I’d like something more extended and literally episodic the way the word looks?
Idiocracy
They found the smartest person in the world and listened to them to fix their problems… Not at all accurate.
we’re in the “what if they didn’t” timeline…
They also tried to publicly execute him.
We’re only 20 years after Joe got frozen and he hasn’t been thawed yet. We still have 480 years before things get that bad.
Pretty sure we’re speed running that part.
Who knows. We need a movie set in between the time frames we see to tell us.
You make a convincing argument.
We’re in the time he was frozen. We have 40 years or so before that part happens.
That is the typical internet response whenever that movie is brought up in this context. But that response fails to take into consideration that they only did that after not having done that for hundreds of years until the point where the movie begins.
The movie is about smart people not breeding. The smart people stoped existing. It wasn’t a decision to ignore smart people and listen to dumbasses, there were only dumbasses. The obvious problem with the movie is that it’s about eugenics (which doesn’t work that way), but your take changes the plot to be about something that it isn’t.
The Man in the High Castle.
Andor
Whys that?
Just started watching that show recently and it’s so amazing I’m surprised Disney allowed it to be made. The parallels to the current state of society are so apparent. In one of the episodes of Season 2 a character says “Why can’t they just leave us alone” and that resonated with me so much
There’s a satirical (well, don’t know how long it will be considered that) movie about it… it’s called Idiocracy
I used to think this movie was funny but now it’s just kind of painful because it’s largely true.
Except Camacho was a caring president, in his own way.
He is the most unrealistic part of the film, he had a problem, found the most qualified person to fix it, listened to them (eventually), and then didnt take credit for it.
1984 by George Orwell
Not TV (at least not that I am aware of), but it was the first thing to come to my mind. They made a movie if you prefer but, as always, you’ll get more from the book.
Elysium; the Matt Damon movie where the rich live on a space station and leave the rest of us to rot.
I’m not saying it’s what’s going on right this moment, but it’s the end-goal of everything that Musk, Bezos, etc… are doing.
Literally the first novel ever written “Sinuhe” speaks of a very similar crisis in ancient Egypt.
The Ultra podcast has two seasons and goes in-depth into previous attempts by fascists at taking over the US government.
Sitting members of Congress aiding and abetting a plot to overthrow the government. Insurrectionists criminally charged with plotting to end American democracy for good. Justice Department prosecutors under crushing political pressure. Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra is the all-but-forgotten true story of good, old-fashioned American extremism getting supercharged by proximity to power.
When extremist elected officials get caught plotting against America with the violent ultra right, this is the story of the lengths they will go to… to cover their tracks.
Just wanted to re-thank you. On to season two and have already recommended this to two friends. Absolute cracker.
I’m glad you’re finding it interesting. Season 2 is even better in my opinion.
Just in the last minutes of season 2. Holy cow. It’s such a clear mirroring of today.
Poor Lester (and Buddy) Hunt :(
Thanks for the recommendation. Giving it a listen currently.
Ever heard of the rise of Nazism in Germany?
The Twilight Zone (2019), “The Wunderkind”
Synopsis: A down-on-his-luck campaign manager (John Cho) is determined to get a kid (Jacob Tremblay) elected as the next President of the United States.
Take a serious look at the collapse of the Soviet Union, the gutting of the Commonwealth, and the rise of Russia under Yeltsin, then Putin. I’m not sure of any fictionalized works that examine this in any detail, but the aftermath and the new reality is well-described in Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev. Link is a 10 year old review in the Guardian.
The falls of other empires would also be instructive. There is an excellent podcast/YouTube channel, the Fall of Civilizations(YouTube Link)(Spotify Link). In listening, I found several parallels to the first Trump presidency. I haven’t listened in years.
A paper-thin skinned hegemon leads a dying empire against his staunch allies. I fed this prompt to ChatGPT and it handed me back Dune by Frank Herbert and Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
Babylon 5.
Rewatched this again a year ago and it has never been more relevent
deleted by creator
Veep is probably more generally accurate.
Star wars episode 3.
