XV – You Used to Laugh with the People, Adam McKay

We love Adam McKay movies. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby embraces the Americana of rednecks and NASCAR culture, innocently pitting our uncouth heroes against the French liberal elites. Step Brothers is two losers resisting the urge to seek status, content with having a good time. And Anchorman? One can argue it’s a treatise on the fallibility of news, exposing the information guardians for the dopes they are.

Then, in his magnum opus, Adam gave us with The Big Short, an anarchist, populist masterpiece that unites all people based on class, offering empathy to those who struggle to survive in an economy ruled by elites, where “regulators” and “experts” obfuscate truth for profits.

We graduated from college during the 2008 financial crisis, and that film educated and empowered us to think critically and speak truth to power. Adam used to be one of the people. His offensive language, love for the poors, and mission to entertain everyone regardless of politics spoke to a simpler time. It’s why his classics are beloved.

Then he made Don’t Look Up. And it pressured audiences to implicitly trust the experts and embrace righteous politics, lest they become regular ol’ citizen “bad person” whose inaction dooms humanity.

What happened? We want to know.

Show Notes:

Episode of South Park mentioned on the show:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1539447

That urban legend that went viral online:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/faggot

The Steve Carell character in The Big Short is based on:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Eisman

Rednecks aren’t to blame for emissions, 90 corporations are:
https://www.science.org/content/article/just-90-companies-are-blame-most-climate-change-carbon-accountant-says

The FDA is funded by the companies it regulates:
https://www.fda.gov/industry/fda-user-fee-programs/fda-user-fees-explained

Cochrane study on masking efficacy:
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full

South Park apologize for climate change denial:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_to_Get_Cereal

Democrats slowly losing minority vote:
https://www.vox.com/2021/5/10/22425178/catalist-report-2020-election-biden-trump-demographics

“What do you have to lose?”:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/what-we-all-had-to-lose-with-trump-1047008

Don’t Look Up and the Covid-19 pandemic:
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/12/if-you-think-dont-look-up-is-just-an-allegory-about-climate-change-youre-missing-something/

Todd Phillips on woke comedy:
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/10/joaquin-phoenix-cover-story

Intro Music: https://pixabay.com/music/indie-pop-fun-punk-opener-14343/