Originally titled: ‘Going Past Fist to Face: The Conflict Beyond.’

Batman is a character created in 1939 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, although Kane received all the recognition for the greatness of the character and Finger did all the work for it. The Dark Knight was designed to be a character to rival the popularity of Superman, who first appeared in 1938, and at the same time to bring a different set of values and principles to the comic world. The separation and distinction between the two characters has grown over the decades, with many even theorizing that Superman’s Metropolis represents the real life New York City during the day, while Batman’s Gotham is New York City at night.

“Both Superman’s Metropolis and Batman’s Gotham City are said by some to be comic book representations of New York City, but the visions of both comics are very different. “Metropolis is New York by day; Gotham City is New York by night” is a statement that has been attributed to both comic book writers Frank Miller and John Byrne.” (Popik)

Frank Miller in that quote is the author of the graphic novels 300, Sin City, and two of the most influential Batman novels (The Dark Knight Returns, and Year One) of the last thirty years if not all time. Darkness is inherent in the character of Batman, from the constant background of night, to his dimly colored uniform, and he serves to face the realistic crimes faced by actual heroes. If likely the darkest or most grim hero of the DC (Digital Comics or Originally, Detective Comics) universe, he is also the most realistic, which may serve as a point to why escapist avenues like comics exist in the first place. Batman has no otherworldly powers, he is ‘merely’ the peak of human physical and mental perfection, and is one of the few comic characters that a reader could actually aspire to be without it being a pure fantasy. That is not to say that any real human actually could become a true Batman, but being that he is from this planet and doesn’t possess any super powers, he is by far the most reachable peak to be found in the realm of comic books.

Batman’s life began with the tragedy of eight-year-old Bruce’s parents being shot down in an alley directly in front of him. As a tribute to the influential lives his parents lived and all the good they had done with their high positions in society, the young Bruce immediately set himself upon a path to remove all crime and injustice from the city of Gotham. The distinction needs to be made that Batman does not refer to a persona used by Bruce Wayne to achieve a lifelong goal; it refers to the person who uses the persona of Bruce Wayne to achieve a goal of sustainability. To this effect, Batman is the person, and Bruce Wayne, who died the moment Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed in front of him, is the real mask. This is an important note that serves a much greater purpose than simply giving fans of the character’s mythos something to discuss, it shows how one major event of extreme conflict changed the perspective of a well adjusted boy from a very wealthy family into a man whose entire life is set around ending crime and creating a world where no child has to lose their parents at the barrel of a gun. This is the type of motivation that leads him to condemn those in power who harm people, “Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You’ve eaten Gotham’s wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on — none of you are safe” (Batman: Year One). He has a staunch and unyielding sense of purpose and set of values that enable him to confront head on any situation that arises. This set of values though is no one else’s, as Batman does not subscribe to only the law, as Superman does when he seeks out people who break written law to bring them to court, Batman holds his truth higher than the truth set to paper by man. His truth comes from the reality of having to take things into his own hands, as he points out to Superman, “Saying yes to anyone in authority. Anyone with a badge. My parents taught me something else, lying cold on the pavement. They taught me that the world only makes sense when you force it to” (The Dark Knight Returns). It is in this respect that Batman is seen as an anti-hero, he operates in a realm outside of societal law, and quite often his actions to stop evil leave him breaking laws himself. In a very pragmatic view though, Batman does whatever he thinks must be done, short of killing someone, to secure justice and peace for those who cannot do it themselves. These types of ‘criminal’ actions often have put Batman at odds with the local, state, or even national government, leading him to occasionally have to battle with swat teams and federal agents. Regardless of his public perception however, Batman continues to view the world through the same lens, and never stops his fight for justice.

The problem on the grand scale for Batman is not his ally/enemy relationship with the legally sanctioned law enforcement; it is the fact that Gotham itself seems to fight him and his crusade against evil. If the criminal activity within the city and general region ceased to exist, it can be argued that the need for Batman would also cease to exist in that space. This can never happen though, due to the inefficiency of the justice system in Gotham, Batman’s strict rule to never kill someone even if they constantly are harming innocents, and the obvious fact that that would signal the end of the comic series. A perfect example of the antiquated systems Batman deals with within his city is the way an enemy of his, Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley), refers to the ‘premier’ facility for the criminally insane in Gotham when talking to Batman,

