cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/50513851
Without Batman, only about 38 percent of passengers stood up for the pregnant woman. With Batman, that number leapt to roughly 67 percent. More than two-thirds of riders suddenly remembered they were human beings capable of empathizing with others.
And all it took was the presence of a semi-fascist but admittedly still quite cool lunatic dressed like a bat whose concept of justice begins and ends at beating the s—t out of people with severe mental health issues.
“Lots of people are selfish shitheads unless they think there may be immediate consequences for them acting like shitheads” is a well-worn observation on human nature, and is not especially new. Just watch how people drive for the next few miles after they spot a cop on the interstate as an example.
The fact that apparently these people can’t quite separate the fictional concept of Batman with reality, i.e. the threat of real-world consequences, is somewhat novel. Not especially encouraging, but novel.
You can scribble eyeballs on a wall with a sharpie and people will behave more honestly.
Nobody thought that some guy dressed as Batman was the actual character, or that he had any authority over them. But the idea of Batman, or any other well-known inspirational character, is very real.
Which makes me think superman would be a good idea, as he’s very aspirational
You misinterpreted the study, from what I gather. It’s not a threat that influences their actions, it’s more an awakening from the torpor of commuting, and an inspirational figure.