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The best exploration of this that I have seen in media is one of my favorite
movies: Nightcrawler (2014), starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie doesn't touch
on the government/democracy aspect of the article, but it very much captures
the notion that desparate people can be pressured to do horrible things when
their job is at stake. In Nightcrawler, some characters are trying to get ahead, and others are
desperate not to fall behind, but their opportunism (driven by the necessity to
make money in order to survive in our capitalist society) makes all of them
vulnerable to exploitation by an ambitious psychopath. In that case, he is
profit-motivated, whereas the article here is about dictators retaining power,
but the same principles apply. The movie does an amazing job of exploring how
these individuals can wield power irresponsibly, poison everyone who gives them
an inch, and sound almost reasonable while they do it. It is a masterful
portrayal of how much some people can be willing to compromise on their morals
for their job. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. If you have seen it, but don't
remember it being deeply critical of capitalist society, you should re-watch
it. (It's easy to get so engrossed by the truly suspenseful and thrilling
moment-to-moment action that you miss the big picture.) The deterioration of
American news media is a more overt theme in the movie, but in my opinion, that
serves as a complementary backdrop to the anticapitalist message, which is the
engine that drives the movie inexorably onward. Also the acting, directing, and
writing are great. Don't spoil it by reading the plot summary, just watch it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightcrawler_(film) |