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The Future Is a Rerun

https://youtu. be/LR2nAH0dadk New Video: We tend to associate dystopian fiction with authoritarian governments, mass surveillance and the disappearance of individual freedom. But some of the most interesting cinematic visions of the future imagined something rather different. A society that gradually changes through entertainment, social pressure, technological convenience and an increasingly peculiar understanding of reality. It is an interesting proposition, particularly when revisiting films that were originally intended to entertain rather...

Silicon Valley Suddenly Found Morals

https://youtu. be/xWr6P4Ji6jU There's something rather peculiar about the sudden enthusiasm for morality in Silicon Valley.  For years, the technology elite have enjoyed an extraordinary degree of indulgence, celebrity and influence.  Jensen Huang wasn't just another billionaire CEO.  He occupied an extraordinarily important position in the modern technology economy. Now he's gone, and the circumstances surrounding his departure deserve considerably more scrutiny than the usual scandal-driven headlines.  There's a bigger question...

The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death

https://youtu. be/gxLc1G23xZw The colours change.  The slogans change.  The faces change.  One political movement celebrates while another declares the end of civilisation.  Then, almost as if nothing happened, the machinery continues operating. Perhaps the greatest trick in politics is convincing the audience that the entire show has changed simply because the actors have exchanged costumes. But who is responsible for keeping the machinery running? That's the question worth asking.  Out...

Russell Brand's Second Coming?

Russell Brand has always understood the importance of an audience. Whether entertaining television viewers, provoking political opponents or preaching to a new generation of followers, he has rarely been short of attention.  For years, Russell Brand presented himself as a revolutionary opposed to conventional society. Yet the relationship between celebrity rebellion and the establishment has always been rather more complicated than the slogans suggest.  His latest transformation raises some fascinating...

The American Electoral Circus

https://youtu. be/1VyKKf2PAfw Look back at the country of four decades ago and compare it with the political, economic and cultural landscape that exists today. It is difficult to explain the difference simply by pointing to changing politicians or shifting party loyalties. Something deeper has happened. Something that affects how Americans see their country, their future and even their place within it.  The uncomfortable question is whether the transformation can still...

ANAKIN MAXXING

https://youtu. be/erpdhDm4KHo There is something rather extraordinary about a generation identifying with one of the most spectacularly doomed characters in cinematic history. Anakin Skywalker was supposed to become something extraordinary. Instead, he became a cautionary tale. Yet the memes circulating around him have struck a nerve that many people seem determined not to understand.  It is an interesting dynamic, particularly when viewed through the lens of modern generational resentment. Perhaps...

They Took More Than Candy

https://youtu. be/5rgcEHTKcBo There is something particularly depressing about a child arriving at a Halloween doorstep only to find an empty bowl. Not because a few pieces of candy have gone missing, but because the little social ritual behind the gesture has broken down. The homeowner expected one thing. The visitor did something else. And the next child pays the price. It is a small incident, perhaps, but small incidents can...

Choose Your Apocalyptic Adventure

From private compounds in remote locations to military facilities designed to withstand serious disruption, preparations for extraordinary emergencies are no longer confined to the pages of science fiction. There are financial, military and religious dimensions to this story, and they lead to some fascinating questions. But there's one aspect that deserves considerably more attention: the people who may find themselves in charge when the existing hierarchy disappears. Out soon, and...

The Elephant In The Starship

We've spent decades imagining alien civilisations, strange new worlds and encounters with the unfamiliar. Yet some of the most famous fictional aliens have characteristics that feel remarkably familiar. The Ferengi and Watto are particularly interesting examples. Their appearance, mannerisms and cultural associations raise questions that are difficult to dismiss with a simple explanation about artistic licence. How much of our own history are we really leaving behind? Out soon, and...

The Most Effective Lie Has a Laugh Track

https://youtu. be/PCSg5IUknyw A peculiar thing happens when a political programme establishes who the fool, villain or villainous institution is before the audience has had much time to think. The room already knows how to respond. The host barely needs to finish the sentence. That doesn't automatically settle whether the argument is right or wrong, but it raises an interesting question about how the performance shapes the experience of watching it....

You Know These People. You Might Be One.

It's easy to recognise conformity in other people. The political activist repeating a familiar slogan. The colleague who becomes furious when challenged. The stranger online who can produce a dozen insults but not one coherent argument. The harder part is recognising the same instincts when they appear in ourselves. That's where a comfortable observation becomes an uncomfortable mirror. Out soon, and as always, thanks so much for sticking with me....

Green Day Saw This Coming

When Mike Judge released *Idiocracy* in 2006, its premise was absurd enough to be funny: an average man wakes up in a future where intellectual standards have collapsed so dramatically that he becomes the smartest person around. Two decades later, the uncomfortable question is no longer whether such a future is imaginable. It's whether we've mistaken the warning signs for entertainment. In the latest Felix Rex video, I examine the...