The Joke is on Us

I'm no movie critic, but I am very critical of movies. I truly only pay attention to a movie if it evokes some type of emotion in me in which I can't quite let go of for a little bit....or its on a massive screen in front of me that I literally cannot ignore. The Joker movie is that movie- in both contexts. I can't stop thinking about it. Before seeing the movie, I had heard more negative reviews (actual critics) than positive ones. After seeing the movie, I went back and actually read more reviews from critics and commentators. I was immediately triggered by the comments I saw discussing this movie's portrayal of violence. These reviews went into elaborate detail of how viewers becoming obsessed with a character such as the Joker "says a lot about our society" (implying that violence is celebrated). Without further ado, allow me to introduce : the point.

1. The Joker (Arthur) suffers from a condition called Psedobulbar Affect. This is a condition in which an individual may experience involuntary laughter or crying during an inappropriate time (insert google citation here). This condition is caused by stroke, ALS, MS, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's. In this case, Arthur struggles with the condition due to a traumatic brain injury. His laughter is dramatic. Comical, even. Sporadic and uncontrollable. When Arthur went into these fits of laughter, there were several laughs in the theater and I found myself triggered. I assume that is why I felt compelled to write this, but I wanted people to know that this a real mental illness that individuals, do in fact, live with.He also suffers from delusions. I also found myself extremely anxious in these particular parts in the movie. I felt physically sick when I watched others become angry with him for his laughter. I felt compassion. When these fits came about, he would often hold his throat (perhaps an attempt to choke himself) as if desperately to make it stop. Imagine yourself in these scenarios, entirely unable to control your (presumably) emotional response. This. Is. Real. Stuff. The point here was to highlight a rare mental illness condition.

2. Arthur receives "therapy" and medication from the government, as many of those living in poverty do. The "therapist" in this case was a social worker (assumed, correct me if I'm wrong). She sits across from a desk and appears less than interested in Arthur's actual well-being. She is distant and dismissive. Halfway into the movie, the social worker lets Arthur know that they have cut funding and this will be their last session. He asks her how he will get his medication and she has no answers and tells him that the government doesn't "give a shit" about people like him or her. In this case, the point is to understand the broken healthcare system, particularly regarding mental health.

3. Arthur is bullied. Plain and simple. Throughout the movie, he is beaten several times (almost alway by groups) usually by strangers. Conflict would typically arise when he was in his fits of involuntary laughter, the "bullies" assuming he was intending to laugh and make fun in an inappropriate situation. Eventually the story continues and Arthur kills multiple people. However, in one scene, he kills one of his ex-coworkers who had mislead him in the past. He allows the other coworker to leave by saying, "I'm not going to hurt you, Gary. You are the only one who has ever been nice to me". This is a pretty elementary concept, folks. Be kind to everyone. You really don't know what someone is going through. That's the point.

4. Trauma. Ohhh the trauma. Not only is Arthur's mother also mentally ill, she put his life in danger when he was a child. She had multiple boyfriends who abused her, as well as abusing Arthur. He was found left, malnourished, and tied to a radiator. He had no memory of the event, pointing out that you don't necessarily have to remember trauma for it to affect your entire life. And that even means trauma that wasn't nearly as extreme as being tied to a radiator. Arthur also had no idea who his real father was, going to extreme lengths to confront the man he believed to be his dad. Point= unknown/known trauma responses are real.

5. The violence. This is where the critics come in. Claiming that to movie glorifies murderers and mass shootings. I'm sorry, but please refer to my above points. What led this character to complete such heinous acts of violence? An individual with a combination of a mental illness (ultimately left untreated), severe childhood trauma, and a history of traumatic bullying. Why are we as a society so ignorant when it comes to understanding that there is always a reason behind every aspect of human behavior? Why are we not working to help these individuals?

6. Last, but not least, after Arthur has committed these murders, we see about 20 TV stations reporting the incident. This highlights the media's obsession with mass murders and giving fame and recognition to the types of people who commit these crimes. We're obsessed with the crime, we're obsessed with the individual (for a bit), we're obsessed with wanting to know the mental disorder, but why aren't we obsessed with learning more or finding help for these individuals? Why aren't we obsessed with learning about their lives leading up to this moment? This concept is also addressed in the ending scene when everyone is around him cheering. In my opinion, this calls attention to how serial killers or mass murderers are then put on a pedestal by society, True crime documentaries, podcasts, books, etc. all feed into the sensationalized violent crime. But again, no one really cares how they ended up there.

This was a movie placing emphasis on how a mass murderer came to be, well...a mass murderer. Movies, TV, video games, and the internet glorify violence every. single. day. There is FINALLY a movie that addresses the preceding events leading to this man's truly tragic decisions, but yet it is criticized for glorifying violence. The point has clearly been missed by many critics and viewers. This was a movie about mental health. Honestly, this was probably one of the darkest movies I've ever seen. But then again, untreated mental health is a dark place. Thank you, "Joker" movie for finally shedding light on this topic.

"The worst part about mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't have one" - The Joker

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

-L