In response to the tragic mass shooting of James Eagen Holmes, according to Natalie Finn, “Warner Bros has cancelled what was to have been the film’s star-studded red carpet premiere in Paris and upcoming promotional appearances by the cast have [also] been canceled.” The trailer to the violent film, Gangster Squad has been pulled from all future Dark Knight Rises screenings and “networks including NBC, CBS and ESPN have stopped airing commercials for the film.”(Source: http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/entertainment-eonline/20120720/b331987/?cid=hero_media)
The stories people tell, tell a lot about the people who create them and the people who ingest them. I have to admit, I am a Batman film fan. Batman film makers are tapping into the “child” in the children of the Batman era. There is something about a handsome “Dark Knight” who is on a “caped crusade” to save us that is “romantically” alluring. It taps into the superhero and romance themes of Euro-American mythologies that underlie most American stories. But not only that, the Batman films are tapping into the psyche of children of an era when creators and producers of love and violence meet technology, to create some of the most awe-inspiring images–the stories are the same. They are feeding into the fire of a “fire culture” that is raging out of control as it burns everything in its path. Not only do the film makers show and tell of the violence that has gripped US culture, but they also tell stories of incredible wealth that is also characteristic of a fire culture that consumes the earth, with no regard, making it possible that any one person could amass the amount of wealth that a character like the Dark Knight could, as well as his enemies whose wealth equals his.
The Dark Knight/Batman stories are those of an ultra rich white male who has everything he needs to carry out his “caped crusade” to save humanity from evil-doers who have all what they need– even weapons of mass destruction that can potentially destroy not only human-kind, but the earth, the water, plants, animals, trees, etc. In previous Batman/Dark Knight films, the acting is so brilliant—especially that of the joker, and the imagery so alluring, that one cannot help but to be drawn in. But do the films have to be that violent?
It’s not a surprise that youth are mesmerized by the fantastic stories and the awe-inspiring productions. It is not a surprise that our youth are going insane in a culture that is insanely violent.
America is so ridiculously on a diet of violence, it is making all of us sick. Even our most brilliant and talented children are ill. And they are grieving—as they ingest the incredible stories of killing—individual and mass— real and unreal. The James Eagen Holmes shooting might also tell us something else. Some people, including our children are so lonely and feel so anonymous, un-special, unaffirmed and unsupported, that they will stop at nothing to get attention. And the mass media, as irresponsible as it is, gives them just what they are seeking—to be noticed and to feel special. The impact of this incidence on the Dark Knight Rises will be telling. The response of the film industry and networks might indicate that maybe somebody in that arena is starting to get a clue.
Patricia Dixon, Ph.D. See: The Healing Wisdom of Africa by Malidoma Patrice Some’ and his discussion on “Fire Culture”
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