How A Raunchy, R-Rated Sci-Fi Comedy Warned Us About Everything We Live Now
Posted by Jennifer Asencio | Updated
Mike Judge brought us animated sitcoms Beavis and Butthead again King of the Hillwhich were full of sharp social commentary mixed with biting humor. He has also written and directed meme-laden feature films Office Location and sci-fi comics Idiocracy. The latter predicted a future that seems to already exist.
Luke Wilson plays Joe, an enlisted man in the US Army who hopes to pass his post in an empty library, away from other people. However, the Army has other plans: it is including it as a test subject for a secret project intended to freeze soldiers in time, so that they can be revived when needed. Also included is Rita who is an animator played by Maya Rudolph who has caught the attention of the director of the show. Work is forgotten while they sleep.
The project works very well, and Joe wakes up in 2505. The world has changed dramatically and is facing a series of catastrophic challenges such as famine and drought. Everything is automated and everyone seems dumb. Joe discovers that he is the smartest man in the world when a run-in with the law forces him to take an intelligence test.
He is hired by the President, Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Comacho (extremely played by Terry Crews), to solve this famine or he will be imprisoned in this terrible place. With the help of Rita and then-local Frito Pendejo (a mute Dax Shepard), Joe tries to save the world in order to stay out of prison long enough to bring him and Rita back to 21.St a century.
Brought to you by the creators of Ass, And Oh, My Balls!
In Idiocracyintelligence is considered a disability, just as learning disabilities are considered today. The best TV show is called Oh, My Balls, and its one gag is that its lead repeatedly receives strokes in the breasts. The first movie is called Donkeyand it’s an absolutely delicious feature film. Justice, both the court and the “House of Representatives”, is televised and interesting. Everyone’s clothes, no matter how simple, are covered in logos.
The world is controlled by the Brawndo corporation, whose main product is an electrolyte drink that has replaced water. Everything is so automated that there is no way to reach a person, and no one is smart enough to do anything about it.
If this all sounds confusing, it is. Anyone who has had to deal with automated customer service these days knows about the frustrating series of endless automated responses that don’t address the problem and are full of vague clichés. This has happened more and more as our companies are increasingly turning to AI to cut costs, create an incredible amount of advertising, or product decay over time as it attracts more customers.
Over time, customers actually come wait low level, that’s why some of us can remember when McDonald’s tasted good and the party was the coolest thing in the world, while now there is not even food anymore. And if you ever have to troubleshoot or send a ticket to X, you know that someone probably never saw it.
The Future We Are Already Living
Entertainment is becoming more and more absurd these days as companies try to check boxes for engagement rather than storytelling. Although the FCC is not owned by a company like Brawndo, the truth is that entertainment has narrowed down to just one point of view, and this emphasis has lowered the quality of the stories we are told in all of our media, from books to video games to television and movies.
Many people allow themselves to be complacent Donkey on their streaming services, TV screens, and especially our phones. Equally Donkey again Oh, My Balls readily available wherever we are (as long as there’s WiFi or a cell signal), the ethernet is full of pointless content that autoplays all the time. It’s not only bad for what we’re used to, but also endless background noise with autoplay.
He warned us, but we didn’t listen
In addition, many popular franchises were turned into almost two hours of nothing but fatting butt, because everything that was produced in them was worth it. This is great fun, but it’s used for entertainment, which is just another product.
In Idiocracyjudgment and justice are rendered mainly through the court of public opinion rather than facts and legal procedures. This begins in the local court, presided over by Mike’s famous associate Judge Stephen Root, and progresses to President Machado’s speech, complete with wrestling shouts, automatic gunfire, and cheering fans.
The world Mike Judge lives in Idiocracy it is full of stupid people who are naturally selected as they adapt faster than smart people. Frito and his peers are so dumb that they are easily distracted, drawn to emotions like moths to a flame, and unable to solve even basic problems. Intelligence is something that is frowned upon in this world, something that seems to be true today as colleges become degree mills and meritocracy is replaced by having the “right” ideas. This has had the same effect as the Judge’s centuries of natural selection, as people have been surprised by comments from people who are more interested in staying relevant than telling the truth.
Idiocracy it’s absurd, almost cartoonish, pushing its premise to its absurd conclusion, but that’s the point. It is not meant to be a picture of today but a warning of what could happen. It was made in 2006, before many meetings, lampoons became a tradition and everyday life, so Mike Ijaji did not have to deal with endless phone menus and the level where almost all products in our daily life are rotten. But it’s clear he knew it was coming, as this scathing comedy film shows with its stinging satire and remarkable attention to the world it created.
Idiocracy is streaming on Hulu. Watch it instead Donkey.
