Awesome event. And totally speaks to the power of these characters regardless of how we adults think they should/shouldn't be represented. Kids will always get it.
The local news stations have really gotten behind this wish fulfillment. Interspersed throughout the regular news stories were updates on BATKID's (aka mild-mannered Miles') latest crime thwarting accomplishments.
Be sure to check out the official BATKID photo project Facebook page. People from all over the world have been cheering on BATKID by sending photos of themselves and of their kids. It's truly heartwarming to witness such an outpouring of love on a scale as grand as this.
I had originally posted the Batkid story in the stories not worthy of their own thread, but that was before I had any inkling of just how big this story would become. In retrospect, I probably should have initiated a new thread. Thanks for doing so Kresken.
I saw this all over twitter today. Batkid reminded me why I loved reading Spider-man & Batman. He also reminded me of why I've grown to realize I'm not a hero.
Pete's right, this does show the power of these characters. Seeing a community come together, even for a day, is also impressive. Too bad it takes moments like this for it to happen.
I'm not on twitter, but the tumblr. entry on Miles' upcoming big day that I had posted the evening before had racked up a measly six acknowledgments by the time I went to bed last night. By mid-afternoon the next day, that number had risen several to several hundred.
Pete raises a good point about the power of these characters. I've always thought of the Batman as a symbol who transcended comics years ago, so I guess I wasn't too surprised by the general public's willingness to embrace the idea and the icon. The notion of becoming a hero has universal appeal and I think it's something that most non-cloistered individuals fantasize about at some point(s) in their lives. What really resonated with me is the extent in which San Fransisco carried this out. Convincing a major city to reroute traffic and for a bank to allow a staged robbery during normal operating hours, and then for thousands of people (last I heard over 12,000) to show up at City Hall in support of a young kid is just mind blowing. Contrast that with just a few weeks ago when over 30,000 signatures were obtained for a petition requesting that the Empire State building be illuminated blue on November 23rd to commemorate the Doctor Who 50th anniversary. That request was, in a very canned reply and much to fans' chagrin, shot down. San Francisco's City Hall is illuminated blue and yellow in honor of its champion.
Tonight's news coverage was amazing. FYI, I'm posting from Cupertino, CA (about a 45-minute drive south of S.F.) the channel I was watching devoted about a third of the entire newscast to the Batkid story. One of the newscasters flat out stated that in all her years of reporting this was the most fun she's ever had covering the news. It was weird watching an entire newscast where everyone was downright giddy for the entire newscast.
That's amazing. It is also a reminder of how powerful creating theater- even for a primary audience of one- can be. Especially when there is a whole community of people to support and invest in that event.
I followed along while I was at work yesterday afternoon and it was all I could do to hold it together and not turn into a weeping mess in front of the entire library. I mean, it'd have been cool enough if they had just hired a couple of actors, staged a small event at city hall or a local bank or something, took some photos, and made a sick kid's day and created a nice human interest story. The fact that the city went all out for this, and that thousands of people showed up to cheer him on, man... I'm getting weepy AGAIN just thinking about it!
Given how uniformly bad the news seems to have been in recent months, I think we all needed a little BatKid in our lives. Miles saved the day for more people than he will ever realize! =D>
Krescan
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Be sure to check out the official BATKID photo project Facebook page. People from all over the world have been cheering on BATKID by sending photos of themselves and of their kids. It's truly heartwarming to witness such an outpouring of love on a scale as grand as this.
https://www.facebook.com/BatkidPhotos?ref=stream
And the President too.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-make-a-wish-foundation
https://www.facebook.com/stephenamell
Pete's right, this does show the power of these characters. Seeing a community come together, even for a day, is also impressive. Too bad it takes moments like this for it to happen.
M
Pete raises a good point about the power of these characters. I've always thought of the Batman as a symbol who transcended comics years ago, so I guess I wasn't too surprised by the general public's willingness to embrace the idea and the icon. The notion of becoming a hero has universal appeal and I think it's something that most non-cloistered individuals fantasize about at some point(s) in their lives. What really resonated with me is the extent in which San Fransisco carried this out. Convincing a major city to reroute traffic and for a bank to allow a staged robbery during normal operating hours, and then for thousands of people (last I heard over 12,000) to show up at City Hall in support of a young kid is just mind blowing. Contrast that with just a few weeks ago when over 30,000 signatures were obtained for a petition requesting that the Empire State building be illuminated blue on November 23rd to commemorate the Doctor Who 50th anniversary. That request was, in a very canned reply and much to fans' chagrin, shot down. San Francisco's City Hall is illuminated blue and yellow in honor of its champion.
Tonight's news coverage was amazing. FYI, I'm posting from Cupertino, CA (about a 45-minute drive south of S.F.) the channel I was watching devoted about a third of the entire newscast to the Batkid story. One of the newscasters flat out stated that in all her years of reporting this was the most fun she's ever had covering the news. It was weird watching an entire newscast where everyone was downright giddy for the entire newscast.
Given how uniformly bad the news seems to have been in recent months, I think we all needed a little BatKid in our lives. Miles saved the day for more people than he will ever realize! =D>