Why Batman Matters
By Father Jonathan Morris
FOX News Religion Contributor
Just when heroism was dying, when pessimism appeared to have an unchallenged grip on hope, Batman—the movie—has come to the rescue. The masked-man in silver and black reminds us tough times are the best incubators of ordinary heroes.
And don’t we need them now!
The Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” set a box-office record, taking in $155,340,000 this past weekend. That’s a lot of discretionary spending for an economy which has struggled for many months, mostly against the dime-a-dozen prophets of doom and their water-boy news outlets who have waged a war for the a declaration of an all-out recession. Today, these experts will surely try to explain why such leisure spending is just another sign of fiscal gloom: escapism.
Hmm?! Batman lovers won’t buy it. They know going to Gotham City is not running from reality. It is an investment in art inspired by positive thinking where good defeats evil. And as economists and sociologists know and rarely admit, hope and confidence in the future is the engine of human progress.
And that’s why Batman matters, for our lives and for our economic and political future. It is the story of human goodness, in all of its emotional and physical imperfection, overcoming the seemingly impenetrable powers of everyday evils. In the late 1930’s DC Comics published the first appearances of the Batman character, co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Batman’s secret identity is Bruce Wayne (got to love that name) who after witnessing the murder of his parents at the age of eight, undergoes a self-transformation in response to an inner call to fight perpetrators of crime (villainous characters originally inspired by pop-culture references of the day). Batman learns to ignore the pull of a superficial lifestyle of playboy, industrialist, and billionaire in order to fulfill a transcendental mission.
I believe Batman, as a caricature of virtue and thus a beacon of hope, is the principle reason people are flocking to the theaters in unprecedented numbers. We are rejecting the negativity that threatens to drown us. In the Internet media in particular, it has become fashionable, and perhaps commercially beneficial, to exaggerate the negative. The Drudge Report, for example, can’t get enough of sliding markets and revels in banks going bust. For a time it even dedicated a special section to society’s blues, entitling it, “Les Miserables,” and irresponsibly, in my opinion, giving as much prominence to apocalyptic predictions as it did to the facts. Scary headlines punctuated by a question mark are the tactic of the day. Tellingly, Drudge, too, seems to be looking for a hero for hard times, and is doing his best to crown Barack Obama as the dazzling young nemesis to two old Jokers, first Hillary and now McCain, without burdening us with facts. The Drudge Report, of course, is not alone in profiteering on fabricated fear and selective negativity.
Batman, on the other hand, is inspiring and convincing because neither he nor his surroundings are perfect, and still he is undeterred. Unlike other heroes, Bruce Wayne is not gifted with supernatural powers. If he is super—and he is—it’s because he forged, at great personal cost, both physical and intellectual prowess in pursuit of goodness. And if he perseveres in his mission, it’s because he refuses to be discouraged by the indifference and bureaucratic thinking of those who should be doing more, but aren’t. Eventually, he elevates, rather than eliminates, his small-minded counterparts-in-goodness to participate in something bigger than themselves.
Batman’s story is also important because he points us to invisible realities. He is fighting not only against small time criminals, but against the manager of evil, the Joker (played in “The Dark Knight” by Heath Ledger in his last complete performance before his tragic and dark death). In life too, we experience evil as bigger than the sum of bad things or bad people. There seems to be a supernatural manager of evil who cannot, or should not, be ignored.
Batman is an invitation to become an ordinary hero in hard times. We can either learn to think and act with truth-based hope — that we can make a difference in our families and in our communities –or let the powers of evil and the profiteers of negativity determine our fate.
God bless,
Father Jonathan
Father Jonathan Morris is the author of the new book, “The Promise: God’s Purpose and Plan for when Life Hurts”. For information go to www.fatherjonathan.com
P.S. Here are videos of two interviews I did this weekend about the Pope’s visit to Australia for World Youth Day: “Pope Apologizes for Clergy Abuse in Australia” and “The Pope on Environmentalism”
I have been nauseated by the personal attacks and overwhelming negativity in the media.
I believe hope and optimism will prevail though. BAM-SOCK-POW
John, I’m with you, but it is also important to note that I mentioned “selective” and “exagerated” negativity. I get many notes from people wondering why the media has to fixate on bad things. In part, I would say, this fixation is understandable and even good. News agencies have a responsibility to inform us of social abnormalities of certain strength. We certainly don’t want our news channels to tell us only nice things that don’t really meet the criterion of newsworthy. In other words, there must be an editorial balance.
