Batman and the Profiteering of Violence

Much has already been said about the tragic and horrific events of this past weekend in Aurora Colorado. My heart goes out to those who were touched by this tragedy, and our culture has been altered irrevocably by the terror that ensued.

I’m not going to beat on that horse.

I’m also not going to proselytize about gun control (either for or against), because that’s not the point. At this point in time, I think we have the right amount of laws on the books, and no, I will not change my mind.

What bothers me the most about the incident is the fact that no matter how tragic, how senseless, how horrific an event is, there are ghouls out there that see it as an opportunity to enrich themselves. On Saturday, a Politician made the rounds on the morning talk shows claiming that the shootings were caused by a move away from God. I’m not the most religious person in the world (read: non-) but I try really hard to respect others beliefs, but this is just ludicrous. 

New York Mayor Bloomberg suggested that police go on strike until gun control laws are tightened. So, by having the police go on strike, this is going to magically reduce gun crimes?

The final nail in the coffin came today when some jackhole who was at the opening but was not injured is suing the theater, the shooter’s doctors, and Warner Brothers. This guy was not injured, yet he’s trying to profit off of the tragedy. I could understand if his arguments weren’t so outlandish. He’s suing the theater because they were “negligent for having an emergency door that was not alarmed or guarded.” He’s suing the shooter’s doctors because of “alleged mismanagement of Holmes’ still-unconfirmed medical condition” and he’s suing Warner Brothers “claiming that The Dark Knight Rises was so irresponsibly violent that it took too long for audience members to realize that the shooting wasn’t a publicity stunt”. Does this vulture have any tact? Why do I have the feeling that this guy would sue Denny’s for severe emotional trauma because his bacon didn’t come with a notice that it may have sharp edges.

First off, why the hell should a theater have an alarmed emergency door? It would totally disrupt a film, and all it would take was one jerk 16-year-old to race out the door to ruin the movie and force the theater to refund a lot of money, and to guard a theater exit? Seriously? That would bankrupt the theater even faster than an alarmed emergency exit. I’ve been to the Aurora Theater before, and it’s big. It seems like a good target to try and sue.

Second, How can this guy claim that the shooter’s doctors mismanaged treatment? Was he there for every visit, every diagnosis, every pill popped? They haven’t even definitively diagnosed if the shooter has a mental illness (I’m sure he does, but nothing has been proven – yet). Doctors, especially psychologists appear to make a lot of money, so they’re an obvious target as well.

Finally, Suing the movie studio? A classic move to make easy money. However, This is the third Batman movie. Anyone who has seen the first two movies know that this is not the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman that was “family friendly”. This is the Goddamn Batman – Influenced by Frank Miller (who has never been known for his soft and cuddly side). Of course it’s going to be fucking violent. It’s a dark, dirty, violent film that reflects the ideologies of a post 9/11 mentality. Besides, Christopher Nolan would never stoop so low as to engage in the whole 50s style chicanery to promote a movie.

This is what pisses me off the most – not the religious zealotry, not the political agendas, but the fact that people are trying to profit off of others suffering. Call me an idealist, but these slimy piles of human waste are the lowest of the low, and they really embody what is truly wrong with humanity. Unfortunately, they’re also like cockroaches – you take care of one, and two more pop up to replace them. The best thing a judge can do is throw the lawsuit out with prejudice, and hopefully this slime ball will just submerge himself back into obscurity.