Is the Joker responsible for his actions?
In short, I don’t think so.
*Spoiler Alert*
The darkest depiction of mental health we have ever seen.
Joker shows society’s dual effect on its people, providing a platform to rise above difficult life circumstances, or in the case of Arthur Fleck, a descent into deprivation from its removal.
The foundations for Arthur’s life — his job as a clown-for-hire, aspirations to be a legitimate stand-up comedian, the relationship with his mother, social worker sessions, medication — all fall away beneath him outside of his control.
“In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning” — Victor Frankl
The accumulation of Arthur’s misfortunes and withdrawal of support, combined with his underlying mental health issues, leads to a psychological breaking point on the subway. The Joker rises as Arthur Fleck’s ultimate form of self-transcendence.
The formation of a society is itself a great victory for the interdependence between us. But for some, it has a nasty side effect. A sick society will churn out sick people. The environment around us inevitably affects our values in life.
What are values?
Values are deep-seated subjective beliefs. They govern our behaviour and we use them to decide our actions. Social psychologist Shalom Schwartz describes them as “conceptions of the desirable, that influence the way people select action and evaluate events”.
Schwartz’s ten types of universal value are:
1. Power: authority; leadership; dominance, social power, wealth.
2. Achievement: success; capability; ambition; influence; intelligence; self-respect
3. Hedonism: pleasure; enjoying life.
4. Stimulation: daring activities; varied life; exciting life.
5. Self-direction: creativity; freedom; independence; curiosity; choosing your own goals.
6. Universalism: broadmindedness; wisdom; social justice; equality; a world at peace; a world of beauty; unity with nature; protecting the environment; inner harmony.
7. Benevolence: helpfulness; honesty; forgiveness; loyalty; responsibility; friendship.
8. Tradition: accepting one’s portion in life; humility; devoutness; respect for tradition; moderation.
9. Conformity: self-discipline; obedience.
10. Security: cleanliness; family security; national security; stability of social order; reciprocation of favours; health; sense of belonging.
Schwartz also tested an eleventh possible universal value, ‘spirituality’, or ‘the goal of finding meaning in life’, but found that it does not seem to be recognised in all cultures.
Society has the power to enable strongest positive forces like social justice, friendship, or a sense of belonging. But manipulation of these cultural values can cause people to yearn for self-sabotaging ideals, such as too much power, authority, dominance, wealth, hedonism, and stimulation. Distorted values inevitably lead to distorted behaviour. By controlling the trap of external validation, we are influenced to act in a way that deep down we do not want.
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The film also reflects today’s current cultural climate regarding masculinity and individualism.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory defines masculinity as “a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success.” A society that imposes these ideals on men will inevitably cause those who cannot achieve them to be classed as failures.
He also describes an individualistic society as having loose ties and people who only relate to their immediate family. These disintegrated social connections means those in need of communal support will fail to obtain it, no matter how hard they try.
Why is this relevant to Joker?
The Joker spawns as a symptom of the deeper underlying illnesses of society. He diagnoses Gotham City whilst appearing on Live with Murray Franklin, berating the audience for only caring about the subway shooting victims because Thomas Wayne portrayed them in a positive light. But if anyone like Arthur was shot, it would be disregarded, leaving him marginalised in the shadows of society.
This realisation of this societal scripting is also seen in Jean-Paul Sartre’s “La Nausée”. The protagonist Antoine Roquentin recognises the absurdity of the world. He describes how social norms are constructed to give our lives an air of normality. But eventually transcending this perspective, he comes to the realisation that nothing is truly “normal”.
Once you become aware of the absurdity in how we judge each other on a framework decided by society, you cannot go back to your old perspective of the world.
The philosopher Albert Camus asks “Does the realisation of the absurd require suicide?” He replies “No. It requires revolt.” This is echoed at the end of Joker, when he embraces the absurd and is no longer afraid of doing what others see as wrong, because they are living in a world just as mad as his.
The manipulation of human values to control what we care about imposes a stranglehold on the freedom of our minds. If people’s minds can’t be free, society cannot be free, and will continue generating Jokers.
