Zendaya Coleman Batman?

20 year old Zendaya Coleman is someone that I see as a Batman like figure. Throughout the novel all Batman wanted was to fight for justice and prevent crime in Gotham City, Zendaya although often seen as nothing but a Disney star is very outspoken about issues that are affecting the country.  She is a huge activist for the Black Lives Matter movement which is to inform others of police brutality and unfair treatment towards African Americans. In 2016 she caught the attention of Beyonce and appeared in her Lemonade video which was to empower black women. She is willing to fight against racial stereotypes like at the 2015 red carpet for the Academy Awards Giuliana Rancic a fashion critic suggested Zendayas dreadlocks might smell like "patchouli oil or weed"  to which Zendaya responded with "to me, locs are a symbol of strength and beauty, almost like a lion's mane." 

My Personal Batman

The only person I consider as batman is my Father. Batman represents Justice, Sacrifice, and Morality. Batman is known for being a superhero. Those characters traits are common with my father.  The reason I chose my father because hes there when you need him. Hes the guardian of the family just like how Batman is the guardian for Gotham City. When theres a situation, my father would do everything to solve the situation and not let it get out of hard. For example, When my brother and I got into an argument and almost got into a fist fight however my dad notice the situation. He talked some sense to us saying, " This is argument is not worth it, you guys are fighting over a game that doesn't matter in life. You guys are brothers you're suppose to watch each others back and show love. Not fight over a dumb game." This is where the morality comes in, that hes knows whats right or wrong for us not fighting. In addition to this, My father even tends to help out others, like volunteering in the kitchen to feed the homeless because he feels that he should help the community grow. Just like how batman fights crime in Gotham city to make the community is safe.

Akon the GOAT

Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, more commonly known by just Akon, is a singer/rapper who started his career in 2003 and became famous after releasing his song “Locked Up” in 2004. I feel like Akon epitomizes Batman but not in a very similar ways since he doesn't have all the abilities that Batman has. However, I see him as a real life form of Batman since he has helped thousands of people with his project “Akon Lighting Africa”. This project was made by Akon to help the people in Africa by letting them have access to electricity. Akon and his project have already provided electricity to 15 countries in Africa. Even though Akon wasn't born in Africa and doesn't share and connections to it, he did this to give the people from Africa an equal chance to live a life like the others in other countries. This is a Batman quality because he tries to help others while not gaining anything from it, just like Batman fighting crime and not gaining anything from it for himself and putting himself in harm's way. I also believe that Akon is a Batman but in the real world because he funded the program with his money and not many people who have money want to spend it on things that they don't benefit from. Akon didn't directly benefit from it but he was seen as a good person to a lot of people. Similarly, Batman uses his fortune to build suits and cars and other things in order for him to continue his fight. Batman is also seen as a hero to Gotham by most of the people just​ as Akon is seen as a hero to the people he has helped in Africa.

Elon Musk

      With in our world Elon Musk embodies the traits of Bruce Wayne. Elon does this through the immense wealth he posses allowing him to invest and found many companies such as SpaceX and Tesla motors another way he emulates batman is the their mutual desire to improve lives of humanity. While Elon Musk has SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Bruce Wayne has Wayne Tech which is the company that is responsible for the creation of many gadgets and tech that Batman uses such as the Batmobile and the Bat suit that he uses to fight Superman. Elon is also involved in the creation of many technological advancements such as the hyper tube that is meant to make traveling easier through a series of low pressure tubes and the creation of the Falcon 9 rocket by his company Space X. Musk's companies have become well established in the world of AI(they are currently working on an AI system that is able to learn and make conscious decisions), physics, and robotics to name a few like wise Wayne Tech greatly plays a big role in Gotham through the creation of cheap public transportation and played major role in the effort to re stabilize and improve Gotham as a whole through investments such as funding Arkham Asylum and orphanages across the city so the youth don't turn to crime. Through both of these hero's efforts they try to improve their world around them through their resources and under the name of companies or under a mask.

