1- One thing that always perplexes me about “Idiocracy” (and I love this film, by the way) is how somehow, the intelligent Americans of, say, 300 years in the future made it possible for the mega-idiots of the movie’s time to survive. No human we see in that movie could be capable of repairing any of the complicated machines that diagnose people in the hospital. Which, to me, is actually a pretty damning thing. I mean, I couldn’t fix my car if it broke. In fact, most of the things I use every day, including the computer, are far too complicated for me to understand. Maybe I’m idealizing (and in fact, probably am) but I feel that this probably wasn’t the case, say, 50 years ago…
2-…which, actually segue ways nicely with Anne Neville’s point. We’re not dumber, per se, we just know different things than we used to. Sure, I can’t change the belt in our van, but I can get directions to anywhere at any time. Granted, this is based off the intelligence of others, i.e. I’m text messaging google from my phone, simultaneously using technologies developed by myriad inventors for my own purpose, but, well, that’s essentially the same thing that happened when my mystical and idealized 1950’s 26 year old is fixing his car—he’s using tools he didn’t invent to fix a car he didn’t make. We’re not getting dumber, then, we’re simply reorganizing.
3- Which then, brings me to the common gripe here: most people seem unhappy with the way Americans are reorganizing their priorities. There’s an emphasis on constant stimuli I can’t remember as a kid, which, when coupled with a perceived deemphasis on critical thinking, does not bode well. I guess the real question, then, is this: “If we aren’t getting dumber, are we wasting our intelligence?”
I don’t know, my rationalization for that is that what we’re seeing in the movie represents the most elite strata of society. The first guy they meet is a lawyer, and afterwards Not Sure has the biggest bling short of the President. So that represents the pinnacle of Idiocratic life, and I’m sure that the vast majority of the population lives in terrible conditions. The machines they use are probably the best that they can scrounge up throughout the world.
Good point. And, in case it wasn’t clear, I didn’t mean that part of the movie was damning from a movie-making perspective, but more from a personal and societal one, i.e. that most people can’t fix or understand the complicated machines they use on a daily basis. I think that was clear though.
And, just because: "Your kids are starving. Carl’s Jr. believes that no child should go hungry. You are an unfit mother. Your children will be placed in the custody of Carl’s Jr. Carl’s Jr… ‘F___ You, I’m Eating.’ "
I think that in the history leading up to the year 2505 in that movie that there was a reasonably long period of time when there was still a small portion of the population who was reasonably intelligent, and that they spent a lot of time developing machines that were long-lasting and idiot-proof. Almost everything electronic has the OmniBro logo on it and it all looks like children’s electronics. There’s also a lot of automation keeping things going, note that when the stock market crashes the CEO says something about the computer doing that “automatic layoff thing”. There was a period of time when the intelligent people realized what was happening and they did what they could to keep society running. They might still be around and living in hiding - why would all the people have stereotypes about people who speak intelligently if there were no people like that in the world? The guy from the “Ow! My Balls!” show seems relatively intelligent, and President Machacho did not seem retarded, just a little below average.
Another thing that interested me was Doctor Lexus’s reaction to the main character not having his tattoo - complete and utter terror. Maybe there are people who are not part of their society who still have normal intelligence, and maybe they prey upon the the idiots.
I know it’s a nitpick, but President Camacho would definitely kick your ass for calling him Machacho.
I’d thought about OmniBro before, but the Ow! My Balls guy’s (relative) intelligence hadn’t quite dawned on me yet. I mean, when you compare his show to “Ass,” it’s essentially King Lear.
I also got the distinct impression there were smart people somewhere- just maybe not in the US. The doctor in the hospital mentions that his first wife was a “tard”, just like Joe, and now she’s a pilot. It’s possible that the “Smart people” just moved somewhere else, and maintain a low profile to avoid being over-whelmed by Teh Stupid.
Having said all that, I laughed hysterically at the point where the doctor declared that “Well, don’t want to sound like a dick or nothin’, but, ah… it says on your chart that you’re fucked up. Ah, you talk like a fag, and your shit’s all retarded. What I’d do, is just like… like… you know, like, you know what I mean, like…”
See, I always thought that was just Dr. Lexus consoling Not Sure, telling him that tards can live “kick ass lives” regardless of their overwhelming tard-ness.
Oh, and that part kills me. The other part that doubles me over is this exchange:
Guard: Okay, sir. Now we will begin to proceed to obtain your IQ and aptitude test.
Joe: What for?
Guard: Okay, sir. This is to figure out what your aptitude’s good at, and get you a jail job while you’re being a particular individual in jail.
Evolution is all about the enviroment impacting on the physical organism of whichever creature and the species physically altering to adapt to that enviroment.
BUT us humans are at the stage where we change our enviroment to suit us.
Humans in the Arctic dont become massively fat and hairy,they wear insulating clothing,build shelters etc.
Humans wont stop evolving but the process will slow right down.
I forgot that comment about Dr. Lexus’s wife being a “tard” and a pilot. Makes sense that there are intelligent people (who are seen as retarded by the majority) and they end up in jobs like pilot.
I loved Dr. Lexus’ $5,000,000,000 diagnosis “Don’t wanna sound like a dick or nothin’” too! LMAO!
As for the plausibility of this movie the “unwashed masses” have always had a certain degree of idiocy among their ranks, which the minority of smart people have exploited through the ages. But I doubt a technological society could survive as depicted in the movie. How do idiots design and build jets, cars or computers? Remember in the movie Joe is the smartest man in the world not just the United States and I doubt he could do any of the things I just mentioned. But I did enjoy the movie!
Maybe Joe is at the upper range of intelligence as seen by the masses of 2505 and that’s why they see him as the smartest person in the world. People smarter than Joe may exist, but they may refuse to take the dumbed down intelligence tests or intentionally mess them up, and they are seen as “tards” by the masses and given tard jobs like pilot and nuclear technician.
