7 ms·
Pfft, no vision! However, this thesis seems mostly sensible. I think the crucial answer is that the "Skillz" of Batman are attainable, and there is a reasonabl
by ErrantX 16y ago
Pfft, no vision!
However, this thesis seems mostly sensible. I think the crucial answer is that the "Skillz" of Batman are attainable, and there is a reasonable proportion of people in the world with potential to attain them, BUT the problem of being Batman is not in the technology.
The problem, as highlighted, is that there is no role for Batman in our current society. Vigilantism is frowned on, and, practically speaking, having a secret alter ego that lasts only happens in the movies.
But the real problem is that Batman exists to solve a problem; Gotham has a massive crime problem, way beyond what we see in any major city in the world. And it is a city where number of crime bosses, criminal geniuses and psychopaths exist, and where they can act fairly freely.
Given a real life city with that setup, yes, Batman would stand a better chance.
- olalonde 16y agoWhat's most unrealistic to me is that Batman doesn't use lethal weapons. Good luck fighting armed criminals unless you have a kick ass body armor.
- ErrantX 16y agoI'm not sure that's so unrealistic. Batman utilises "shock" tactics (i.e. appearing in the middle of a group before they can react). He also promotes a fear factor; where he is viewed as being generally invulnerable - which means criminals psychophysically expect him to be able to avoid/take/survive gunfire. Then on the practical aspect he works at night or in the dark and has technological advantages (as well as ranged non-lethal weapons) over his enemies. Speculating you could imagine he is pretty good at reading people and their reactions, and so has a rudimentary ability to avoid (not quite dodge) gunfire. Sure, I think it is unrealistic that in, say, the films he avoids all the gunfire period. But it seems reasonable that he can avoid most of it with these advantages. Such things are all possible in real life, but I expect you are right - you would end up shot.
- stcredzero 16y agoA single individual accomplishing these things and utilizing these tools and tactics is not realistic. A movement of many individuals all using the same "brand" could work.
- mkr-hn 16y ago"The Battalion" would be the only appropriate name.
- stcredzero 16y agoPerhaps many individuals all posing as a single individual, with the majority involved acting in support roles. It's starting to sound eerily like Anonymous, actually.
- mkr-hn 16y agoThis came up in Batman Beyond a lot. "Is he the original Batman?" "No way, he'd be a hundred years old!" "Maybe he's immortal..."
- jokermatt999 16y agoIt seems like a number of superhero comics (which I am lacking in citations for) have focused on the idea of the superhero as more a symbol rather than a person. Any worthy successor can pick up the mask/costume/cape and continue fighting crime in the name of Fooman, and thus Fooman becomes a legend rather than a single person. In the words of The Sandlot, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." The Dark Knight had an interesting take on this with the impostor Batmen in the beginning using guns, and the real Batman showing up to stop them. (There's something to be said about culture and intellectual property in there too, but that's for another day). I'm sure there are plenty of other good examples as well, but my knowledge of superheros is rather sparse as I was unfortunately never that big into comics.
- rtperson 16y ago
- tygorius 16y agoIndeed, using only a few of those tactics... "A retired Indian Gorkha soldier recently revisited those glory days when he thwarted 40 robbers, killing three of them and injuring eight others, with his khukuri during a train journey. He is in line to receive three gallantry awards from the Indian government." [http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=27100 http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_deta...]
- mtw 16y agoThe idea of Batman could work in somaliland (no government, lots of corruption, rampant crime). Mexico (drug war) would also work, or any other country with corrupt or non-existing police forces
- ErrantX 16y agoI suspect you'd end up with the opposite problems in such places; i.e. too much lawlessness :) Kinda hard to be non-lethal when your target is surrounded by men with automatic rifles and little compunction about killing you (they are, after all, at "war"). I suppose it could work if you switched into more of a commando style hero; taking out the head bad guys of your own volition.
- ryoshu 16y agoPunisher instead of Batman.
- Qz 16y agoIf you actually read up on Somalia you'll find that in many places they're actually doing just fine with no government. The places with problems are 1) the places controlled by the pretend government, and 2) the places where UN&co try to hand out aid.
- silverbax88 16y agoAnd if you actually GO to Somalia you'll find that there are many places that are NOT doing fine.
- Dylan16807 16y agoWhen I read someone saying 'many places are fine', that seems to directly imply that most places are not. This isn't a counterargument. Is he actually wrong? He's certainly getting downvoted a lot and I hope it's not just because someone didn't like the wording.
- l0nwlf 16y ago> But the real problem is that Batman exists to solve a problem; Gotham has a massive crime problem, way beyond what we see in any major city in the world. And it is a city where number of crime bosses, criminal geniuses and psychopaths exist, and where they can act fairly freely. Gotham was created for batman IMHO and not vice-versa. If someday batman dies, spiderman won't come from New York for load balancing. Why is that almost all the super-heroes have their arch-enemy in their nearby locality. They also share the same trait. For example spiderman villains are mostly mutants and nagraj villains are mostly snake which takes humanoid form.
- Qz 16y agoGotham is New York.
- l0nwlf 16y agoI thought Gotham was a fictional city.
- TREYisRAD 16y agoGotham is a nickname sometimes used for New York City, and while Batman's Gotham is based on NYC, it's not meant to actually be NYC as we know it. Via Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotham_City http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotham_City
- bitwize 16y agoI've heard it said that Metropolis is NYC during the day; Gotham City is NYC at night. (Alone. In Central Park.)
- baguasquirrel 16y agoHistory time! http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2189316 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2189316
- anujkk 16y ago
- georgieporgie 16y ago> Vigilantism is frowned on, and, practically speaking, having a secret alter ego that lasts only happens in the movies. Banksy is the Batman of the New Generation.
- podperson 16y agoThe real problem is a lack of moronic costumed super-villains with ridiculously complex plans that require a huge amount of money to set up and have almost no chance of making a profit.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- mkramlich 16y agonot since the Dot Com boom anyway
- tygorius 16y agoVigilantism is frowned on Frank Miller directly addressed that point in "The Dark Knight" comic series. At one point Superman is remembering a past argument with Batman, and (semi-quote from memory): "And then you laughed that scary laugh of yours. 'Of course we're criminals', you said. 'We have to be criminals to do what we do.'"
- jodrellblank 16y agohaving a secret alter ego that lasts only happens in the movies. Really? How did you get your estimate for the number of people with long lasting alter egos that nobody knows about, for comparison?
- sharmajai 16y agoYou forgot one requisite. The motive to be Batman: some life altering tragedy.