My Personal Batman

The person I would consider as "Batman" in my life is a Freshman at Downey High School. Her name is Jocelyn and she was one of my friends at my old school. She had not been in contact since I moved to Bellflower, but she has left an impression on me. She was the quiet one out of a group consisting of six friends, including myself. It was rare for her to speak at all, in fact, but I didn't realize how she held the group together until after I moved. She listened whenever one of us had something to get off our chests, and she was always there when we needed her. Not to mention that, due to how silent she was, she seemed to suddenly appear beside us, often scaring us.
            Unlike the fiction character Batman, she did not have some sort of dark side that was trying to take control of her, nor did she give into it by faking her death. In fact, she was really sweet. But the reason why I chose Jocelyn as my Batman is not because of how quiet she was or how she seemed to appear out of nowhere at the right moment. I chose Jocelyn because she always had good intentions. If any one of the people in our group of friends came to her with a problem, she tried to help them. Whether it worked out or not, she was there to help, and she was there to support the person indefinitely. I may not speak to her now, but she is still my Batman.

My sister actually wanted me to put her as my Batman, but she said that the reason why was "because [she] said" so... Also, sorry for how short this is...

My Batman

My Batman would be my grandfather not because what does just for me but for the whole community. My grandfather is 83 years old and was born and raised in Brooklyn,New York. After the Korean war he moved to Los Angeles in 1954. Since then he has built a construction company, electrician business and owns a large stake of land all without a high school graduation. He's my batman because he has given me great advice about the world and he continues to be vocal with his opinion. My grandfather has set money aside for me for college for when the time comes. He also helped build community gardens throughout South La.

Malcom X, a Martyr

In many ways, Malcom X epitomizes Batman. One little, but important characteristic that describes the two is that they are both orphans. This characteristic is important because becoming orphans led to their strong desire to fight for a cause. For example, Batman fought against the crime that killed his parents and Malcom X on the other hand fought for black nationalism which was the cause that his father died for.  Both had a strong reason and belief for fighting. They both would die for their cause and they often times went through some extremes to fight for their cause. For instance, Batman severely injured people, broke the law and put a 13 year old in danger in order to prevent crime and fight the bad existing in Gotham.  Malcom X did the same thing but instaed fought for Black Nationalism. His means were not the most kind and were sometimes violent. For both Batman and Malcom X, it is difficult to get fristrated with these two similar people because they are both doing what they think is best in their minds to fight for their causes.  Also similar to the two is the effect of the media. They both didn't let it bother them or stop them. Batman was constantly ridiculed by the media as they said he was a bad influence and caused more crime. However, he continued to fight for his cause not caring who tried to stop him. He was focused on his goal like Malcom X, who received many death threats as his acts of Black Nationalism became more popular.  Both are an inspiration to the world and show that you should always fight for a cause that you believe in even if it does require slightly extreme means.

Beyonce...Batyonce...Queen Bat.

     Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter. Like Batman, not only is she super rich, but she contributes to broken cities and makes an effort to stand up for whats right.
     In 2016, Beyonce co-hosted a Tidal charity concert to support the Robin Hood Foundation. I also found it interesting that both Robin Hood and Batman are vigilante. Beyonce has a deep love for her hometown of Houston, Texas. In 2005 and 2007Queen Bey founded the Survivor Foundation and the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments in response to Hurricane Katrina. It can house 43 men or women who would be homeless, and provides meals, job readiness trainings, and HIV/AID screenings. Over the past couples years she has donated 7 million dollars to the housing. Similar to Batman, she wants whats best for her city and assists in making it a better and healthier place.
     Beyonce has a powerful voice, but not only when singing. After her release of hit album "Lemonade", controversy sparked. Her album invoked empowerment of black women, divulged the discrimination of black people, and the dangers of racial profiling and police brutality. The National Sheriff's Association believed that she was promoting violence and inciting bad behavior, her response was simply, "I am against police brutality and injustice." In her "Formation" music video, the words "stop killing us" was written in graffiti.
     Although she physically can't defeat opposition like Batman, she does what she can and gets the message through. Batman and Beyonce are completely against injustice, and when they speak up, the media often twists it. However despite the hate, discouragement, and animosity, they continue to wax strong in what they believe and salvage their homes.

