America's Gotham is the party that has, in the past decade, romanticized the ideas of racism and xenophobia while normalizing an environment of fear, distrust and hypocrisy. In desperation, they turned to a guy whom they didn't fully understand.
(1)
Does life imitate art or art imitates life? The beauty of this philosophical
wondering is that, either way, it is equally intriguing. However, while an
artist's fascination for life is eventually manifested on a chosen medium, for
all to see and evaluate, a vice versa scenario is hard to fathom.
An election year like 2016 seems to bridge the gap between an inconceivable
thought and the tangible reality.
It's as surprising as it is horrifying, to see him singlehandedly bring an
entire system down.
(3)
In one of the many
intense sequences of The Dark Knight, an older and wiser, Alfred,
makes Bruce Wayne realize that he is partially responsible for
Joker's acts. Batman pushed the mob to a
point of desperation, where, they turned to a fiend, whom even they didn't
fully understand.
In the American political scene, that mob is the
Republican Party's leadership.
Gotham is a symbol of disorder - corrupt, sinister and
degenerate. It is emblematic of complete breakdown of moral and civil
codes. America's Gotham is the party that has, in the
past decade, romanticized the ideas of racism and xenophobia while normalizing
an environment of fear, distrust and hypocrisy.
But that's only half the story.
Does life imitate art or art imitates life? The beauty of this philosophical wondering is that, either way, it is equally intriguing. However, while an artist's fascination for life is eventually manifested on a chosen medium, for all to see and evaluate, a vice versa scenario is hard to fathom.
An election year like 2016 seems to bridge the gap between an inconceivable thought and the tangible reality.
It's as surprising as it is horrifying, to see him singlehandedly bring an entire system down.
(3)
In one of the many intense sequences of The Dark Knight, an older and wiser, Alfred, makes Bruce Wayne realize that he is partially responsible for Joker's acts. Batman pushed the mob to a point of desperation, where, they turned to a fiend, whom even they didn't fully understand.
The story began in 2012 when a charismatic, though tired, but still dynamic Barack Obama got re-elected in a historic fashion. The GOP leadership was befuddled, yet again. The public support for @POTUS and his penchant for executive orders, pushed the GOP to a corner, much like Gotham's mob.
If they had to give any real shot at the White House again, they had to break the system. And in their desperation, they also turned to a guy, they didn't fully understand.
Enters Donald Trump
(4)
The Donald is every Alfred's worst nightmare. As uncomplicated (and
uncouth) he might seem on the surface, he remains a puzzle. His motives are not
obvious and his ways are beyond the realms of normalcy.
Much like the Joker's were.
Donald Trump's disdain for others is well known. Anyone who has remotely disagreed with him has met the same fate. Trump talks, in his peak incoherence, about Us v. Them. He has convinced a large section of America that the "elite" (read:civilized) are after them and he is their only savior. For him to spout these theories, he must stay in a constant state of delusion that makes him believe that it is true!
Sounds familiar?
The Joker proudly called himself "an agent of Chaos". In an unprecdented manner, Trump has rode the chaos train to reach within a heartbeat from the US presidency. His calls to ban all Muslims, build a border Wall, and going as far as, disregarding the results of the elections have all generated unimaginable chaos. He has empowered his followers with means to advance his chaos by feeding them half baked cospiracy theories against everyone of the "established order".
The ripple effects of his vitriolic rhetoric and demagougery would be felt even if he loses the #election2016.
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The Joker won his battles by waging psychological warfare against his enemies. He had the ability to break a seasoned cop, make the Batman choose whom he wants to save and bring the worst out of The White Knight of Gotham, by mere mind games.
Donald Trump has done the same!
America's sanity has always hinged on a delicate balance of power between the Liberals and the Conservatives. These polar opposites have managed to govern a world super power despite their deeprooted differences on fundamental issues. The undercurrent of racism, xenophobia, religious conservatism, differences on women health issues, gun rights etc has always bubbled in the American society.
However, Trump has exposed these conflicting emotions on the surface. Trump has appealed to people's primal fears, creating a toxic environment where the madness knows no bounds.
(5)
A masterful piece of writing, philosophical clarity and execution was the climax of the movie. The Joker banks on people's darker sides and expects one boatful of people to kill the other boatful, to save themselves.
When the moment of truth arrives, it is not the Batman. but the people who save Gotham. They do not let the madness unleashed by the Joker to get the better of their inner instincts.
America's moment of truth is now.
The Joker Trump has done his best to divide the people into 2 boats. He has created an environment where we are led to believe that only one will survive. But that is not true. The collective good of this great nation shall outweigh one man's madness.
The remote is in your hands.
Choose wisely!
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Image and Gif Sources
1. Google Images
2. Giphy
3. Imoviequotes
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