Joker: An Exercise In Nihilism

The movie Joker was an example of nihilism at its apogee. The fact that its view of the world resonated with so many people is concerning. This isn’t to take anything away from the performance of Joaquin Phoenix, the story, or the social commentary of the movie. They were all extremely well done. And people should remember that the downtrodden and disenfranchised cannot be shoved into a corner and ignored. But the character Arthur Fleck/Joker is not someone to be celebrated and emulated.

This is not a movie critique. I am not here to analyze the storytelling and details of the movie. Nor am I here to summarize the movie beyond this; Joker is about a down on his luck man with mental illness, who is driven to nothing more and nothing less than nihilism. By the end of the movie, the main character, Arthur Fleck, simply does not care anymore. He doesn’t care about right or wrong, success or suffering.

The world has been relentlessly unforgiving to Mr Fleck, and pushes him past his breaking point. In return, he sees chaos, and suffering, particularly of those perceived to be perpetuating, or indifferent to, his dire situation, as comedy, entertainment.

One cannot help but feel bad for Mr Fleck as we see more and more unravel in his life. It is understandable that when someone is pushed past their breaking point, and it seems no one cares, the only thing left to do is lash out. But Arthur Fleck, as he becomes the Joker, eventually crosses a line from which sympathy can no longer be extended.

What’s more, Fleck/Joker crosses a line that the audience, removed from suffering the trauma that Fleck suffers, should recognize is not to be celebrated. It is undoubtedly true that we cannot expect to ignore or mock the suffering of the downtrodden and not reap the consequences of doing so, at a certain level. But it is also undoubtedly true that once you take your suffering and extrapolate that onto others, you become the focal point of the problem.

Arthur Fleck/Joker says at one point, “I used to think my life was a tragedy. But then I realized it was a comedy.” No Arthur, your life is a tragedy. Much of that because of circumstance, not you. But for the audience to agree with him, which I have no doubt many do, illustrates a problem at the societal level.

Viewing Joker as a comedy, or even agreeing with his statement is a tacit agreement with, if not celebration of, the nihilism of the movie. “Lets celebrate someone beaten down by life turning his city into chaos and thinking that killing is funny.” Yes it was fascinating to watch Fleck/Joker’s development/unraveling, so long as you didn’t think anything he did was in any way ok.

The fact that Fleck’s story resonates and can seem so real is indicative of a breakdown of societal bonds. People do not feel kinship with each other and do not share values. Watching the movie, you got the sense that there was nothing beyond the material world that Fleck lived in, besides his own psychosis.

This is to say that there was no higher authority to appeal to, no underlying values that one could cling to, to get through the storm of life. There is no objective moral standard for everyone to adhere to and nothing to incentivize us to feel kinship with our fellow man. It’s not a mystery why, despite many thinking it is.

Life, without some values and standards that come from beyond the immediate material human world, is random, cruel and absurd. Religion, patriotism, tight knit communities and families fill that void. People need something beyond what is seen to get through the ostensibly random bizarre thing that we call life. The weakening of these “traditional values” makes life more difficult.

Yes, Joker is only a movie. One can enjoy it without believing and endorsing its nihilistic qualities. I did. But, dear reader, try this. Observe the way people and society writ large behave. Observe how so many people struggle and try to find something to give themselves a steady grip on life, as God, religion and patriotism are not options for them.

You can philosophize and abstract all you want. If you don’t have the traditional basis for morality and meaning, you will be compelled to make one up in its stead, or fall prey to nihilism, when unrelentingly tough times hit. Think about why that is, and think about maybe changing your axioms. Maybe that way, we won’t resonate with Arthur Fleck’s descent to Joker.