Ethical Analysis of Joker

Joker is a 2019 film directed by Todd Phillips about the infamous Batman villain from DC Comics, The Joker. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular Joker character. While the Joker is known for not having a true backstory, Phillips creates an origin for the character that showcases how the man, Arthur Fleck, became the villain that we have seen adapted to film numerous times. Joker is a complex movie that touches upon many heavy subjects ranging from mental health, class, crime, and the media. Upon its release, the film received a vast amount of backlash due to its intense subject matter and this character’s history of inspiring mass shootings, as seen in the 2012 Aurora Colorado Shooting (Karimi, 2019). Due to this subject matter and the public reception, Todd Philip’s Joker relates to the ideas of Plato, John Stuart Mill, and Edward Bernays.

Joker is about Arthur Fleck, a man with numerous mental health problems living in the slums of Gotham City, a city on the brink of a classist revolution. Fleck works as a clown for hire with a dream of being a stand-up comic. With a history of being abused and beaten down by the city he lives in, Fleck snaps and murders three wealthy members of Gotham’s elite after being beaten for his mental health conditions after being fired from his clown job. As a result of these murders, the clown becomes a symbol of revolution against the wealth of Gotham for the city’s lower class, which throws the city into an uprising. When Arthur’s stand-up is laughed at on live TV by his idol, Robert De Niro’s talk-show host character Murray Franklin, a culmination of events leads to the sick mind of Arthur Fleck turning into the anarchist serial killer, the Joker. (Philips, 2019).

           The film Joker can be analyzed using the teachings of Plato. Plato was a Greek philosopher who discussed the lessons taught by his teacher, Socrates (Klages, 2019). They firmly believed that art should be virtuous and good while anything that is not should be censored and blocked from impressionable minds (Plato, 381 B.C.E.). While an enjoyable film, Joker showcases subject matter that is anything but virtuous and good. This film represents everything Plato and Socrates would hate about twenty-first-century mass media. The philosophers would dislike subject matters such as horror movies, political comedy, and acting in fiction that portrays a distinctly unvirtuous character (Klages, 2019). Horror movies glorify death and murder, topics heavily depicted in the film. As a result, the film showcases the rise of the most notable serial killer in comic-book history and shows these actions numerous times throughout the story. 

Furthermore, this film has elements of political comedy within it. Although not necessarily humorous, Joker showcases a toxic political climate based upon the late seventies and early eighties in New York City (Philips, 2019). The film discusses poverty, portrays a classist revolution, and showcases the public undermining the government’s authority and the city’s elite. Plato believed that the authority of the government or gods should never be undermined in hopes of keeping them powerful and taken seriously (Plato, 381 B.C.E.). He believed that if art makes heroes out of those who undermine authority, then that art should be censored (Plato, 381 B.C.E.). In the film, Joker, the titular character does precisely this. Arthur Fleck’s clown persona becomes the symbol that Gotham’s poor rallies around in protest against the rich and powerful of the city.

           Finally, Plato and Socrates’ taught that acting in fiction should only showcase that of the good and virtuous (Plato, 381 B.C.E.). While Joaquin Phoenix performs phenomenally as the titular character, he does not portray a character with positive values. Arthur Fleck is a person suffering from mental health conditions, which, along with his history of being abused, lead him to the dark path we follow the character on throughout the movie. Phoenix shows the final straw of a person oppressing their demons and ultimately becoming the twisted individual they always were. Simply put, Plato and Socrates would hate this. Not one element of the portrayal of Arthur Fleck resembles virtue and positivity. He lies, stalks, steals, and murders. Phoenix portrays all of these unvirtuous actions done by the character. Along with the other factors of 21st-century media mentioned, Plato and Socrates would not allow this movie to see the light of day. It showcases nothing but negative virtues in their eyes, and this film would ultimately be censored, never seen by the public due to its numerous unvirtuous actions.

The film has received an intense backlash from the media due to the intense subject matter. Mainstream media outlets have published articles that make the movie sound more fearful and evil than it is, as seen in headlines such as “Joker Is A Dangerous Film — & It’s Bringing Out The Worst In The Internet” (Newman-Bremang, 2019) and “‘Joker’ hits movie theatres with controversy and extra security” (Karimi, 2019). One could view these articles as propaganda according to the teachings of Bernays. A tweet from CNN describes the film as “Joker, the film about a marginalized clown who goes on a killing rampage is facing a wave of criticism that it glorifies a killer and could encourage copycat attacks” (CNN, 2019). The movie itself does not play out in the way this quote insinuates. The film is about Gotham City’s lower class revolting, Arthur Fleck’s struggle to feel normal in society, and the mystery behind who Arthur Fleck’s father is. Fleck kills around six people within the film’s two-hour runtime. 

Media outlets are portraying the film as propaganda to inspire future killers to copy Fleck’s actions (Karimi, 2019). The idea of this film being propaganda for future killers can be related to Edward Bernays and his teachings on propaganda. Bernays described propaganda as “an executive arm of the invisible government” (Bernays, 2004). The way the media accuses this film of inspiring mass shooters could be partly to push some political agenda one might have. Since many of these articles are coming out of CNN, a politically left-leaning news agency, it could possibly be a tactic to push for stricter gun control. In Bernays’ eyes, the articles and the film could be considered propaganda. Fleck’s actions are always portrayed to be harmful. While it is justified to be cautious, given the history of The Joker inspiring mass shootings in other portrayals, the film is not made to celebrate the character and the violence he causes (Karimi, 2019). Although Fleck may be finding joy in his actions, the film goes to great lengths to show the sickness behind the actions, ultimately making the audience uncomfortable and hopefully not inspiring killers.

The media’s negative response can be analyzed through the point of view of Mill. Mill believed that all ideas should be heard (Klages, 2019). With this situation, Mill would welcome the film as a story the filmmaker wanted to tell. The way the media is urging the public not to see it, accusing it of being mass shooter propaganda, would go against what Mill taught. Instead of encouraging the public not to see it, they should entice the public to see the movie and determine their own opinions from the content. 

Mill typically discussed how the dominant ideas are heard, which could be applied to the film Joker (Klages, 2019). Throughout the film, we only hear affluent city members like Thomas Wayne share their opinions on the state of Gotham. These opinions are broadcasted on television through shows like Live with Murray Franklin to the citizens of Gotham. This idea is evident in how Mills’ theories are applicable even within the movie itself. The dominant idea is that of the influential people. 

Joker is a 2019 film that came under a negative backlash due to its substantial subject matter. Due to this, the teachings of Plato, John Stewart Mill, and Edward Bernays can be used to analyze this film. Todd Phillip’s story about Arthur Fleck’s transition into the infamous DC comic character deals with heavy topics such as mental health, class, death, and crime. As a result, the three thinkers would all have strong opinions on the subject. Plato would hate the film due to the prevalent showcase of unvirtuous actions. Bernays would agree with the media’s backlash, accusing it of being no more than propaganda to inspire future killers. However, Mill would be the only thinker to celebrate the movie because he believes that all ideas should be shared. While the movie is dark in terms of subject matter, the film itself is pretty thought-provoking and gives an outstanding performance from its lead actor. Todd Philip’s Joker is a great character study that refers to society’s fears, ultimately allowing for deeper ethical analysis.