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By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Recently, the world was shaken by the sudden murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the subsequent arrest of alleged shooter Luigi Mangione. As a pop culture writer and general geek, I tend to view major events through the lens of television and film, and the widespread support for the CEO assassination led me to a far-fetched and somewhat uncomfortable conclusion. In short, the Joker is real and he is all of us, and Todd Phillips’ first film about the clown prince of crime perfectly predicts how we would react to these strange events.
We are all clowns
what he did Joker What was notable when it came out was how it offered a real look at the psychology of a comic book villain who is often dismissed as nothing more than a murderous clown. Instead of giving the titular villain a very ambiguous origin like the previous comics and movies did, Joker It shows very explicitly how his descent into murderous madness was brought about by the system that continually let him down when he was at his most vulnerable. This culminates in the execution of three arrogant Wall Street brothers and a sneering talk show host, and the film’s conclusion shows how much their actions resonated with a supportive public.
When Joker When it came out, this ending seemed almost as crazy as the clown prince himself. It didn’t seem real that so many people would riot and support a complete stranger after discovering that he was a murderer. Yet that’s exactly what happened recently when the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed. Even before Luigi Mangione was arrested as a suspect, there was widespread public support for his actions. And since his arrest, he has enjoyed even more support, with even his fellow inmates recently clamoring that he should be released even if convicted.
Without commenting on the morality of the shooter or the moral culpability of the victim, I still can’t help but point out that these events have demonstrated the plot of Joker be real and eerily prophetic. In that movie, the main character kills powerful Wall Street thugs whom we see harassing a defenseless woman, and then kills the talk show host who can’t believe our favorite clown finds his murderous actions so funny. Joker also kills Murray Franklin, after realizing that man’s primary function is to support a broken system that devours dreams and spits out bodies.
The mysterious similarities
If you think I’m trying to make the Joker too real, go back and rewatch the movie and see how well some of the quotes match up with the speech surrounding the CEO’s assassination. Joker confronts Murray and asks, “Have you seen what the situation is like out there?” and asks rhetorically whether powerful figures like Thomas Wayne “ever thought about what it’s like to be someone like me.” In justifying his decision to shoot the Wall Street brothers who worked for Wayne, Joker declares that powerful figures “think we’re just going to sit there and take it… that we won’t be werewolves and go crazy!”
There has been a similar refrain from those defending the murder of Brian Thompson, with many pointing out that UnitedHealthcare’s history of denying claims (they reportedly denied one in three claims) meant the company was responsible for injuring or even killing to ordinary people. As such, the CEO became something of a Thomas Wayne figure, and many were as indifferent to his death as the Joker was to Murray Franklin for the same reason: the belief that people can only be pushed so far. certain point before beginning to respond.
Despite the groundswell of support for alleged shooter Luigi Mangione, mainstream media publications have largely reacted with horror at the idea of anyone condoning the murder of Brian Thompson. For those who condone or even celebrate that murder, this is emblematic of something Joker told Murray in another true vision of the power structure tearing the country apart. “All of you, the system that knows so much: you decide what is right or wrong the same way you decide what is funny or not.”
We get what we deserve
While Luigi Mangione’s guilt has yet to be determined, it is worth noting that his own background seems to indicate that he may feel betrayed by the healthcare industry. He suffered a serious back injury that made everything from surfing (a favorite pastime) to sex impossible, and he became a murderer at age 26, the same age at which young people can no longer be covered by the sure of his parents. In the Joker’s final joke to Murray, he keeps it real by asking what you get “when you cross a lonely mentally ill person with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash.”
The fatal punchline is “You get what you deserve,” and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that America is, in fact, getting what we deserve. The healthcare system is increasingly unaffordable and irrevocably broken, but we have all been conditioned to tolerate a world where executives can rake in millions of dollars while condemning to death the poor patients whose claims they dismiss. However, a few years ago it still seemed far-fetched to think that a relative nobody who attacked the rich and powerful could so galvanize the public into treating him as a hero.
Now, however, the Joker is real, but he’s not necessarily the alleged shooter. Instead, it’s everyone who is becoming more and more “werewolves” and “going feral” out of a desire to fight a sick system that preys on even sicker people. And considering the recent glut of CEO wanted posters springing up around New York City to encourage other vigilantes to take more action against the rich and powerful, it looks like this prank won’t be ending anytime soon, and we may soon see more jokes that will forever change the discourse on healthcare in America.