Father Jonathan
It’s Order vs. Disorder all the way… Dark Knight is a must see for sure, though it might be a better game plant to go after the crowds die down a bit.
Powerful stuff Fr. Morris, now I must go see the movie. I think you send a warning well worth taking to us all in this piece about those who seek to mislead us and hold us down.
I’m not sure you are reading Drudge correctly though. I believe he uses journalism’s own works in order to expose their failings. The over the top headlines he uses are intended to point out how over the top some of what the press is trying to pass off to us as journalism. If you take a look at the articles he links you will see that he tends to link the most hysterical examples of left-leaning articles (which unfortunately is not hard to find) while he consistently posts very level-headed pro-conservative articles. This is especially true on the subject of climate change. He lines up obvious fruitcakes, out of touch elitists, and phonies on the left side of the issue and very competent and highly respected scientists and other respected achievers on the right side. I don’t think I’ve seen Drudge ever link an anti-carbon emissions article that wasn’t full of amazing leaps of logic and reason, and he usually pointed out those very leaps by his choice of link text. His anti-carbon alarmism articles have all been pretty much beyond ridicule.
As for what role Drudge may be trying to play in the election, I will honestly be surprised if he doesn’t end up leading the way when the time comes to reveal Obama’s complete lack of qualifications. You may wish to look at the picture Drudge posted today. Obama sitting in that helicopter is very reminiscent of Dukakis in the tank. Only Obama looks not so much foolish as like a child in it.
Of course there’s escapism. That’s the point of most movies in the first place, isn’t it? You escape for 2 hours, and then discuss it with your friends and family.
Of course, you’re right too. With Batman, he’s not supernatural. He’s a quiet crusader for truth and justice that people can be in their own minds. It’s attainable on small levels and people want that inspiration. In every Batman movie, he tells encourage insignificant characters to just do the right thing and their job because it’s what they can do to help out. That message translates to everyone.
Remember Sex and the City also did well in the box office.
“I thought that people are going to movies now because they are too poor to go on vacation because gas prices.”—-Drudge quote.
Are you so inspired by Batman that you are going to finish your exorcism class and fight the devil rather than just the evil politicians?
Glad that you got to see the movie, though.
Even a man of the cloth recognizes the importance of The Dark Knight!
I realize that there are a few good men/women that are willing to fight the evil —- but how sad there is only a few — Many years ago we were given rules to abide by that would have made life more comfortable for all —- Do unto others as you would have them do unto you has gone by the wayside — now it’s get them before they get you ——– I remember my mother telling me there is nothing new under the sun —– bad news sells quicker than good and there is more money in ugly —
Mother was right —- if she could see how much worse our world/ politics have gotten —————- she would say I told you it was going to be that way —- but I’m sorry to say it is only going to get much worse ——– She was a realist and called it the way she saw it —— but she also read and studied her Bible —– her knowledge came from The Word of God ————————————–
——————– Good will prevail —- but later rather than sooner ————————-
—————— Keep looking up ——————-
I’m sure the thousands of people losing their homes and jobs everyday (which is based of facts) would love to go see batman to escape reality.
Batman, Jesus…you find inspiration in the goofiest places, Mr. Morris.
Father Jonathan,
Thank you, the heroic imperative is all but forgotten in todays society, that which regular people Should do, in common, but desparate situations. to act to Help people in need, this is truly heroic.
this is also truly decent, and should inspire people to just ” Do The Right thing” it doesn’t take much,
it’s very easy, just look around and SEE all the things around you that could use a helping hand to make things better1
Bless you Father jon
Bill ( SFC US Army Retired )
Didnt the Box Office do Well during the Great Depression as well?—Big Box office does not mean great economy
I had to laugh at your complaint about profiting by way of fear. Fox News is the leader in this regard. If you really want to take a stand, drop your “column” and quit taking their paycheck. Otherwise you’re just demonstrating how much a hypocrite you are.
It was a wonderful film and I agre with you 100% Jonathan. Heath Ledger pulled off the greatest performance of the Joker, greater even than Nicholson. Yet I believe suc hmoviesshould inspire humanity to fight those evls that pervade our everyday existence, rather than sitting by and letting someone else do it or make our own laws for us.
Great article Father Morris, finally some thing with hope and goodness at the center. I beleive America does need hope, and i see bo as the factless evil. Again great article.
