On Heroes

There are certain television programs that capture the imagination of a generation. I remember when I was rolling in my pre-pubescence, with bleached hair and pimples lining my upper lip, one of my older sisters was devoted to The X-files. She was in university, the golden demographic, and she watched the show religiously every Sunday night. She may have even taped some episodes for further study. I don't remember. That show was dark and brooding, it oozed skepticism and distrust towards authority, and it held a promise that there was something greater, something "out there," always ambiguously out of reach. And of course, there was loads of sexual tension. It was the show that defined my sister's generation. They were dark and brooding. They didn't trust authority. They knew their government was holding back from them, and the truth was out there. Can't you just feel the gen-x angst?
My people don't watch The X-files. We have our own angst fuelled television show. We have 24. All the scepticism, but heightened for a post-9/11 world. And we've substituted some of the extemporaneous sexual tension for toe-curling violence and high tension torture scenes.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of 24. I mean, I watch it, but I don't need to watch it. I don't tape it, or go to 24 parties. I don't blog about it...shoot. What I'm saying is that I recognize it as part of my generation, and I appreciate it, but I'm not about to join the cult of Bauer. (Although it would be cool to say i was born in the year of the Bauer, instead of the Boar. That would be a witty headline...anyone anyone).
Truth be told, I'm more in to Batman.
But, and this is the point of this entry, Batman and Jack Bauer are one in the same.
I'm not saying that Jack Bauer dresses up in a cape and cowl and defends Gotham under the mantle of the Bat. That would be preposterous, we all know that's Bruce Wayne. What I'm saying is, as far as pretentious cultural symbols go, Batman and Bauer are the same. But if that's true, what does that say about pop icons epitomizing their generations? Batman was created in the late thirties, and Jack six years ago? It only proves the point that no generation is really all that unique. We only differ insomuch as out culturally defining heroes differ. But do they differ at all? Let's strap on some plastic frame glasses, let our hair lines recede, and wear some sports coat, while we sip hip tea and find out shall we?
One might argue that they differ a great deal. Although their general purpose of ridding the world of terror and crime are similar, Batman feels the need to wear tights and a mask while doing it, whereas Jack Bauer prefers designer jeans and expensive, yet scruffy looking shirts - that hoodie/army jacket number from last season was amazing. Who can judge who looks better while doing their job- Jack might benefit from a good acid resistant cape every now and then, but mask might get in the way of his cell phone use, and blue jeans would inhibit Batman's high flying ninja moves.
Also, it could be noted that they differ in their relation to the law. Jack is a part of the federal bureaucracy, an employee, regardless of how heroic, of the government. Batman is strictly a vigilante. He works outside the law. Sure, he and commissioner Gordon have well developed working relationship, but he's not on the payroll. He's Batman.
That being said, is it really fair to say that Mr. Bauer works within the confines of the law? perhaps technically, but morally? He and the caped crusader are both vigilantes in that regard. Where Batman drops thugs off buildings, catching them at the last second before impact, to loosen their tongues, Jack uses torture: knives in kneecaps, removal of digits, plastic wrap over faces. Which is worse? Who can say? Both get the job done by relying heavily on fear(and a bit of physical trauma). What that says about our culture is impressive. Our Heroes operate by fear, because our world is a scary world, a world where a Hero must transcend certain levels of decency in order to preserve the greater good.
Also, both icons are solitary figures at first glance, but in actuality are surrounded by an extensive support system. When we think of Batman, we usually in the same metaphoric breath think of Robin, his insanely precocious, eternally adolescent sidekick, but we often miss the invaluable aid of Batman's trusted butler, Alfred. He would be nowhere without Alfred. And, for those of the more fanatically nerdy persuasion, Batman has his league of Bat-family minions, whose roster changes and ebbs through the years. You got your Nightwings, your Bat-girls, your Oracles, your Catwomans'. All of them support our hero. As for Jack, he has his disposable team members from CTU- your Tony's, your Chloe's, your Milo's, your Bill Buchanan's. How terrifically poignant that both heroes need support. Truly, whether a masked hero, or a highly trained, deadly government secret operative, no one can make it alone.
Perhaps the most significant similarity is that both of these heroes perform their heroics without the aid of superpowers. Somehow they have trained to be the strongest, quickest, most cunning among their peers. They represent the power of humankind, are symbols of humanity's potential, the extent we can push these bodies of ours. That is what connects them to us, mere mere mortals, they defend us, but ultimately they are us.
We've picked these heroes to define us. Batman has been around for decades, but he has admittedly lost some popularity over time. Jack, on the other keeps getting stronger and stronger. So, are our generational defining heroes actually the same? They answer, in typical pretentious fashion is a resounding, "well, yes and no."
They are cut from the same cloth, the same spandex, but as our world has gotten more terrifying, more violent, our hero has adapted. This must sadden Batman. Which is a pity, because he isn't the happiest fellow to begin with. What makes Batman Batman, isn't the prefix of the Bat. It's his determination to cling to that last syllable of his name. He is a man, and as we've seen over the decades he refuses to abandon his humanity. He will never sink to the level of the criminals he catches. He's never kill. He'll never use a gun. He's above that, somehow, he remains above that.
Jack Bauer isn't. He tortures. He shoots- really well, even while running or in the dark, and he isn't about to stop now because he's running out of time. So their methods will forever separate them, but their function and morality will always bind them as one. Because even with all that killing, Jack somehow manages to have an unerring moral code, regardless of how utilitarian it is. We need Heroes like that. Ones who sacrifice and survive, who wrap themselves up in our fears and darkness, and protects us from them.
And maybe Batman's is dated, his methods unrealistic for our day; maybe even in his darkness and shadows, he's too idealistic to define this generation and it's enemies. And maybe that's a truly sad thought.
But he could still kick Jack Bauer's ass.
Because he's Batman.