Dr Zuleyka Zevallos

How does this translate to Australia? In Newtown, a gentrified suburb on Gadigal land, young White men around us physically jumped in glee, some acting out the punches on screen. Visceral responses to films are fine! But why might Joker feel liberation? Hegemonic masculinitypic.twitter.com/QCVstDYQB3

Hegemonic masculinity reflects how some representations of masculinity win out over other expressions of manhood. Film (and other cultural insitutions, like sport) assert narrow ideas of what it means to be 'a man.' Joker dresses up Arthur's escalating violence as emancipationpic.twitter.com/4jBmQMAhqS

Environmentalism is one example of anti-hegemonic masculinity. The movement preaches (though does not easily achieve) gender equality (cf https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/academic-professional/sociology/Masculinities-RW-Connell-9781741145199 …) Weeks after global climate change protests, there is still an audience keen to cheer Arthur's destruction & misogynypic.twitter.com/BkLH865GDn

Can you be an environmentalist & still enjoy Joker? Yes! But as bell hooks tells us, we can enjoy films but remain critical. Let's continue Arthur fixates on Sophie, to 'humanise' the character. The interactions are examples of gender violence, but not presented this waypic.twitter.com/uwPXhhADzp

*Spoiler* Arthur stalks Sophie. She's coquettish in response. Sophie is a single mum, but she's seen making herself available to Arthur for sex (after he's killed), & taking care of his emotions. The interactions play on the audience, but the film excuses this as mental illnesspic.twitter.com/NbYWnBhmG4

*Spoiler* Arthur kills Penny after finding out that: 1/ Due to mental illness, she believed Thomas Wayne was his father; 2/ he was actually adopted; 3/ she was a victim of intimate partner violence and "allowed" Arthur to be physically abused by the same man. Misogyny rulespic.twitter.com/dBHwG2xp6M

Joker relies on a dangerous misogynist trope; that women 'lie' about pregnancy for financial gain. Actually, misattributed parentage occurs in 1% of cases, mostly due to complex relationships, not money (https://tapri.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/v13n2_1gilding.pdf …) Still, Penny deserves to die by this logicpic.twitter.com/bcbh1IbsA2

44 women have been killed in Australia in 2019 (https://www.facebook.com/notes/destroy-the-joint/counting-dead-women-australia-2019-we-count-every-known-death-due-to-violence-ag/2582150351832693/ …). 5 women in 1 week (https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/five-women-were-murdered-in-australia-in-seven-days/ …) 1/3 of women experience emotional abuse by a partner & 1/4 sexual and intimate partner violence (https://theconversation.com/study-confirms-intimate-partner-violence-leading-health-risk-factor-for-women-67772 …) How is Joker an 'anti-hero' for us?pic.twitter.com/DVUvYXEkg7