Anybody Ever See THX 1138, Handmaid's Tale, And Farenheit 451?

[Solomon]

Since the election debacle, I have been going back and revisiting books and movies about what would happen in the "future".

After 2000, I re-read 1984, Brave New World, etc. for the umpteenth time.

After this election I tracked down THX 1138 and Handmaid's Tale.

Very spooky stuff. It appears that all that's needed to complete fascism is the daily dose of drugs to be administered to everyone.

I realize that we self-dope ourselves everyday with a variety of drugs, alcohol, etc. But the system won't be complete until it's totally regulated by the government.

In THX 1138, it became a crime to NOT take your drugs. Just like in Farenheit 451, fire stations were set up to burn books, not to put out fires.

Come to think of it, Matrix has a lot to say as well about the direction we're headed in. Even I have to admit that after November 2, I wanted to just go back to my little cubbyhole, take the blue pill, and forget about it all with distractions.

Wonder what they have in mind for us?

[nytemare]

1. I have THX 1138

1984 is another good one, I am not sure if that is on DVD though.

One sort of obscure good flick is called "Equilibrium" with Christian Bale. It is about a culture in the future that has no war because everyone is made to take a daily dose that causes them not to feel anything. Everything is very gray. Feelings are outlawed, art is outlawed, as are pets. It was pretty well done, I enjoyed it.

[Solomon]

5. That's the movie I was trying to remember - "Equillibrium" I saw that

too. Very well done. It had elements of Farenheit 451 in it. Not allowed to read books and all because books contain emotions.

[nytemare]

12. Yes I enjoyed it very much.

[MatrixEscape]

2. I have seen all three ...

Excellent. Hand Maid is certainly looking prophetic. Matrix provides some great metaphors for thinkers, (not new ones, but a cool context).

Throw in the movie version of 1984, add Gattaca, and the made for TV version of Brave New World, (fair adaptation) and you have the 21st Century Prophecy Pack.

Of course, the quesiton is, do prophecies exist as warnings so that we can take action, or are they set in stone? ;)

[ProfessorPlum]

3. Thread on anti-fascist movies/books

here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=210x861

[Solomon]

8. Thanks for the link. Sorry I didn't see it and post there. If you come

back, tell me about what the Wave is about. Never saw it or heard of it. Is it in the videostores?

[ET Awful]

10. If memory serves, "The Wave" was an 80's after school movie

about a history class experiment gone awry. A certain section of the class was assigned to be "the party" and the rest were . . . not. Basically it was a case study to prove how quickly fascism could run rampant.

We did a similar expirement when I was in High School, except to provide equal share in the experience, the roles were reversed after a week.

You'd be amazed how good a fascist someone can become when they've been an underdog forever and are finally given power.

On edit: More info here: http://www.legendsmagazine.net/114/wave.htm

[ProfessorPlum]

18. Excellent summary

It was a TV movie, if I recall correctly, but not an "after school" movie. More like a Sunday night special. I saw it when I was in jr high, and it scared the crap out of me. Man oh man.

[ET Awful]

21. As I said, we did a similar experiment when I was in high school

1985 or so.

I hate to admit that I was one of the "party." It's extremely easy to become wrapped up in the mindset.

We were shown the movie AFTER we did the project, which seems rather strange.

[ProfessorPlum]

24. Really? Do you think you would have "fallen for it" if you'd seen

the movie first?

I think it would have been harder to start indoctrinating you if you'd seen the movie first.

That's kind of a dangerous experiment for a high school teacher to run. What was the class?

[ET Awful]

31. It was a US History class.

The teacher who taught the class is probably on of my all time favorite teachers (he's also a world-class liberal :)). Unlike the teacher in "The Wave" he did not involve himself personally in the power structure, but acted as an arbitrator and referee of sorts to make sure things didn't get out of hand.

He'd been doing the same thing in his class for about 10 years before I got there.

He'll always stand out in my mind as a great teacher because of things he did to drive lessons in history home. He had Vietnam vets come and do Q&A with the class (one of whom opened his Q&A by saying "I know one question you all want to ask but are afraid too, and the answer is yes, I have killed other human beings, and no I never want to be placed in that situation again, war is not something glorious or fun, it's a disgusting hell (or something to that effect). This guy had come back from Vietnam, gotten his doctorate and right around this time (withhin a few years before or after), became the principal of the primary school in this small Arizona town).

This teacher also took us to a Holocaust Museum and we had Q&A with survivors (one lady I recall very vividly who still had the tattoo from Auschwitz on her arm).

[ProfessorPlum]

34. wow what an amazing class

Sounds like a fantastic teacher.

[ET Awful]

39. He was awesome. . .

when we were studying the Civil War, he came to class dressed in full Union regalia :).

[Solomon]

26. Thanks for the link. Very interesting. It looks like the Wave is not

available on video, but I'm running to the bookstore to see if they got the book.

[ProfessorPlum]

28. Here is the IMDB page for it

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083316/

Some there claim it was an after school special, so I guess I stand corrected on that point.

[Solomon]

32. Hey great! You found some clues to getting the video. Thanx a lot.

[hightension]

4. I'm wondering how long it will be

before we're in some sort of Gattaca type nation?

Having to slip under the radar if you're not one of the "approved types".

[Solomon]

6. Gattaca scared me too. That's why I don't like things like DNA

databases for noncriminals. It's a violation of privacy.

[hightension]

17. the feeling of being

a Pariah might be part of the new America too.
People all around you feeling that you are less than human if you don't meet their requirements.

