Schwartzen "Shway" Precil
- Nov 4, 2019
- 3 min read

Who wins, the heroes or the villain?

Updated: Dec 30, 2019

"The worst part about mental illness is that people expect you to behave as if you don't." -The Joker

Recently, a few movie titles peeked my curiosity. "Harriet", rated 5.1/10 by IMDb, "Gemini Man", rated 5.7/10 by IMDb, and "Joker" rated an astounding 8.8/10 by IMDb. If you have not watched these movies do not worry, this blog will only spoil the highest rated of the three movies, Joker. I am not a critique but I do have my opinion on the topic of mental illness.

Harriet (Tubman), represented a strong fierce African-American heroic woman that changed the course history. Gemini Man, (starring Will Smith) was a cliche themed movie of overcoming the worst part of yourself (Fear). Both movies were heroic and very inspiring. So why did the heroic movie ratings pale in comparison to the movie where the evil villain (Joker) is victorious?

Is America fed up with the 'good person' winning narrative?

Have we entered the dawn of an era where society witnesses what happens to people when they act on their inner darkness? Have we not seen enough dark news from the media or is it that we secretly admire those who reach their tipping point and act on their inner demons? Ratings seem to think so.

Or...

Is America finally READY to have THE talk about mental health? Could there be a demand to understand the origin for people with unhealthy mental illness? Is it possible the villain (Joker) who stood on the roof of a police car surrounded by chaos be a representation of the behavior society praises (yet scorns) those who might need help?

In the final scene of the movie, Joker (played by Joaquin Phoenix) was invited to tell 'jokes' on national TV. After his 'joke telling', he confessed to killing the three men who beat him up on the train ride home and why he felt justified. His final joke ended in a bang (no pun intended).

“The movie is bigger than identifying with mental illness. It hits home when you understand the progression of his rise as the Prince of Crime.” -Anonymous

A good friend of mine gave insight to the final scene.

"At one point, society thought the sheep dressed in 'wolves' clothes were the issue. Joker illuminated an underground flipped script. Too many people walk around as if their mental health does no one else but themselves harm. Some of those people are the 'wolves' hiding in sheep skin. Some 'wolves' are one bully moment away from being trigger happy (I.E the Joker/mass shootings, etc). This is an era where the 'wolves' are hungry and no longer desire to hide in sheep's clothes."

Why the 'villain' wins

What do you get when you mix the opportunity to release years of hidden anger with a world of full hurt, pain, and humility? You get a 'super villain' who justifies their actions because the world has treated them unfairly.

In my recently released book, "Be Your Own Hero: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities," (Chapter 4: Forming of a Super Villain & Chapter 6: Dark Leadership) I dive deep into the slow and steady progressive "villain" mindset which can lead to severe outcomes and looked at as mental illness.

The misfortune, the abuse, and the mistreatment, the job loss, the childhood trauma, the improper self-love, the humiliation, and the pain the Joker (and many others) endure causes chemical imbalances within the brain. It distorts reality thus effecting our mental health. Still, the question remains is America fed up with the 'good person' winning narrative?