Wall-E as Sociological Storytelling
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- Pixar’s Wall-E is a masterpiece of animated filmmaking about two adorable robots falling in love, though I’d argue it also serves as an excellent example of sociological storytelling. Social systems are one of the most important, and most misunderstood, concepts in my work on media and masculinity. So in this video essay I use Wall-E's Axiom star liner (and the board game Monopoly) to illustrate how social systems operate in our culture.
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WISHLIST
Send research materials for video essays:
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LINKS
• Watch Allan G Johnson explain social systems using Monopoly:
• People, Systems, and t...
• On why systems of privilege aren't just people by Allan G Johnson
www.agjohnson.us/glad/arent-sy...
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
• The Forest and the Trees: Sociology as Life, Practice, and Promise
www.amazon.com/Forest-Trees-S...
• The Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy
www.amazon.com/Gender-Knot-Un...
• The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love
www.amazon.com/Will-Change-Me...
FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT:
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COMMENTS
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FAIR USE
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CREDITS
Writer/Producer: Jonathan McIntosh
Motion Graphics: Jonathan McIntosh
Logo Design: Justin McIntosh
Outro music: Jonathan Mann
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TRANSLATIONS
Help us caption and translate this video here:
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The true hero of WallE is the cockroach. It just wants to live a quiet life.
IS THAT A JOJO RE-
I love how you show the importance of not portraying individuals as stupid, lazy idiots when it's a larger social system issue. That elitism tends to sour most attempts to criticise modern culture for me; yes there are issues but when you pretend it's due to individual failings you miss out on what we can do as a society to correct these issues.
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@@aliixx4305Hold this L, bot 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Exactly!
I'd just like to point out how amazing the music for Wall-E is.
Wall-E holds a special place in my heart. This movie would calm my younger brother who has Autism, OCD, oppositional defiance disorder, tourettes and ADHD when he was little. This movie taught me and my sister to take care of the planet, and taught my little brother his first words at 4.
omg i also have adhd and was born premature, even though my first word was "no" i could not speak properly until 5; but now i have a large vocabulary and.
First words: "A is for Axiom"
@@johndwolynetz6495and what??
The great part about the robots in this film is they don't act like robots. What I mean is they aren't these hyper intelligent beings who don't understand emotions or human actions.
Yes Eve is all about her prime directive. But, it's in a way that is relatable to workaholic people. Wall-e acts like a curious child or teen leaving his small hometown to explore the world he always wondered about. All the robots feel emotions and act upon it.
Except auto he's the odd one out.
3:25 to 3:30, why did I never realize that Auto got closer as time went on. It shows the control Auto had over the lives of all those aboard the ship.
Great observation. I notice now they used real portraits for the earlier pilots ha
Or perhaps, if we want to follow with Pop Culture Detective's line of thinking, that the insidious path of least resistance became more and more omnipotent in the lives of the people on that ship.
@@classydays43 yes, the longer you remain complacent, the more power your complacency holds
Holy shit, explaining this aspect by going through the basics of sociology really hammered in the point. I felt a shift in my mind and thinking. Media analysis should really start their analysis with the academic basics so they build a better foundation in our head when receiving the intended messege. Keep up the good work, amazing video.
Salem Al-Arrak most youtubers wouldn't do that though as they don't have an academic background...
Wall-E is a masterpiece and I'm glad kids will grow up with this kind of message. In real life, we don't fight against villains, aliens or robots, we fight against our own comfortable and unquestioned position. We don't win by beating up the bad guys, but by identifying and regaining control over this giant entity that is bigger than us.
Your channel is a rare gem of youtube
Your editing is impeccable!!
Thank you :)
And you sound like an NPR person (I mean that as a compliment).
I think you're glad to not be watching anymore Big Bang Theory.
If I never see another episode of that show, it will be a thousand years too soon.
Let's hope they don't give you a reason to criticize Young Sheldon or whatever it's called.
The Big Bang Theory should have quit along time ago.
That last bit about how misogyny and patriarchy are about describing the effects of our sociological systems, rather than demonizing men, was so good.
Agreed, it was really well formulated, informative and insightful. I'm going to recommend this to alot of people.
It's a critical message. If people think criticisms of the system are personal attacks, nothing will ever change.
I hate to say that I think a lot of people who complain about "privilege" in societies don't entirely understand it in that lens, and so tend to frame it in a very individualistic, blaming way. I think if more people described it in this pattern, they'd get a more sympathetic response.
I'm a man, and I live a pretty masculine life (not that I lift weights or am particularly manly, but I identify with the male role in society far more than the female one), and reading up on this topic has taught me a lot about the unfair tightrope men have to walk: In the modern world, we are increasingly expected to be mindful of aggressive behaviour, inclusion, and consent, but the entire body of pop culture we consume still teaches men to take what they want, and fight for what they're entitled to. Pop Culture Detective comes very close to this concept in his coverage of Harrison Ford movies.
