Entertainment
How A Movie Drove Peaceful Americans To Madness And Violence
screenwashed (adjective) — When something seen on a screen completely changes how someone thinks or feels, as if their old beliefs were erased and replaced by what they just saw.
By Joshua Tyler
| Updated
In 2020, violent protests rocked the United States, devastating major cities. Since then, dozens more have appeared, so many that it almost seems normal.
But it isn’t normal.
Make a list of the most violent protests of the past 20 years, and you’ll find that the majority of them didn’t happen until after 2019. Before that, most protests, even the big ones like Occupy Wall Street or the Tea Party protests of the early 2000s, were just a lot of dudes walking around with signs until it got dark. There were exceptions, like the disastrous riots in Ferguson, Missouri, but those were noteworthy because they were unusual.
Now, violence, particularly from supposedly peaceful protesters themselves, is the norm. A daily occurrence in some cities, a regular seasonal event in others. What changed? In 2019, one movie took theaters by storm and manipulated its most ardent viewers to stop playing nice.
This is the story of how Joker screenwashed Americans into accepting violence as personal expression.
The Story Of Joker
Joker was billed as being about Batman’s arch-nemesis, but it has no true connection to the world of comic books. Instead, it’s a grim character study about Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill, socially invisible man slowly crushed by a city that doesn’t care whether he lives or dies. There are no superheroes, no grand conspiracies, and no redemption arc, just a sad, broken man discovering that the only time the world notices him is when he stops playing by its rules and embraces nihilism.
When Joker arrived in theaters, it was both controversial and a huge box office hit. No movie captured a bigger share of the cultural conversation in 2019 than it did, and theaters were packed with people looking for something edgy, different, and maybe even dangerous.
The Lone Observer
The debate over Joker often centered on whether it might inspire mass shootings or homicides. All of that discussion missed the true danger in the film.
Only one person saw the truth. It wasn’t mass murderers or an increase in individual homicides that we needed to worry about. A few months after Joker’s release, at the start of the George Floyd riots in 2020, master persuader Scott Adams made this observation:
“I’m willing to bet 90% of the protesters have seen Joker. It’s so powerful and well-made that it bounces around in your brain and burrows in, forming a dominant go-to pattern for your thinking.” – Scott Adams
Scott then asked, “Can one movie nudge a young person into violence and anarchy? A bad movie can’t. Even a good movie can’t do that. But Joker can. That movie is next-level, persuasion.”
Joker doesn’t merely depict unrest; it romanticizes it. It does it, using some very specific persuasion tricks.
Catharsis Through Violence
The film presents social collapse as catharsis. Arthur Fleck’s personal breakdown is fused to a citywide explosion of masked demonstrators who burn, riot, and kill. All while the camera treats it like liberation.
That’s what Catharsis is. The release of pent-up emotion through experience or expression leaves the mind clearer by safely discharging feelings that were previously contained or unresolved.
The need for catharsis exists in all of us. It’s an irresistible pull. That can be healthy, prompting reflection, relief, and clarity. But it can also distort judgment, causing people to chase emotional release for its own sake, overreact, or embrace narratives that justify anger, sadness, or guilt just to feel unburdened.
That’s what Joker taps into.
The violence isn’t framed as tragic or cautionary. It’s operatic. The mob becomes the chorus validating Arthur’s transformation. Gotham’s chaos isn’t shown as a failure of civilization, but as a necessary purge.
This matters because culture isn’t created through instruction; it’s learned by association.
Arthur Fleck is introduced as powerless, humiliated, and ignored. By anchoring the audience inside his suffering before any violence occurs, the film ensures viewers emotionally identify with him.
Joker’s Six Screenwashing Tricks
Joker screenwashes its audience by employing six distinct persuasion techniques.
Responsibility for violence is consistently shifted away from the character and onto abstract forces: “the system,” “the rich,” “society.” This trains viewers to see violence as an inevitable consequence, not a moral failure.
- Two, Aestheticization of Chaos
Riots are filmed beautifully. When violence is visually pleasing, the brain associates it with power and release rather than danger or shame.
- Three, Catharsis Substitution
The film substitutes violence for resolution. Destruction itself is the payoff, reinforcing the idea that “burning it down” is a valid emotional endpoint.
Arthur’s transformation is validated not by reasoned argument, but by mass approval. Viewers subconsciously absorb the same validation loop.
- Five, Thinking Past The Sale
The story strongly implies that violent societal collapse is unavoidable. When outcomes feel predetermined, audiences stop asking whether violence is right and start asking only when.
