Falling Down and Falling Apart

The Other McCain ^ | 12 May 2021 | Robert Stacy McCain

[Rummyfan]

Last night, for the first time in a long time, I watched the 1993 movie Falling Down on YouTube, and was struck by the final line: “I’m the bad guy? How’d that happen? I did everything they told me to.”

William Foster is a guy who believed in the system. He followed the rules, and yet lost everything. His wife divorced him. He lost his job. His wife has a restraining order against him so he’s not even allowed to attend his daughter’s birthday party. The world has ceased to make sense.

Falling Down is a classic — some of the scenes are funny as hell, in a dark way — and what is the message? It’s about incentives.

Why should we play by the rules, if the rules don’t work? What is the incentive to be a good citizen — an honest, hard-working taxpayer — if the system does not reward you for compliance with the rules?

There are two kinds of incentives — the carrots of reward and the sticks of punishment. What has happened to William Foster in Falling Down is that he finds himself being punished (divorce, unemployment and a thousand other tiny humiliations) despite having followed the rules.

We have heard a lot of rhetoric about “social justice” lately, by which liberals mean a redistribution of rewards and punishments in the system, for the benefit of those allegedly suffering oppression. In reality, however, oppression is not neatly distributed according to the identity-politics formulae of the Left. Everybody has their own grievances, and attempts to explain human frustrations by such simplistic labels as “systemic racism” — or “patriarchy” — fail to capture this reality.

[Rummyfan]

The real point — why it reminded me of Falling Down — is that ordinary citizens are powerless to fix this manmade disaster. The people in charge don’t give a damn about ordinary citizens, because if they did, they wouldn’t have done what they’ve done. We find ourselves in a broken system, where the incentives have gone haywire, and the world has stopped making sense. We’re all like William Foster, stuck in that L.A. traffic jam with a broken air conditioner. Everything seems to be falling apart, and we find ourselves helplessly falling down.

[monkeyshine]

Was a pretty good movie as I recall. Been many years.

I’ve said before on other threads, I am really surprised that more people haven’t completely snapped after all we’ve been through the last 15 months. Yes, it seems many have snapped when you look at the news... I’m just surprised more haven’t.

[BipolarBob]

I watched the movie and felt like my whole life flashed before my eyes. Then I thought I dreamed it. Next I think it's deja vu. My strategy now is to stay away from the piers. And avoid Robert Duvall. So far it's worked.

[redgolum]

There is a reason Biden is doubling down on saying white nationals are the biggest threat

[cherry]

people are numb.....they feel everything is out of their hands...

locally citizens voted to have a football(hs) at one site...our betters decided they didn't want it there and the vote was just an advisary...so they are putting where they want....

voters have down voted fluoride in the water for decades...our betters decided that they will ignore the voice of the people and will have flouride in the water...its a civil rights issue because you know, the poor don't know how to brush their teeth...

so why bother....

[Secret Agent Man]

Falling Down illustrated many mgtow truths.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well we have 330 million folks here.

That is a massive amount of people.

[The Duke]

I watched "The Star Chamber" the other night, about the same vintage and also starring Michael Douglas.

A movie for the times.

[Reno89519]

This is definitely a classic movie and a fitting cinematic statement about what is happening in society.

I think the challenge is that we've decriminalized and mainstreamed a lot of violent, racist, and biased behavior from aggrieved groups while law-abiding citizens numbly watch their own country trashed by citizens and invaded by illegal aliens. I do think it is quickly reaching a perfect storm as we see aggrieved groups radicalizing into terrorist groups--armed, wearing body armor, and full masks--rampaging in streets, shops, and neighborhoods around the US. People are going to die.

[Responsibility2nd]

That film is still relevant today. It sends the message that Karens, Antifa, BLM, social media, urban thugs, educrats, big media, leftist politicians,and all of the other dregs of society really, I mean REALLY need to leave us alone.

[logi_cal869]

I’m probably on the ‘hot list’ due to my recent exit from ALL social media.

[qam1]

It was good except of course they had to throw in an over-the-top White Supremacist in there.

Immigrants and Women looking bad, gotta bring in a Nazi

[waterhill]

I will have to watch it again after so many years have passed.

[monkeyshine]

California unemployment insurance has about a 1 million claim backlog that goes back months. Some haven’t received money since February. Even though I dunno how many tens of billions California received from the last bailout.

People gonna get hot if it’s not fixed soon. But the good news is that the Legislature is going to create a new agency to oversee the existing agency.

[cdcdawg]

Underrated movie!

[cdcdawg]

Remember what the over-the-top White was mad about? “Faggot stuff.” Left-wing narrative confirmed.

[GSWarrior]

The subplot involving Duvall’s character watered down the impact of Falling Down, IMHO.

Still a worthwhile movie.

[HypatiaTaught]

Agree.

I watched it 6 months ago...

I love the scene with the two Mexican gang members when they try and make him pay a toll...They get their asses kicked. :)

Today, we have the thugs running our streets and our government is paying the lazy and drugged out more than private businesses can, so small business’s are closing en masse.

Something’s got to give and I mean soon

[Lurker]

It’s not that they don’t give a damn about us. They hate us.

They’ve been screaming that into our faces for 5 years now. If you haven’t gotten the message by now you never will.

L

[cdcdawg]

I’ve always loved the “there’s nothing wrong with the road” part. Lots of great scenes.