Episode 128 - Starship Troopers (w/ Jordan Hoffman)

[TheGCU 0]

P.P.S. Another casting fun fact... One of the roughnecks is played by Seth Gilliam, aka Carver from The Wire (sorry if anybody else pointed this out already and I missed it).

 

He was also in OZ, one of my two favourite tv shows, alongside Deadwood.

[Threshold 93]

What's the purpose of satire that is so well disguised that it's viewed as genuine?

 

I'm reminded of Malcolm Gladwell's excellent podcast on satire in which he lambasts Tina Fey's Sarah Palin and The Colbert Report. The people they're making fun of are unaware of the reasons they're being made fun of, and they continue their way unscathed.

 

The fact you can enjoy Starship Troopers as an ironic piece of propaganda just as much as a straight Sci-Fi film shows that it has failed. I was hoping for the penny to drop in the film- but nope- it stays firmly tongue in cheek and never breaks. Which is nifty and kind of interesting, but its so subtle that I'm not sure the more politically susceptible would be wise enough to not be fooled. I keep thinking- if Trump or any of his fanclub watched this film, I'm not sure they'd be laughing beyond any of the gory kills. So the satire is pointless.

 

The definition of preaching to the choir. Can't vote it in, sorry.