When was the last time anyone heard of high school or university-level instructors sharing with students the works of Dr. Joseph Campbell who devoted his life to teaching his students the Hero’s Journey? In all cultures and across history, the story is the same: An ordinary boy becomes a man by confronting the monsters of his own existence and learns how to rise above the threats from without and his own weaknesses. He learns to endure, to keep his agonies to himself, to sacrifice his own welfare and safety for the sake of others. In exceeding what others thought possible, he leaves behind the legacy of possibility for the next generation to absorb. He invites the next generation to risk, to adventure, to exploration.
If today’s children are not taught those rubrics, they will become afraid to venture out, to see what lies beyond the known horizon, to mature, to seek out the possible against seemingly-impossible odds. If they absorb the fear propagated by today’s media, they will come to value safety but they will always somehow feel unfulfilled — as if there were something that they missed by staying close to home and listening to those who warned them that they shouldn’t venture out because there was too much risk “out there.”
That venturing out, that seeking what lies beyond what is known, is at the heart of what drove our Founding Fathers to create this nation. What the Batman myth resurrects is the absolute necessity of a boy’s overcoming his fears and his rejecting the negativity imposed on him by well-meaning but fearful adults who themselves once heard the Call to Adventure and were too afraid to answer. They want to keep him with them, to hold him back, because, if he leaves on his own Journey, they’ll be shown to be the cowards that they are.
Batman represents the possibility of renewal, of rebirth, of reconstitution, of restoration, of freedom. The Joker represents the destructive web which we ourselves and others spin around us to keep us from breaking free. He is that which is ugly and kept hidden in each of us; he is that Shadow which must be destroyed if we have any hope for ourselves.
As always Father Jonathan, your sparkling and focused point of view brought a fresh air to a dense atmosphere. This article and the speech of Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney really have been very inspirational these days…
Not a Hollywood junkie but it was very interesting and entertaining to read your review and allegory about Batman -the movie- you submitted with an extraordinary precision and vision; I couldn’t agreed more but….
With due respect, as a girl, I grew up with a particular hero for which I still sigh for. Not only for his attribute as an authentic gentleman but for his aspect as a remarkable human being. Combating against small enemies as Bruce Wayne did, he struggled in rudimentary circumstances and in bottom line fight against the status quo of his time counting only with his talents and, aren’t we all at this position? like it or not? As you pointed out, we must grow stronger with our values and talents and become the heroes of these difficult times. I just want to add a little quote I recently read, “We need to restore the full meaning of that old word, duty. It is the other side of rights.”-Pearl Buck
Great job Father, keep going!!
God Bless you
Sincerely,
Adriana Colina
Attached youtube video of 1st episode of my childhood hero…enjoy. (It seems like it was filmed yesterday, only location and names changes, but the reality in exactly the same ..amazing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVqFbWvDVjw&NR=1
As always Father Jonathan, your sparkling and focused point of view brought a fresh air to a dense atmosphere. This article and the speech of Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney really have been very inspirational these days…
Not a Hollywood junkie but it was very interesting and entertaining to read your review and allegory about Batman -the movie- you submitted with an extraordinary precision and vision; I couldn’t agreed more but….
With due respect, as a girl, I grew up with a particular hero for which I still sigh for. Not only for his attribute as an authentic gentleman but for his aspect as a remarkable human being. Combating against small enemies as Bruce Wayne did, he struggled in rudimentary circumstances and in bottom line fight against the status quo of his time counting only with his talents and, aren’t we all at this position? like it or not? As you pointed out, we must grow stronger with our values and talents and become the heroes of these difficult times. I just want to add a little quote I recently read, “We need to restore the full meaning of that old word, duty. It is the other side of rights.”-Pearl Buck
Great job Father, keep going!!
God Bless you
Sincerely,
Adriana Colina
Attached you tube video of 1st episode of my childhood hero…enjoy. (It seems like it was filmed yesterday, only location and names changes, but the reality in exactly the same .amazing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVqFbWvDVjw&NR=1
Yes Father, I couldn’t agree with you more. We have one of the most powerful gifts a person could have. The gift of a free will to choose to do good and be truthful. As a country we never had a monopoly on truth. For the most part, we did have a love affair with truth, or at least a strong, passionate interest in searching for it. However, something has changed, the flame and passion for truth has become dim. Now, our faith is in a government not of the people, but of special interests. Ours is a faith in a government that caters to our basest instincts, not our lofty aspirations. Ours is faith, blind faith, in a government that the more perverse and corrupt it becomes, the more it destroys our spirit and dehumanizes us. Our laws coming from our courts are becoming our gospels that are drifting further away from the natural laws. If we as a people don’t wake up soon our fate may be what we ourselves have sown or what we’ve allowed others to sow for us. Perhaps we need to go through a purgation, a narrow road if you will, in this country (i.e. “Dark Night of the Soul”, “Devine Comedy”, the mines of Moria in “Lord of the Rings”, etc.). Perhaps this will bring about a change of heart and direction in our country and we’ll come to a greater truth and find a real peace that some people don’t seem to enjoy now.
