Friday, January 26, 2024

Joker & Trump... Yep... A Sickness...

Speaking of "slogs" (see previous post), I recently watched "Joker" (2019). A "psychological thriller," depicting the origin story of the infamous DC Comics bad guy. Joaquin Phoenix gives an incredibly detailed performance in the title role, and he totally transforms his body, and his physicality in his portrayal.

It is such an ugly and nihilistic movie. No hint of redemption or goodness. It delves deep into the psyche of a very disturbing and disturbed human being. It realistically portrays a narcisistic, depressed, depraved, self-loathing, suicidal, homcidal, and deeply afflicted personality.

It points a crooked finger to the idea that neglect, cruelty, pain, abuse, and suffering are passed down from one generation to the next; that "monsters," are not born, but made. And really, if you look hard enough, there are no monsters amongst us, just deeply sick & psychically-deformed human beings who do monstrous things.

Not light entertainment. Watching the movie is like watching a very bad car-crash with multiple casualites. What compelled me to watch to the end? Joaquin's performance. Really I blame him. He is one of my favorite actors and he is totally amazing and convincing.

Why do I mention all this? Why didn't I just take a hot shower aftewards and just forget seeing this black-hole of a movie?

It has haunted me ever since. I do think the movie has broader resonance in our current world, it is a great depiction of Trump & Trumpism. Really. I actually got a chill reading this sentence from Wikipedia: "On November 16, 2019, it was screened at the White House for President Donald Trump, who reportedly enjoyed the film."

I wonder if he recognized himself in Joaquin's portrayal? Or is he just too blind to his own depravity, too self-aborbed, and too clueless?  I am thoroughly convinced this movie is actually a great psychological depiction & explanation for Trump. Why is he so popular with a segment of our society? Unfortunately, sadly, the MAGA cult sees their own hatred, and self-loathing, reflected in him. Trumpism isn't politics, it is pathology.

OMG. 

Joker & Trump. They both wear make-up and color their hair. Lots of similiar personality traits: self-loathing, narcissitic, very un-funny, deplorable, mentally-deformed, full of hate and revenge, a seething psyche that wants to inflict pain & suffering on anyone better (which they believe deep in their hearts is everyone), than themselves, one who hates anyone not deformed by their own hate too. A totally bloated , blimp-sized, ego, a scared weakling & coward, with a small and totally crushed psyche. You can see the type: racists, bullies, dictators, authoritarians, haters of all stripes.

There are differences. 

Joker was a deprived child, Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. One, of course, is fictional, the other one is very, very real. Both characters are big, terrible, brutally-unsympathetic babies. Yikes. Shite. 

Yes, some people just want to light the world on fire to watch it burn. Their self hatred, fear & loathing is projected on eveyone else. That is MAGA.  It explains Fascism too. A movement of hate-filled creeps wanting to wreak revenge on civilization and those more civilized. The attitude can be summarized as: "I am unhappy, disregarded, under-appreciated, held in contempt by others. I want to destroy everything, bring it all down in a heaping pile of ash. And I will blame those 'others'  for all the ills of the world." 

Yes. Indeed. This often plays out in our Pop Culture thru books, movies, comics, etc. Rage-induced revenge sagas, and bleak, all-encompassing, apocalyptic dystopias.  It's a persistent, ubiquitous genre of trauma & drama. This particular film of horror was a world-wide box-office success. Yikes.

Amazingly, we actually, accidentally, with a little help from Russian diinfo, put one of these very deformed, mortally-sick personalities into the White House once, and FUCK, he wants in again. 

At the end of the film Joker is standing on a flaming automobile, surrounded by a mob of deranged clowns. I couldn't help flashing on Trump, the MAGA hordes, and the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. The movie now reads like a premonition, and a prophecy of that very dark day.

WTF.  It all points to a sickness in our national psyche too. Dare I say it? We can all do so, so much better.  Yikes.