If most Americans hate the torture of terrorists, why do we cheer when Batman beats the Joker?

Question

Not saying we want cops smacking suspects around,

but what percentage of us REALLY care if some Osama wannabe occasionally gets the hobnail boot?

Are our protests genuine, or just 'Gotham City' hypocrisy?

Answer 1

wow...   someone's got too much free emotional time on their hands...

Answer 2

I think we cheer when the hero beats the villain in a movie because the characters represent good and evil.  By cheering when the villain is beat up, we are expressing our desire for good to win over evil, justice over injustice, and concern for others over selfishness.

Torture of terrorists repulses me because it is a violation of a basic concept of American society--that a person is innocent until proven guilty.  In the murky area of war, and terror, certainty of guilt is rarely present.  Therefore, there is a potential of torturing an innocent person before they have had the opportunity to defend themselves against their accusers.  When the rule of law departs from a society, the result can be personal vendettas settled by accusing someone of being a terrorist.  Then the whole fabric of civilized society comes unraveled.

Answer 3

Most people can tell the difference between watching a movie and what appears to be happening in the real world.  Does people going to a movie to have some fun have to be an indictment of their ethical viewpoints about the world?

Answer 4

Ummm..thats because Batman is fictional....Its just a movie...really I don't care that Osama wannabes get smacked around, but i'm just 1 person in this huge nation. If i scream not too many will hear much less any government officials. But if a group large enough screams together it cannot be ignored...or can it be easily dismissed by those unconcerned government officials?...

Answer 5

Most Americans don't hate the torture of terrorists, only the one's who put the Constitution above emotional reactionaries.

Answer 6

nope. i say whatever villains we may get, let's kick their a s s.

Answer 7

I didn't like it when Batman beat the Joker. I wish the Joker were never incarcerated.

Answer 8

Verrrrry good question.  People are often swayed by emotionality and the political/social climate at the time.  It is difficult for those who are for a cause to see past emotionality in order to reason and see the practicality of the situation.

Answer 9

It is a cathartic response to a dramatic display of the conflict of good and evil as it is displayed in a symbolic form.