Perhaps the internet and the media should totally ignore high gas prices, foreclosures, bank failures, a decline of the dollar value and don’t mention increased grocery expenses. After all we notice these things daily as we go about our business, and we deal with the challenges. Now we are all heroes because we just cut back a little so we can still go to the movies as we still go to fast food places or restaurants. Life is good we still have more millionairs and billionairs than most other countries.
Donald Trump just sold a beach front mansion in Florida to a Russian for $100 million, there is no real housing slump. Corporate America sold our largest brewery Budweiser to the Belgians we made a ton of money life is good. I agree with Father Jonathan, obviously life is not so bad if we can shell out that kind of money to see Batman and buy Ipods. Forget the doom and gloom and whiners ignore the warnings fight the good fight against evil and come out a victor. We are now down to comparing Batman to Jesus way to go.
What a snarky comment by Judy. Thank you, Fr. Morris for your usual insight into matters that REALLY MATTER.
As for her remark about Sex and the City….that seems to emphasize your point even more.
“There SEEMS to be a supernatural manager of evil that cannot, or should not, be ignored”……What an understatement, Father! Nice little article you have written about nothing more than a movie……in terms of things that matter eternally……juste a fanciful movie.
Father….in my estimation….you lost your revelancy on Fox News a few weeks ago when you stated essentially that there is more than one way to Heaven. Took a lot of “heat” over that article, didn’t ya.
I will continue to pray for your soul.
Jim, thanks for the prayers. “seems” has to do with perception, meaning, recognizable to the senses. I believe such managering of evil is perceptible to any attentive and open-minded person, no matter one’s faith.
And this natural ability to perceive spiritual realities takes nothing away from faith, a superior faculty of the soul, no doubt. Hope that helps.
Father Jonathan
Excellent and revelant comments today Father Jonathan! I go back to the original Batman TV Shows when the world really wasn’t so scary, well there was Russia and Bomb Shelter practice, then Viet Nam fears. Even after all of those real issues are considered , the world was not so scary. People were half as paranoid as they are today. For the past eight years my liberal side of the family have been waiting for failure and doom, talking it up at every opportunity. My response, or shall I say my attempt to extinguish the conversation on despair, was to turn it back to faith and hope and God’s ultimate plan and to remind the others of the notion of free will and the need to lighten up here on the homefront, always to no avail. The negativity hurled at me is so bad that when I try to state my belief system; that of God’s plan and his being in control, coming from love, my absolute stance against abortion, following the Pope’s lead, and the way I constantly find opportunities to help others through volunteering and donating as much as I can until it hurts to those less fortunate; it is always met with a grandiose and sarcastic comeback, “Well, you can’t always look at things with one point of view!” Which is meant to make me feel uneducated and idealistic. Instead, I just feel strengthened and I know I am a whole lot happier on any given day!
Is it human nature for some to enjoy wallowing in this promise of failure or is it more than likely that the “manager of evil” has a vice like grip on many otherwise lovely people’s hearts? Hmmm….
Yup, time to beef up the prayers if even just for today, and to go find my own joy, easy to do by just going outdoors a couple minutes!
Once again, well said. Great analysis.
One question…why your choice of the word “seems”
“There seems to be a supernatural manager of evil who cannot, or should not, be ignored.”
Satan, the Devil, Lucifer son of the Morning is a live and at work.
May we never forget God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
God Bless,
Bill
Oh dear. Actually the true hope of the world and hero is not the “Dark Knight” but the One who is the “Light of the world”. Yes, the world would see hope in the Dark Knight, but that is a false hope. The Lord God Almighty has given you a microphone and I believe the hope you should be pointing to is not darkness but the Light, Jesus Christ. In Him, Jane
Jane, I understand your point. If I were pointing to the “Dark Knight” as a spiritual savior, my goodness, I would be out to lunch. But I am of the opinion many very natural things, even Hollywood stories like this one, can point us in the right direction (Truth) if we are attentive to their imperfect lessons.
