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BATMAN – A RIGHT-WINGER?

It was between 3 and 4 a.m. when I awoke. The radio was still on, and several young talking heads were taking the cinematic measure of the latest Batman flick. I had assumed that super motion pictures about super heroes were products fostered by and contained within the Comicon universe. Wrong! As this early morning conversation continued, it became evident that my suppositions emanated from a long-ago era, when super hero comic books, talking movies and I were prepubescent. These young men from the Fox cable system were discussing the merits of the movie within the context of our 21st century, divided, red and blue reality. As my mental acuity continued to slip the bonds of sleep, it became evident that this movie review was being discussed in terms of how the film would be perceived by conservatives, as opposed to an unrepresented view of liberal thought. In this discussion, the character of Batman is a righteous conservative who does battle against the evil, anything-goes, liberal Joker. It was even pointed out that, tracing the Batman figure, one comes up with a “W”.

The seriousness displayed by these three young men, in discussing a motion picture in terms of the political divide of the country, was revelatory to me. It was an indication that the black-or-white, take-no-prisoners ideology of the Limbaugh-Hannity era has taken deep and personal root within our body politic. This is very dangerous! Time was when political designation—with the obvious exception of the Communist Party—was merely an indication of how the ideas of one group might be of more benefit to the country than those of another group. There were liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats. The current political divide seems beyond the probability of narrowing. As a matter of act, it is not just political, as this piece suggests. It has become a lifestyle, a raison d’etre—almost a religion, which might explain the frequent confluence of those two factors.

Included in my “dangerous” analysis, are the reports from visitors to the Green Zone in Iraq that all of the TV sets are tuned to Fox News. It is also reported that Vice President Cheney, in his travels, among other amenities dictated for his hotel arrival, is a demand that the television set be turned on when he enters the suite—and tuned in to Fox News! I noticed, in a recent stay at a veterans hospital, that when older veterans entered the TV room, they would ask, “Is that Fox?” Of course, Fox News, despite its slogan, “Fair and Balanced,” makes no bones about being a propaganda mill for the Right Wing. It still uses the early, “War on Terror” designation of suicide bombers as “homicide” bombers.

The reason I hammer upon the seriousness of this schism is the fact that the extreme right-wingers, as opposed to genuine conservatives, view Democrats and Liberals/Progressives as un-American and desirous of destroying the United States. This might have begun as just extreme rhetoric and a way to promote the Conservative/Republican cause; however, it has developed into a diseased mind set that seems to have infiltrated the sensibilities of those falling under the spell of that influence. From elementary classrooms to college campuses there are instances of students of conservative bent who go so far as to record the mutterings of their subversive teachers/professors. This is the basis, also, for the right-wing condemnation of the National Teachers Association and the push for voucher-based schools. Apart from Fox News, the rest of the television reporting is accused of slanting toward liberal views. Although this may be considered as somewhat of a counter-weight against conservative-dominated talk radio, it is in no way an answer to what continues to be a dangerous trend. Conservative radio fears a Democratic victory in the fall, party because of the possible resurgence of the Fairness Doctrine, which would require them to institute a political balance in their broadcasting. What we are experiencing is a second Civil War, without the shooting—so far!

When the comic books, talking movies and I were in our teens, and the planet was aflame with war, I recall the struggles of Superman and Batman against the “Japs” and the “Huns,” prevailing over consummate evil, in defense of the United States, the world and freedom. In this new millennium, however, although Superman seems still to obtain a modicum of ideological neutrality, Batman apparently has become a “W”-designed, conservative avenger against the distorted joke of liberalism from the Empire of Evil.

Postscript

Coincident with my above mention of “danger,” above, in suspect Jim D. Adkisson's recent attack on the congregation of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, police found a letter in Adkisson's car expressing his “hatred of the liberal movement."