Thread by @MsHappyDieHappy

Michael Moore understood Joker more than any other liberal commentator. The film shows how capitalism deranges people, encourages cruelty, exacerbates loneliness and turns our living space into a grotesque nightmare. It should be used to help further discussions of austerity.

It has more genuine progressive credentials than Marvel, Doctor Who or more celebrated properties on Left Twitter and provides a raw portrayal of what cuts to social safety nets do to people, providing this example in a manner accessible to popular culture via a familiar figure

I'm aware this is too late now. The damage is done, and this film is Right Twitter's cuddly toy and Left Twitter's mortal enemy, but damnit if I'm going to stop trying to course correct this discourse.

Anecdotally every progressive I know who has seen the film agrees with me and is equally as baffled as to why the director of #JokerMovie didn't better ease people's concerns pre-release by explaining the violence in the movie is against rich oppressors and harassers of women.

I see that he only co-wrote the script, so perhaps Scott Silver is the real brains behind the anti-capitalist content and how the film consistently and intelligently avoids the fascistic right-wing tropes of vigilante films like Death Wish.

I liked Joker the first time I saw it and suspect I will like it even more the second time. The controversy pre-release was a complete waste of time for most involved, and the makers of the film are somewhat culpable for not clearing up that the film wasn't what people feared.

It isn't perfect at expressing these ideas, but what else do I have to work with that's subversive in pop culture? The Marvel films are a billionaire bootlicker nightmare. Dr. Who had an episode about how amazing Amazon is.

(Do not mention Amazon's Mr. Robot. Please... don't.)

People tell me The Handmaid's Tale is subversive. I'd want to read the book first, though. I think I'm a little saturated with prestige TV right now, though I'll check out Lindelof's Watchmen as I adored The Leftovers.

It's almost as if we shouldn't wait for pop culture to inexplicably get good and should seek out better things.

Still, it's nice to have something to talk to non-horror people about. Joker is the first film in a long time I can do that with.

I don't like discussing Marvel films with people who like them as I feel as if I'm rudely spoiling their fun with my apathy or disgust.

So I finally get a piece of popular culture I like, and it's drowned in all this controversy that is irrelevant when considering the content of the film. It's mildly annoying. Sort of a reverse of what happened with Ghostbusters 2016.

I'm not blaming SJWs or cancel culture or any such nonsense. Just an insipid media that was ill-equipped to deal with a film that shouldn't even be considered particularly complex in an ideal world.