The Batman: How Exclusion and Power Imbalances affects Everyone

So last night I finally watched the new Batman movie that came out, and I was completely blown away. Everything from the plot to the cinematography to the music was completely insane, and it was a tremendous experience to watch on the big screen. The suspense was captivating, and the fight scenes was very well choreographed, but one theme of the movie that was incredibly crucial to the story plot was corruption and perception - particularly false perception – and the feeling of loneliness and exclusion, all things that we’ve have talked about in class.

Before we continue, the rest of this blog will have spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the movie, keep that in mind.

In Sedaris’s piece Me Talk Pretty One Day and Firoozeh Dumas’ piece The “F Word”, the common themes of loneliness, exclusion, and power imbalances deeply resonates with the authors and many of the readers. In both pieces, they each describe how because of their differences – Dumas having an ethnic name and Sedaris unable to speak French – they felt like outcasts, affecting the decisions that they make. Dumas went on the search for acceptance and assimilation, finding a new American name that would make her more likable and approachable. Although her new name – Julia – got her more job interviews and opportunities, her two lives began to clash, ultimately influencing her decision to drop her American alias. In Sedaris’s case, he described, through humor, the power imbalance between him and his teacher, describing his teacher to be menacing and more powerful due to her ability to speak five languages. As a result of his teachers’ aggressiveness, he suppressed his French and became overcome with nervousness and intimidation.

Now, how does this relate to the Batman? Well, the main antagonist, the Riddler, targets the corrupt leaders as a result of his own traumatic experiences with loneliness and feeling like an outcast. It was later revealed in the movie that his source of motivation was the exclusion he felt from society, as he although he too was an orphan, only Bruce Wayne received any attention. His actions were a result of not being accepted or acknowledged, which also relates to the theme of power imbalances. The entire city of Gotham is corrupt, from the mayor to the district attorney, those without power suffer while the ones with control ease through life. As a result of the societal imbalance and the corruption, the people of Gotham became desperate for true Renewal, and that’s when the Riddler got his desired attention.

Every action comes with consequences, and if we neglect the struggles and feelings of others and simply cast them away as outcasts, something harmful may arise. The feeling of exclusion and loneliness can tempt people into various negative actions and thoughts, meaning we need to be more accepting, understanding, and caring in how we treat others, foregoing how they look like or sound like, and treat them with respect and compassion.