How the Joker Became the Face of Protests around the World
When Joker first arrived in theaters, there was significant outcry about the character possibly inspiring disturbed individuals to carry out violence. There was precedent for this, too:in Aurora, a lone gunman shot several people during a 2012 screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises.
Despite such concerns, Joker has actually gone onto inspire people in very different circumstances: anti-government protests across the world are adopting the Joker as a symbol of defiance.
Joker is not the first pop culture figure to be co-opted for protests. Recently, Money Heist, V for Vendetta and The Handmaid’s Tale have all inspired protesters to don masks and costumes. What the Joker has in common with something like V for Vendetta is the way it represents outrage and resistance against a ruling class. In the film, Gotham is falling apart due to poverty and crime while the rich continue to lead lavish lives and look down upon the poor in disdain.
This is similar to the current situation in Chile, for instance, where right-wing government policies have prohibitively increased the cost of living for its citizens, whereas in Beirut, protesters are demanding the complete removal of the elite ruling class. People are donning Joker’s face paint, or spray-painting statues with phrases such as “we are all…
