The Dark Knight Joker copycats, the MPAA & Warner

[namaste09]

On the eve of the premiere of The Dark Knight, I wrote to a publication regarding the possibility that there would be a wave of Joker copycat crimes, as said character exhibited all of the characteristics of an highly empowered psychopath (not to be confused with psychotic).

The key here being that the film was far too violent for the rating it got; a glaring mistake by the MPAA, who is the key culprit as it could not pinpoint clear trigger-inducing acts of psychological violence which did in fact reach suggestible minds.

Given that the film had a PG-13 rating, and the fact that many of these crimes have been commited by minors, it should be taken as cause for alarm. I am aware that just one news outlet would not have made a single difference in the occurrences, yet what I was trying to convey was essential Risk Management. Now the situation has turned into Crisis Management.

This has nothing to do with the quality of the film; I simply wish to put this out in the open, I'm sure someone with more info than myself has knowledge that Warner may have pushed too hard for a PG-13 and that was, a usual, a greedy move on their part.

Here are some of the cases which have been reported thus far:

Teen Dressed as Joker sets fire to School - The Helper
http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=154055

Man dressed like The Joker slain by police in Virginia park
http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/man-dressed-like-the-joker-slain-by-police-in-virginia-park

Dark Knight Inspires Copycat Crimes, Over-reactions
http://io9.com/5037573/dark-knight-inspires-copycat-crimes-over+reactions

Copycat Joker goes on crime spree - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f48/copycat-joker-goes-crime-spree-823294/

Joker Copycat Murders
http://www.gossipcraze.com/gossip/joker-copycat-murders

'Joker' nabbed stealing Batman posters - U.S. news - Crime
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25902888/

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

Maybe the fact that people do stupid things?

 

[Sonic1002]

Honestly, I think it's a cop-out to blame any form of media for a person's behavior. People need to take responsibility for their own actions and not blame others, or media, for what they do. If the person is affected that thoroughly by a piece of fiction, then there was already an underlying psychological disturbance that should have been tended to long before this came out.

 

[namaste09]

Honestly, I think it's a cop-out to blame any form of media for a person's behavior. People need to take responsibility for their own actions and not blame others, or media, for what they do. If the person is affected that thoroughly by a piece of fiction, then there was already an underlying psychological disturbance that should have been tended to long before this came out.

Your point is totally valid; in fact, when there was a crime related to the game Far Cry in Germany, the title was pulled off the shelves yet it could be found in the black market easily. What I'm saying is that, for obvious reasons, i.e. cash, a "hard PG-13" was put on the film and I'm curious as to what, if any, kind of pressure WB exerted over the MPAA for such ends. Makes you wonder.

 

[Travesty]

Given that the film had a PG-13 rating, and the fact that many of these crimes have been commited by minors, it should be taken as cause for alarm. I am aware that just one news outlet would not have made a single difference in the occurrences, yet what I was trying to convey was essential Risk Management. Now the situation has turned into Crisis Management.

Well, first of all, two of your links are of the same story, so it's 5 crimes, not 6. Second, all of the stories were of people 18-20+, so nobody is a minor. It wouldn't matter if this movie was rated R, because being 18 or older, these people would still be able to see the movie in theaters. So I don't really buy into the 'hard' PG-13 rating being a cause of alarm, when these were all committed by adults(by law).

But I will say, the one story of the guy who murdered all of those babies, that's just disgusting and wrong in so many ways.

 

[Sonic1002]

The movie's severe lack of blood, almost absent cursing, and zero sexuality would have made it very easy for WB to have gotten it's PG-13, imo.

 

[Bathead]

Yeh, it seems to me lot of the violence (like Joker's killing of Gamble) was implied rather than overt.

 

[Brother Jack]

The movie's severe lack of blood, almost absent cursing, and zero sexuality would have made it very easy for WB to have gotten it's PG-13, imo.

Content-wise it's certainly a PG-13 film, but tonally it pushes it pretty far. I think that's why some people thought it should have been R, seeing as how it was a summer blockbuster superhero flick.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

These clowns (pun...intended?) would have committed crimes anyway. The Joker just gave them an image to copy. A nut with a shotgun is going to be a nut with a shotgun, whether or not he's wearing makeup.

 

[frakkingoff]

On the eve of the premiere of The Dark Knight, I wrote to a publication regarding the possibility that there would be a wave of Joker copycat crimes, as said character exhibited all of the characteristics of an highly empowered psychopath (not to be confused with psychotic).

