Watching Joker, thinking of systems and government
If you haven't seen Joker, you should, for reasons other than the brilliant cinema and the amazing Joaquin Phoenix, who I haven't enjoyed in a movie since "I Am Not Here" came out almost ten years ago or more. This movie was probably the best performance he has ever given. I'll leave it to the critics to talk about the cinema.
I watched the film in a Hong Kong theatre, so my mind turned immediately to the context of the world around me. So much of what happens in the closing 30 minutes of the movie remind me of what is happening in a city that I've called home for almost 11 years.
For nearly 20 months, Hong Kong has been engulfed in a political crisis. There are several reasons for the increasing tensions -- militarized police increasing violence against unarmed civilians; a government that seems to not be willing to discuss the demands of the protestors; a "leaderless" movement that encourages mob mentality rather than political discussion, and so on.
The scenes in Joker where Arthur seems to "become" the Joker in the midst of public panic and mobbing towards the end of the film remind me so much of what I have seen on the streets in my own neighborhood and around the city.
In a city that used to be clean and orderly, you can see graphic graffiti on nearly every subway sign, or entrance. You see banks that have been burned out, ATMs smashed, and streets completely spray-painted with slogans like "Free Hong Kong," "Black Police," and "If we burn, you burn with us."
Many of the protesters have been able to organize without any central authority or leadership mostly because they use online forums, which, even in China-administered Hong Kong, haven't been controlled, censored or shut down.
There's a reason there is so much disagreement and fear about political decisions being made by the Hong Kong government, and part of that is driven by the relative openness with which Hong Kong operates. An open internet and nearly 85% broadband penetration in the territory means that Hong Kong is more directly connected to the rest of the world, and international media than those living in China, which operates a censored internet and a lockdown culture in terms of messaging and government.
One has to wonder if these kinds of things will begin to happen more often in areas around the world where government does not exactly mirror the thoughts and the desires of "the people." We have seen this in the Middle East, in parts of Africa, in Turkey, and in South America recently.
What role does technology play in fixing these problems? It definitely plays a role in sparking them off.
I watched the film in a Hong Kong theatre, so my mind turned immediately to the context of the world around me. So much of what happens in the closing 30 minutes of the movie remind me of what is happening in a city that I've called home for almost 11 years.
 |
| A protestor sets a row of ATMs on fire in Hong Kong during October 13 protest, image credit: South China Morning Post |
For nearly 20 months, Hong Kong has been engulfed in a political crisis. There are several reasons for the increasing tensions -- militarized police increasing violence against unarmed civilians; a government that seems to not be willing to discuss the demands of the protestors; a "leaderless" movement that encourages mob mentality rather than political discussion, and so on.
The scenes in Joker where Arthur seems to "become" the Joker in the midst of public panic and mobbing towards the end of the film remind me so much of what I have seen on the streets in my own neighborhood and around the city.
In a city that used to be clean and orderly, you can see graphic graffiti on nearly every subway sign, or entrance. You see banks that have been burned out, ATMs smashed, and streets completely spray-painted with slogans like "Free Hong Kong," "Black Police," and "If we burn, you burn with us."
Many of the protesters have been able to organize without any central authority or leadership mostly because they use online forums, which, even in China-administered Hong Kong, haven't been controlled, censored or shut down.
There's a reason there is so much disagreement and fear about political decisions being made by the Hong Kong government, and part of that is driven by the relative openness with which Hong Kong operates. An open internet and nearly 85% broadband penetration in the territory means that Hong Kong is more directly connected to the rest of the world, and international media than those living in China, which operates a censored internet and a lockdown culture in terms of messaging and government.
One has to wonder if these kinds of things will begin to happen more often in areas around the world where government does not exactly mirror the thoughts and the desires of "the people." We have seen this in the Middle East, in parts of Africa, in Turkey, and in South America recently.
What role does technology play in fixing these problems? It definitely plays a role in sparking them off.
Comments
Post a Comment