Wicked (2024 Film) · Scene
Fiyero: “Why is it that every time I see you, you’re causing some sort of commotion?”
Elphaba: “I don’t cause commotions, I am one.”
Fiyero: “That’s for sure.”
Elphaba: “Oh! So you think I should just keep my mouth shut! Is that what you’re saying?”
Fiyero: “No, I’m …”
Elphaba: “Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much? Don’t you know how much easier my life would be if I didn’t?”
I was fortunate enough to go with my best friend and my eldest to see a late night viewing of Wicked last night. I wasn’t expecting social commentary. I wasn’t expecting to be moved. But I was. For all three of us, it felt incredibly close to home.
Film Reference — Wicked (2024)
Film
Wicked (2024) · Universal Pictures
Based On
The Broadway musical and Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Central Allegory
Power, manufactured villainy, the cost of speaking out against institutions that benefit from silence
Wicked is a poignant and moving reminder of the political climate and the state of mass incarceration in our country. Of how challenging and sometimes dangerous it is to be an advocate for social justice and human rights.
The Wizard as Political Mechanic
Just like The Wizard, played in the movie by Jeff Goldblum, there are most definitely inept people in power who want to put people in cages for their own benefit. As much as I wish it were, it’s not fiction. As the Wizard says, nothing brings people together like a manufactured villain — someone to blame and redirect their ire at. To take the heat off of what they have done. Political players would rather demonize people than admit they are wrong or be humane. That mechanism is not a fantasy. It is a policy tool.
Historical Context — Deinstitutionalization and the Carceral Turn
It’s not even anything new. Mass incarceration has been brewing since the 1970s, when mental health facilities were shut down. People were moved to other cages. The community-based care that was supposed to replace those facilities never materialized at scale. Jails and prisons filled the gap — becoming, by default, the largest mental health service providers in the country. The decision to cage people rather than care for them was not made once. It has been remade, institution by institution, budget cycle by budget cycle, ever since.
It’s never easy to speak out. It comes with a price. Believe me — I know all too well. There are penalties because the people who benefit from the status quo can’t handle or afford being called out or held accountable.
In spite of this, it’s our responsibility as advocates to speak out. Even when it’s scary, and when it feels like it’s too much.
A Note to Every Advocate Reading This
The system counts on your exhaustion. It counts on the price being too high, the risk feeling too real, the isolation wearing you down until you stop. Find your courage and go defy gravity.
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Rita Williams’ guide to investigating the systems that affect your life — public records, court filings, and the paper trails institutions leave behind.
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Related Reading — Advocacy, Courage, and the Cost of Speaking Out
How to cite: Williams, R. [Rita]. (2024, November 30). Lessons from ‘Wicked’: Reflections on Social Justice Advocacy. Clutch Justice. https://clutchjustice.com/2024/11/30/on-wicked/