Yes!! Whole video on this please
To be fair, men are typically socialized (im a man) in a very, VERY toxic way.
I’ve been binge watching these video essays, and I can’t get enough! All of your points are succinct and easy to follow, and your analyses are very in-depth and provocative! Thanks for doing what you do!
Your point towards the end (in the portion about Weinstein) reminds me of a CS Lewis quote, paraphrased: "Too often we laugh when we should be silent and we're silent when we should speak."
Can you please do a video on your critique of Idiocracy?
He sorta seemed to suggest that idiocracy is indvidualist, that doesn't seem to be the case to me as the only reason humanity becamw "decedent" is because of the "big corporation", rather than indvidual choice. Although the humor is elitist and so on, the film makes some good points in relation to the "culture industry"
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I respect his opinion of the movie but still personally enjoyed it and I would agree with the above comment that it wasn't quite as black and white as he put it. I haven't seen it in a while but I also don't know if I'd call that humor elitist, nothing also Mike Judge has created comes off as elitist from what I can tell. That being said I'd definitely watch a video on him critiquing the movie as I'm open to new ideas and possibly changing my mind or at least seeing where he's coming from more clearly.
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This is again such a great video, putting into words what I always kinda sorta knew, but didn't know how to express. I am so happy to have stumbled onto this channel when I have. Back then, I was even thinking about a Big Bang Theory video because it was requested, but now I just don't wanna do it. I have a kids channel and I feel it would be disgusting to do it.
And if you keep this level of quality I will be forced to double your support on Patreon :D
I'm blown away at how succinctly and persuasively you convey these ideas. You should be very proud of yourself.
This was one of the best video essays I've seen on this website so far. The consistent message with an actual solid base to work from and interesting/relevant details. It was refreshing.
Everyone ignores how that cockroach stayed on that same landmass for about 2-3 days.
You literally changed my mind, your video was well balanced I felt, and I didn't feel it was accusatory in the slightest. Also I love WALL-E, so that helped a bunch. It was engaging, and it drew me in as a viewer. I wish more people were like this.
I love how you so smoothly is able to discuss hard topics without casting blame. Keep up the good work!
"... stay silent" *quentin tarantino on screen* YESSS HONEY DRAG HIM
Aidan Carroll I just read your comment when he read the line and YES! Drag him!
I really love your videos! They are so inspiring because you don't back down from tackling big complex issues in a really coloquial and relatable way. Thanks for that.
Ikr im so fucking sick of this 'people are bad because they are bad' narrative and character characteristic, not only is it unrepresentative of society, its so shallow.
Wall-e was legit a masterpiece and I loved it
I M J U S T B U I L D I N G T H E E C O N O M Y
"too much trash in your face? there plenty of space up in space" Brilliant.
as a non native english speaker I only now hear this amezing line.
I love how you are so calm and you explain everything with so much detail.
Oh, I like this.
Thanks :)
wooo, my first funded video!
Thanks so very much for the support Matt!
I am still impressed how close it follows the 1928 novella: The Machine Stops.
Tyrant-Den Are you saying Wall-e is like that story? I've never heard of it before.
Years too late at this point but I wanted to say, I loved this video so much- this was a fantastic point and something I hadn't considered before. My one nitpick- it would have been great if you had mentioned the inventor of Monopoly, Lizzie Magie, designed Monopoly to illustrate that exact point- that the structure of our economy results in the inevitable hoarding of wealth and forces people to screw over others to 'get ahead', or else they can't compete. It was very intentional on her part, and she often doesn't get credit for it. But, again, your content is exceptional and you're doing amazing work. Very glad that you're here doing what you're doing.
Also, this video was perfect. Was not expecting a video with that title to become a succinct and powerful defense of social justice theory.
JohnnyTheWolf that's been the topic of conversation lately with my older brother. He's been listening to Jordan Peterson, and it's been a little challenging talking about it just cuz Jordan Peterson uses vastly different definitions in his vocabulary so as it oppose a straw man of social justice.
A lot of alt right vocabulary is used to reduce social causes and phenomena to individual endeavours to make them seem frivolous and invalid. The pejorative term "virtue signaling" comes to mind.
This was fantastic. Some of the edits to show an example from a separate Pixar movie (particularly the Andy one) were graceful and made full use of the video essay as a format.
If I had one critique, it would be to introduce the concept of terms like toxic masculinity as descriptors of social systems rather than of strictly individuals more explicitly in the opening of the video. It was the single most compelling and succinctly put argument of this concept I've ever come across, and is overshadowed somewhat by the other more dominant themes in WALL-E for most of the video.
