Batman and the media hysteria

Michael Keaton as Batman (1989)

Few characters evoke such primal reactions as Batman.  Created from violence, Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to fighting crime.  His adversaries are a rolling register of  flamboyant criminals that are carnival mirrors of the madness lurking in the human soul.  I love the cosplay culture, but there is a darker world where some lose track of reality.  You could argue about that point with any pop culture aspect, and I still remember the frantic mania of people convinced my time at roleplaying games would led to madness, and craziness from alleged backward music on those judas priest tapes.  For the record, I had a blast role playing, and the hysteria involving dungeons and dragons along metal music was just smoke and hot air,  Hysteria is the shortcut sometimes when it comes to cosplay, comics, and other pop culture items.  The media will create a slot if one doesn't exist and now that roleplaying games and metal music are now passe, it is now time for the media to demonize comics, cosplay, and other aspects of that world.

Mark Wayne Williams as 'Batman'..click on picture for story

Recently, there is the story of a man dressing up as Batman and being arrested for his own protection.  Mark Wayne Williams, a lifelong comic book fan, decided he was the batman and would fight crime.  Despite his best efforts, Mark Wayne Williams was at best a nuisance for law enforcement to a potential hazard for himself and others.

Williams unmasked before his arrest

This man is convinced he is batman to the point of trying to interact with crime scenes.  He is obviously suffering from some mental health issues, but because he is submerged in the identity of batman. For all intents and purposes..he is Batman in his mind.

the Joker played by the late Heath Ledger

Several crimes were committed with people claiming to be the 'Joker' which in the batman universe, is the agent of chaos and madness lurking in the dark. Most recently was the terrible tragedy in Aurora.  Did the comic book universe cause this?  No, but in this age of sound bite answers, the quick method is demonize the comic book universe as the reason for an unspeakable act that has no connection to humanity or reason.

The best answer I heard was at a recent comic con, the person said to effect 'there's hundreds of guys here dressed up as the joker and none of them shot up the place'

Madness is madness, and it wears no face despite whatever costume the media thinks it wears.