Father Jonathan
Father,
Absolutely stupendous essay today.
How can someone so young be so gifted? It must be a blessing from God Himself.
As always, keep up the good work.
I loved the battle between the good and bad, and how the good guys struggled because they would have to violate their principles to get what they thought was right.
Batman is needed because he is more real than the other super heroes. Plus the modern version relies on others for help. Batman and his group might make the wrong choices at times but the good seems to be spread despite them — even if a great sacrifice is needed by the hero.
I just wish I could use spoilers it would articulate my point better.
Jane H, Morris is pointing to the allegory Batman represents. That’s no different from referencing one of Aesop’s fables. Batman is a morality tale. Don’t be so overwrought.
I havn’t seen the movie yet but I plan to soon. You Father Morris are right and bless you for up lifting messages.
Fr. Jonathan, I am always uplifted and encouraged by your wisdom and your insights. YOU are one of my heros.
Julian, Inspiring people can find inspiration in many things, even the goofy. Though, when seen from the proper perspective, many things are not as goofy as they may seem.
Sometimes we need to take a step back and view things through a fresh set of glasses so that we can see them for what they are or what they can be and not what we want them to be or what we have been told they are.
Don’t assume that all christians simply follow because they are not intelligent and independant enough to have made valid conclusions of their own.
S T E V E
Father Jonathan-
God Bless you and your column. I follow it and am always pleased by the insight. I have been a Batman fan for as long as I can remember and the reason is that he is human- fighting evil the best way he can, no matter the odds, day in and day out.
It is unfortunate that there are those that have posted here (Judie, Jim, etc.) that just don’t get it. I think you are just over their head in that they can not understand or derive the deeper point(s) and meanings you drive home-as they look at things too superficially. BTW-Judie, Sex and the City did not take in anywhere near the amount that Dark Knight has or will and that hedonistic, materialistic garbage is part of what is wrong with the our country today.
The fact is there is good and evil. All too often, people want to see things in shades of gray. Look closer, you will see it is decidedly one way or the other.
Thanks again, Father Jonathan! God Bless!
This is what happens when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object. - The Joker
Order and Chaos (Batman and the Joker) do not necessarily coincide with Good and Evil. There is Evil in Order and Good in Chaos. God created an ordered universe, and yet we were given the gift of Freedom. What the movie represents was not a basic struggle for good (yawn, that movie has been done), but a beautiful dance between the will of man and the order of reality. Chaos needs order to exist, and there is no freedom in total order. In this movie, Order and Chaos, struggled, became one, and illumated an existence that only God could grant - a human existence.
Father Jonathan,
The willingness to fight for something reminds me of a statement I made to my wife while listening to a popular new song. The line in the song that aggrevated me was “waiting for the world to change”. I said to my wife “that is part of the problem with a portion of the next generation.” We live in a society that blames everything on someone else, beit the Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, Conservatives, local policticians, national politicians, corporate America, etc…. Much of America is paralyzed by pecedents we have set by turning soley to government to solve our problems. Waiting for what? Waiting for the world to revolve around “me”. World is a collective term that includes each of us. The world changes when we quit waiting and start doing. The American spirit was built around doing, not waiting. However, as governments continue to extend its reach into our daily lives and regulate them, it causes personal responsibility and self determination to slowly fade away.
We all love good art, especially when it is not found in a gallery. I remember the book my grandmother gave me as 1st grader, it was all the batman comics from the early days till the 60s.
I guess a best of, anyway the book has been long butchered. In the worst of times we are obligated to be virtuous, perhaps because we are made to be. Batman,Starwars,Dune,Lord of the Rings and even Popeye resinate some type of virtues we encounter in this Human Experience. Like the myths of old. Persistance is the best aim here on Earth, just dont give up. There is evil out there, and it wants to murder us. The reality is though, virtuous deeds are immortal and well remembered.
Anyway Be well and God Bless….
Robert
(Praise the Lord and pass the spinach)
Julian, I love ya. you are very inspiring. Kinda like Heckle and Jeckle, or maybe Shakes the Clown…
God Bless ya and be well…..
What next? Mickey Mouse — The Dark Rodent? Scrooge — Secret Social Worker With a Secret Past? Pepe LePew — He Smells Out Crime and Existential Angst?
