Democracy in The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan’s interpretation of the Batman story has been a very interesting, multi-layered take. On the one level, it is a story of revenge, of all-consuming obsession, of a man’s journey to discover who he really is. On another, it is a political story, of how corruption effects democracy, and vice versa.

Democracy plays an interesting role in The Dark Knight. The beginning of the movie finds Lt. Gordon and Batman discussing whether or not they could trust the newly elected District Attorney, Harvey Dent. There is no reference to any crooked elections, or voter intimidation, or electronic voting machines being hacked. There is no indication this was anything but a fair and open election. Yet the two are withholding judgement regardless. Okay, maybe they simply distrust the power structure in Gotham. After all, this movie was largely shot in Chicago, a site chosen no doubt for it’s distinct architecture, but it is also difficult to ignore its history of corruption and party-rigging. But, at the end of the film, we find two boats given the choice to either blow the other up, or die themselves. To make matters more interesting, one contains normal citizens, the other convicted criminals. The normal citizens, at the captain’s request, take up a vote whether or not to hit the switch. The vote comes up overwhelmingly in favor of doing so. Now, the important thing to realize here is that this is the wrong decision. Batman, and the police, are closing in on the Joker, even as they vote. So what, you might say. The trapped people had no idea of that. It was a risk they couldn’t take. But the Joker already had a history of lying. Earlier, when he kidnapped both Dent and Dent’s love Rachel, he switched addresses. Batman naturally went to save Rachel, a woman he too loves, but when he arrives finds that Dent is there instead. He doesn’t hesitate, and saves Dent, but had fully intended to reach Rachel. The Joker can’t be trusted, the people know that. Flipping the switch just as easily could’ve blown up their own ship. That isn't a difficult situation to imagine. The Joker's sense of humor is dangerous at best. Wouldn't he have enjoyed the show watching everyone blame the villains, when it was actually Gotham's citizens that blew themselves up? My point is that in this film, people in large groups don't make good decisions, or at the very least, they make decisions that can't be trusted.

My view of the heavily mistrusted democracies is also influenced by Gotham’s very recent history of extreme corruption. What caused that corruption in the first place? The mob gives us some big clues. They are flush with cash, owning and operating whole banks that rival any of Gotham’s best. The movie doesn’t deal with how the mob made their money, except on a very small scale. In an early scene, the Scarecrow, the villain from the first film, sells drugs to the mob. Indeed, the first film, Batman Begins, had an extended scene at a very large drug deal at a port. The mob makes their money on things that they couldn’t possibly do if they were legal. It’d be more cost-effective to open a legitimate business. Taxes are considerably less than bribes and legal fees in the long run. Don’t believe me? I stand on the history of Prohibition as evidence. Before prohibition, there was a mafia, but selling illegal alcohol brought such astronomical profits that the mob grew to rival the federal government in power. When it was legalized again, alcohol became a legitimate business. The mob was pushed out by real business owners. Whether or not criminalized drugs is good for society at large is a question I don’t wish to address, but needless to say, it gives criminals a large chance at high profits.

My point is simple. Democracy not only leads directly to decisions that cannot be trusted, but it sows the seeds to make bad decisions in the first place. The Joker rose to power in the criminal vacuum Batman created. The criminal economy that Batman took down itself rose as a result of elected officials, bribed and terrorized to let criminals act with impunity. The elected officials came to power as a result of democratic institutions.

People, as a whole, make decisions that cannot necessarily be trusted. So why is that? Why is it easier to trust an individual, than a population? For that answer, let’s go to the other end of the spectrum the movie touches on. Let’s look inward. We shall save that for part 2.