El Chapo

     Notorious for being a drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman more than qualifies as a batman. Wanted by the American and Mexican government, it is rumored that he gives to the poor in his homeland Mexico after his businesses. Much like Batman, the man doesn't have much morals and his businesses causes much damage to the civilians. In this business, people die without a cause, much like Gotham. Batman and El Chapo are both extremely rich, enough to do whatever they please.

     These two show much ambition. Batman tries to save Gotham and El Chapo to make money. The media shows different views on each of their efforts. People debate all the time whether Batman is a good or a bad person in his attempt to save Gotham. Likewise, people debate whether El Chapo is a hero or a danger to Mexico. Most people, in fact, look up to him just like people look up to Batman. This is impressive considering that he is currently in jail.

     El Chapo and Batman both remain in hiding as they are both wanted by the police. This is important because even though they aren't especially bad people, they are viewed as criminals by people with authority. As many people in Gotham, like Commisioner Gordon who doesn't want Batman put away, many people in Mexico want El Chapo to be free as well. Their Robin Hood like personalities allow for them to be recognized as heroes.

Bat-maaaan

A person in my life that I would consider as Batman would be my grandma. I consider her Batman because she constantly does things for everyone and comes to their need every time they ask for help. Though her kindness and selflessness can be why I chose her for Batman, is not why I chose her. It is more for the choices and decisions he is put through, throughout this book that resembles my grandma's character. My grandma is a kind woman, but often times helps people too much. Just as Batman is persistent in his field of fighting crime; my grandma is persistent in helping others out. To me it feels as if she had to do it or the world will "turn to chaos" if she lets people learn things for themselves. So instead of doing some things and letting others figure out stuff on their own, she does it all. This weight that she carries for many resembles to me the weight that Batman carries for Gotham City. Another reason why I'd consider my grandma Batman is that her personality resembles his. She doesn't really talk about everything that is on her mind and often battles most of her internal struggles on her on. She sometimes talks to my aunt about what is on , but other than that she is very conservative. I am not saying that it is bad that she deals with her own problems, I just notice that she doesn't let out most; even in tough situations. This could resemble how Batman doesn't talk about how he feels when he transitions to Batman or how he talks about his emotions when he experienced something traumatic day from day. Overall my grandma is amazing, but her emotional features resemble Batman with the exception of her not being able to love. ( this was trash sorry )

My Batman

The person that I consider to be Batman in my eyes is my cousin.  Batman is seen mostly as a superhero, helping out people and being selfless to help out the ones around them.  My cousin is always there when I need her.  Even when I feel like a situation is out of my hands, she's there to talk some sense into me and help out my situation.  Whenever a situation comes to her, she quickly knows how to react and solve it in the best way possible that wouldn't affect her or any of the family in a terrible way.  Sure, she likes to do things her way and not need any help, like Batman himself, but I help her out along the way, like a second opinion, so she knows that her decisions are a correct manner.  Another way, she cares about the safety of her family and very protective of me because I am one of the younger ones in the family, so she doesn't want me to make the same mistakes she did when she was my age.  She's there for advice, since she went through the things I'm going through right now, I know that I can go up to her and ask for help.  She also has this moral, which is a little action goes a long way.  She believes that any good thing you do, whether is helping out at home, helping out our grandparents or even the neighbors, can actually make a difference.  She's always helping out our grandma, whenever she comes every summer, around the house to make the days easier for her to enjoy.  So, even though her attitude isn't exactly like Batman, their characteristics are similarly alike in my perspective.

My Personal Batman

For my batman I do not see it as one person, and more like a group of people. The whistleblowers or people who expose corruption in our modern day. They can expose the government, the media or corrupt organizations. They are ones who see the wrong and are not afraid to call them out and stand up for the disenfranchised. The people they fight against have more power and more influence, yet they are not scared of sometimes dangerous consequences. Similar to Batman though their actions can influence people to take justice in their own hands and cause violence which deters their cause. In our book the media uses the Sons of Batman and The Mutant Gang to blame Batman for their wrong doings. This happens to this day with causes that have good intentions but a few outliers that make the whole group look bad for their actions. Batman and the whistleblowers of our generation are  who secretly represents the people even when they do not know they need him, or think he is the enemy. These people like Batman do not have the support of anyone but themselves, which shows their strength and determination to do what is right even when there will not be a positive outcome.

