We Create Our Own Demons — Joker
You don’t even know when you ruin someone’s life.
I just watched the movie Joker, and the movie kept me thinking for some time. The movie gave me a lot of thoughts on what society is in the past and how it is today.
Just for a summary, this movie talks about the past life of Joker. It detailed the life that made him into the famous Joker of the DC Universe, the trailer pretty much explained what we are getting at.
This is going to be different than any of the other articles I have done in the past. In this article, I am going to share my thoughts about the character’s experiences that made him the Joker. It hit me hard and made me want to write about this. There will be spoilers ahead, just for the record. Here goes.
The world believes kindness is a weakness
This movie showed no mercy in telling what life is like out there. People who are not even in the middle class and struggling to make a living, were treated like trash, not giving any sense of empathy to others. As the result, they, in turn, repaid the same thing.
Arthur was a poor party clown, trying to make a living by making people happy. He wanted to be a comedian like his favorite tonight show host Murray.
However, the journey was not simple at all. He was mistaken as a fool because he had a mental sickness that made him laugh, contradicting his actual feelings. As the result, people view him as mental, insane, and a joke. He couldn’t even keep his job as a clown and got fired twice: one for not getting a sign back, the other for misunderstanding when he brought a gun. In other words, he was misjudged.
Even worse, his parentage was also a lie to begin with. He was led to believe that he is fatherless, then found out that he is the brother of Bruce Wayne. However, when he confronted Thomas Wayne about his parentage, it turned out that his mother was delusional, and the truth is, his mother isn’t even his own mother.
This brought Arthur to the brink of madness. He had done everything to make a living, being kind, having a purpose in life to make people smile, having a passion to be a comedian, but people took advantage of it. Especially his idol made fun of his stand-up comedy. In the end, he was fed up with everything and turned to crime.
The Outcome
One issue that Joker brought up that defines the rich and poor is the news. When the poor people were beaten or even murdered in the streets, no one bats an eye. But when he murdered three rich people, the whole city was astound. The level of equality treatment here is insane, no wonder most turned to crime.
There is an unbreakable cycle here. When the rich or poor harm one another, they did not realize that they stepped in a dangerous zone.
Unlike when he was beaten in the streets, no one bats an eye on him. When Arthur was treated like trash again by them, no police were on the lookout for the culprit who beat him. As the result, he had no choice but to turn to crime. When the rich were beating him, that’s when people are on the look-out for the clown-killer.
This is when the poor believed that the killer clown is the leader that can help the people who are less fortunate. Riots spread, dividing people who are fortunate and unfortunate, and a nation having their own civil war. It became so chaotic to the point, Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed by Joker’s supporters, that’s when Batman is born.
As you can see here, no matter which side we are on, even when we think that we didn’t harm the other, we can affect the life of another. We create our own demons.
The Take
Now that this issue is brought up to the big screen, it basically tells us to be nice. Be nice, be kind, and be strong. We shouldn’t see the kindness is a weakness, because that is the hardest thing to do. We don’t know what had the other person had gone through, so it’s best that we don’t do anything bad. As Keanu Reeves says:
He had been doing this for a long time, and as the result, he became famous for his kindness. He spreads his kindness to everyone that it became an influence on others.
A simple act of kindness can make anyone’s day and help another. It’s difficult but worth it.
Just like from the movie, if only one person can help Arthur with his financial status (If only Thomas Wayne could donate a few bucks to his former worker’s son) or even be there for him at his worst days, Joker will never be born. I truly believe that the phrase ‘Kill’em with Kindness’ needs to be preached out more today.