- Six, Meaning Injection Into Rage
Most importantly, the film gives rage a story. Raw anger becomes “truth.” Once anger is framed as insight rather than impulse, acting on it feels justified.
Before Joker, America had a culture in which only truly peaceful protest was acceptable. After Joker, the cultural zeitgeist became one in which violent protest wasn’t just acceptable, it was the only way to be heard.
In the movie, Joker had nothing to say; he just wanted to be heard. And now, being heard is all that matters, not whether or not you have anything worth saying.
The Case Against Joker’s Power Of Persuasion
Those without an understanding of persuasion say audiences are smart enough to separate fiction from reality and can’t be affected by what they see in screen. If culture can be changed by a single movie, then why didn’t the movie V for Vendetta have a similar effect?
A movie like V for Vendetta could never achieve the same effect because it frames violence as symbolic, ideological, and abstract, not emotionally personal. V is not an everyman the audience inhabits; he’s a mythic construct with clarity, planning, and moral certainty. His actions are presented as an allegory, not catharsis. The film creates distance through stylization, speeches, and overt political philosophy. This keeps viewers analyzing rather than identifying.
Joker is a totally unique piece of screenwashing because of the way it collapses that distance, rooting chaos in intimate humiliation and emotional grievance, making mass violent release feel personal, spontaneous, and psychologically relatable rather than theatrical or ideological.
Was Joker’s Impact Intentional?
I think it’s important to say here that it’s not clear if plunging America into endless violent riots was the intent of director Todd Phillips when he made Joker. Little is known about Phillips’ personal political views; he refuses to be categorized.
It’s possible Philips’s goal was something besides the one he achieved. Indeed, the movie’s sequel suggests he wasn’t entirely happy with the effect his first movie had on its viewers. Joker 2 attempts to undo much of what the first movie did, revealing Joker as a fraud and his followers equally so.
Of course, Joker wasn’t solely to blame for a cultural shift towards violence. COVID lockdowns created a powder keg, and irresponsible media coverage lit it. But would things have gone as badly as they did, and continue in that direction for years after, if Joker hadn’t been there, at that exact moment, to condition rioters in advance?
Watch one of the riot scenes from Joker. Then watch any Portland, Oregon protest and ask yourself if what you’re seeing is organic or just Joker cosplay.
Joker didn’t invent violent protest. But it did something arguably more influential: it made violent protest feel understandable, beautiful, and emotionally correct. Once culture grants moral permission, reality tends to follow, no manifesto required.
Congratulations, fiery but mostly peaceful protestors, you’ve been Screenwashed.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on May 3
The Moon is still pretty full in the sky, so there’s lots of opportunity to catch a glimpse of some special features on its surface.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, May 3, the Moon phase is Waning Gibbous. Tonight, 98% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
Without any visual aids, tonight you should be able to see the Mare Serenitatus and Vaporum, and the Oceanus Procellarum. With binoculars, you’ll see the Posidonus Crater, Endymion Crater, and the Mare Humorum. And, finally, with a telescope you’ll see all this plus the Apollo 14 and 17 landing spots, as well as the Descartes Highlands.
When is the next Full Moon?
There are two Full Moons in May, with the next due to take place on May 31.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to circle Earth once, going through eight distinct phases in the process. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the amount of sunlight hitting it changes as it moves in its orbit. The shifting light creates the changing shapes we know as full, half, and crescent Moons. Altogether, there are eight main lunar phases.
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Mashable Light Speed
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
Survivor 50 Star Predicted His MrBeast Moment Four Years Ago
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans made not only Survivor history but also some really great dramatic TV with its nefarious MrBeast appearance, which aired on April 29, 2026. Even the recap was an awesome mini-movie of the drama and conflict from the previous episode, in which Christian Hubicki was voted out.
Rick Devens, under fire after his and Christian’s fake idol antics, made an alliance with Emily Flippen, who is Kaos Kass 2.0 (referring to Kass McQuillen of Survivor: Cagayun and Survivor: Cambodia). What kind of craziness will ensue from a pairing like that? He also came clean to the tribe about the fake idol he used to bluff votes away from him and toward Christy and Coach at the pairs Tribal. This impressed Joe Hunter, who admitted out loud that was a good move.
