Published on Jan 18, 2017 by Motherboard
When Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi film The Running Man first premiered in 1987, it presented a dark vision of the US in the year 2017: economically depressed, ruled by the military, and obsessed with a reality TV show. It seemed far-fetched at the time, even to its creators. But on the eve of reality TV-star-turned President Donald Trump’s inauguration, it seems more timely and plausible than ever. Watch all the parallels between this retro sci-fi film and reality in our inaugural episode of Future Shock.
Years ago I saw this movie again on TV, and I remember thinking exactly the same thing.
For me, one of the most disturbing parts of that movie is the way it portrays a public thoroughly brainwashed by media and TV, and completely trusting in the government. Looking at the self-righteous bloodlust of the crowd at the “Running Man” game show, it’s the spitting image of the “law and order,” “tough on crime,” copsucking segment of the public in today’s real-life America.
It’s a dark side of human nature that especially afflicts the weak-minded. When people feel powerless, they often don’t want to admit that to themselves, so they seek to ally themselves (at least mentally) with those they perceive as strong (usually the police, government, etc.). That gives them a false sense that they share in that strength and even have a seat at the table of power. (“If I ruled the country, I’d be doing the same thing our government is doing! Good for them!”) It’s a lot easier to do follow this cowardly instinct toward the path of least resistance than to accept that what the powerful are doing is wrong and courageously resolve to oppose them.
A waste of my time. The author is straining at a gnat to make any parallel between the movie and Trumpet. The “game show host who has power” angle is a real stretch, and it is obvious that square peg was hammered into the much smaller round hole, due to the pile of wood shavings leaking out of the video.
The Lefties are pissed that some of the communist advances under Obummer are or will be rolled back by Trumpet; meanwhile the NWO Police State continues its march to global tyranny.
All in all, I give it a “2” out of ten for cogent thought; the only viable points made politically were the gullible stupidity of the sheeple in both the movie and reality versions of government and media manipulation.
The Stephen King story (written under his Richard Bachman pseudonym) was FAR superior to the movie.
Another typical Hollywood trashing of a great story.