Batman is Partially Responsible for the Crimes of the Joker

Sources/Canons My opponent and I are familiar with both characters so this really is not an issue. We will be discussing the overall concepts so this really isn't a big deal, any are fine, but we should walk softly concerning the movies/books which change origins too much. The new earth listings are fine with me, though. Origin of the Joker: Batman's origin is set and has been retold hundreds of times, but the Joker's gets lost in the mix, it seems. The most common is that he was the criminal Red Hood and while committing a crime he fell or may have been accidentally pushed into a vat of chemicals by Batman. In the case of the Joker, Batman was reasonable in confronting Red Hood's gang as Gotham is a cesspool of criminal activity and the police are not able to handle it; therefore, Batman, a private citizen, is obligated to help stop it. Red Hood was irresponsible by starting a firefight in a chemical plant and caused the event to take place in the first instance. He and he alone is responsible for his injures and his subsequent insanity. Batman is not responsible for this event, as Red Hood, by committing an armed robbery, took all the responsibility for himself. Although Batman commits criminal acts in the respect of trespassing, assault, numerous privacy violations, and I'm sure enough federal regulations to fill a book; he must do so as the Gotham Police Department is incapable of handling the crime, even street level gang violence. So long as this is the case, the Batman must fight to help the citizens of Gotham. The criminals take all the responsibility, not Batman. Motivating the Joker: The Joker needs no motivation other than the "big joke". He does seem to have an irrational attraction to the Batman, but has run into Superman and the JLA on numerous occasions. Batman is the antithesis of Joker and appears to be one of the few in the world capable of stopping him all the while saving his victims. Batman has stated on many occasions that the Joker's crimes only make sense to the Joker. So long as anyone is around and capable of dealing with the Joker; he must. The Joker has shown his reluctance to commit crimes in Batman's absence (see No Man's Land), but not for any significant time period. He reemerged as the "big joke" is simply too funny, in the Joker's mind, to be left without a punch line. The Joker may need Batman, and I believe his irrational attraction to the Batman would cause him to create a fictional one in his mind, if the real one went away. The only difference being, the one in his mind could not stop him. A refusal to destroy the Joker: No one knows the "big joke" except maybe the Joker himself, and he may not, but considering the Joker's activities, I surmise the biggest joke of all ends with Batman killing the Joker. Batman walks a very thin line between criminal activities and the law, his brutality is known, but the moment he steps over the line, the Batman is no more. The Joker has taken Bruce to the limit (see Death in the Family) and needed, of all people, Superman to protect him after killing Jason Todd. The Joker knew his actions would set off the Batman, and really had no reason to kill Jason, other than to motivate Batman to kill him. With Batman out of the way, Gotham goes into a tailspin, much like the scenario where the police sniper, with a vendetta against the Joker, ends up killing many of his partners whom the Joker dressed like clowns. Cops killing cops, no Batman, a city ran by criminals with a police force making the one person that can help them public enemy number one for the murder of the Joker … see the irony. The Joker would accomplish in death that which he could not do in life. He would laugh in his last seconds because it would be such great punch line to the sickest joke of all. The only responsible action is for Batman to keep the Joker alive and deal with him as only he can do. If Gotham did not need a Batman, then my opponent's points concerning the arrogant Bruce Wayne would be dead on, but so long as the incompetence of the police force permits crime to run rampant, the Caped Crusader is needed and the only way Batman can be held partially responsible for others' crimes is to be capable of stopping them and doing nothing at all.