Chaos works both ways
October 26, 2009
In the famous scene from The Dark Knight, the Joker tells the now deformed Harvey Dent, “The mob has plans. The cops have plans. Gordon’s got plans. They’re schemers, schemers trying to control their little worlds.”
He later goes on to note, “Nobody panics when things go ‘according to plan,’ even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, a gangbanger will get shot or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics. Because, it’s all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds!”
To twist the Joker’s words just a little, we can apply it, with surprising fidelity, to events which similarly cause chaos in a different light:
“If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, an effective employee gets promoted or a CEO and founder will make millions, nobody rejoices. Because, it’s all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old lady wins a talent show, well then everyone loses their minds!”
The point is that it is never something expected which attracts the most attention, even if what is expected required the most effort or work. It is always the chaos, good or bad, which causes media frenzies, spectacles, and ultimately public consciousness.
