folkfixation

I would hesitate to say that The Dark Knight is about Barack Obama. Given when production on the film was started it seems unreasonable to label the film a political fable intended to cast light on our current political situation. However, the film can definitely be viewed that way.

Harvey Dent is a charismatic young politician who presents a voice of hope in a dark and beleaguered city that is desperately yearning for change. He is handsome and persuasive, glowing with an inner purity so bright that even the Batman wants to believe in him.

Unfortunately the hope that Batman, Gotham, and the beautiful Rachel Dawes place in him is betrayed when a tragedy strikes. As soon as his person is attacked and his well-being imperiled Harvey Dent cracks like an egg, turning out to be no better than a murdering psychopath, showing that all along his kinder, gentler approach to cracking down on crime was a bankrupt ideal. Gotham City needs Batman with his willingness to get dirty, make hard choices and be hated.

This tale can easily be read as a parallel to our contemporary political situation, with Barack Obama in the role of Harvey Dent and George W and heir apparent John McCain in the role of Batman.  At the end of The Dark Knight, Police Commissioner Gordon states that Batman is “the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. And so we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not a hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector…a dark knight.”

Is George W. Bush with his willingness to make unpopular choices, to curtail civil liberties in the name of security the hero we deserve? And if that is the case will we have the guts, when the time comes to us the hero we deserve in favor of the hero we need? Can we trade in The Dark Knight for a white horse? Can Barack Obama be our savior? Christopher Nolan, in his film The Dark Knight seems to be saying no. But perhaps the truth can be yes.

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