by John Norris | Staff Writer
The Secure Contain Protect Foundation is a collaborative writing project that centralizes around a fictional secret organization (the titular SCP foundation) which exists to contain anomalies from the general public. These anomalies range from a rock that falls to magnetic east, to a horrific staircase that extends forever. One such anomaly that must be contained — SCP-33, also known as θ’ (Theta Prime) — is a concept; an integer with a value less than 10 that is incompatible with human computational and mathematical systems. It is described in its documentation as if “…all our technology was based on the belief that after 4 came 6. We simply didn’t know or conceive of 5.”
This value, θ’, is the value I will be assigning to “Joker” out of 10. At this time, it is impossible to separate “Joker” (the event) from “Joker” (the movie). The way that I criticize movies is not compatible with this one. There is a “Death of the Author,” but there is no “Death of the Wide and Interconnected Web of Social and Mainstream Media.
It’s not even that a “Death of the X” reading of the movie would be particularly insightful. It’s just that the mechanism doesn’t seem possible. “Joker” more resembles a multimedia project rather than a simple movie. The “Pokémon” multimedia franchise has movies, TV shows, and games, “Joker” has a movie, a social media narrative, a mainstream news narrative, and (obviously) the comics that the character of The Joker originates from. Where does the outrage become advertising? Where does the “advertising” become a part of the experience?
This strategy of social media chaos isn’t unique to “Joker,” or even movies – lest we forget the right-wing river of tears that ensued from Gillette’s milquetoast progressive advertising campaign. What is unique to “Joker” is how this chaos intertwines with the themes and ideas in the movie.
The movie, in one of its few cases of deeply exploring a theme, deals with violence and how mass media portrays violence. It feels like the movie knew that this was going to happen. It may very well have. WarnerMedia owns Warner Bros., has the movie rights for DC, and also owns CNN. Knowing this, it’s hard to not be cynical of CNN’s exhaustive reporting on the movie and its possible effects.
Saying a movie is “so scary you’ll have to sign a waiver” is good advertising. Making a movie through a production company you own, using an IP from another venture you own, and having a news network you own criticize it as can be considered an advertisement, but more in the way of releasing a 20-minute short to hype up a feature film. There is still media to be consumed. Where is the carrot? The stick? The string? Which would “Joker” even be?
At this point, talking about the movie feels incomplete. I could mention Joaquin Phoenix’s phenomenal performance, but I would also feel the need to address the elements of the character that many others find problematic. I could mention the awful cheesy moment where the phrase “mental illness” lingers on the screen, but this seems like a frivolous nitpick when I could write about the non-zero chance of being shot.
I could speculate about how almost any other conceivable ending would have been better, but then I’d have to analyze any better possible ending through the panicked media lens of incel glorification and martyrdom. I could talk about the relatively skillful way the movie handles violence, attention, and the media’s involvement in these things, but the movie only pays attention to the themes that are profitable in a media frenzy – its other themes are shallow and ignored.
Besides, I would also have to go against an extremely loud and incredibly angry tide, forcing me to die on a strange hill. Engaging with this movie in the ways one normally would is a loser’s game.
“Joker” is aimed at the attention petite bourgeoisie; perpetually online drool factories whose excess energy is expended through the production, dissemination and regurgitation of media hot takes. This is the best possible audience for a movie to have, regardless of whether the attention spent is positive or negative. It is both condemned and fueled by this group — and the latter has more intensity.
“Joker” is a “LSD in your kid’s Halloween candy” recursion. A recursive media demon that can not be slain with conventional posting. And, worst of all, it will be the new normal. It will be the new normal because of how lucrative this outrage has been. It is the worst of all because this outrage has obscured something beautiful (if not painfully blunt).
Had it not been for this outrage, this would be a movie that is transparently about how the economic systems of America have failed, are failing, and will continue to fail everyone who isn’t at the top. How austerity and capital are the real enemies of the people. Class struggle. Unfortunately, this narrative has been eliminated. There is no room for alternative readings.
Alas, it’s about incels now.
Categories: Arts & Entertainment
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