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I Kind of Hate Batman

2014-10-07 · letter vlog · John · 3:28 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Pop culture · mode: Personal essay · tags: self correction

After a ride with Sarah Fisher at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, John argues Batman is a bad billionaire and a bad hero: a rich man indulging a vigilante fantasy who never addresses crime's real causes, and asks why we celebrate lone billionaires when real work is collaborative.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting; riding around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Sarah Fisher at 180 mph

  • ★★ John says that yesterday (6 October 2014) he and friends went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he rode around the track with race car driver Sarah Fisher at 180 mph. — 00:00:02
  • ★★★ Riding with Sarah Fisher felt like her driving the Batmobile with John as Robin, which reminded him that though he is a big Sarah Fisher fan, he kind of hates Batman. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:10

00:00:16 — John kind of hates Batman; what John would do as a billionaire versus a Batmobile only he can drive

  • ★★ John says that as a billionaire he would first pledge 90% of his money to charity, then build a racetrack, fund an AFC Wimbledon stadium and a house with secret rooms, and still be super rich. (hypothetical) — 00:00:20 · AFC Wimbledon
  • ★★ John doesn't think he'd be a particularly good or generous billionaire, but he wouldn't spend a gajillion dollars on a Batmobile only he may drive. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:41

00:00:50 — Spider-Man and Sailor Moon didn't choose; Batman is just a rich guy; Iron Man at least uses his heart for good

  • ★★★ John says Spider-Man and Sailor Moon didn't choose their powers, but Batman is just a rich guy with an affinity for bats playing out an insane fantasy of single-handedly ridding Gotham of crime. — 00:00:50 · also in: BONUS: We Are All Bat People (Songified Batman Argument)

    “Batman is just a rich guy with an affinity for bats”

  • ★★ John grants that Iron Man's Tony Stark is a billionaire who could use his wealth better, and says the superheroes each generation elevates say a lot about that generation. — 00:01:12

  • ★ John says that at least Iron Man has his nuclear heart, built with help from a 'token good, and therefore doomed Arab guy', and decides to use it for good. (playful) — 00:01:23

00:01:33 — Is Batman good for Gotham? Crime's real causes, wrecked infrastructure, Gotham never improves, other causes he could fight

  • ★★ John says that in the Batman universe crime is caused by evil people who want to see the world burn and stupid people following charismatic villains like the cat person, the Joker or the Penguin. — 00:01:33
  • ★ John argues Catwoman, despite her jewel thieving, is by almost any measure much more heroic than Batman. (playful) — 00:01:49
  • ★★★ John says crime is not actually caused by evil but by systemic disenfranchisement, poverty, and lack of access to job opportunities and education. — 00:01:56 · also in: BONUS: We Are All Bat People (Songified Batman Argument)
  • ★★★ John says Batman funds no police, schools or low-income housing but tears up the infrastructure of the city he loves, fighting villains powerful only because Gotham is already blighted. — 00:02:05
  • ★★★ John says a realistic facet of the Batman saga is that Gotham never gets better for long: Batman saves Gotham over and over but never improves it. (hedged) — 00:02:26
  • ★★★ John asks why no one calls Batman out for spending all his resources on crime in Gotham when he could also fight global poverty, habitat destruction or climate change. (hedged) — 00:02:39 · extreme poverty, climate change
  • ★★ John says cleaning up Gotham's streets is a worthy goal for a billionaire, but Batman is bad at it. — 00:02:49

00:02:54 — Great graphic novels and films; why celebrate vigilante billionaires when real work is collaborative; Wolverine hair; sign-off

  • ★★ John says Batman has inspired great graphic novels and very good movies, which go to great lengths to make it seem bad things keep happening to Batman so he needs an arsenal kept in a Batcave. — 00:02:54
  • ★★★ John asks why we celebrate the vigilante ambitions of individual billionaires, when the real work among humans is done in collaboration, not isolation. — 00:03:05 · collective action

In the description and comments

  • ★★ In a description edit John concedes that some crime is obviously caused by horrible sociopathic monsters. — video description
  • ★★ In a description edit John concedes Bruce Wayne has done some constructive things for Gotham: a mass transit system (later destroyed) and, in some comics, funding hospitals, schools and police. — video description
  • ★ John adds that Bruce Wayne's funding of hospitals, schools and the police appears only in some comics, not in the Batman movies. — video description

Humor (significant)

  • John says riding at 180 mph with Sarah Fisher made him experience profound fear-joy. — 00:00:07

    “which would be a good name for a band.”

  • After listing his own frivolous billionaire purchases, John concedes he'd be no great billionaire. — 00:00:41

    “one thing I wouldn't do is spend a gajillion dollars developing a Batmobile that only I am allowed to drive.”

  • John loses his temper over Batman wrecking the city's infrastructure during fights. — 00:02:20

    “does Batman understand how difficult it is for an under-funded city like Gotham to replace roads and bridges?”

  • Ending his case against Batman, John denies any personal motive. — 00:03:21

    “And no I am not just saying all of this because my hair looks more and more like Wolverine's by the day.”

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: Batman · causes of crime · collective action · Gotham City

Also: People: Sarah Fisher

Organizations: AFC Wimbledon

Concepts: climate change · extreme poverty · graphic novel · habitat destruction

Places: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Characters: Batcave · Batmobile · Catwoman · Iron Man · Joker · Penguin (fictional character) · Robin (fictional character) · Sailor Moon · Spider-Man · Wolverine

Also centred on Batman: Is Hank Green Batman? · GIFs, JIFs, Whip Pans, Trivia, and BATMAN! · I Kinda AM Batman · A Minor Crisis · 7 Weirdest Marriages (or Lack Thereof) From an Airport

Also centred on causes of crime: The Psychology of Package Thieves

Later videos replying to this one

Part of an exchange of 3 videos, 2014-10-07 – 2014-10-14.