Right Wing Propoganda
I figured I would start the thread before a bleeding heart liberal did.
shareYes and no. Wait'll they bring Reagan in (assuming they don't cut him from the story).
Miller is incredibly conservative, but I wouldn't say it's overly right wing. The story pokes fun at every political stance.
I guess in a weird way you could argue it's propaganda for the second amendment. The Militia part only... not the gun part. "THIS IS THE WEAPON OF THE ENEMY! (breaks a rifle in half with his bare hands) IT IS A COWARD'S WEAPON!"
Miller's only become "incredibly conservative" (and also nuts in a bad way - no I'm not the "Carey's parents" type to automatically equate the two) in recent years. His earlier and better work (like this) seems to reflect a pretty sensibly moderate outlook - yes, ready to poke fun at all sides. The Sin City comics, if anything, felt closer to *liberal* propaganda at times (unless you're the kinda bleeding-heart lefter who seems to think "rough-an'-tumble good guys use violence against slick-veneer bad guys" equals "right-wing").
http://mattspencer.webs.com/
I don't know about the evolution of Miller's political stance, but TDKR seems to argue pretty strongly against a typical leftist Big Brother ideology. Yes, it ridicules Reaganesque military jingoism, but IMO it does so in such an exaggerated fashion (stars and stripes suit on Reagan, "You want a jelly bean or a medal, son?"), that this "criticism" seems more a gentle warning against overdoing a good idea, a la Team America: World Police.
Miller is saying that the power ultimately resides in the people, and we should never let it be taken away by a government that "knows best", and will take care of us with plastic surgery and pop psychology and disarmament and censoring of "disruptive" media influences.
To me the focal point of the book is when Yindel, the top cop and poster-woman for the "enlightened" leftist elite, puts up her gun and lets a wanted criminal take charge in an emergency situation. Or in THIS adaptation, they have Pepe the baker chase off the mugger and say he wasn't going to let that happen in front of his store, not in HIS town.
IMO the comic focused too much on Batman figuring HE was going to fix everything personally, but the animated film did a better job showing that all one man can really do is inspire others to step up. And I think that is a basic difference between Left and Right ideology. The Left believes the State will control aberrant behavior and keep us safe, and if that means curtailing some rights or some information, then so be it. The Right believes in a more grass-roots approach to freedom in society and even its policing if it comes to that.
Batman has always been an ideal character of libertarian or even traditional right-wing thinking. Here you have this guy who's a billionaire who realizes that he can't rest while normal people live in fear. His whole life is built on protecting the average citizen who gets preyed upon by stronger, darker powers. He uses his own resources, without need of super powers, to even the score.
Despite his alliances with greater powers as well, Batman has always been the street-level guy - he may work with Superman when needed, but he knows best how to protect the small business owners, the guys just trying to make their own way in the world peacefully, the upstanding hard-working folk of America.
And when the big guys get too big for their own good...when the people in power get too out of touch, it's Batman who strikes out to restore the balance of freedom and fight against oppression.
Really, this guy is the ultimate conservative, in a very good way. If half our politicians who lean right and claim to represent the working man were even living up to a quarter of this ideal, we'd be better off as a nation.
Me, I'm pretty damn liberal, but I recognize a good idea. Batman embodies that idea very well.