[The following is the opinion of the writer and does not reflect the opinions of Comic Booked as a whole.]
July 20, 2012 was a day that many people looked forward to for a long time. As the release date for The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, people around the country were lined up before midnight, excited to be among the first to see the film. But movie fans in Aurora Colorado got more than they expected when 20 minutes into the film, a masked gunman burst into the theater, clouding the packed auditorium with tear gas and began to open fire on the crowd. Twelve people lost their lives in the attack, scores of others injured.
Unfortunately, our society is no stranger to incidents like this. The Columbine school shooting in 1999. The Washington DC sniper attacks by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. Even as recently as last month, a man opened fire in a Toronto mall. And the only thing that connects attacks like these, and countless others, is the senselessness of the violence. What causes people to act like this? What causes them to inflict harm on other people? There are people out there who feel they have the answer to this question. And can you guess where they place the blame?
Movies. Video games. Comic books.
A news snippet on Gawker.com quotes former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt as he questions the incident, asking if it’s a “terrible collision between some dark Trekkie-like person’s fantasy world and reality”. ABC News takes the finger-pointing even further, drawing parallels between the shooting and scenes from various Batman comic books. Even overlooking the complete misinformation of stating that Holmes’ hair was painted red, “the same hair color of Heath Ledger’s Joker…in 2008’s The Dark Knight”, the comparisons they make are tenuous at best.
In all fairness, Holmes did claim to be the Joker while in police custody after the attacks, so in this case, there may be a connection. But despite the claims, this act is not one of a rational human being. Rational human beings understand the difference between real and make-believe.
Let’s take a look at this: In February of this year, Batman appeared in 4 of the top ten best selling comics books (not counting the team book Justice League), selling more than 362,000 copies in total. If the media news’ claim held any credence, and even 1% of readers fell victim to the brain-washing effects of illustrated panels and word balloons, then there would be approximately 3,620 attacks in America similar to what happened in Aurora. You know what? I’ll even go so far as to say every person bought one of each Batman title and divide that number by four. That would make 905 attacks. Meanwhile, we have had one incident (one life-shattering incident for the families of the victims, yes; I’m not trying to belittle their losses) and it has been all the media is able to talk about.
And that’s just Batman titles. Let’s not even consider looking at X-Men and the possibility of someone taping butterknives to their hands before going to homeroom.
Now why is that? With that many young people being brain-washed continually month after month, shouldn’t it be impossible for the rational thinking, non-comic book reading, movie-hating citizen to leave their house without being senselessly gunned down by some lunatic with an Xbox Live account? I mean, there are 905 truly disturbed citizens just lurking out there, ready to snap…
Yet these news outlets will continue to bray the same old song because, essentially, that’s what they do. Society needs a scapegoat, somewhere they can place the blame. It’s easier to believe that a sensible person can be brainwashed into committing horrible attacks like this because of what they saw in a movie or a video game than to face the fact that humans have the inherent ability to commit acts like these. ANY one is capable of violence like this. All it takes is the right mixture of emotional problems, mental instabilities, and stress.
Media wants to blame entertainment, saying that the violence it portrays has a desensitizing effect on young people. Meanwhile, if one were to watch an hour long news program in its entirety, they would be witness to no less than 6 violent news stories. Drive-by shootings, child molestations, women beaten to death by their abusive husbands. The news is full of examples of humans acting out in the basest, purest forms of aggression. Reality. Not fiction like on the movie screen and pages of the comic book. Yet the media continues to lay the blame on entertainment.
There’s a saying that when you point the finger at someone, there are four fingers pointed back at you. The truth behind this statement is illustrated by the hypocrisy of media news. But, in all honesty, it’s not the least bit surprising.
Well said and well done! Thanks for sharing a more realistic and informative opinion on the matter at hand.
Agreed MissAlysaB we need more people out there talking like intelligent human beings rather than throwing every single F bomb into a "intelligent statement". You want people to take you seriously? Speak like an upstanding adult. I swear from time to time but not when I have important things to say. It makes the speaker sound unintelligent/trashy/uninformed. Its like having Ozzy Osbourne telling you not to do drugs lol
The backlash from the shooting in Colorado is going to be horrendous towards the film and comic book industry. The shooter, it is claimed, was quoted saying that he “is the Joker.” Thinking on that quote, someone somewhere is going to blame the comic and film industry for this shooting. I know I normally make jokes about things like this and take it very lightly, but I think I should actually take a serious stance on this. Not because Comics and Film are two things that I love dearly as a geek/nerd, but as a level-headed human being(most of the time.)
This act taking place in a theater full of innocent people is a vile, disgusting thing. But what film makers and the comics industry should remember is something that has been in one of the more recent Batman films.
In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is having a personal issue about the death of his parents and says that it was his fault his parents died. Alfred replies, “It was him, and him alone.” I think that quote stands strong in this situation. It wasn’t the fault of the films, or the comics, that caused this man to, say, snap and do what he did. It was not video games. It was him. No one, and no thing, else. Just him.
There’s a reason why us geeks are so passionate about the comics we read. We read about these extraordinary people and beings from a made-up city, another planet, another time, with amazing powers or skills ranging from flight to an uncanny ability to fire a bow and arrow and hit any target, and think…”Why can’t that be us?” We look up to these characters and try to model our selves after their actions and their beliefs. We know they aren’t real, and I would like to say that we all know that these characters are fictitious. But their lessons and morals ring true to this day. Do the right thing. Stand up for the little guy. Protect those who can’t protect themselves.
Don’t let this situation destroy these characters and the reputations of the companies that print them and bring them to life for us, and remember….
It was him, and him alone.
Great article. As often as it is vilified, entertainment needs to be defended as you have defended it here. Thank you for your words. I will be sure to share them.
No joke! This is completely ridiculous how much people place blame on movies/tv/video games. Do these people not realize they are just ignoring the obvious? That there are people out there who are completely f’ed up in the head! I read comics/play video games/watch tv. I don’t even own a gun.
Haha! I hadn’t seen the Guitar hero thing. Gabby you are exactly right we can’t just accept that this guy was a goddamn psychopath! I’m surprised Dexter hasn’t received serious heat for this as well.