Return Of The Survivor Auction
Then it’s time for an event, but it’s not a competition. It’s auction time! The show put a new twist on this classic Survivor challenge by making its theme Comfort or Chaos. That meant that some of the “winning” bids would lead to chaotic challenges that harken back to the days of eating gross foods like bugs and worms. Aubry Bracco, whose tagline this season has been “I’m a psycho!”, asked Jeff how many things were going up to auction, causing Jeff to quip, “Since when am I the giver of information?”
The first few items were comfort foods like French fries and milkshakes, but finally, Jeff put two items up, with the caveat that there was a catch to it. Comfort or chaos? Psycho Aubry lived up to her name by winning the bid. She practically enjoyed the grub she had to eat. It won her and Rizo Velovic chocolate chip cookies and milk to kill the taste of those yucky, meaty worms. Jonathan also had to eat a sea slug, and the shocked and disgusted look on his face upon the first bite was priceless, but he did it and won Ozzy fried chicken and mashed potatoes. He made up for it with a PBJ while poor Cirie Fields couldn’t hold her stomach.
Finally, at the end of the auction, came the momentous MrBeast appearance. He actually acted sort of like a person and less like Pinocchio before the Blue Fairy got hold of him; unleashing the fateful Beware advantage without telling anyone what it was. Suddenly, there was no more auction; it became an immunity challenge.
The Immunity Challenge On Not Crossbows
There were crossbows… wait, they were not crossbows, they were those curved rockers with the ball on top. Balance the ball on the rocker, and you win. The banter referred to “Survivor’s favorite news anchor, Rick Devens” as he tried to keep his balance in the challenge (Rizo: “Take that, Savannah Louie.” Well, she’s an ex-newscaster, so it’s okay, she’s still a Survivor favorite.). Jonathan Young did a ballerina dance when he fell off. Powerhouse Tiffany Ervin won.
Tiffany has been a sleeper with not many confessionals, but I think that is more because her domination has been in her athleticism and interactions with others, rather than in her private thoughts. People have complained Tiffany hasn’t gotten a lot of edits, and she was nearly invisible early game, but only because she has been flying under the radar until the Kamila vote, quietly attacking challenges with gusto and forging relationships that have kept the target off of her, even while her allies have been made Public Enemy Number One.
Chaos At Camp
Right now, though, Ozzy Lusth seemed like Public Enemy Number One. Jonathan tried to leverage him out with negotiations around camp, but told Devens, who told Emily. We all know how that can go already, but multiply it by the impish pair being a secret alliance. As they said, “We should not be allowed to play this game… Certainly not together!”
Stephenie got pushy in her part in it, and then transferred the attention to Cirie, since Ozzy has an idol. While this worked in Devens’ favor after his antics with the fake immunity idol, it was still chaotic as no plan survived the field of battle. And, oh yeah, did we forget that Aubry, the Psycho, is also aligned with Crazy Devens and Kaos Emily? Is this the Insanity Alliance?
Tribal Council Explodes In Accusations
Discussion during Tribal Council was explosive. Doing his best Emily imitation, Devens revealed that Steph had a steal-a-vote.
Truth bombs blew up in Tribal as Jonathan and Steph were called out for targeting Ozzy. Rizo showed off how smart and analytical he is, both reasons he got so far in both 49 and 50, by demanding of Steph that she own her actions when she denied having dropped people’s names, because it’s Survivor, and if you aren’t dropping a name to vote out, you’re not playing the game. This all took place with almost 30 minutes left to the episode, heralding the events that would follow and how complicated the game was about to become.
MrBeast Reveals His Beware Advantage
MrBeast returned and explained his Beware advantage: a coin flip, where heads would provide an immunity idol and double the jackpot while tails would send the “advantage holder” home. Crazy Devens took a big swing and took the challenge.
Once again, Pinocchio acted like a real boy as MrBeast was even more excited, having been a long-time fan. He came up with this challenge, and it made for some momentous television, especially since Devens knows how to make great TV from his off-Survivor career as a news anchor (“Take that, Savannah Louie.”).
Rick Devens Flips A Coin And Wins Big
Even the jury (Benjamin “Coach” Wade, Chrissy Hofbeck, Dee Valaderes, and Christian Hubicki) was eating popcorn like Michael Jackson watching Thriller, and to top it off, the coin took a suspenseful roll before it landed: heads. Devens wins. The entire competition has now doubled. As Rizo would say, “Cinema.”
To top it off, a Survivor fan shared an old tweet from Devens:
Well, Jack, MrBeast is about to change your life. Congratulations on a lifelong dream fulfilled.