[Dogmudgeon]

7. The Era of Plague

We're facing the end of the era of Petroleum, which means the end of cheap energy AND the end of petrochemical-derived fertilizers. Add to this the fact the global climate will be changing radically in the next century. We are about to see our dreams of utopia vanish in the space of a few years, leaving us a future of misery.

However, if some major calamity was to occur and kill off most of the human race in a short time, the survivors would have more than enough resources to continue a very comfortable, high-tech lifestyle.

I suspect that calamity will be a series of engineered pandemics. If six billion people can be made to die in a space of 5-10 years within the next decade or two, it will leave about 500 million people to inherit the high-tech infrastructure and have 50-150 years of profitably cheap petroleum, rather than the 10-30 we have left now.

To hell with fascism; the ruling class is about power, and the kind of gratuitous power Orwell satirized in 1984 is out of style. But the easiest way that the people at the top can continue to exist will be to kill everybody else off.

This is the stuff of conspiracy mongers like Alex Jones and the late William Milton Cooper. But they may have been right about the end game, even if they read too much into the rest of the thing. George Bush may be the "point man" chosen to tie up all the loose ends and skim the cream from the top of the modern world before the Pale Horse is loosed.

Oh, there will be a Rapture, all right. Preceded by a 105F fever, shortness of breath, widespread hemorrhaging, uncontrollable diarrhea, and death.

--bkl

[el_gato]

13. good post BKL

[Solomon]

19. I sincerely believe the part about killing off billions of people.

I always assumed that aids was one of the attempts, along with several others.

[el_gato]

27. HR15090

http://www.guerrillafunk.com/thoughts/doc754.html

[Solomon]

33. I got a copy of the Strecker Memorandum years ago. The guy seemed

to be impressive.

[Dogmudgeon]

42. The problem with AIDS

It doesn't work all that fast, nor is it spreading as quickly as a depopulation weapon should. A plague should be able to blow through a population within 6 months to 2 years. Maybe they miscalculated. It's also possible that it IS natural, not artificial.

The new generation of created diseases will probably be ethnically targetable.

On the up side (if it could be called that), I don't think they've got the skill or the guts to really bring about a controlled die-off. They'll lose control at some point and many of them will die, as well.

Hopefully, I will be wrong about even that.

--bkl

[ET Awful]

9. Soylent Blue is LIBERALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) n/t

[Solomon]

14. Hey!! That's not funny!

:evilgrin:

[nytemare]

16. LOL I liked Soylent Green.

haven't seen that in forever.

[JetJaguar]

38. Tuesday is Zapata Blue day.

Zapata's marine protein operations reported improved operating performance during the quarter based on increased sales volumes of fish meal and fish oil...

Gulp!?!

http://secfilings.nasdaq.com/filingFrameset.asp?FileName=0000899243%2D94%2D000007%2Etxt&FilePath=%5C1994%5C02%5C08%5C00%5C&CoName=ZAPATA+CORP&FormType=8%2DK&RcvdDate=2%2F8%2F1994&pdf=

[robbedvoter]

11. Seen it, lived it, tried to outrun it...sigh...too late.

[Huckebein the Raven]

15. THX 1138: yes

Handmaid's Tale: No
Farenheit 451: bits and pieces

-watched the Matrix Trilogy (back to back) over the weekend on Cinemax

Also liked Equilibrium and Gattaca

[lectrobyte]

20. Interesting thread

I've re-read 1984, watched Farenheit 451. Should probably read The Handmaid's Tale, I remember the movie vividly. I've also been reading a book called "Soft Targets" that deals with a media response to defuse terrorist attacks in the U.S., it was written around 1980 or so and seems way smarter than we are. I've also re-read some of John Brunner's books this year, he seems very much ahead of his time as well.

[RaleighNCDUer]

40. Stand on Zanzibar woke me up to overpopulation and

environmental collapse three decades ago.

[hightension]

22. Rollerball

might just fit in, in a roundabout way.

Gladitorial, flaming, death and injury sports are becoming the norm, and desensitizing the masses to the violence we see daily on the "news".
People are coming to crave the spectacle.

[Enraged_Ape]

25. Rollerball was prescient in other ways

As you'll recall, nations in that movie had more-or-less ceased to exist, replaced by multinational corporations. Jonathan E. (James Caan) has to give up his wife to the head of one of the corporations.

I remember, when this movie came out 1975, how people scoffed about how implausible it seemed. But if you watch it today, there's no reason at all why it couldn't be happening right now.

[hightension]

29. you know

I havent seen it since the mid 80's.
I had totally forgotten.

Add it to the list of things to re-see.

[Sequoia]

23. "Five Marks"

by James Jess Hannon

[Beacho]

30. Campy, but has SOME prescience

Escape From LA.

Does the president, played by Cliff Robertson, remind you of anybody?

[Kazak]

35. Brazil

The Terry Gilliam flick...a must see. Add that one to your list.

[maveric]

36. "Have you ever seen "Daybreak"?

A futuristic America with a Xtian fanatic president preaching morality, civilian watch groups who turn people into authorities and a national quarantine, internment and extermination of people who have this aids-like virus.
Daybreak stars Cuba Gooding Jr. Moira Kelley, and John Savage as the bush-like fundie prez.
Frightening plausible.

[Minstrel Boy]

37. The rationale for the Iraq war was right out of Minority Report

The precogs said Saddam had committed future crime.

[Mad_Dem_X]

41. "Handmaid's Tale" and "1984" scared the hell out of me

I can definitely see HT stuff happening under the * administration...women whose only purpose is to breed for the rich...:scared: