The Joker and the Politics of Whiteface
It’s the job of the clown to upset the social order. But the new whiteface exposes a white culture afraid of change.
Clowns these days seem to love two things: white pancake makeup and mass murder. In Todd Phillips’ Joker, Arthur Fleck is only happy when he’s in greasepaint. Performing on the street or at a children’s hospital, Fleck seems to be a genuinely gifted clown, imbued with grace and flair. But stripped of this mask, he’s downtrodden, besieged on all sides by bullies and a broken social system. Fighting back against the evils of Gotham, Fleck becomes homicidal; it’s only when he’s in full clown makeup that he’s able to kill with confidence and bravado.
In the film, Fleck’s whiteface also becomes an icon for Gotham’s underclass. The disaffected poor take to the streets in clown masks, protesting one-percenters like billionaire Thomas Wayne, and carrying signs that read “RESIST,” and “Wayne = Fascist.” Fleck alternately embraces and disavows the rioters as they take to the streets and start lighting cars on fire on his behalf. His face beams whenever he sees a beclowned protester, but he remains apathetic to their legitimate grievances. “I don’t believe in anything,” he explains to Murray Sullivan, a talk show host played by Robert DeNiro. “I’m not political. I’m just…