So you're saying that a popular story about a fictional, "highly empowered psychopath" (I assume you mean "empowered within his fictional story and world") inevitably leads to a wave of copycat crimes?

Do you have any evidence for this assertion? Or are you just saying it will happen, without any solid backing?

Also, you apparently don't understand what a "wave of crimes" is. Millions of people saw "The Dark Knight." You've listed 5 crimes below, committed in the two years since the release of "The Dark Knight." Not what I would call a "crime wave."

Incidentally, the "crime spree" term used below is also inaccurate - most of those crimes were isolated incidents - single crimes committed on a single day, not a repeated set of crimes committed over a longer period of time.

the film was far too violent for the rating it got;

How so? There was relatively little violence, compared to most R-rated violent movies.

a glaring mistake by the MPAA, who is the key culpritp

Key culprit in what, exactly? Committing crimes? I'd say a criminal is the "key culprit" (and only "culprit") when it comes to a crime. The legal system would tend to agree with me on that point.

it could not pinpoint clear trigger-inducing acts of psychological violence

What is a "trigger-inducing act?" Most of the crimes you listed below didn't involve a trigger - two were non-violent, one involved a knife, and another was arson in which nobody was hurt.

Also, "psychological violence?" You mean, like assaulting the mind? As in fear-mongering, like what you're trying to do here?

which did in fact reach suggestible minds.

Because people are drones, and can't distinguish fictional entertainment from reality on TV and movie screens, right?

Did the movie make YOU want to go out and commit Joker-copycat crimes? No? Let me guess - you're not "suggestible," right?

But everybody else is, right? There are so many people with mindless intellects, ripe for the brainwashing, inferior to your evolved sensibility! We have to protect them from themselves!

Given that the film had a PG-13 rating, and the fact that many of these crimes have been commited by minors, it should be taken as cause for alarm.

The posters before me exposed this lie - most of the crimes were not committed by minors.

I am aware that just one news outlet would not have made a single difference in the occurrences, yet what I was trying to convey was essential Risk Management. Now the situation has turned into Crisis Management.

Again - millions saw the movie, and you claim five criminals committed crimes in the name of "The Dark Knight" over the last two years since its release.

I don't think you know what the word "crisis" means.

I'm sure someone with more info than myself has knowledge that Warner may have pushed too hard for a PG-13 and that was, a usual, a greedy move on their part.

You're "sure?" I don't think you're sure - I think you have no idea.

I think you're floating a speculation out there (that Warner Bros "pushed too hard" for a PG-13 rating), without a single shred of evidence to back it up. You don't know what Warner Bros. "pushed for" or how "hard" they did it. You're covering up your profound lack of knowledge of the situation with vague ambiguities, suggesting you're "sure" that "someone else" knows more that will back you up.

If you don't know something, don't "suggest" it. If you want to make a claim, do so with facts.

Here are some of the cases which have been reported thus far:

Teen Dressed as Joker sets fire to School - The Helper
http://www.thehelper.net/forums/showthread.php?t=154055

Man dressed like The Joker slain by police in Virginia park
http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/man-dressed-like-the-joker-slain-by-police-in-virginia-park

Dark Knight Inspires Copycat Crimes, Over-reactions
http://io9.com/5037573/dark-knight-inspires-copycat-crimes-over+reactions

Copycat Joker goes on crime spree - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f48/copycat-joker-goes-crime-spree-823294/

Joker Copycat Murders
http://www.gossipcraze.com/gossip/joker-copycat-murders

'Joker' nabbed stealing Batman posters - U.S. news - Crime
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25902888/

That third link talks about "over-reactions" to the so-called "copycat crimes." Maybe you should take that to heart.

Also, do you have any evidence that these crimes would not have been committed, were it not for "The Dark Knight?" Maybe the "crimes" in the third and fourth links - but the third link was just a harmless prank and the fourth was a fairly minor crime. Nobody got hurt in either case.

I'd wager the kid who tried to burn down his school did it because he was upset about the way he was treated at school - not because "The Dark Knight" made him do it.

And you can bet that the other, more serious crimes would've happened whether or not they had seen "The Dark Knight."

Of course, that's all just common sense, and not actual evidence. But that's a hell of a lot more than what you've got going for your "mass hysteria" theory.

I'm betting that "publication" you wrote to didn't publish your tin-foil hat message of paranoia and fear. Maybe you should think about why they didn't take you very seriously.

 

[The Joker]

Frakking good post