Politics has never been an interest of mine. When the topic comes up in conversation, I tend to stay out of it so that I wont make myself sound foolish.

Mostly, I do this because I do not understand politics. But, even worse is that I do not want to. No matter how hard I try, my mind refuses to grasp anything that has to do with the subject.

For this reason, when seeing something political, I like when the subject matter is “dumbed down” so that even I can understand it. I would not be able to watch a political movie that directly delivers facts and statistics. That’s just boring. And most people like me would not care to understand it.

Since I dislike politics, it was hard to think of a movie I watched dealing with political issues (except the ones we watched for class). The one movie I can think of that addressed political issues and was also enjoyable was Idiocracy.

In the film, the military wants to test out a hibernation invention, in order to save experienced soldiers for war times. To test the machine they use a completely average man, Joe Bauers, and a prostitute named Rita. The project is soon abandoned and the two wake 500 years in the future to a chaotic world.

In the future the characters discover that brainless people out breed intelligent people, since they have much more children than intellectuals do. People do not take responsibility of their actions and the world is dominated by commercialism. Even though one may think this is a typical time-travel movie, it is a direct attack on our society and a warning that if we do not focus on intelligence and the consequences of our destructive actions we will end up in a dystopia.

The film directly attacks commercialism and the ignorance of the masses. People let garbage pile up, and they replace water with the sports drink “Brawndo” which has killed off all crops. Brawndo even employs most of the nation. When Bauer convinces people the drink is bad for crops, they ignore reason and sputter what they hear from advertisements. These advertisements are large and everywhere. Instead of thinking, people only rely on what the media tells them.

The movie is a satire, and the tone of the narrator in the beginning an end express the views later reinforced in the movie. Unlike Fahrenheit 9/11, the movie Idiocracy criticizes society indirectly, through the story of two people. I personally liked the criticism embedded within the narrative. The movie was not shoving a point of view down my throat (as I felt Farenheit 9/11 did) but it hinted at flaws in society. It was funny and entertaining.

Although it was not informative, it was very entertaining. The subtle message and humor made me more willing to accept the point of view presented. The story was also set in modern times, and the fact that an average man can rise to power is motivating to the viewer. It reveals that even the most average person can make a difference in the world if they try. The music within the movie also enhanced the point of view expressed. Music was simplistic and revealed the viewpoint that society was becoming less and less intelligent.

In the end, John becomes president (since he is the smartest person alive) and he marries Rita. The two have the three smartest children in the world, while their vice president has thirty-two of the dumbest children in the world. This juxtaposition at the end enforces the position the artist takes on current society.

Even if one were to disagree with the viewpoint expressed, they cannot deny that the movie is both enjoyable and entertaining. Political art does not always have to be direct and factual. Different methods of representation are more convincing to different people, and the subtlety and humor of this movie are able to reach a larger audience of uninformed or indifferent people.