Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now." -Commissioner Gordon (The Dark Knight)
Cords that resonate with viewers long
after the credits roll. The Dark Knight is a film that allows people
to escape only to show them a reflection of society, and it is not a
bright reflection at all.
A commenter on a blog said it
eloquently:
drvictordavishj: "The key is the way Gordon draws a contrast between (Harvey) Dent "the hero we need" versus the Dark Knight "the hero we deserve." Nolan is saying that we need a law-abiding idealist, but that we don’t deserve him."
But these are our heroes. These are our
leaders. President Obama, Speaker John Boehner, Rep. Nancy Pelosi,
Sen. Harry Reid. These are the men and women who are supposed to be
our White Knights. Yet, not one is anything more than a sock puppet
for special interest groups, banks and lobbyists.
"Because I'm tired of it. Year, after year, after year, after year, having to choose between the lesser of who cares. Of trying to get myself excited about a candidate who can speak in complete sentences. Of setting the bar so low I can hardly look at it." -Leo McGarry (The West Wing)
We continue to allow our rights to be
taken away. Sometimes piece by piece and sometimes in massive sweeps
disguised as protection against our enemies. The, so-called, Leader
of the Free World signed a bill on December 31st that makes it legal
to hold United States citizens in jail...forever. With no charges or
trial. All anyone has to do is claim they are a terrorist.
We assassinate our own citizens, apply
justice arbitrarily, allow our private lives to be searched without a
warrant, refuse the global community the right to try our leaders for
war crimes and, incredibly, denounce other states for doing the same
exact things.
Maybe America is the world's Dark
Knight. We take on the evils of the world and the only way to do so
is by getting our hands dirty. Just as the Joker brings Batman again
and again to that moral line he does not wish to cross, the
world is doing the same to America. Maybe we don't want to be the way we
are, but what other choice is there?
I turn again to an anonymous commenter:
drvictordavishj: Nolan is ultimately saying that strong societies don't tolerate Dark Knights. If we do, it's only because we lack confidence in the institutions and values that we've inherited. After all, with all his gifts, Bruce Wayne could have easily been Harvey Dent, but because he lacks confidence in legitimate institutions and his moral inheritance, he’s not the philanthropist and healer that his father was. He's the sign of a sick society."
Ask yourself, do you have confidence in
our institutions? Is the government of the people, by the people and for the people?
The sad truth is there are a great many
things wrong with this society. We need no more evidence than the
existence of all the Dark Knights we allow to exist. Whether they be
vigilantes fighting crime in New York City or the very
countries we live in.
These are the heroes we deserve. These are our silent guardians, our watchful protectors. The existence of Dark Knights is a
sign of a sick society. And our society is filled with them.
This is part of our Us Meets World blog. Feel free to answer this question on your own blog. "What is your biggest fear?" Send me a link and I'll post your blog along with all the others.
Fear is an interesting thing. On the
one hand, we all deal with it. There is no one who is truly fearless.
Even sociopaths who feel no emotions, as we understand them, still
wake up in the morning, eat food, go to the bathroom and all other
basic human survival elements. In the most primal way, they do not
want to die.
Which is a common fear for many,
Thanatophobia, the fear of death. It's not particularly high on my
list though. We all get old, our bodies break down and we die. If you
have the misfortune to skip the getting old and body breaking down
steps, that's all it is...misfortune.
What am I afraid of?
Let me first explain that I am
something of a smile/laughter seeker. I want to cause people to
laugh, to be happy, to enjoy a tiny portion of life. I try not to be
the obnoxious, class-clown type (although I went through that phase). I want your day to be a little bit better after having
been around me.
Over time though I've come to realize
that my charms are not universal. Not everyone likes me. More
importantly, I don't like everyone. There are a lot of closed minded,
ignorant people who can really screw with my day. Having learned
these things, I no longer try to be constantly funny or entertaining.
If you annoy me, I am pretty quick to disengage and get you out of my
life as quickly as possible.
For people that I like, people I enjoy
being around or talking to...for them I will go to the ends of the
earth trying to please them. It's not a fact I broadcast much. I've
been burned a few times by soul-draining humans who will take
advantage of poor saps like me. However, for those on the inside of
my "circle of trust" there is very little I will not do.
Car broke down 150 miles away? No problem. Need $500 to pay rent. Here's a check. Killed someone and need help hiding the
body? I'll get the shovel Rolando friend.
My biggest fear then is hurting one of
those people. One of those people who I would have done anything for.
When I create a situation that I can not fix and have done irrerable
harm. Yes, it has happened before. And I don't want it to happen
again. Hence, biggest fear. When you have that mindset regarding a
certain person it's incredibly heartbreaking when they no longer want
anything to do with you. It's even worse if I never told them how
highly I valued them.
At the end of the day my greatest fear
is one that is incredibly simple and incredibly self-generated.
Notice there is not a whole lot of outside influence involved in my
fear. No one is dumping a tank of snakes on me; although I imagine
that to be uncomfortable and, depending on the size of the tank,
possibly deadly. My fear is internal. Both self-created and
self-inflicting. Absolutely terrifying because the only person in
control is the one person hardest to control, myself.