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“Why should I apologize for the monster I’ve become? No one ever apologized for making me this way.” – The Joker

This quote comes from the movie, Batman’s The Dark Night released in 2008. Heath Ledger made this claim while playing the infamous Joker in this rendition of the popular superhero movies.

Though this quote comes from a Batman movie, it carries great significance. Naturally, the Joker’s monstrosity is obvious; we can tell that he is cruel and wicked. However, there are other sub-jects of a monstrous nature that merit discussion.

Let us discuss the example of bullying. I am sure we can all remember either being bullied or watching someone else face this experience. Generally speaking, elementary or middle school bullies terrorize other children in school. They steal lunch money, shove people into lockers, and even verbally abuse their victims. Once a bully is caught, they are normally forced to apologize to the children they have hurt. Of course, it is their fault that the victims are hurt or have low self esteem, but have we ever considered why those bullies are the way that they are? As far as I understand from a variety of psychology and communication classes, children mimic the behaviours of their parents or of the people they see frequently. This is a form of learning, and it is common for children to follow a monkey-see-monkey-do style of behaviour. So, what did these bullies see at such a young age that allowed them to act in in-appropriate and hurtful ways?

It is very easy for us to judge each other’s behaviour when it is out of the ordinary. However, it would be of great value to us if we try to understand the behaviours of others and respond accordingly.

That being said, I do recognize that there are psycho-paths and sociopaths that cannot always control destructive or negative behaviours or that there are people who are past the point of change.

What I am trying to explain is that people generally are not born evil but are instead taught to be destructive. If the people who taught the Joker to be the way he is will not own up to their mistakes, why should he? This is certainly a question to consider.