Monday 24^th August 2020

Today has been a day of continuing flair ups and gaming. I’m expecting it to start to improve but I did have to go and have a lay down at 5pm this evening.

Today’s focus has been getting my friend to level 100 in Fortnite. This has been a bit of a mission over the last few days, but at least it’s something I can do sat still. We continued our work in getting all the XP coins, and this really helped get them close to the magical 100^th level. We managed it but it did take all evening.

I’ve been obsessing over that Batman trailer today and reading some interesting commentary on the authoritarian nature of superheroes. I’m still formulating my own thoughts, but I think a lot of the issues surround Bruce Wayne being a billionaire. He can afford different ways to deal with Gotham’s crime. For people who know, this is why Thomas can’t be a billionaire.

The trope works when it’s Batman against some two-dimensional villain but starts to fall apart when his enemies become people gang members with mental health issues. It’s been interesting to see various people’s takes on this. At one end of the scale is Batman facing against enemies who the regular police force just can’t deal with, guided by the notion that his moral code means he’ll ultimately always do the right thing. At the end, is someone who is a flawed individual who is judge, jury and executioner.

I don’t think there’s one correct way to view this. People’s views are going to be very much be shaped by their own experience. Someone who has been mugged or a victim of serious or complex crimes is more likely to favour a more authoritarian approach than someone who hasn’t.

At the heart of this lays a very uncomfortable truth: what is a hero? Superheroes draw on mythology to gives us ideals but the real world is a little more grey. Someone’s hero is another person’s villain.

It’s something I’m very much exploring as a theme, but at this stage I know there’s not a singular truth to this.

As a consequence, I’ve still not come to any firm conclusions about this. I’m still not feeling 100% and as a result it’s possible there’s a massive hole in my thinking about this. But if anything, this adds to what I already think around this and the role of superheroes in a realistic world.