“Arkham Asylum. ‘Home’ for the insane. World renowned… for its rotten decrepit, inhuman conditions. The grand maddening irony of asylums: they tend to drive you insane. Think of the patients as junkyard dogs – if you slam someone in a cage and leave them to stew in their own howls for a few decades – what do you think they’ll be like the day you let them out?” (Batman/Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows)

The commentary on how Gotham treats is mentally ill, or criminally insane population, is similar to the kind of sentiment that moved this country to, for the most part, end the use of asylums and mental prisons. This type of establishment sticks around in Gotham however to suit the interests of the public and scientists in charge of the facility who use it for their own personal research. It is in this same self-serving manner that the city of Gotham has always doomed itself, and given reason for Batman to exist.

Resting within this pastime of only fighting for one’s own ambitions, the Unified Conflict Theory of Crime, presented by Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould in the sixth edition of VOLD’s Theoretical Criminology, fits perfectly with the diverse landscape that is Gotham city. The social classes of the city are extremely distinct, and the gap between the wealthy and the poor is the gap between CEOs and entry-level workers. This distinction was shown well in the first of director Christopher Nolan’s recent trilogy of Batman films, Batman Begins, when Bruce Wayne is seen walking through the lower level of streets where the poor only have fires burning in discarded barrels to warm them, while the rich and powerful wine and dine just around the corner in criminally underground bars. Money is thrown around and power plays are made with total disregard of everyone other than those already in power, aligning exactly with the first point of the theory,

“A person’s values (i.e., beliefs about what is good, right, and just, or, at least, excusable) and interests (i.e., what rewards or benefits the person) are generally shaped by the conditions in which the person lives” (Bernard, Snipes, Gerould).

Within a stable and culturally similar society, these conditions should lead to an overall equitable system of laws and interactions that create a favorable living space for any member of the community. The opposite holds true as well, and as the region and population become more diverse, and interests at each end of the spectrum grow farther apart, the more likely one group is going to begin to take advantage of another, or all others. This is because the things that are valued for each group will become vastly different, in alignment with each groups interests.

“Beliefs about goodness and righteousness and justice tend to be thin films that conceal personal gains and losses, personal costs and benefits. Even sincere people tend to believe that if something benefits them personally, then it probably is good and right and just, and if something harms them personally, then it probably is bad and wrong and unjust” (Bernard, Snipes, Gerould).

The idea that there are generally held beliefs of right and wrong would only apply here if everyone wanted the same thing out of life, which is not truly the case. Instead, morals and values within society under this view are entirely relative, and the only reason someone would live under someone else’s life codes is if they do not have the power to live under their own without being impeded by other groups. The true value under the theory of conflict, and the only one that actually matters is the value of power. Power is essential to maintaining the way of life one wishes to lead, as “The more power that people have, the less likely they are to be arrested, convicted, imprisoned, and executed, regardless of their behavior. And vice versa” (Bernard, Snipes, Gerould). This is very much a theorized system that favors a classical, survival of the fittest mindset, and one that should always favor the strong over the weak. In the real world, this type of theory doesn’t always directly apply to many situations, as there are far too many other variables involved in day to day life aside from desire and power, but in a fictional world where only major events are witnessed, it can serve as a perfect explanation for why a society is the way it is.

An environment such as this also serves as a breeding ground for people with like minded interests but only moderate amounts of power to join together and create an entity that as a whole is more powerful than any one individual, and possibly more powerful than the established governing body. This is where mass organized crime and mobs come into play, and where bribes lead politicians to look the other way, especially when the power of the corrupt rivals the power of the legally sanctioned. The status quo in situations like this becomes safe for both sides as an attempt by the state to quell unlawful groups could possibly lead to the state losing out and ceding more power than it can afford to lose. In times when neither side, lawful or unlawful, will move, an outside agent must come in to sway the balance of power. This outside agent is where Batman, and all of his ‘super villain’ enemies come into the fold. Famous enemies like the Joker would have the city driven to chaos and madness, and without an equally powerful agent for the good of the city, that anarchy would likely ensue.

