Perception: Why and How We Judge Others

by peppymint

This is actually an essay I wrote for COMM class. Don't worry, I won't be offended if no one reads it. But I figured since I did it there is no reason not to post it for those people who like to think about cartoons instead of just enjoying them.

Disclaimer: Batman does not belong to me

Or is this a professional paper (duh)

Perception: Why and How We Judge Others

When encountering another human being, there are several tendencies that we all fall prey too. We tend to make snap judgments about said person without truly knowing anything about them, and we tend to cling to those impressions. These assumptions can be based on many things. They can be influenced by the physiological state of the observer, their culture, gender and occupation. People can make judgments solely due to another's physical appearance, or the color clothing they are wearing. Somewhat unfortunately, in the real world, these perceptions are not always accurate. Life would be a lot simpler if they were.

The filthy kid wearing the baggy clothes might be the son of a millionaire who thinks the outfit is comfortable and doesn't particularly care what anyone else thinks. Most of the people in the street will assume he is poor though; maybe even homeless, just because of what he is wearing. Sometimes we don't even realize why we are making these assumptions. This presents a problem. So, in an attempt to clarify how and why these judgments are made, I intend to examine what our expectations of others are instead. Earlier, I stated that our perception of others in the real world is often inaccurate. The world of fiction is something else entirely. So, in this paper we will look at how the characters of Batman: The Animated Series are presented based on who the creator wanted and expected them to be.

This cartoon was first aired on the Fox Network from 1992-1995. In it the protagonist, Bruce Wayne, witnessed the murder of both his parents at an early age. Swearing that what happened to him would not happen to anyone else if he had the power to prevent it, Bruce spent his formative years traveling the world, acquiring the skills he needed. He then returned to his hometown, Gotham, becoming a masked vigilante known as the Batman. Bruce later adopted another child that had been orphaned by violence, Dick Grayson. Dick became Robin, the boy wonder, and together this dynamic duo faced a slew of colorful opponents in their struggle to keep the city safe.

One of the first things we should consider is just what makes this cartoon appealing to us. What does it have over all the other shows that have come out over the years? The answer is simple. It all boils down to the concept of competency. People are attracted to talented people, but if the others are too talented, than we end up disliking them. Unlike so many other heroes, Batman is unique in that he has no special powers. All his skills are things he earned through years of training. The show had a darker, realistic quality. Real guns were fired and people did get hurt. Batman is also not perfect, as seen by his long time crush on Selina Kyle, who moonlights as the professional thief Catwoman. All these things emphasize Batman's humanity, which makes this series more popular than ones like Superman that sometimes slide into the surreal.

The main cast of Batman: The Animated Series can be separated into two groups, the good guys and the bad guys. As illogical as it is, humans in general have a tendency to believe that people who are physically attractive are more intelligent, kinder, and all around better people than those who are not. Bruce Wayne, the hero, is portrayed as a handsome man with dark hair and pale eyes. Many of his antagonists on the other hand are ugly, for lack of a better word. The penguin is an overweight man with a long crooked nose, while half of Two-face's face is horribly scarred. None of the other villains are prizes either, at least not the male ones.

As with so many other things in the world, double standards apply. It is not the ugly woman that we are traditionally wary of, but the beautiful, sly one. Women have long been associated with temptation, going all the way back to Eve in the Garden of Eden. They are seen as "luring" men off the proper path. Poison Ivy is the perfect incarnation of this description. She oozes sex, not just with her gorgeous appearance and revealing outfit, but with the pheromones she releases due to her meta-abilities. No man can resist her. Many find out to late that her lips can be poison. The female heroes, such as Batgirl are beautiful as well, but show it in a different way. You would never find this red-haired vigilante flashing skin to lure in a crook.

People can also make judgments based on color. Batman and Robin are a perfect example of this. Batman wears black. This color can mean many things, but here in America it is mostly connected to the darker emotion such as fear and grief. It is a serious color. Just like the one who wears it. Batman rarely smiles. In fact, his attire persona is designed to make the criminals fear him. It is just one more weapon in his arsenal. Robin's outfit on the other hand is made of bright reds and yellows. These colors tend to represent things like fun, and passion. He is the light to Batman's darkness, the one who keeps Bruce's crusade from pulling him under. After all, if you stare to long into the abyss, the abyss tends to look back at you.

Then there are stereotypes; little categories that people are placed in just because they seem to fit within that niche. Harley Quinn, once she takes of the make-up that characterizes her position as the Joker's sidekick, is the epitome of a ditzy blond. She is not seen as all that intelligent, and constantly returns to the Joker's side even though he does not treat her well. Harley is completely within his thrall. Another stereotype that is portrayed in this cartoon is the character of Harvey Bullock, who is a detective in the Gotham police department. He fills the role of the not so great cop who eats a lot of doughnuts, is clumsy, and occasionally takes bribes. This is in contrast to his boss, the clean cut Commissioner Gordon who is everything a cop should be.

Cartoons are interesting in that many of them, including Batman: The Animated Series portray people not the way they are, but the way we think they should be. They show a world where you can determine whether someone is good or evil just by looking at them, or figure out their personality by the clothes they wear. Stereotypes actually show the truth, whether it is a blond being an idiot or someone who wears glasses having great intelligence. They are very helpful in understanding ourselves, how we think and how we perceive others, just as long as it is remembered that the way we view people is not necessarily how they are.

Not quite sure why anyone would read this

But if you did I hope you found it interesting