Arthur Fleck has the last laugh on his critics.

Globally, he has raked in $235 million dollars so far from people laughing at his jokes.

USA Today:

“LOS ANGELES – The filmmakers and studio behind “Joker” have reason to put on a happy face. Despite concerns over its violent themes and ramped-up theater security, audiences flocked to the multiplex to check out the R-rated film this weekend, resulting in a record October opening. Warner Bros. said Sunday that “Joker” grossed an estimated $93.5 million in ticket sales from nearly 4,400 screens in North America. The previous October record-holder was the Spider-Man spinoff “Venom,” which opened to $80 million last year. Internationally, “Joker” earned $140.5 million from 73 markets, resulting in a stunning $234 million global debut. “This was a much larger result at the box office than we had ever anticipated globally,” says Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s president of domestic distribution. “We’re just thrilled that audiences are embracing the movie as strong as they are.” … “Sixty-six percent of the audience was under the age of 35,” Goldstein says. “That tells you that the audience will expand out with that younger group as time goes on.” The younger audience also gave the film a more favorable A-minus on CinemaScore. …”

Why is this movie such a smash hit with Millennials and Zoomers? It is because Joker is on solid ground in the life experience of that demographic. The lonely, socially isolated, sexually frustrated, underemployed and nihilistic cohort of young White men is huge.

How bad is it out there? pic.twitter.com/luTSrNxyaK — EMPEROR ‘KINGFISH’ WHITEPILL (@CptBlackPill) October 6, 2019

This is only a small sample of some of the horror stats that I am familiar with.

I saw the movie as a straightforward condemnation of the excesses of neoliberalism, which simultaneously generates both extreme social atomization and extreme wealth inequality resulting in general unhappiness and inevitable social unrest, but some people saw it differently. At least from my perspective, there is nothing rightwing about cultural and economic deregulation. Liberalism is a solvent that chews up and destroys organic cultures.

Every society has its losers. It isn’t normal though when only 53% of the population has meaningful social interaction with other human beings on a daily basis. It isn’t normal for a fifth of young people to have no friends or for so many young men to be incels. There is a massive systemic issue here that has led to this unnatural situation.