Stories about revolutions have existed since cavemen learned dunking their dirty asses in a river would make the itchiness subside. These stories are compelling, because the vast majority of society have felt subjugated, oppressed or slighted in one form or another at some point in their lives. However, I discuss propaganda here and how it’s used to shape society. I recommend you read my Occupy Wall Street (OWS) article before venturing further. Propagandists employ obvious or subtle messaging through media to plant seeds of revolution in pliable minds.
Let’s analyze three movies released around the time of OWS. On a side note, I enjoy all three of these movies. Whether we like something or not shouldn’t prohibit us from understanding the underlying purpose.
In Time (2011)
Per Wikipedia…
In 2169, people are genetically engineered to stop aging on their 25th birthdays and are given one free year to live. Everyone has a timer on their forearm that shows their remaining time; when it reaches zero, the person “times out” and instantly dies.
In this dystopic future, time is the only currency. People are paid in time and barter in time. Want a cup of coffee? That’ll be 15 minutes. Need to catch the bus for a two-hour trip? It’ll cost you an hour. The movie showcases this economic reality throughout its run time. One can easily see similarities with modern life, where the poor barely subsist at survival levels (looking at you, Rio de Janiero).
Justin Timberlake is the main character. He meets a wealthy man with decades of “time” at his local bar. The elite man explains how the wealthy raise rates of various sundries and services, while lowering pay for workers. The message of CAPITALISM BAD is so obvious Helen Keller saw it coming from a mile away.
He becomes disillusioned with THE SYSTEM when his still-a-smokeshow mom, Olivia Wilde, perishes while seconds from being saved. Timberlake then crosses numerous time zones or districts to arrive where the most wealthy congregate. He fleeces what appears to be the most elite of the elite during a card game and accrues an enormous amount of time or wealth. He catches the eye of megababe Amanda Seyfried and upon being tracked down by Thomas Shelby for time-theft, takes her hostage to escape. She slowly warms to Timberlake’s idea that THE SYSTEM is corrupt, oppressive and needs to be burned down. They spend the second half of the movie robbing banks of “time” and distributing the ill-gotten gains to food pantries for the lower class.
What’s the message of this film? THE SYSTEM is bad, CAPITALISM BAD, burn it down. Funny how they never address that oligarchical collectivists always vacuum up resources after the revolution like a 500 pound man and slabs of roast beef at Golden Corral.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Per Wikipedia…
Panem is a dystopian nation divided into twelve districts and ruled by its Capitol. As punishment for a failed rebellion seventy-four years before, each district must choose two tributes, a boy and a girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen, to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games until only one is left alive and declared the “Victor.” The event is televised across the Capitol and all districts
Jennifer Lawrence discovers her younger sister is selected to participate in the annual Hunger Games and volunteers herself as tribute to save her kin. The majority of the movie details how the Hunger Games are played and won, with the dystopic setting as the backdrop, not the main feature.
Jennifer Lawrence cheats the Games by choosing voluntary suicide with her boytoy, rather than slaying him to become the sole victor. The message is that she defeated THE SYSTEM because she’s more virtuous, moral and kind. She stands against the oppressors and would rather die than participate in their chicanery.
Divergent (2014)
Per Wikipedia…
In a futuristic dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the kind), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). The remaining population, the Factionless, holds no status or privilege. Upon turning sixteen, children undergo a serum-induced psychological aptitude test that reveals their best-suited faction, although they can choose any faction as their permanent group during the subsequent Choosing Ceremony.
Shailene Woodley grew up in the Abnegation faction, but is discovered as a “Divergent”, or a member of society incompatible with the Five Factions. She’s special. She has traits of all five factions. However, her secret isn’t divulged, saving her from joining the Factionless. She becomes a fearsome Dauntless warrior, despite her heroin-chic frame(girl power).
Woodley meets Four, who is later revealed to be Divergent. Who’s approving the quality control standards of these tests?! Divergents are slipping through the cracks left and right. They learn that Kate Winslet, the leader of the Smart Bros, is planning to use the Brave Bros to overthrow the Kind Bros. Woodley and Four foil the plot and escape for fear of reprisal.
What’s the not so subtle message of these movies?
You (yes, you) are special. You are more virtuous than others. You don’t fit into a box of society’s construction. You have the power to change the future. The present is bad. Capitalism bad. Burn it down.
Who falls prey to this brainwashing? Young idealists, broke bitches and naive Communists. Sometimes, this Venn diagram triad resembles a single circle. These are people with nothing to lose from the collapse of the system and everything to gain. As Stalin said, they are “useful idiots”.
THESE are the people at the vanguard of America’s societal and political fomentation. They’re lemmings with no skin in the game, seduced by promises of revolution and power.
When I’m President, I will sign an executive order to recreate the Hunger Games in Xichigan. Players from TTUN will be the only participants. Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions will routinely be flagellated with horse-hair whips during the Games.
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