Geez. It’s just a dumb comic, Father, an entertainment with no more of a moral statement than Hogan’s Heroes or I Dream of Jeannie.
Father Jonathan, you made a very important point (about what clergy should be) in one of your interviews, the one about Pope Benedict’s apology in Australia. The quote was, “We need people to stand up for honesty, to look in them and say, ‘I want to be like you. You lift my eyes and my heart to better things.’” In my opinion, that is a definition of a hero, because you do those things, for many who read your blog. Joe C. is right; I would also consider you a hero!
Woe to us who have to look to decadent Hollywood for heroes. There are heroes everywhere around us, but we don’t want to see them. Because if we did, we would find our own inadequacies. THAT is what is wrong with our country. Instead of acknowledging the good in people, all we want to do is find fault. Well, guess what….everyone has a few shades of gray in them. God made us this way for a reason. Some good and some bad…but none of us perfect. Heroes are the people who go beyond the norm to do what they think is right, undaunted by others who would judge them.
We need to find the strength within ourselves so that we do not judge others. For when we are strong, we see the same in everyone else.
I don’t know if Batman can do that for us, but I do know that we can do it for ourselves and for our children. We need to teach our children (that means spending time with them and not at work or the gym) integrity and honor. Those two qualities alone will make a hero out of them.
Maybe the next generation will find the heroes we cannot.
Go with God’s Love.
Glad to see you writing on a light topic. I am debating on whether or not to wait until this movie comes out on DVD to see it. I thought the other Batman movies were in general outstanding, as is the character in general. I generally think catchy theme songs, such as in the original TV series, can greatly enhance a movie or TV show, and their chances of success. Some of the spin off board games can be fun too.
Have a Nice Day ! ! ! Vince
I am surprised that a Catholic Priest would use Batman - The Dark Knight - as a hero type. Is this how far the Catholic Church has fallen? It is full of darkness, and glorifies violence. It is rated PG-13 for a reason. How about you call out real heros? I would never take my kids to see this.
There are plenty of heros that are true heros. We don’t find them in Hollywood, or professional sports for that matter. Batman is indicative that we have to present evil as “good” these days. I have not seen this, nor plan on seeing this. I believe previous modern Batman movies had immorality portrayed as well. Is this Father Jonathans’ idea of “hero”?
Very disappointing to see someone who is viewed as a spiritual role model to hold up this type of example. It is only indicative of how far we have fallen, and how far our standards have been comprimised away. Sad to see the Catholic Church take such a stand.
Pete S, if only poor Stephen Toulmin could be here to read your comment, perhaps he’d teach you a few things about claim, warrant, and backing.
Because, sadly, your pathetic attempt to criticize Father Morris and Fox news failed on all three attempts.
Opinion is not fact, and this is reiterated even more so with your “half opinion.” You had no evidence to back up any of those things. What, you just wanted us to believe you? Just like that?
Go watch CNN if you want that.
Next time you begin to form a thought, make sure it’s a complete one before you go and type it on the internet for the entire world to see.
It’ll save you the embarrassment, and us the headache of having to accidentally read your ridiculous dribble. *sad face*
Great article again Father Morris. Once again, you’ve managed to inspire and cause a little more light to shine through.
Folks: Dark Night is a bloody comic book. Are we so intellectually debilitated that we look to the likes of Batman and Captain Marvel for moral guidance and inspiration? Surely we’re lost!
Folks, Dark Night is a comic book. Are we so intellectually debilitated that we look to the likes of Batman and Captain Marvel for inspiration and moral guidance> Surely, were lost!
Thank you, Father, for this compelling article. I once wrote a high school thesis on the importance of “superheroes” to our society. The class project was to imitate Time’s Man of the Year. While every one else was writing on Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachov, I was writing in celebration on the 50th anniversary of Superman and the importance he’s played in the then 50 years of heroism through the pages of comics and on the screens. (I was the only one to pass this project, as the teacher got quickly tired of reading the cookie-cutter copies of the same theme.) I agree completely with your article: the pages of comics in which our pulp heroes have been born have risen above the political themes (with the exception of Green Arrow/Green Lantern) and asked us to grab ahold of something larger than ourselves, to set a mission and achieve goals in doing such.
Have you seen the film? The beauty of this film is not the simple “good vs. evil”. These are complicated characters! Perhaps if Joker could have afforded medical treatment for his wife after “the [sharks] carved her face” he wouldn’t have become an anarchist.
