Batman is, on balance, a positive role model

Thanks to MasterKage for accepting my challenge. I look forward to a lively debate!IntroAfter witnessing the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne created the crime fighter persona of Batman and began his lifelong mission to protect the innocent and destroy evil and corruption [1]. His extensive resume includes dismantling criminal organizations, defeating super villains, and saving the world dozens of times over (more on this later). In all, Batman is undoubtedly one of the best and most successful comic book heroes of our time. While such fiction is necessarily exaggerated and separate to a extent from reality, I argue that the character's actions, accomplishments, and ideals stand apart from similar cultural creations and culminate in a positive representation of a man worthy of real-world emulation. Opening ArgumentsThe ManBruce Wayne isn't capable of amazing feats of heroism because of alien DNA, a radioactive spider bite, or an injection of experimental heroin (name that hero). He is capable of these deeds because he rolled his sleeves up and got to work. As one of few action-based protagonists with absolutely no super powers, Wayne relies on human strength, ingenuity, and intelligence to accomplish his missions. Indeed, before he could even attempt to take up a heroic mantle, he had to undergo years of vigorous physical training and mental conditioning [1; see Training]. Even then, as a mere mortal, he was committing himself to a life of non-stop bodily strain with no guarantees of victory or special abilities to fall back on. It is this determination in the face of unbelievable odds and looming mortality that serves as an inspiration and a reminder that extraordinary success is the result of extraordinary effort. Victories are generally within the grasp of the motivated, which is a difficult message to portray when one's example can move planets or shoot lasers from their eyes. By maintaining its humanity and realism, the Batman mythos successfully espouses the admirable principles of sticktoitiveness, preparation, and the will to move forward. The MissionFor all their theatrics, it can be easy to overlook the overarching messages of costumed heroes. Batman, however, does well to keep his principles in the forefront. Messages of valuing justice and human life permeate his thoughts and actions; Wayne manages to defeat arguably the most deranged rogue gallery in all of comic history while saving countless lives and minimizing the loss of life [2]. Such qualities are often lost on today's anti-heroes (I'm looking at you, Punisher), but the Batman character battles for the right reasons and places a refreshing and praiseworthy significance on human life. The MistakesHuman heroes often blur the lines between reality and fantasy, risking messages of invincibility to their comparatively fragile audiences. Batman addresses this concern the most realistic way he can: he loses. For all his gadgets and genius, Batman has been beaten, bloodied, and broken before [3]. While losses don't initially seem very commendable, Wayne's humanity means these defeats offer a rare perspective. None of us are Superman and being knocked down a few pegs is an inevitable part of life. Incidentally, Batman eventually bounced back from every trouncing and went on to best his adversary, demonstrating that the most important part of a defeat is what you do next. There are a number of additional contentions in my favor (some of which I may introduce in later rounds), but for now I believe I have successfully shown Batman's attributes and accomplishments to be admirable and the character as a whole to be a positive role model. References1. http://tinyurl.com...2. http://batman.wikia.com...3. http://en.wikipedia.org...