Bruce Wayne: Targeting me won’t get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn’t go down without a fight, but this is different. They crossed the line.
Alfred Pennyworth: You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn’t fully understand.
Bruce Wayne: Criminals aren’t complicated, Alfred. Just have to figure out what he’s after.
Alfred Pennyworth: With respect Master Wayne, perhaps this is a man that *you* don’t fully understand, either. A long time ago, I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So, we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never met anybody who traded with him. One day, I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing them away.
Bruce Wayne: So why steal them?
Alfred Pennyworth: Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
I love that exchange between Bruce Wayne and Alfred. It is gratifying to me to see that Alfred isn’t an ordinary butler. He has been around and seen things and that experience has taught him that people like The Joker don’t always act logically or rationally.
It is something that I agree with and believe in. People like to think that they make smart decisions based upon logic but they don’t. That group includes me too. Some decisions are based upon arbitrary things that we aren’t even conscious of.
It May Be Our Community But It Is My Blog
I have multiple goals for the blog and spend time each day working on them. If you are among the long time readers you know that I want to spend my days writing. You know that I have been published professionally but I haven’t  yet published my novels.
That is not a pipe dream. It is going to happen. The blog is going to be a part of it.
You also know that I write about our community because that is what I am building here, our community. However that doesn’t change the reality that it is my blog. I am the host. I make the rules and even though it may be our community it is my job to make it work. That requires some doing.
Comments About Comments
What Is The Value of A Comment? is ne of the most popular posts to run here. It has created a great conversation both within and without the blog and I have very much enjoyed it. It has also been the spot where several people have expressed their displeasure with me. Today I deleted several comments that used the very creative user name of “fuckoffjack.”
Apparently they were quite angry because they think I have been deleting comments. I tend not to do that. I am usually happy to let you hoist yourself on your own petard. Write something stupid and I often will let it stand and let you deal with it. But today they rubbed me the wrong way and I deleted them, but I want to point something out.
Look at the picture below:
The person who so lovingly used “fuckoffjack” as their handle used this IP address several times. This clip suggests that they might potentially be a spammer. Now look at the shot below:
That picture provides a list of “names” and “messages” used by the person(s) that used this IP address. They include the usual spam topics of sex, pills and jewelry among other things.
It is possible that there is no relationship between the commenter(s) from today and the information I have but that doesn’t really matter because I am not obligated to publish any comments, nor is anyone obligated to read my blog.
We all have choices and the opportunity to decide what we want to do. I have a very simple commenting policy but sometimes I think about spelling it out like my friend Adrienne has here.
The Dark Knight & Blog Etiquette
Maybe Old Jack is nothing more than a glorified daddy blogger who dreams of being a cross between Wolverine and The Dark Knight. Or maybe he is something more. We’ll have to wait and see. In the interim I have to go delete a few more of these messages and ban a few more IPs.
It is always good to have fans.
What do you think?
susansilver says
I had a spammer email me that their comment wasn’t live and that I should approve it. Guess what I did. It starts with B and ends in lock.Â
TheJackB says
 @susansilver Talk about chutzpah. Glad you gave it to them.
Michael says
Batman has always been my favorite. I was given a book-slash-comic slash-autobiography as part of a Christmas exchange years ago called Batman and Me. It’s about Bob Kane, how and why he created Batman along with how the character has evolved over the years.
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In reading the book, I discovered that Batman was on the verge of being cancelled by Kane and the publishers because it was deemed too violent. Violent was the term used when exec’s contacted Kane to discuss the content, however during the chat, the executive mentioned the comic would not be published further because they didn’t want to encourage “vigilantism with gruesome intentions.” Let me explain.Â
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Anyone who knows anything about Batman knows The Joker is Batman’s biggest nemesis and is ultimately responsible for the genesis of the caped crusader. In one of the first issues of the comic, Kane had Batman confront The Joker. During a violent altercation, Batman punched into The Joker’s chest and ripped out his heart. Obviously the Joker died instantly and Batman got his due revenge.Â
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The Publishers loved the rivalry so much they begged Kane to continue but asked Kane to calm the hero down a bit because that type of disturbing violence wouldn’t sell. Kane obliged after taking time to consider the offer. Batman’s character was scaled down considerably and so lives the legend. How did Kane do it? He gave Batman a sidekick initially named The Boy Wonder. a.k.a Robin.
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My point is, sometimes the haters need their hearts ripped out and stomped on. I’d offer to be a sidekick but the tights are merely pajama bottoms.Â
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Keep on Keepin’ on Jack!
MatchesMalone says
Actually, The Joker being responsible for the creation of The Batman was a device in Tim Burton’s Batman movie. It was established in the comics before that, that the murderer of Bruce’s parents was a petty criminal named Joe Chill.
TheJackB says
@Michael
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I don’t know if I knew all that. Some of it sounds familiar, but not all. The Joker really does make a great rival for Batman. The “legend” really wouldn’t be the same without him.
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It is funny when I think about my introduction to Batman I think of being a kid and watching Adam West. It took a few years before I found out that there was a huge difference between his version and The Dark Knight.
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I prefer the darker, edgier version myself. Kind of go back and forth about whether I like Robin or not. Can’t fault you for not wanting to wear pajama bottoms- hard to feel like stomping on the haters when you are geared up for bed. 😉
Michael says
 @TheJackB  @MichaelÂ
Funny cause I was watching a Tim Burton version the other day with Clooney and almost got sick at how cheesy it looked. I’m in your corner, the newer, edgy versions are sooo much better.Â
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Uhm, not even kidding but I have pj bottoms that are Avenger inspired and yes I got them months ago. Plus I can’t wear them when we’re technically discussing things in a D.C Comics inspired post. 😉
Just sayin’
TheJackB says
 @Michael That Clooney, O’Donnell version was terrible- simply horrid.
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Christian Bale has done a very good job. I am looking forward to the next one.
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http://youtu.be/g8evyE9TuYk
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Loved The Avengers and prefer Marvel to DC.
MatchesMalone says
 @TheJackB  @Michael Clooney was Joel Schumacher who ultimately had a very different vision of who Batman is, and ultimately didn’t know what he was doing with respect to the characters.Â
jasonkonopinski says
 @MatchesMalone  @TheJackB  @Michael Frank Miller resurrected Batman from the ashes, and for that, I’m forever in his debt.Â
Faryna says
Romania can be fun like that. It doesn’t have to be a Romanian per se. But obviously the proxy is in Romania. It could be someone from your PTA or other fan club. [grin] But that would mean they are a little clever.
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I don’t think anyone needs a comment policy for… spammers, stalkers, or even the run of the mill haters.
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If they were truly brilliant, they’d create a blog of hate and make sure their blog comes up every time our names are queried in search. But usually they are not brilliant.
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TheJackB says
 @Faryna I would like to believe that most of my “fans” are clever enough to use technology to fool me but too many of them write things like “Mute” when they mean “moot.”
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Ask them about duplicity and they want to know what state it is located in.
MatchesMalone says
I have to go with you on this one, Jack. It follows that quoting from The Dark Knight is always a good thing.Â
TheJackB says
 @MatchesMalone Love that movie and Batman Begins.