Your right, Father. We need to be hit from every angle, take every opportunity, leave nothing behind; in our quest to raise our bar on values, seeking goodness, and never losing hope. It doesn’t matter if it is a childhood fable, a hollywood movie, a grade school teacher or where ever else. We each need to see the greatness that can be accomplished in ordinaryness. And it all leads to the greatest savior, the most powerful, and the one who loves beyond any human measure - Jesus Christ. (Reference the teachings of Blessed Jose Maria Escriva.)
This essay is troubling to me. How a Catholic Priest can take the lead character in “Dark Knight” as a role model for good is baffling. People are going for violence, and entertainment. There is a reason this is rated PG-13. Do you think this grosses $155M if there were no violence?
Batman, in previous modern movies was also immoral. Is that what we hold up to our children as a hero?
I agree with the point that we are starved for true heros. But to hold this movie up as the model. There are far better, more worthy models, and unfortunately, the last place i am looking these days is Hollywood, as well as professional sports.
Clearly, our definition of “hero” has slid dramatically, right along with most of our social moorings.
In a high school English class years ago, we were given the assingment of analyzing social commentary within popular music. As an example, the teacher explored “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. She spent a great deal of time on the second half of the song, explaining what the writers were telling us about society. Later I read an interview with Paul Simon in which he said the second half of the song was written quickly in the studio as filler because he and Art Garfunkel thought the original song was too short for top 40’s radio. So much for social commentary.
The point I am trying to make is that “Batman” is a Hollywood movie made for the purposes of entertaining us and making money for the studio that produced it. It has achieved those things, and that is the sum total of its value.
If we want to explore our society, let’s ask ourselves about a culture that places this much value on something that has very little, in this case a movie.
One thing to mention also about Batman is how it seems to emphasize manly virtues. In this day and age of feminism, androginy, belief that men are all bad, that boys don’t need fathers, and a godless secularism that emphasizes the self and not others, it is no wonder that people flock to see a manly man who doesn’t let the anti-man system get him down, but instead takes on evil and isn’t politically correct about it.
I want my 5-year old son to grow up to become a man. I don’t want him to be the bad guy, but always identify with the good guy, not the perfect guy. It is so hard to teach young people how to NOT think of themselves. Batman is a tough paladin-type hero who takes his responsibilities to Gotham and humanity very serious.
And that makes him different, exciting, liberating!
As ET said, “BE GOOD.”
Dear Father John,
I love your articles and comments on Fox. They are always clear, concise, and accurate. Sometimes I wish you were my pastor. I would love to study God’s word under your Instruction.
Love in Christ,
Larry
I love how they portray Batman as a incorruptible hero and make the Joker pure evil - there is no glamorization of the Joker in this movie.
(Spoiler coming)
When the Joker tells the first story of how he got his scars, you almost want to feel bad for him. When he tells a second story that contradicts the first, you realize that there is no excuse for evil. Fantastic story telling!
Bill,
I like your analysis but I have a problem with your statement that there is good in chaos. Chaos is a consequence of our free will. Our free will is a good thing but the chaos that is produced is an unfortunate byproduct of our choice to follow the imperfect over the perfect.
S T E V E
Perhaps if Joker could have afforded medical treatment for his wife after “the [sharks] carved her face” he wouldn’t have become an anarchist.
Dan, you missed something: In the film, the Joker gave more than one story about the scars; the movie followed the comic’s trend of the Joker never telling the truth about anything. The film’s writers purposely chose not to delve into his history nor motivations, instead leaving it as “he’s evil, and this is what he does.”
It truly is a sad day for Christians when a member of the clergy turns away from Jesus Christ, as our help/support during trying times to Batman. Why would I or any Christian ever turn to “a caricature of virtue and thus a beacon of hope” rather than the true God of virtue & hope? You will have to answer that question in front of the Judgement Seat; I will pray for you that you come to your senses.
