to teach these people the lesson that it's wrong to be poor. And he needs to teach that lesson through pain and permanent physical disfigurement. All whilst bruce's erection slowly wears its way through his cod piece, beating after beating, suit spunk after suit spunk.

[–] deweydecibel@lemmy.world 24 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Do people genuinely think this about Bruce Wayne or just fucking around? I honestly can't tell anymore.

Alan Moore's brand of nihilist contrarianism has really done a number on the discussion.

[–] MiltownClowns@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] thesporkeffect@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Damn, yall need to watch 'under the red hood.' Batman just hits different now.

[–] Moneo@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I think people are questioning the ethics of Batman more these days given how discussions around poverty and crime has changed. Given how crime is more often than not a result of poverty and a lack of social safety net than greed or lack of morals, the ethics of Batman bypassing the justice system^1^ and beating the shit out of henchman comes into question.

My exposure to this line of thinking was FD Signifier's video on edge lords, but I haven't seen other people talk about it until now.

1. the justice system also fails these people but we'll ignore that for the sake of argument

[–] Zyrxil@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

In early depictions of Batman, there were times in which he freely killed criminals and times where he was an officially deputized state agent. In contrast, most depictions since at least the late 80s and 90s were much more progressive, with Bruce Wayne being the biggest philanthropist in Gotham, helping to provide low cost housing and healthcare, as well as funding criminal rehabilitation and direct job placement for ex-cons with Wayne Industries. Writers were aware of the other aspects of justice that Batman needed to embody long before it was trendy on the internet to edgily portray Batman as a billionaire who enjoys beating people up for fun.

[–] Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Plenty of people will say that. This is a really good dismantling of the whole concept by thoughtslime, where he basically points out how contradictory and malleable the entire character is, and he can be written as an authoritarian but usually isnt, plus some other stuff I don't remember: https://youtu.be/73M2sq9zK-I?si=GoJ4paPDgqBskdos

Also it's unlisted because it's in the raft of videos thoughtslime has decided are outdated, bad, or have problematic elements. Idk what it is about this video that got it on the list, but I feel it's important to mention.

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[–] criticon@lemmy.ca 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

He also probably holds a large stake in Arkham. Every criminal he sends is money the city puts into his deep pockets

[–] Dadifer@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Wasn't his mother from the Arkham family?

[–] deweydecibel@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

Only in The Batman, that's not cannon to any other incarnation.

[–] Sotuanduso@lemm.ee 33 points 8 months ago (1 children)

He doesn't use guns because he specifically doesn't like them. If it were just about killing, he'd use nonlethal bullets. The no killing rule is a separate but related phenomenon.

As for explosives, he generally only uses flash bangs, but when he's fighting someone who can clearly take it (like Superman or Darkseid) or a robot that it's okay to kill, then he uses more lethal bombs.

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

You address it in the first part of your comment but if batman has no problem using lethal bombs than why not a gun? That is where I am at.

It has to be he specifically doesn't like guns. Other commentors say he doesn't like guns because his parents were shot. Which is fine but kinda misses the point imo. It's like he heard someone say, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Then was like nuh-uh but never moved that logic to, I dont know, incendiary weapons. Anyway, I'm way out in the weeds here.

The man threw a batarang into the barrel of a gun. Surely he could master non-lethal force with a hand gun or something.

A batman that uses guns is not as entertaining. I can agree on that much.

[–] Sotuanduso@lemm.ee 2 points 8 months ago

Yeah, he specifically doesn't like guns, and it's because his parents were shot. Other weapons are fine. Even a grappling gun is fine. A gun that shoots bullets is not fine because it reminds him of how his parents died.

[–] its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works 29 points 8 months ago

It's more of a moral and emotional reason. His parents were killed with a gun. Guns are designed to kill. So he's not a fan of guns.

[–] boredtortoise@lemm.ee 26 points 8 months ago

There's more fear in getting mutilated by Batman than getting headshotted from the shadows

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Well, everyone in modern society knows that only hunters, farmers and shit-scared fuckin cowards own guns so maybe batman is European?

[–] muntedcrocodile@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Doesnt switzerland have a shitonne of guns?

[–] tobogganablaze@lemmus.org 20 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

It looks like that because Switzerland has mandatory military service and after that people keep their service rifle at home (without ammunition). But it's not at all comperable to the gun situation in America.

[–] muntedcrocodile@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Actually thats the funny and really sad thing. America has guns as they copied the swiss system of an armed militia then kept the guns and abolished the militia creating the basket case they have now with a shitonne of guns and not enough people trained to be safe with them.

[–] explodicle@local106.com -1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Half the white people: Yee haw, I'm gonna shoot some minorities! I'm in a militia!

Other half of white people: Don't worry, the police will protect you. No ~~militias~~ gangs allowed!

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

Uh oh. Guess I'm getting my white card revoked. I don't like cowboys or cops.

[–] viking@infosec.pub 12 points 8 months ago

So does Finland and some other Nordic countries, yep.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 8 months ago

He has deep seeded trauma about guns that make him think about himself as the same type of murderer that killed his parents, whenever he thinks about using a gun.

[–] deweydecibel@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

What incarnation are you talking about where he throws "explosives" out left and right? Not every explosive is lethal. A smoke bomb is technically an explosive.

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

Was watching under the red hood.

[–] thallamabond@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Batman totally uses a gun in Justice League

https://screenrant.com/justice-league-snyder-cut-batman-gun-confirmed-image/

Also silver age batman used guns

http://sacomics.blogspot.com/2005/08/batman-and-guns.html

Batman loves a challenge, dude could be going to sweet parties, riding on a yacht, driving supercars (he does do this one tho).

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago
[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Remember, kids, guns and superheroes don't mix!

[–] Xanvial@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)
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