Vigilantes have been part of the world since semi-permanent societies were established. Although it is speculated that vigilantes were serving justice before the middle ages, the documented history goes back to the 7th century. Officially, vigilante justice began with the idea of frankpledges and knights, and continued from there. Vigilantes have also been part of American society since its founding. The founding citizens participated in vigilante acts, such as lynching tax collectors and the Boston Tea Party. Vigilantes are still common today, usually in bigger cities where justice fails more victims. Vigilantes are also present in fictional stories, such as the story of Batman from The Dark Knight movie series. The character of Batman is known for helping solve the problems of Gotham, occasionally with the help of the police. However, almost all of Batman’s actions would be considered vigilante actions, since he is serving justice using his own system of right and wrong. He also does not go through the appropriate legal pathways. Regardless of the presence vigilantes have in society, there are people who argue that they should be stopped at all costs. Most of the arguments center around the fact that they are criminals, abide by a skewed sense of morality, and that they cause more harm than good to society. Without vigilantes, however, victims of smaller crimes would likely have to live with the fact that the perpetrator never had to face justice. Vigilantes are needed because of the inefficiency of both the court system and the police department, and because of corruption in the police force and politics. One reason that vigilantes are needed is because the court system is inherently inefficient. The courts are limited in th... ... middle of paper ... ...n Frank. On Human Hating: Towards a Pragmatism of Hate. Diss. Southern Illinois U, 2010. Ann Arbor: UMI, 2010. ProQuest. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. Hagan, John and Bill McCarthy. "Danger and the Decision to Offend." Social Forces 83.3 (2005): 1065-1096. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Krauze, Enrique. “Mexico’s Vigilantes on the March.” New York Times. New York Times, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Matloff, Judith. "Crime Wave In South Africa Spurs Fierce Vigilante Justice." Christian Science Monitor 09 Aug. 1996: 6. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. The Dark Knight Rises. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2012. DVD. V for Vendetta. Screenplay by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Dir. James McTeigue. Perf. Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, and Hugo Weaving. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006. Film.
Messner, Steven F., Eric P. Baumer, and Richard Rosenfeld. 2006. “Distrust of Government, the Vigilante Tradition, and Support for Capital Punishment.” Law & Society Review 40: 559-586.
The Hunger Games. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth. Lions Gate Home Entertainment, 2012. Film.
The terms "hero" and "villain" are as distinct as the terms "good" and "evil." They are mutually exclusive; the hero is courageous, popular, strong, morally, and willing to save the people at whatever cost, while the villain is despicable, hated, and heinous to his core. However, when we turn away from the archetypal world of comic books, this distinction is no longer as clear. When we look at real human beings we do not see a hero as a hero or a villain as a villain, but rather individuals composed of varying degrees of both extremes. No hero is perfect, and no villain is completely heinous. The most recent film adaptation of the DC Comic series Batman presents this truth of human nature. The Dark Knight Rises effectively communicates the
Since San Diego downsized its police force in 2012 the crime rate has risen like one would expect. But thanks to Mr. Extreme a hero/vigilante, he protects the night streets of San Diego. Vigilantes are people who take the law into their own hands, because they fear/believe that the courts will not accomplish what they want done. All it takes is a simple google search to see that in fact there are real life vigilantes. Mr. Extreme is by definition a vigilante. He performs citizen’s arrests
Gladiator. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Dreamworks L.L.C and Universal Studios, 2000. DVD.
Do you believe in vigilantism? Do you believe in criminals and outlaws being punished for their crimes in the name of justice? What if you knew someone who was so close to you, you would do whatever it took to find those responsible for the pain they caused and punish them in the name of justice. Would you walk down the path of a vigilante and help bring about an end to their tyranny? Vigilantism can be looked at as crime if you look at it in a negative way, or it can be looked at in a positive way. Many vigilantes help make the world a better place every day by doing away with the evil people in this world who kidnap, rape, murder, and loot people in the streets. Vigilantism is justified because the vigilantes help make the world a better place and help bring to justice the ones that the law cannot catch.
Inglourious Bastards. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. The Weinstein Company, 2009. DVD.
Black Swan. Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Perf. Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2011. Film.
King, Ryan D., Steven. F Messner, Robert D. Baller. 2009. “Contemporary Hate Crimes, Law Enforcement and the Legacy of Racial Violence.” American Sociological Association. 74: 291-315.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) is a superhero epic of a scope hard to explain in a few short paragraphs. It is the third film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. This film takes place over the course several months, primarily in the fictional Gotham City, an American city which had until recently been rife with crime and corruption which had made great progress in these areas due to the events in the previous films. The protagonist is Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), the eponymous Dark Knight, who has retired his Batman alter ego after taking the fall for the crimes of Harvey Dent at the close of The Dark Knight.
Alongside Moore’s use of V as the main character in V for Vendetta, Moore uses a Guy Fawkes mask to disguise V’s identity. Throughout the novel, this Guy Fawkes mask becomes a symbol of rebellion against tyranny. Moore includes a crucial quote in V for Vendetta that shows his intention for the Guy Fawkes mask to exist as a major symbol throughout the novel. Moore states, “Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea... and ideas are bulletproof” (Moore 83). This quote speaks volumes about Moore’s idea to use this mask to help set the stage for what is to come by the main character, V.
Therein, as Merton (1936) suggested in his research, the lack of any meaningful culture upon which to base standards for evaluating risk, leaves us with only the ability to discuss right and wrong in the most limited terms (Merton, 1936). A common culture which can place relative values on things like naked selfies on iCloud vs the humiliation of naked selfies being stolen from the I Cloud and posted on the internet, creates an abstract of Merton’s theory at the lowest-common-denominator (Cloward, 1959). By extrapolation, the culture of political correctness creates the impulse to lynch all perpetrators in righteous fury and console all the wronged as victims regardless of prior conduct or risky behaviors (Mann,
Any fan of Batman knows that “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are two of the best Batman films made in the seventy-eight years that Batman has been around. The plots really make you look deep in yourself and show the true and more real sides of the characters of the Batman world. Each movie shows the evolution of Batman and shows only a few of the many crazy and intense adventures of this mysterious hero. These two movies are the first two in the dark knight trilogy, created by the amazing Christopher Nolan. These movies were heavily praised for their astounding realism to the real world, and its pros and cons. But they were also extremely liked for their possibility for
Racker. (2013, january 18). The Dark Knight, Still the Best of the Trilogy and Here’s Why Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/racker/news/?a=72904#EfQbo0ZCalh 4UifS.99. Retrieved from ComicBookMovie: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/racker/news/?a=72904
V for Vendetta. Dir. James McTeigue. Perf. Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. Warner Brothers, 2005. DVD.