The Authentic Eclectic
“Idiocracy” and the Future of Humanity
Why we’re all doomed.
It’s become fashionable to use the movie “Idiocracy” as a shorthand for how stupid and awful things have gotten in America.
Because our world right now is horribly stupid and awful.
Using “Idiocracy” like this can be an irresistible comparison; I’ve used it myself many times. But it can also be lazy and simplistic. So I would like to correct the record a bit.
“Idiocracy” is a satire by Mike Judge, who also made “Beavis & Butthead” and “King of the Hill,” about how American society has devolved 500 years in the future. Average guy Joe, who thought he was taking part in a military cryogenics experiment for a year, instead wakes up in the far future. It’s a dystopian world where the people have all become so stupid that they can barely keep themselves alive.
Honestly as a movie it’s not that great. But there are some inspired elements, like how water is completely replaced with an energy drink called “Brawndo.” “Brawndo Has What Plants Crave!”. And the #1 TV show is just an endless loop of men getting hit in the crotch, titled, unsurprisingly, “Ow! My Balls!”
Sadly, if that’s the measure of a criminally stupid society, well, we already have TikTok. And…
