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.