Father Jonathan: It’s hard to believe that you have used this film to glorify “heroism”! As a Catholic priest, have you missed the fact that Heath Ledger DIED after portraying the evil Joker? Did it not strike you as one who is supposed to be interested in the eternal destiny of one’s soul that the untimely death of this actor means we should NOT be holding a film like this up for glorification? Think of all the children and souls who WISH they could have the fame and fortune Ledger and Christian Bale (note his encounter with the law over family problems) have because of this film. Is this what YOU think is a good “role model” for souls? Or do you think there is no connection between what people do in life and how it shapes their relationships with others and thereby affects their eternal destiny? Perhaps, Father, it would have been better if your column considered, as a priest, what God had to say to Heath when he passed away unexpectedly that night and the actor found himself before the Judgment Seat. When God asked him what he did with his life, Heath had the wonderful opportunity of telling the Almighty that he just finished playing the Joker! Or when the Just Judge gave Heath a different opportunity to show how his life mattered, Jesus asked this poor drug-addicted soul what he had done to promote the Gospel and save souls. And, again, Heath’s response was … ? Father, while I am NOT Heath’s Judge, we as Catholics, should NOT be letting the world think there is no penalty for WASTING one’s life as Heath did. I pray in God’s Great Mercy that Heath at least made Purgatory and I believe it is your job to shout from the rooftops the dangers souls face when they, like Heath and Christian, pursue worldly fame and success only to find there is no “heroism” in being “of” the world — for at any time, the Lord can say to any of us: “Thou fool, tonight do they require thy soul of thee.” That is the TRUE lesson of this film.
>The Drudge Report, of course, is not alone in profiteering on fabricated fear and selective negativity.
Holy ironies, Batman! It’s what the church does best.
This movie shows us some things that I think many people will intentionally overlook. Michael Caine’s Alfred states something to the effect of, “some men are not motivated by money or power….some just want to watch the world burn.” This effectively sums up a truth that many people do not want to admit–some people just want to hurt others and cannot be reasoned with or understood. They must be stopped. These are probably the scariest and most dangerous people of all.
Thanks everyone who responded to my ’snarky’ comments. I love you too!!!! Just because I am a person who takes very little seriously does not mean that I don’t understand what Father J. was trying to write about; I just chose to respond humorously.
This goes out to Peg from Ontario. LOL!!! I come from a liberal family too. When they express their opinions, I just express mine which is usually that the government shouldn’t and can’t solve everyone’s problems. It is really funny when they do their Bush bashing and listening to them complain every Thanksgiving that they have nothing to be thankful for because of conservatives. What I find the most funny is that they act like people who have conservative values are mean and evil and uncompassionate, when they are really like everyone else.
Sort of like some of the responders here!!!!!
In response to the Comment by Dan #11606
“July 23rd, 2008 at 10:02 am Have you seen the film? The beauty of this film is not the simple “good vs. evil”. These are complicated characters! Perhaps if Joker could have afforded medical treatment for his wife after “the [sharks] carved her face” he wouldn’t have become an anarchist.”
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The joker gave two stories for the scars and was going to tell Batman a story about how he received them. I bet the story he would tell Batman would be different from the first two.
You analysis at the end “If only she received medical treatment…..” is a worth thinking about and analyzing. Perhaps he tells stories like that to try to fool people into thinking of him as a victim instead of one who creates real victims. Kind of like the “excuses” we hear from radicals “If only America was nicer…if only Israel would end the occupation…if only someone would have been able to talk to Hitler before he invaded Poland……” you get the point I am sure.
I am an Atheist. Now I realize that by saying that, that I have probably disinterested the majority of this blogs followers. I do have to agree that throughout our history as a nation, when times are often bad movie sales go up. America needs a transcedent super hero to fill the void that has been left in them by powers in which they have no control. A previous person already added the Great Depression, but if that doesn’t satisfy you then look at 9/11. The original Spiderman movie did by all means good at the box office, but the sequel which was released a few months after that day, broke the box office record for an opening weekend. Can people honestly think that the constant rash of super hero movies that are coming out aren’t related? Yes they continue thrive because more people are going to see them. The reason that people continue to see the is to “escape reality” (which in order to do so comes with a price tag, one that is far less than going to the beach for the majority of the US population), while the economy is in the drudges, people are worried about losing jobs, prices on everything are going up while coincidentally the overall quality of living is going down, airlines are once again filing bankrupcties, citizens forced to put up with a war that the majority of the population believes shouldnt be happening, and last but not least oil prices are breaking records. With these kind of depressing things happening can you really fault somebody for want to escape for a couple of hours so that they didnt even have to think about thoughs things and just relax? And also padre the one thing that you didn’t mention is that as far ticket dollar sales Batman: Dark Knight did have the record, however if you take into consideration inflation of ticket prices there is a different movie that still holds the record for the most people actually seeing the movie and I will let you figure out which one that is.