The Man of the People

Rodrigo Duterte, is the current serving president of the Republic of the Philippines. A man adorned by his people, which is what brought him into office, yet ridden with controversies. These controversies stems from Duterte's ordering of extrajudicial killing of people who uses or sells drug. However is his policies is not without good reasons. When he first questioned ethics for the killings, he simply point out to the increase of drug related crime and death from 1.8 in 2015 to 2.5 in 2016. His justification have since left a staggering 6,000 death after he took office in 2015. Duterte's crackdown on drugs and Batman's crusade of justice are comparable in that the line of morality gets blurred in the hopes of achieve peace. One example that are alike is the fact that they are willing to bend the law which guarantees that everybody are equal to get justice. However, one trait that Duterte and Batman differs is their upbringings and personalty traits. Batman was born into a rich family, which is why he has all the cools toys, and possesses a conservative personalty. He often keeps to himself whereas Duerte came from a poor family where rose through the political rank through his charismatic personality. Its these differences in characters that shows us anybody can seek justice and the actions that we take can blur line of morality. Which leads people to question your morals as a whole

My Personal Batman

   I personally consider my dad to be my Batman, he's always there to make sure the people he cares about is safe.  Like Bruce Wayne/Batman my dad tends to be somewhat closed off but he's not always which is what makes them different. Also, like Batman, when a situation goes down the wrong way he takes initiative to control it. My dad will pretty much do anything to keep his family safe like Batman with keeping others safe. He is really considerate and passionate who cares for the lives of others, and one time he almost got in an accident trying to help this kid who fell in the middle of the crosswalk and sprained his ankle. The light turned green and he almost got hit a by a car while trying to help the young boy. Overall I would consider my dad to be Batman because he cares for the lives other people.

My Personal Batman

I spent some time thinking up a person who even somewhat resembled Batman. Turns out it was right in front of me all along. I would personally consider my uncle to be my Batman, in so many facets that one could say he may actually be Batman. One, which is just a funny resemhlance, is his initially offputting attitude. Much like Bruce/Batman, he is almost emotionless, until you become close enough to him to be able to get to know him. Also, like Batman, he's constantly out and about saving lives as a firefighter. He risks his life everyday to save others without much worry for his own self being, which I find particularly admirable.
I'm sure by now you're absolutely positive that my uncle is Batman. Sadly, that is simply untrue. However, he is a passionate, considerate man who values the lives of others. His dedication and sense of compassion and need to protect those he loves and even the lives of total strangers is what makes him my Batman.

Edward Snowden / Batman?

     Edward Snowden is an example of a person in the real world that is Batman-like. Both Snowden and Bateman make the decisions they do for the good of the people. Similarly, these actions they take are presented under a negative light through the media. Edward Snowden, if you didn't know, was a former CIA agent that released confidential government information to the public via wiki leaks on the internet. This act can be seen as treason by the government or it can be seen as a gift to the public. No matter what, there are two arguable sides when talking about Edward Snowden and Batman. The two also illustrate the duality in human beings, a subject we have touched on a lot when discussing the graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.
     Bruce Wayne struggles with Batman's morals much like Snowden struggles with his decision because of the position he was in. On one hand, CIA agent Snowden believes that the rules should be followed and that released any type of government information is wrong; on the other hand, Edward Snowden knows that the people being governed should know the decisions their governments are making. Snowden is also similar to Batman because his power was supressed by the government through media.
     Batman is constantly shamed for being a bad influence on children throughout the graphic novel. This slander results in more people not believing that the actions Batman take are valid and for the good of the people. Edward Snowden is a parallel to this because after he leaked the governments information he was put on news channels that accussed him of treason. Bateman and Edward Snowden are alike because they do things for the good of the people but get put down by the media.

