I find myself this morning roundly attacked on Facebook regarding a comment I made about the movie Joker. I always find this sort of thing very strange. Why are people so angry? Why would they respond so hotly to a comment from a random person on Facebook? I could see expressing an intelligent objection to my opinion, a discussion of the intent of the movie, but why the suggestion that I perform all sorts of anatomically impossible feats upon my person?
Joker has become the subject of rather intense debate. There are those who insist that there is a political message, although just what that message is ranges from rejection of capitalism to the ascendency of Trumpism, and so on and so forth. Most film critics seem to feel that the movie was pointless at worst or simply failed to make its point at best (and I'm inclined to agree).
I did, however, see a review on a Catholic website that managed to find some considerable worth in the movie--not as a political statement but as a cultural statement regarding the failure of society to meet the needs of its weakest members, those who are marginalized, especially by mental illness. And the Joker himself is most certainly mentally ill, and could have been helped at many steps along the way by a compassionate society.
But there are many among us, especially when they are able to be anonymous (as on Facebook), who are decidedly less than compassionate--who, in fact, are looking to be unkind, abusive, which must, I presume, come from some seething anger within them.
Joker has become the subject of rather intense debate. There are those who insist that there is a political message, although just what that message is ranges from rejection of capitalism to the ascendency of Trumpism, and so on and so forth. Most film critics seem to feel that the movie was pointless at worst or simply failed to make its point at best (and I'm inclined to agree).
I did, however, see a review on a Catholic website that managed to find some considerable worth in the movie--not as a political statement but as a cultural statement regarding the failure of society to meet the needs of its weakest members, those who are marginalized, especially by mental illness. And the Joker himself is most certainly mentally ill, and could have been helped at many steps along the way by a compassionate society.
But there are many among us, especially when they are able to be anonymous (as on Facebook), who are decidedly less than compassionate--who, in fact, are looking to be unkind, abusive, which must, I presume, come from some seething anger within them.
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