I'm really looking forward to The Joker. Like, really looking forward to it.
If you haven't heard about it by now then they are creating a movie to tell the story of the joker. To give some background and perhaps some substance to one of Gotham City's worst super villains. That he wasn't always someone bad; that before the joker he was someone like you and I trying to get on with their lives with the cold hard hand it had dealt him.
This will obviously open up a larger debate, perhaps for the first time in mainstream media; that villains weren't always villains, and that at some point in their lives they were just someone trying to do good in their lives, however young they were. I'm not a great believer in evil is inherent -- it is taught. Even a sociopath or a psychopath can function well in society given the right upbringing and healthy friendship circles.
Obviously though, I doubt that there will be any detraction from the idea that his decisions were ultimately bad, and that he is technically a mass murderer on an epic scale. But hopefully this will bring a healthier understanding as to why people make the choices that they do and can often lead them into jail, or worse, death.
Sometimes people just need a cuddle and some positive reinforcement. It happened to me.
At 26 years old I was rotting away in my flat. I had hardly any deep connections with anyone and I hadn't had any positive reinforcement since I was 16.
You see, I was raised as a golden child. Only son of a Project Manager in Nuclear Power; my dad's monthly earnings dwarfed that of some of my friends dad's yearly salary's. Whenever my mum needed anything she could just phone up my dad and have it -- we didn't struggle that's for sure. No matter how off the rails my dad was. And through all of that I had a good life etched out in front of me. Good universities, a place in the National Golf Team, A* student, good friends. But I chucked it all away for drugs and drink; sold my golf-clubs so I could get drugs. Imagine the disappointment?
The disappointment in my family was rife. To the extent that I felt that they had almost given up on me. They probably hadn't, but it didn't stop me feeling like that -- isolated, 400 miles away from anyone in my family that I could feel love from, and no-one had been to visit me in years. I was alone, rotting away, isolated, sad.
I dread to think what could have went through my mind with all the avenues to take up on the internet today.
A lot of people don't know this about me but there was a point in my life where I severely distrusted women; at every point in my life where women were involved my first reaction was to wonder what exactly did they want from me. Not that they were just curious to get to know lil' old me, but the go to thought was,
"what do they hope to get from me?"
And that's not something that just happened out of the blue, it was something that was nurtured from the moment I had left home. The relationships I had built with women since then were toxic at best, and extremely controlling at worst -- and now that I was out of the other end I was left with little trust at all. Of course I was just as much to blame as they were, but I was too young and naive to see any of that just yet.
And the all change for me was when I decided to make a radical change in my life and I began to donate my time to charity -- and in that charity I met healthy women with an abundance of love to give, and I was shown through their leadership what healthy relationships with women should be like.
We are shaped by our environment. I learned this was the strongest way to change the behaviour of other people; leading by example. And I took this on board and started to do it myself.
The Joker was impacted harshly by his environment, and rather than make the good decision to remove himself from this in any way that he can -- I expect he made the bad decision to sink further into the shitpit, although I haven't seen the film so I don't know how it will explain the descent.
The real work isn't done by shouting at people for being in the wrong, we can all do that. Scream at someone for not thinking the same way as we do, but that doesn't change anything. It only pushes those that disagree with us further away. We tend to circle jerk our opinions out that way. Only really aiming to get confirmation from those that agree with us.
The real work is actually sitting down with someone and listening to them. I would have LOVED to have someone come in and just sit with me and talk for a while those years when I was alone. I had no-one to bounce my thoughts off -- only me and that damn telly.
We rarely delve down the avenues of the real causes of law breaking, and why people are in prison with no hope of getting better. I can pin them down to a few:
Violence in childhood, isolation, loneliness, & neglect.
Those types of things rarely manifest in people that have had an abundance of love and forgiveness in their lives; kids rarely repeat what they see on TV or hear from their friends. No, the real culprit is the circumstances that people are surrounded in. We tend to learn behaviours from our parents and our peers, and if that environment is unhealthy -- it's no good news.
So, hopefully The Joker will bring some nuance to the discussion. I'm hoping anyway. Maybe people will shift from thinking how the world impacts them, to how their actions are impacting other people, and a in a blinding realisation, go and sit down and chat to someone. Listen. Have a real conversation.
But I'm not holding my breath lol
Double Bear see's you now!
Muahahaha
Bear squared!! I'm feeling generous tonight -- double updoot :)
When this film was first announced, I did not like the idea. To me, one of the most intriguing things about Joker is that he is just Joker. We know who the real names of Riddler, Penguin and most of the other main Gotham Villains, as well as the reasons why they turned to crime. But Joker was always this mysterious character who almost seemed to pop into existence as the Yang to Batman’s Yin. Explaining exactly who he is and why is is the way he is felt like taking something away from Joker.
However, from what I have heard this film is very good, driven much more by a good story and terrific performance than by flashy special effects. I am looking forward to seeing it, and expect it to be a much more complex look into a person’s dark heart than the simplistic ‘bad guy doing bad things’.
I am happy to hear you turned your life around. Your words are very inspiring and a reminder that there is always hope. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Thanks. Yes, for me it's going to be amazing. I've worked with a lot of neglected men in my life, and it always seems like there's nothing for them. This may start a discussion.
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Great piece of writing. You are very insightful, my friend.
I also love the joker above all other Villains ^^