The actions necessary to ensure the peace and tranquility of the city are not likely to be done by the police, as the result is always going to be the same when police intervene in the affairs of someone highly connected and powerful. This is noted as being attributed to “routine bureaucratic factors”, meaning an officer may see a person commit a crime and consider arresting them, but “…may conclude that conviction is unlikely because of the political and economic power of the offender” (Bernard, Snipes, Gerould). Since it would then be a waste of the officer’s time to even arrest the offender, the crime goes completely unpunished; sending a message that the same treatment will apply to future criminal acts done by that individual. To confront these types of problems, the wall of bureaucratic red tape has to be passed by so that the strings holding an honest officer from arresting a guilty offender are removed. That isn’t going to happen within the Gotham City Police Department, but there are no strings on a rogue vigilante such as Batman, leading him to act accordingly against all unlawful acts, regardless of the identity of the offender. Regarding law enforcement,

“Influence over the enactment and enforcement of criminal laws is directly proportional to the extent of power. Thus influence over the enactment and enforcement of criminal laws is a continuous variable” (Arrigo, Bernard).

The influence the police department has over the city and it’s criminal element at any given time is a fluid measure, but that allows for their influence to at some point be on the high end of controlling that criminal element, and in turn taking back control of the city as a whole.

The general argument is that if the power were more evenly distributed among all the groups of the city, then that normal beat cop would not hesitate to make a lawful arrest, knowing the justice system behind him would make the legally justifiable decision. The conflict of interests and power within the city of Gotham lead normal men to make decisions based of manipulated societal norms, and create the opening for a vigilante to come out during the night. It also opens the door for that vigilante to take matters of punishment into his own hands, as it has already been evidenced that the legal system of his city is influenced more by political and economic clout than by matters of actual law. The bigger thing conflict theory explains about the world of Batman, is the presence of these super villains. People like the Joker, Two-Face, the Penguin, and Poison Ivy have nothing to thrive on and profit from in a well-structured and evenly powerful location. In that respect, of course there are fringe psychopaths who rise up and take what they can without regard for the lives or wants of others, it is only a logical procession that an opportunity to seize power is going to be taken advantage of by someone without self-imposed moral or ethical restrictions to slow down their power grab. This is the whole use of a conflict theory of criminal behavior when applied to Batman, it describes much more than just the presence of a cape and cowl wearing strongman, it gives reason to his entire world.

When looking at the actions of Batman throughout his career, in terms of how they match up against the penal code, there are numerous violations he could be, and in reality would be, punished for. The first, and most obvious sets of crimes are assaults. Being that Batman almost never fights someone in a location you would reasonably expect Bruce Wayne to be during the middle of the night, the excuse of self defense should always be removed from a case involving him. These assaults have lead to thousands of people being injured, disabled, or paralyzed, so in addition to the cases in criminal court, Batman would face countless cases in civil court as well. Maybe even a class action lawsuit against him. Those assaults should also all be bumped up to assaults with a deadly weapon, as he is always carrying multiple razor sharp “batarangs”, or essentially throwing stars on his person during these fights. He also has made a habit of forever ignoring any and all traffic laws while operating the Batmobile, and has violated private and restricted airspace multiple times in his Batplane or Batcopter. Alongside the mountain of assaults however, traffic violations would likely be tossed aside to deal out a more serious, and fitting sentence. Lastly, he has brought along multiple youths as sidekicks into situations where those teens have been shot at, stabbed, beaten, and on three occasions, killed. At a minimum that should be reckless endangerment of a child, and more likely those events would land a conviction for at least involuntary manslaughter for the three deaths. The sidekicks killed while serving Batman are Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown, and Damien Wayne; all under the moniker of Robin.

 

 

Works Cited

 

Arrigo, Bruce A., and Thomas J. Bernard. “Postmodern Criminology in Relation to Radical and Conflict Criminology.” Critical Criminology 8.2 (1997): 39-60. Springer Link. Web. 7 Aug. 2015.

“Batman Biography, History.” Batman History, Batman Biography, Batman Bio. Superherostuff, n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2015.

Bernard, Thomas J., George B. Vold, Jeffrey B. Snipes, and Alexander L. Gerould. Vold’s Theoretical Criminology. 6th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

Miller, Frank, and David Mazzucchelli. Batman: Year One. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Print.

Miller, Frank, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley. The Dark Knight Returns. London: Titan, 1997. Print.

Nocenti, Anne, and John Van Fleet. Batman/Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows. N.p.: DC Comics, 2004. Print.

Popik, Barry. “The Big Apple: “Metropolis Is New York by Day; Gotham City Is New York by Night”.” The Big Apple: “Metropolis Is New York by Day; Gotham City Is New York by Night”. N.p., 29 Mar. 2008. Web. 06 Aug. 2015.