doesn ’ t 0star , direct , produce , and cater by himself ” ( Permenter ). The White House shut down the petition within hours , citing its “ moderation policy .” A similar petition at Change . org , entitled , “ Remove Ben Affleck as Batman / Bruce Wayne in the Superman / Batman Movie ,” closed with 97,642 signatures voicing support ( Roden ). Petitions such as these , as well as other protests , support Jenkins ’ s claim that while fans “ have very little say about what happens to their characters or their programs ,” their power lies in “ the right to protest and protest loudly decisions contradicting their perception of what is desirable or appropriate ” ( 118 ).
Memes and The Sad Batman
The Batfleck counterpublic has seen some of its most productive work in the form of visual rhetorics . For example , the website Teespring . com began selling T- Shirts featuring a Batman symbol in the style of the 1960 ’ s television show with the name “ Batfleck ” centrally emblazoned . The website gives the visitor a choice , “ Show your approval of the new caped crusader -- Batfleck . When you purchase the BATFLECK t-shirt you are declaring that you do support the latest bat-manifestation ” at which point a click puts the shirt in the virtual shopping cart . A second option reads , “ If you do not support Batfleck you can cast your vote of opposition with the NO BATFLECK t-shirt - http :// www . teespring . com / nobatfleck .” The page concludes with the emboldening message to the Batman-concerned sub-public : “ The choice is yours , citizen .”
Memes have taken a central role in the backlash , featuring manipulated photos of Affleck as various representations of Batman . A popular meme posted on Starpulse . com was a photo from the 1960 ’ s Batman show
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