The critically-acclaimed film The Joker chronicles Arthur Fleck’s struggle with mental health and ultimate demise in a cruel, emotionally torturous society. Following the release of this movie, discourse regarding mental health was at the forefront. Since then, however, there has been next to no discussion regarding alternate plot lines that include a certain, special car starting at a small sum of $24,270.
Now, you may be wondering: what if? What if Arthur was able to ignore the insufferable strains of public life by just avoiding it all together? What if, oh I don’t know, Honda CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, were to have just passed Arthur on the road, turned to him, and said, “Hey man! I like your hearty laugh and clown makeup! Here are the keys to a new 2020 Honda Accord that gets up to 30 miles per gallon, courtesy of your local Gotham Honda dealership!”
What then? Maybe Arthur wouldn’t have been ridiculed by teenagers and beaten with his own sign since they would all be in awe of his new car. Maybe he wouldn’t have become a murderer on national television since Honda owners are not murderers, but lovers. Or maybe he could have laughed freely in his new car with the windows open, his hair down, and Taylor Swift turned up to the max while delivering DoorDash orders. Who really knows?
But if there is anything I am sure of, it is this: if Arthur Fleck had been gifted a sweet new ride with an engine reaching up to 252 horsepower, he could have led a normal life. Now you might say, “Giving him a car would ruin the movie. It is supposed to focus on his descent into madness, not his return from it.” And to that I must say: shame on you! Why wouldn’t you want to see a happy movie about a man down in the dumps turning his hellish life around by flexing on all who ridiculed him with his new 2020 Honda Accord?
Instead of buying into the sadistic tendencies of modern media and craving the sight of humans hitting rock bottom, watch something that radiates sanity and calm for once. I recommend my favorite movie, Grown Ups.
—J. Wypasek
