Trolls Accuse Female Joker Cosplayer Of "Appropriating Joker Culture"

The wild ride of mind-numbing Joker controversies never ends.

First, there was the hysteria over mass shootings that were supposedly destined to happen at the film's opening weekend. Then director Todd Philips stepped in it by claiming it was simply impossible to do comedy in the modern political climate. Now very angry young men are yelling at a woman doing Joker cosplay for (checks notes) "appropriating gamer culture." Fabulous stuff.

The woman in question is cosplayer Veronica Rae, who recently posted pictures of herself in a revealing Joker getup at the famed Joker Stairs in the Bronx.

"I whipped up a female Joker in about 2 days just so I could shoot on the iconic stairs!", she wrote.

Many Facebook users were evidently very upset about this. At the time of writing, Rae's post has over 12,000 ANGERY reactions. So what made users so upset? At this point, it's difficult to tell if the anger is legitimate or a case of Poe's Law at work. Most of the comments on Rae's pictures are supportive of her work, and defending her from the scores of "incel critics" who are saying things like "This is appropriating gamer culture" and "The Joker could (not) have been a woman."

Because the internet is a bewildering and depressing place, it's unclear if these sentiments are shared in earnest or are Gamers Rise Up boys doing an irony. The thread beneath her post is what your grandpappy might call an "old-fashioned shitshow," where scores of inflammatory takes are being sent back and forth and its impossible to tell which are legitimate and which are trolling. Is it legitimate misogyny or for the lulz? Who knows! Internet!

Rae followed up the post with a troll of her own, donning a Jar Jar Binks mask and lingerie and writing, "I heard you all loud and clear. Is this better for you?"

If the "hate" is in fact a troll, it's undoubtedly been a successful one, as Rae's pictures and the ensuing hullaballoo have been picked up by several news organizations. In the end, Rae gets more exposure, trolls get their laugh, and "incel culture" continues to baffle most of the world. Everybody wins, except for everyone not involved.