The End Of Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick’s Survivor Run
With the stakes of the game now doubled for everyone and Devens in possession of a real immunity idol, Tribal Council immediately turned live as everyone scrambled to decide who to vote for. Stephenie’s name started blowing up as no one believed Jonathan had campaigned for Ozzy (despite him talking to all of them), so she played her steal-a-vote on Devens. Rizo even admitted that he had nothing to say when writing his vote, which, coming from this constant talker, only proves how shocking the coin flip was for the tribe.
The votes fell against Stephenie, with Aubry as the only other person to receive any, which was somewhat out of left field given the episode’s events and the targets of debate. In fact, the only votes that weren’t for Steph were from her own steal-a-vote.
MrBeast Delivered Big For Survivor
There was a lot of skepticism about the MrBeast episode. He is a personality that most people either love or hate, and I admit I’m in the latter camp. So when I say that this episode was not only compelling television thanks to his twist, that is a huge concession on my part.
As a long-time Survivor fan who hasn’t decided yet who my favorite player is in this gripping season, to have the stakes raised for some of the greatest returning personalities to be put together for the show since Heroes versus Villains only elevates this season for me. Sure, the advantages have been excessive and weird, and I am still never going to forgive Jimmy Fallon for his role in Christian’s elimination, but for drama and gameplay, this season has delivered on the promise that Survivor made to its fans when it introduced its first cutthroat season.
Catch up on all the action on Paramount Plus, which has every episode of every season of Survivor, and join the battle over the title of Sole Survivor on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. EST.
Entertainment
NASA video shows how much ground a Mars rover has covered, literally
When NASA makes a new timelapse video, it’s not for reminiscence or clout chasing on the Internet.
The U.S. space agency recently pulled together images from Curiosity, one of its two robotic rovers on Mars, for a scientific purpose. The two-minute video provides a quick succession of clips spanning six years of exploration at Gale Crater. Each image shows the rover ambling over crumbling lithic landscapes as it slowly climbs Mount Sharp, which rises three miles above the basin floor.
The montage isn’t just an intriguing look back on the mission, but a tool for the rover’s science team. Using views from Curiosity’s right navigation camera, mounted on its head, the researchers analyze the sand grains shifting on the rover’s deck.
You can watch the Martian dust churn in the rover’s treads in the Instagram post below. (The Lenny Kravitz soundtrack, though not for science, certainly adds to the appeal.)
“Distinguishing between sand jostled by each drive and wind gusts can provide new information about seasonal changes in the atmosphere,” the agency said.
Curiosity took these images between Jan. 2, 2020, and March 8, but the rover’s journey began long before that. After eight months and 352 million miles flying through space, the rover landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012. Its mission: Find out if this smaller neighboring world ever had conditions to support living creatures.
Mashable Light Speed
NASA’s question was answered rather quickly. Within a year, the rover had drilled a rock sample from a long-gone lakebed and confirmed the region had the right chemistry for habitation in its ancient past, as well as potential nutrients for microorganisms.
Since then, the rover has continued to study the alien environment using its internal chemistry lab. A recently published study revealed the rover detected 21 different organic molecules in a small rock sample, the largest set found on the Red Planet so far. Among the findings, Curiosity discovered preserved complex carbon material. Life could have produced them, though NASA can’t say for sure, as chemical reactions between water and rock could also create these molecules.
As scientists monitor the shifting sand for clues about Mars’ seasonal changes, engineers keep a close eye on how that dust and debris put wear and tear on the vehicle. Almost since the beginning of the journey, the team has noticed sharp rocks in the terrain ravaging Curiosity’s wheels, even causing punctures.
Before the rover’s sibling launched, NASA went back to the drawing board. Engineers built Perseverance with hardier wheels made from thicker aluminum. Each wheel is powered by its own motor and can turn in a full circle, allowing it to dodge and swerve around hazards more easily.
Engineers inspect damage to Curiosity’s wheels on Mars on April 18, 2016.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
But to help the elder rover, NASA has problem-solved alternative techniques, such as driving in reverse. Software engineers also provided upgrades that gave Curiosity’s team more control over individual wheel speeds to reduce the force of jagged rocky surfaces. Those efforts have kept the rover trucking, which has traveled 23 miles on Mars.
Wheel damage isn’t the only concern in the harsh conditions on Mars. Many a mission has succumbed to the effects of blustery Martian winds, which kick up dust that then settles on solar panels.
Such was the fate of Curiosity and Perseverance‘s predecessors, Spirit and Opportunity, who died from dust choking their vital power sources.
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