“Is it me, or is it getting crazier out there?” Arthur Fleck, Joker.
“Joker” is a new origin story showing the Joker’s transition from decent to average person to villain. Some critics ask whether the movie will encourage violence and mass shootings.
“The Joker is a fictional character and it is a fictional movie,” senior Ivy Hodges said. “It is also not the first violent villain film, so why it is getting backlash I don’t know.”
Shayna Ellis, a senior, said, “While the movie did have some graphic scenes, I think the movie was rather soft compared to a lot of movies. The Joker has always been known for his mass violence and severe psychosis, and this movie downplayed that in my opinion. I expected it to be emotionally triggering and way more violent.”
Senior Keith Martin said, “I think people put too much into movies and video games and other forms of media to try and justify an issue that is more complicated than that. The human mind is a crazy thing, and while those things may be contributing factors, they aren’t the main problem, and people acting as if it were are not correct.”
Drew Petroff, a senior, said, “Anyone who is mentally unstable could try to justify themselves by the things they consume. So if somebody was already mentally disturbed and saw ‘Joker,’ they could try to justify themselves, but for average people, no.
“Most sensible people have a good moral compass and aren’t persuaded by that stuff.”
