Violence in Fiction

I’m thinking about the upcoming Joker movie. Frankly, after Heath Ledger’s performance as Joker, I thought nothing else could compare. However, here comes Joaquin Phoenix and the early Oscar buzz. As a former comics collector, I know the variations of Joker’s origin story. This time the treatment is deadly serious, maybe even ponderous and disturbing. This is not Cesar Romero’s campy Joker. You can’t see Phoenix’s portrayal in theatres yet but there’s already plenty said about it already. (This Huffington Post article, for instance.)

Where do violent incels come from?

Though the director insists the story is not political, some critics worry that Joker’s origin story will inspire incels to violence. With mass shootings in the news, I would argue that naming active shooters and giving them the fame they crave does more to inspire others to pick up a gun. A host of societal ills contributes to the violence that plagues us. These are trying times and it’s tempting to look for an easy scapegoat. Art ain’t it.

Eliminate income inequality, enact and enforce gun laws that make sense, reduce poverty and homelessness, act more instead of reacting, power up mental health initiatives, investigate groups that foster hate. That might help. I could go on and on about the roots of violence. Fiction is not on that list. Fiction is not the problem. Reality is. It’s so easy to point at a work of art and say, “Don’t do that. It could hurt people.” It might. It might also provide an escapist fantasy that does no harm. It might even stir some questions and thought that could be helpful.

Did Goodfellas get more people to join the mob? If somebody joined the mafia because of that movie, should no one watch Goodfellas ever again? If this were the 1960s, would the same people concern trolling Joker be condemning comic books? That was a thing. People were very sure comics were a threat to civil society. In reality, they inspired many non-readers to read (which has been shown to increase empathy, by the way). I don’t believe fiction is the problem. Systemic failure on many levels is the problem.

This is not to say that movies and books don’t have effects. Fight Club inspired real fight clubs. Top Gun was a Navy recruitment tool. The question is, do we Nerf the world on the chance that some rando will act on his impulses and kill innocents? What’s the cost-benefit analysis there and where should the chill of self-censorship stop?

The journey of the anti-hero is actually much more interesting to me than that of heroes. I often write about bad versus evil because good versus evil often posits a binary world with fewer shades of grey. I’d rather watch Breaking Bad, Dexter (the early seasons) or Better Call Saul than another police procedural. When those procedurals succeed, it’s often because the heroes embrace the darkness. House was a procedural of sorts and his misanthropy was much more interesting than the solutions he arrived at in the last ten minutes of the show.

I’m not glossing over anything. School shootings are a horror. The latest PSA put out by Sandy Hook Promise made me cry. If you haven’t seen it, prepare yourself.

It’s easy to point to the mass shooter in Colorado who dyed his hair like the Joker and say that the movie is where the danger lies. I don’t think so. I think it’s easy to focus an easy target than explore more complex solutions.

A long time ago I worked on a committee that was supposed to promote freedom of expression. Results, from my point of view, were mixed. There were publishers on the committee who were totally against censorship, or thought they were until the subject matter made them uncomfortable. That’s not how anti-censorship works.

What’s to be done?

The truth is, I’m not exactly sure I understand what critics want. Do they desire a ban on Joker movies or movies like it? There may be some who do. Mainly the commentary seems to take a less extreme tack. I suspect they’re being vague because they don’t want to be seen defending censorship. Instead, they’re indicting art. Are filmmakers supposed to be more careful to…what? I don’t know what they want. They won’t admit to whatever their goal is. To make filmmakers more thoughtful? Of anti-heroes?

The implication seems to be that if a mass shooter blames the movie, the movie will be to blame. That stance infantilizes us all and the net effect, if it worked, would be to make fiction less interesting. I don’t think it would improve our lives. Metalheads may retreat into death metal but that doesn’t make them violent. The Lord of the Rings is epic fantasy that has enthralled many. Has it inspired anyone to pick up a sword? If we could make that connection, what would they have us do? And where does it stop? Banning Eminem lyrics? Banning video of Elvis’s magical dancing hips?

My suggestions

Don’t like it? Don’t watch it. Don’t read it. Don’t listen to it. Don’t let your kids watch, read or listen, either.

Don’t like that other people are making art that makes you uncomfortable? It’s never been easier to become a filmmaker, an author or an artist. Make your stuff. Counter the wave and cancel it out with a wave of your own.

Will someone watch Joker and be inspired to inflict violence on others? If they have the weapons, possibly. I’d focus on denying those people the means to act on their sickness first. Failing that, I guess the question is, is art worth the risk? Worry about who is answering that question for you. You might not have much entertainment to enjoy if some outliers were to have their way.

Four final thoughts

1. Support and enjoy art you love. Ignore the rest so you don’t give it oxygen. (When I saw the first Joker trailer, I was not enthused. Those think pieces on Joker make me want to see it more, not less.)
2. Don’t infantilize us all in the hopes of avoiding unlikely violence.
3. Focus on solving risk factors that are far more likely to lead to carnage.
4. If you want to have a discussion about making more movies that aren’t sequels to pre-existing franchises, I’m all for that discussion. There are many intellectual properties out there that are fresh and shiny which get pushed aside. Original stories that are less homogenous are more of a financial risk. If you want more interesting and original cinema, patronize more independent films and art cinemas. Voting with your dollar gets the message to the people who give new film ventures a chance.