Bruce Wayne: Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You’ve eaten Gotham’s wealth. Its spirit. Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on...none of you are safe.
Frank Miller, from Batman Year One
Zohran Mamdani is now the mayor of New York City. So, in his honor, I would like to sing a song written by former Louisiana governor Huey P. Long and Castro Carazo almost 100 years ago.
And a 1 and a 2 and 1, 2, 3, 4 . . .
Why weep or slumber, America, Land of the brave and true? There’s castles and clothing and food for all All belongs to you Every man a king, every man a king For you can be a millionaire If there’s something belonging to others There’s enough for all people to share When it’s sunny June and December too Or in the winter time or spring There’ll be peace without end Every neighbor a friend And every man a king Utopia is right around the corner, New Yorkers.
Mamdani said so: “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”
Thriving without striving, brother.
The phrase “rugged individualism” comes from a speech delivered by Herbert Hoover in 1928. He opposed socialism because he believed it undermined individual initiative and enterprise.
Let’s listen to the “All in the Family” television show theme: Sing with me: Boy, the way Glenn Miller played Songs that made the hit parade Guys like us, we had it made Those were the days And you knew who you were then Girls were girls, and men were men Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again Didn’t need no welfare state Everybody pulled his weight Gee, our old Lasalle ran great Those were the days.
We see the two political visions grappling for the soul of America in those two tunes.
It’s difficult to settle the debate since one of the most striking dichotomies persistent in the human animal is his predilection for both competition and cooperation.
I get it.
I want this column to foster cooperation and generosity, but at the same time, I want to win awards and stomp other columnists into the dust like the inferior worms they are. I want to be the king of the world like anybody else.
To see one impulse as superior to the other is a political lie, no matter which side it comes from.
A blind leap into collectivism is suicide for the American social structure and economy. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get behind sane social programs, especially when it comes to healthcare.
That said, I have no utopian illusions.
How about some thoughts from Thomas Sowell, a national treasure and one of the smartest men in the world in my estimation: “Liberals especially tend to think up all sorts of good things we want — a ‘living wage,’ ‘affordable housing,’ ‘universal health care,’ and an ever-expanding wish-list of things that everyone should receive as ‘rights’ — with little or no awareness of the economic repercussions of turning that wish list into laws.”
Indeed. How about an encore, Mr. Sowell?
“The vision of the anointed is one in which ills such as poverty, irresponsible sex, and crime derive primarily from ‘society’ rather than individual choices and behavior. To believe in personal responsibility would be to destroy the whole special role of the anointed, whose vision casts them in the role of rescuers of people treated unfairly by society.”
Are you listening, Zooey?
Drop your mic and walk off that stage, Dr. Sowell.
I believe Dr. Sowell was born in South Carolina, but he grew up in Harlem. He says he was a communist then. But he changed.
He says he never heard gunshots in Gotham City.
But Batman was around back then. Not so much now.
According to the “Batman Chronicles,” Gotham City was built to house crazy people.
Maybe that’s why I liked it there so much.
I don’t want to go back now, though.
Batman is gone. But the Joker is still around, so we’ll let him have the last word.
“If you consider dating a Czech, make sure you have money in the bank.”
Selah
*Written by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams