Laughing With The Joker
"It is the minor characters that make up the cast of life -for they are life."
Bob Kane
Somewhere in Gotham city a business man is driving home on the freeway.
He's in a hurry to get home because he's had a long day. He wants to relax before he has to eat his wife's meat loaf. He's had a long day at work and he has no patience for bad drivers.
Suddenly a car cuts him off.
The business man lowers his window and shouts, 'Hey who do you think you are, buddy?!'
The other car changes lanes and slows down. Its window lowers and there behind the wheel is the white and green smile of the Joker.
And he laughs.
...
What a coincidence. This man thinks he is thoroughly bad and tough - or atleast enough to learn the identity of the man who cut him off. And this man discovers the smile of the Joker. He is an extreme character, but I don't think it is hard to laugh with the Joker. I think we laugh with him all the time.
This businessman thinks that if he can make it home a little sooner, if people treat him a little more fair, if he can eat roast beef for dinner, his life will be meaningful.
Ha!
With every laugh the Joker seems to say, "Someone forgot to tell this outstanding fellow just how meaningless this all is."
And it is meaningless. At least Solomon says so.
"'Meaningless, meaningless,' Says the preacher, 'Everything is meaningless.'"
The businessman tries to apologize on the road, but, again, the Joker is an extreme character and his stylized extremeness is also his greatness. The Joker stalks the man into a park and places a gun to his head.
"No," The man says, "Don't kill me ... I'll do anything!"
The Joker's curiousity is aroused. "Anything?" He asks.
To kill the man or not is a meaningless choice -or atleast it is as much to the Joker. But experimenting with a man's boundaries ... testing the limits of his sanity ... well, somehow the novelty of such an opportunity is somehow ... meaningful.
The Joker begins to question Solomon. He wonders, 'Maybe there is something new under the sun'. Something new to laugh at ...
So the Joker sets up the business man to be an accomplice in one of his criminal acts to embarass the commissioner.
Of course Batman is not far from the scene, and he exposes the facade of the Joker for what it is: petty human infatuation with appearances. The Joker wants to be seen as a fearsome and terrible person -a person he could care less about actually becoming.
Batman is the true glimpse of an extreme lifestyle. The promises of the world: to be admired by the crowd, the allure of the opposite sex (particularly catwoman), the luxuries of the millionare lifestyle ... all are meaningless to him. He finds them so meaningless he becomes an ethical superhero -an alien to the rest of the world.
One person to catch such a glimpse is the business man.
Batman breaks in on the Joker's plans to ruin the commissioner's party. The exploding birthday cake is removed just in time. The Joker and his female assistant, Harlequin, escape. The businessman runs away.
As the business man runs he catches the attention of the Joker.
The Joker holds him at gun point, but the business man asserts he is no longer afraid of what the Joker can do to him. The business man's appearance does nothing to intimidate the Joker, but he catches a glimpse of the businessman's willingness to lose everything and not care.
The Joker's psychological curiousity -crafted for the sake of a comic effect- detects the contours of something great and unmovable. Perhaps he is reminded of someone.
Batman watches from behind.
The Joker fumbles and the gun drops. "Don't hurt me!" He shouts out. "You! You're going to let him hurt me?!".
"Who's the one afraid now?" The business man asks.
The Joker is taken to Arkham Asylum and the businessman returns home. One person stays the same, but the other person is different.
"He's crazy!" The Joker shouts -pointing at the businessman- as they take him away.
Suddenly the prospect of eating his wife's meatloaf doesn't seem so bad after all. The business man has learned something about the tenuousness of existence ... the futility of choosing between roast beef and meat loaf ... and in a meaningless world he has found something meaningful: gratitude.
The Joker is an extreme character, or presents himself as such, but easy to laugh with. Who can understand the businessman?
Can you?
Bob Kane
Somewhere in Gotham city a business man is driving home on the freeway.
He's in a hurry to get home because he's had a long day. He wants to relax before he has to eat his wife's meat loaf. He's had a long day at work and he has no patience for bad drivers.
Suddenly a car cuts him off.
The business man lowers his window and shouts, 'Hey who do you think you are, buddy?!'
The other car changes lanes and slows down. Its window lowers and there behind the wheel is the white and green smile of the Joker.
And he laughs.
...
What a coincidence. This man thinks he is thoroughly bad and tough - or atleast enough to learn the identity of the man who cut him off. And this man discovers the smile of the Joker. He is an extreme character, but I don't think it is hard to laugh with the Joker. I think we laugh with him all the time.
This businessman thinks that if he can make it home a little sooner, if people treat him a little more fair, if he can eat roast beef for dinner, his life will be meaningful.
Ha!
With every laugh the Joker seems to say, "Someone forgot to tell this outstanding fellow just how meaningless this all is."
And it is meaningless. At least Solomon says so.
"'Meaningless, meaningless,' Says the preacher, 'Everything is meaningless.'"
The businessman tries to apologize on the road, but, again, the Joker is an extreme character and his stylized extremeness is also his greatness. The Joker stalks the man into a park and places a gun to his head.
"No," The man says, "Don't kill me ... I'll do anything!"
The Joker's curiousity is aroused. "Anything?" He asks.
To kill the man or not is a meaningless choice -or atleast it is as much to the Joker. But experimenting with a man's boundaries ... testing the limits of his sanity ... well, somehow the novelty of such an opportunity is somehow ... meaningful.
The Joker begins to question Solomon. He wonders, 'Maybe there is something new under the sun'. Something new to laugh at ...
So the Joker sets up the business man to be an accomplice in one of his criminal acts to embarass the commissioner.
Of course Batman is not far from the scene, and he exposes the facade of the Joker for what it is: petty human infatuation with appearances. The Joker wants to be seen as a fearsome and terrible person -a person he could care less about actually becoming.
Batman is the true glimpse of an extreme lifestyle. The promises of the world: to be admired by the crowd, the allure of the opposite sex (particularly catwoman), the luxuries of the millionare lifestyle ... all are meaningless to him. He finds them so meaningless he becomes an ethical superhero -an alien to the rest of the world.
One person to catch such a glimpse is the business man.
Batman breaks in on the Joker's plans to ruin the commissioner's party. The exploding birthday cake is removed just in time. The Joker and his female assistant, Harlequin, escape. The businessman runs away.
As the business man runs he catches the attention of the Joker.
The Joker holds him at gun point, but the business man asserts he is no longer afraid of what the Joker can do to him. The business man's appearance does nothing to intimidate the Joker, but he catches a glimpse of the businessman's willingness to lose everything and not care.
The Joker's psychological curiousity -crafted for the sake of a comic effect- detects the contours of something great and unmovable. Perhaps he is reminded of someone.
Batman watches from behind.
The Joker fumbles and the gun drops. "Don't hurt me!" He shouts out. "You! You're going to let him hurt me?!".
"Who's the one afraid now?" The business man asks.
The Joker is taken to Arkham Asylum and the businessman returns home. One person stays the same, but the other person is different.
"He's crazy!" The Joker shouts -pointing at the businessman- as they take him away.
Suddenly the prospect of eating his wife's meatloaf doesn't seem so bad after all. The business man has learned something about the tenuousness of existence ... the futility of choosing between roast beef and meat loaf ... and in a meaningless world he has found something meaningful: gratitude.
The Joker is an extreme character, or presents himself as such, but easy to laugh with. Who can understand the businessman?
Can you?
11 Comments:
I don't consider myself a major batman fan, but there are two elements of the mythology worthy of some note.
Bob Kane, the creator of the series liked to put lots of "domestic" characters in his comic strip. He then indicated that what made them ordinary or extraordinary was a matter of how they made their choices and it didn't have to do with their popularity or vocational role. His approach is -at times- unsubtle but I find it believable.
I found reprints of the first few Batman issues at Borders with original work from Bob Kane. I recommend it if you get the chance.
The other element of the Batman mythology worthy of note is Batman: the Animated Series. If you are male I strongly recommend trying the second season. The show is not a normal Saturday morning cartoon. It is something transcendental ... on par with the stormy narratives of Goethe's Faust and Wutherington Heights.
I'll also throw in Siskel and Ebert's "two thumbs up" for the movie: "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm". They originally declined to review the film on account of its cartoon nature. After studying it, though, they insisted it was deserving of much wider attention.
Anyway, the characters are well drawn in an expensive way (the studio eventually changed it in season four) and there is a lot of room to reflect and make interpretations like this post on the characters.
Try it out and let me know what you think!
I think I got off on the wrong foot with you at Societyvs' site (He brings out the worst in people, you know?) ; ) The more I read your blog, the more I think I misunderstood where you were coming from.
Anyway, sorry if I was a dick. This is some good insight.
Dorsey:
I'm not sure you should be the one apologizing. I get wierdly insistent about political issues -even though they're not the most important things to me.
Thanks for your encouraging words in the previous post.
Hey Burning,
thanks for you comments in response to my post. However, I think there was a misinterpretation. You said:
"You brought up the point that Paul isn't trying to get us to do a bunch of righteous acts in the external world. I disagree."
I would disagree with a point like that too. I wholeheartedly agree with you that Paul was very adamant that good works are important. After all, he said that we should shine like lights to the world, that the world will glorify God by witnessing our good works, that we are now in the Spirit and therefore should seek holiness and goodness. And I agree with you also that Jesus was about this too. I actually think Paul and Jesus had different ways of pointing to the same stuff.
Rather, what I was saying is that righteousness is not reckoned to us by our outward works. This is plain in Paul. Paul repeats again and again: our faith is reckoned to us as righteousness... righteousness by faith, not by works, so that no one can boast, etc. So all was trying to say is that works is not the point of the gospel. Works is part of the life of the believer, but believing is the essential characteristic of the believer. I'm convinced that we should take seriously Paul's talk of righteousness by faith instead of works. If faith is a work, then his polemic seems empty and nonsensical. No, it is something deeper that saves the soul of man. This was my point.
Paul had a very strong trust in the Spirit. He believed that by the guidance of the Spirit, in the humility of faith, we could pursue an outwardly good life. But as far as being right with God, this is not the point. This is a product -- a fruit -- of being right with God. Salvation of man is a total transformation -- though it seems to be a process for most (maybe all?). It is salvation from condemnation, law, death... and also sin. Doing wrong is for Paul part of the old man that is dying away, and has already received the fatal blow. Doing wrong and being into God are completely incompatible in his mind. When we do wrong, we're not into God. We may be under his wing still, but we are looking away from him.
So I think we actually have very similar ideas, you and I.
peace,
Jathan
Hey again. A clarification. I said:
"Doing wrong and being into God are completely incompatible in his mind. When we do wrong, we're not into God."
I realized that statements like this are rather dangerous and shouldn't be thrown around like that. While I know what I was trying to say, saying it seems difficult.
I was thinking of Paul's talk of the mind on the Spirit vs the mind on the flesh, and how the mind on the flesh is opposed to God. I believe that we can be believers and yet fall into being mindful of the flesh instead of the Spirit. Basically, not being mindful of God. Now there are times when it feels like I'm opposed both to the Spirit and the flesh, both for God and against God, and I don't know what to make of that. It reminds me of Paul talking about not being able to to what we want to do because the flesh and Spirit are opposed (Galatians). But I think the answer might be that in those times when I am "caught" between temptation and conviction, I am actually yet not mindful of the Spirit. I think this because when I recall such times, I realize that grace is not a factor. I am not cognizant of grace in those times, which I believe is the basis of the life of the Spirit. Under grace, not law. And indeed, the conviction of those times has the character of the law confronting me. I believe this could then be the moments in which I once again feel under the law, which exacerbates sin. Romans 7 and 8 are enlightening on this matter. A mind led by grace from God through Jesus is in the Spirit, and such a mind is not under the weight of condemnation. Nor does it feel that God is angry because the believer isn't doing a better job. Rather, such a one knows that righteousness comes from God, and that in the union of believer and God, in a mysterious way, the believer is led along the path of good works. I wish I could describe it better, but that seems the best I can do right now
Hi SoulFoodDude,
Thanks for correcting me.
I'm still considering your post. I think the part where I misunderstood you was here:
"Righteousness is not found in action, but in faith."
I'm still considering this sentence. I'll get back to you on it. I think I just need some more time to reflect on it.
Hey Burning,
Yeah, I can see how that would be misleading. Sorry about that. Here are some passages from Paul that bring out what I was trying to say (I hope):
Romans 3.22, 4.5-6, 4.13, 9.30
Philippians 3.9
Galatians 2.16, 3.11-12, 5.6
Galatians 5.6 is particularly interesting. I'm eager to hear what you think of this. The way I have tended to interpret Paul lately is in light of Romans 14.23: "everything that does not proceed from faith is sin." The key thing for Paul, I think, is faith. Now we could go into what faith means for him, but I think it's pretty clear that faith is Paul's message. The man who is righteous is the man who trusts the God who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4.5). This finds a parallel in Luke from Jesus' lips... the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18.9ff). The one who beats his chest and confesses his sin, asking for mercy, is the one who goes home justified. It is noteworthy that the word translated "righteous" and the word translated "justify" are etymologically related very closely. What I have found in my brief study of "justify" is that it bears the meaning of rendering or considering righteous. So I think to be justified by God means pretty much the same as being reckoned as righteous by God. Now with all this, it's God's opinion that matters. So my conclusion is that to speak of any action that does not spring from faith is unrighteous, no matter how much good it might do people. That's the reason for that misleading statement. There is such a thing as righteous action, but that is action that proceeds from faith. My two cents anyways, for now.
jathan
"I think I got off on the wrong foot with you at Societyvs' site (He brings out the worst in people, you know?) ; )" (Dorse)
Dorse, how could you - ahhhhh I am melting, melting, melting...Dorse you humilty is a good thing.
As for Batman, I love cartoons and even better I love comics. I watch a lot of the cartoon stuff when I get a chance and the episode you mentioned - I actually saw that one. The joker is quite psychotic while Batman portrays 'heroism' and the fight to be free from crime. The businessman was just caught in the middle and had lived in 'fear' until the end of the show. I do like the idea you pulled out from the episode about 'meaning' - that was pretty cool.
SFD, how you doing? I don't see much of you around anymore. I think you are raising some great questions and I appreciate the way you and BB talk back n forth on issue - very enlightening.
Again BB, you have captured my attention - thanks!
"There is such a thing as righteous action, but that is action that proceeds from faith." SoulFoodDude
Sounds like we are in agreement. Too often I think the world encourages us to wear masks so others will like us -but Christianity commands that our actions come from the heart.
Romans 14:23 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I still remember the class at Bible school where I brought it up and the teacher was like, "Where in the Bible does it say that?". ...like I was quoting some martian religion or something. I have yet to find a place where faith is appreciated in an academic setting -secular or otherwise.
Speaking of justification and faith -I can't cite the etymology for this- but I think there is a connection between 'justifies' and epistemology. When the Bible says God is the one who justifies perhaps it is repeating Solomon's admonission to 'lean not on your own understanding...'. Something to consider.
Thanks again for stopping by, Jathan. I have a lot of confidence in what God is doing in you.
"The joker is quite psychotic while Batman portrays 'heroism' and the fight to be free from crime. The businessman was just caught in the middle and had lived in 'fear' until the end of the show." SocietyVs
I was beginning to think no one wanted to talk about Batman. Perhaps it is a bit juvenile of me to bring it up. I'm playing with the idea of teaching a summer class on Batman and the Bible at church.
In the episode, the businessman may be portrayed as someone 'caught in the middle' as far as the plot and action. In the realm of ethics -despite Nietchze's view to the contrary- there can be no third parties.
Was the businessman living in a state of ‘fear’ or ‘dred’?
Thanks for your take on the post, Jason. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one watching cartoons ;)
Really no matter if someone doesn't know afterward its up to other people that they will assist, so here it happens.
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