Why ‘Joker’ Is a Victory for Animal Rights

Joaquin Phoenix is using his success to help animals.

Arthur Fleck is different. This is evident in the first five seconds of “Joker,” as tears drip down the clown for hire’s painted face. Fleck, played by actor Joaquin Phoenix, is of course, on his way to becoming Joker, the infamous DC Comics Batman villain.

Fleck’s chilly laugh — the result of a neurological disorder likely caused by beatings as a child — is a window into his unrelenting…