In this post-US election episode, Clare Coombe and Masha Yakovleva are talking about the 2006 Mike Judge comedy film, Idiocracy, called by some 'a documentary' and others (ie. Masha) 'the worst film I've ever seen'.
This film imagines a future in which intelligence has been bred out of the human race, with chaotic social and political consequences. In our discussion, we critique the use of stereotypes and depiction of lower social-economic classes in terms of stupidity and hedonism, and how this might impact our discourse on Trump's election victory.
We look at the satire on a society in which anti-intellectualism and inane television and film are thriving. We consider the depiction of consumerism and the power of corporate monopolies. We parallel the use of manipulation and misinformation with the situation in US politics. We also look at the film's depiction of homophobia and misogyny, and how these speak to a negative attitude to education.
In this episode we referred to the following resources:
Men and white people vote differently based on education
Poorer voters flocked to Trump — and other data points from the election
https://jacknicastro.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-idiocracy-2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u8_fp1TtJE
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on Instagram or Substack.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.