Patrick Bateman

Article summary

Patrick Bateman is a fictional character created by novelist Bret Easton Ellis. He is the villain protagonist and unreliable narrator of Ellis's 1991 novel American Psycho and is played by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation of the same name. Bateman is a wealthy and materialistic yuppie and Wall Street investment banker, who leads a secret life as a serial killer. He has also appeared in other Ellis novels and their film and theatrical adaptations. The film later developed a cult following among Generation Z viewers who see Bateman as a memetic cultural icon. Memes featuring Bateman have proliferated across various online communities, some of which portray Bateman as an ideal representation of a "sigma male".

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1961-10-23 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. release date: 2020 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1961-10-23". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the release date is "2020". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378917328