My Batman

     For me, the person that is like a Batman figure to me the most would be my uncle. Batman is a hero, known for being the person that will always fight for justice, whether or not those methods can be seen as appropriate. I feel like my uncle resembles Batman because he himself knows the difference between right and wrong, and will not hesitate to do something about it. Even though sometimes it may cause conflict, he is always straight to the point and will speak the plain truth to everyone's face. My uncle is very courageous and selfless, he dedicates himself to his family and made sure that his family members can live comfortably as best as they can. I respect him because he seems to stand out from the ridiculous drama that is my father's extended family. Though he is not without mistakes, for he himself had made decisions in life that could've ruin his and his family's lives. Even so, he took his problems head on and sorted it out himself. He is not the type to run away from his problems, and knows of the consequences of the action he takes. That is why I see my uncle as the real-life counterpart of Batman.

batman

     A person relevant to my life that I feel resembles Batman in the graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns is my uncle. He resembles Batman in the sense that they are both selfless and they try to make sure that people are safe and healthy. My uncle hardly ever does anything for himself; instead, he tries to help others as much as he can. For example, every weekend he helps my grandparents deliver food to the senior citizens home and he even stops along the freeway to deliver food to homeless people that live there. I feel like my uncle epitomizes Batman because they both think about the well being of others before they think of their own. My uncle is also like Batman because they both sort of hide their personal information and are closed off from a lot of people. Bruce Wayne uses Batman to hide his actual identity, and he also does not dkisplay any close personal friendships with any other character, after the death of the previous Robin, in the novel. My uncle is a generally introverted and reserved person who does not share his close secrets or feelings with anyone; however both Batman and my uncle maintain generic and superficial relationships with many people. All in all, they both are concerned with the security and well being of others, and they give efforts to take care of others, but they do all of this without getting very personally attatched to other people

My Batman

In my opinion, my batman would be my dad. The reason for me saying that he is batman, is because my dad has had a troublesome childhood (not that much really). As Bruce Wayne did, my dad sustained injuries. However, unlike Bruce Wayne, my dad has brothers. The reasons why I see my dad as a Batman figure, is because he helps the people that are less fortunate. Furthermore, I see my dad as a Batman figure because he helps the injured. One time in Cancun, Mexico, I fell on a sharp rock and cut my chest, my dad was the first one to my rescue. Another time my dad acted as a batman figure was when he bought food for a homeless man, as Bruce Wayne would have done. My dad may not be as rich as batman, but my dad is rich at heart, he always looks for new was to do things more efficiently. One way my dad is better than batman is the fact that my dad still has his first robin (me). Some of my dads characteristics are nobility, compassion, multitasker, respect, thoughtfulness, and love. In my opinion, my dad is a very good batman.

My Bahtmuhn

To me, my personal batman would be my big sister, Ate Jonah Lucero. Out of all my 4 siblings, I love my big sister the most. When I was being belittled by others, especially by my dad, she would be the first to speak out against him and save me. She would help me in times of need and help me with my projects when I was too young to do them myself. This awesome Batwoman taught me many things as well. As a child, she influenced me a lot, just as how Batman influenced the youth. If my big sister did something, I would copy her. This is probably why I like most things my big sister does. For example we have a profound taste for Italian food and sushi. She sacrificed many things for me, her money, her time, and her pride. My father used to reprimand her for defending against me, yet even though she was humiliated by him, she still took care of me. Occasionally, she would step out of line and go too far with my parents or anyone who made fun of me, but even though her "lines of morality" get blurred, I still love her for the common purpose of helping me.

These things she does for me is the reason I call her my Bat(wo)man.
Like Batman, she represented sacrifice, loss of morality, influence on the youth, and defense. Still now, even though I'm so old, she still takes care of me and my timid attitude. Even though she's so old (not 60 like Batman) she still makes an effort to keep me protected and happy.

Batwoman of the Years, ATE JONAH!!!!!

Logic aka the Rapman

In 2009, Psychological Logic, now known as Logic, launched his first mix-tape titled " Psychological Logic: The Mixtape" where one of the singles on that mix tape is called 'Rapman'. In the song, Logic gives himself a character call the Rapman (Batman) and he is fighting crime (proving that he is better than other rappers) against villains (rappers that think they are better than him). The song is like a direct physical connection to Batman through multiple references such as the rapcave and the rapmobile.

