“This is the book for all you fuckers who think you’re so clever when you say, “Batman would do better being a billionaire philanthropist than a vigilante beating up poor people.” This is a much-discussed concept in Batman comics, also in the form of “Maybe if there were no Batman, Gotham wouldn’t attract all these super-criminals.”
Can I debunk this idea for a minute or two?
The Gap
Bruce Wayne does tons of philanthropic shit. Half of Batman stories used to start with him at some charity ball or some such shit. The concept that better economic equality will results in a more peaceful Gotham is probably sound, however, this wouldn’t really be possible as an immediate. You can give kids iPads, pay teachers a lot, make after-school programs, do a lot of things that make the world a better place, but it’s going to take 25 years to see the difference. If Batman’s goal is to never let a kid’s parents get gunned down in front of him, he’s got a 25-year gap to mind.
Beating Up Poor People
I mean…are the chances good that a Joker henchman is super wealthy? No. But there aren’t a lot of Batman stories that revolve around Batman kicking the shit out of a teenager who’s robbing a pawn shop. AND, because Batman doesn’t kill, is it “safer” for a criminal to have a broken collar bone or a showdown with cops?
Does Economic Equality Slow Super Crime?
I think economic equality would probably stop regular-ass crime, or at least slow it down significantly. But it doesn’t seem that your Jokers, your Scarecrows, your Mr.’s Freeze, are all that motivated by cash or what have you. I think the Joker would just as soon spray acid all over a broke-ass-fool as he would a made-ass-fool.
Where’s the Comic?
I don’t want to read a community socioeconomic equity plan in fictional, comic book form. The real-est answer as to why Bruce doesn’t do everything to fix Gotham is because if he did, there’d be no comic. I mean, it IS a comic book, and I think it’s a stretch and a half to push this comic book idea by saying that Batman comics would motivate real-world billionaires to help out a little more. It’s not like they’re currently superhero-ing and would hang up their capes or some shit. Is it possible that some kid is reading Batman right now, and when he becomes a billionaire, he’ll use the values he learned from Batman to be a better, more responsible kind of billionaire? No, it’s not possible. But hey, feel free to prove me wrong, kid billionaires!”