A Weird Time in the World
The October 4 release of the Warner Brothers film, “Joker” will reach theaters all across the nation, but not Aurora, Colorado. Mental health remains a prominent societal issue and the Aurora theater mass shooting of 2012 continues to haunt those affected. The world is not in a place to fully move on from the Batman showing that painfully resulted in twelve gun inflicted deaths.
The TMZ article focuses on father Mike Senecal, whose daughter Katherine Senecal, was a victim of the 2012 shooting. Katherine helped saved her friend who was shot. Mike says, “Katie would have been able to separate the movie from real life, and I believe those who can’t are part of the problem.” He adds that violent people exist regardless of whether “Joker” comes out, and people who have issues with the film don’t have to see it (TMZ).
Media violence is an issue reaching maximum prominence. A common argument is the exposure to social media and video games at young age, but the way in which these forms of entertainment are serving as social outlets is the true issue. A level of social comparison has been implemented at a youthful stage leading kids to be told there is one right way to look and act. The more they tune into the unreachable standard of society, the easier they find inspiration in characters losing to norm. There is a strong correlation between an insecure mental state and media usage.
Despite his horrific past, Mike plans to see the new Joker movie and he thinks his daughter would have too. Unfortunately, Katie died by suicide last year. She struggled with mental health issues before the shooting, and she recognized, “The biggest epidemic in this country is a lack of mental health care, not movies” (TMZ).
On the other hand, many feel the Joker movie has no place in the box office.
TMZ reports, “Sandy Phillips, mother of Jessica Ghawi, who was one of the 12 killed, and her husband, Lonnie, along with 3 other family members of victims, all signed a letter sent to Warner Bros.” They all clearly voiced their fears over the movie and requested the studio to donate to groups in efforts to help victims of gun violence.
Sandy says the movie feels, “Like a slap in the face” and she’s terrified. “My worry is that one person who may be out there, and who knows if it is just one, who is on the edge, who is wanting to be a mass shooter, may be encouraged by this movie.” She adds, “For me, it’s the gratuitous violence that this film glorifies and elevates with the Joker character.”
Relating to Media Effects Research, media violence has played a large part in the continuous mass shootings, especially the horrific event in Aurora dating back to 2012. The gunman, James Holmes was armed with an assault rifle and other guns while wearing full body armor. He attacked moviegoers at a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 and injuring 70 (TMZ). Holmes became linked to the Joker due to his artificial bright orange hair. This coincidence circles back to the copycat phenomenon. Researchers explain this to be the behaviors imitated by someone to replicate what they see in media. The Joker is a fictional killer whose tendency inspired a man to copy in reality.
The copycat phenomenon supports a lot of the social issues Mike refers to. Although, it is not the content of a movie that convinces a man to spray bullets in a theater. It is the lack of mental support unstable people are getting and sometimes we turn to media for our answers. Society relies on media and arguably for too much. Since 2012, there has been no answer to the continuous mass shootings. As media will progress, how will we?