But Logic also even acts as the Hip Hop Batman. Logic saw all the bad stuff that was happening in the world that everybody experienced, and new a hashtag doesn't end problems but words from the soul can, so Logic made an album titled Everybody (which is currently ranked number 1 on Billboard 200) which talks about many worldwide problems that he/ rappers don't normally talk about. This to me connects with Batman on how he came out of retirement to try to stop crime due to him finally realizing how Gotham is currently manifested with crime.And also realizing that they have the power to change people's lives completely based on what they do. Even though Logic and batman didn't want to do what they did, the did what had to be done for the greater good of all. Greater good for Everybody. Also, both Logic and Batman felt very lonely and driven out as a child due to things happening in their life.

Everyone can be batman

       I do not have a certain person that I particularly can say I see them as Batman. Through my point of view I feel that everyone can be batman at times without even knowing ourselves.  Through many conflicts or problems we face daily, we tend to obtain these certain qualities that a super hero in any comic book or movies has due to their super power. In this case, Batman does not really have any super power , but natural strength that he trained/prepared himself for so I feel that we all can be Batman with out superpowers. Batman had qualities such as responsibility, strength, intelligence, passion etc..., but point is that we possess some of these qualities right now for example one quality would be strength.  Not everyone has to have super strength to be like batman, but strength could apply as in mentally because all of us have to be strong when situations are pretty bad, we learn how to deal with a situation and through that situation our mentality will expand to be able to comprehend various points and our thinking will evolve more thoroughly.  Other qualities, for instance, responsibility, passion, and intelligence are usually acquired everyday from turning in assignments on time, competing in a sport with all your energy to win, to achieving high standards that you thought you wouldn't achieve because you put yourself down or thought you couldn't do it. So I feel like everyone can be batman, their own batman practically.

Chance the Batman

Chancelor Bennett, commonly known as Chance the Rapper, is a famous hip hop artist who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I believe that Chance is a representation of Batman because of what he does for his town. Similar to Gotham, Chicago is a busy city littered with unjust crime. Although Chance is not capable of doing all the things Batman does, like physically attack criminals, he does fight crime figuratively. President Donald Trump tweeted that if Chicago did not lower their crime/murder rate he would threaten to send the "feds." Chance retaliated stating that he is tired of seeing cities like Chicago the last of priorities and expressed that Trump sounded like he was announcing war with his threat. He started the #SAVECHICAGO program and reached out to all the organizations in the city and stopped the increase in murders for a short amount of time. Despite the crime rates, Chance believes Chicago is a place of booming industry and a busy downtown. Like Batman, Chance has hope for the city and especially in its younger generation. In the Batman comic, Batman is seen as admiring Robin and explains that she has decades ahead of her young life and is one of the reasons he does what he does. More recently Chance the Rapper donated 1 million dollars to Chicago's public schools and explained that he will continue to support Chicago's most valuable resource: its children. The last comparison with Batman and Chance is the question of their morals. We see Batman being at the center of the media, questioning if he is actually saving the people of Gotham or just putting them into more danger. In some of Chance's most popular songs, he raps about sex and drugs which can be seen as a bad influence to his younger audience. However none of these discouragements stop Batman and Chance from protecting the city they love.

[KC]: Who is our Batman?

Hi all!

We tend to feel invested in fictional characters because of qualities they hold that are universal and can be found in real world people. For this blog, I want you to write about a person who you feel epitomizes BATMAN. Why would you consider this person a "Batman-like" figure? What actions do they take? What characteristics do they display? This can be someone you know personally or a famous figure in our world. For the sake of conversation, I would like you to try to keep this particular comparison to a currently living person.

As always, you probably cannot provide a good explanation with anything less than 200-250 words.
Also, make sure you comment on two other people's posts with a response of more than a couple of sentences. Engage in a conversation. Share your thoughts. Talk to each other through writing.

DEADLINE: One post and two comments are due by Wednesday, May 17th at 5pm.

A place where you can wander

A place where the wind talks with the trees

A  place where the river flows

A place where song dances from branch to branch

Where light pierces the skies above

Then the winds change

The luscious green turns to scarlet red and burning yellow

The songs begin to lose their notes

The beaten path begins to fade

For now the winds change

They do not talk with the trees for they howl

For their companions have ran their course

The rivers do not flow free but sit idly

For they pray for the warm rays

As the colors rot into a sickly white

Some turn to slumber

While others do wander