Cullen Cowap That is fair. I would say that this video could help people who are turned off by the term toxic masculinity, but enjoyed Wall-e. By not showing that he was going to make this point, it can soften the blow, I guess.
the wall-e plot is literally the world right now, i hope people step of the path and make the change as soon as possible.
The essays are very good at putting words to things that alot of us can't. Like the Born Sexy Yesterday trope, its something that fell into the "this bothers me but I can't place why" category, and you summed it up incredibly well. And as well, you tie in typical subjects without it feeling forced. Keep up the good work, I love seeing these I my notifications :)
this is the best thing ever. i did not expect my two favorite things (disney and critique on social norms) could ever be combined but it is so so on spot. and this structure of blaming individuals instead of the overarching institutions is exactly how many people misleadingly choose to look at race
Thank you for this, my essay will now be sheer fire
Good thing I stayed home instead of trick-or-treating!
Of course Wall-e apparently takes social class out of the equation, which makes it a lot easier to develop a coherent social critique. I would argue that the most Pixar and Disney films, while emotionally and tonally quite sophisticated, are nonetheless a bit too simplistic to serve as useful touchstones for discussions like this.
That being said, I really enjoyed your video. The parts showing the actual paths of least resistance in Wall-e and the obnoxious players in the Monopoly ads are where the video essay format really shines. Thank you for your continued thoughtfulness.
It's only slightly related but I'd love to see you do something on the new Bladerunner, as a film that is not explicitly trying to make a point.
Hey PCD I'm absolutely loving these videos - it's so fantastic to have these visual essays on masculinities, social systems, and media - especially as a sociology student. It would be fascinating to see your take on Australian/New Zealand masculinities, especially their relationship to geography, and other men through mateship, it's not often covered! Keep up the good work!
Great analysis. I love this movie so much specifically because it's predicated around the idea that people can change. I also liked your greater point about how it's the system that's the problem, not necessarily individuals within it.
Spot on with the analysis and I really appreciate your attention to detail for clearly explaining the issues in a way that is inclusive for a wide audience - while also matching them with such well known film pieces and present social incidents! Thanks for sharing (from a sociology graduate)!
What is most concerning about wall-e is that only the axiom is seen coming back to earth. Leading me to believe there are many other star liners containing thousands of people still flying around in space or even some become derelict and were slowly killed off. On the other hand that would sound like a great story for a wall-e 2.
I just saw Wall E yesterday, and now this is in my recommended, coincidence I think not
My boyfriend was literally just teaching me how to play monopoly the other day lol. I wasn't getting it and he was like "you're suppose to try and get the most money" and I was like "but I just want to avoid jail and these houses make the board look cluttered" LOL. Now I know I suck at monopoly, but I enjoy playing, just to see how excited other people get when they win lol.
Thank you! I now understand the frustration I so often feel when discussing things with Americans, and discussing sexism with alot of men.I now have the framework to communicate my thoughts better.
Most video essays on this platform are incredibly self-indulgent and obnoxious. Yours are so well researched, written, and paced. This is the best content of its kind on the site and you are fantastic dude.
Please never stop doing these videos, this is quality content!
Lately I often hear people liken the post-election world around us as Idiocracy come to life. I could never quite put my finger on why I didn't quite accept that, but what you said in the video certainly rings true for me. If individuals were the primary driving force behind the election, it would not have ended the way it did. Rather, these institutions and systems were the primary reason things happened the way they did. Those who liken the world to Idiocracy and Idiocracy itself completely miss the point you so eloquently made here.
Once again, you have outdone yourself with an amazing video. Fantastic job. I look forward to even more great work from you.
As someone not from USA, i find the election system there baffling. There is all these hoops for voters to jump through, and a candidate can win despite their opponent getting more votes. It all seems so confusing.
Anyway, great video and agree about Idiocracy, the whole movie was just a mess of wasted potential and cheap shots at poor people.
I've always saw the election less as "idiots vote in Trump" and more "the people are forced to pick between two people they don't like."
Could you do an essay of some kind on "Bojack Horseman"? I feel like there's a LOT of interesting and thought-provoking stuff to be said about that show.
I think that essay is so necessary to the whole discussion you've been doing about masculinity. It gives a good introduction to the audiance about what's at stake when we're studing and discussing about collective categories such as masculinity... I'm trying to get some free time to translate (even with my questionable translation skills :P) the captions of your videos to make them reach more audiences. Thanx for the video!
Excellent analysis! I loved this movie and you've now given me an even deeper reason to love it. Systemic problems vs. individual problems is a concept I hope we are all slowly waking up to. I credit the movie "Dear White People" with helping me to understand racism in that way; as an overarching systemic problem we are all implicit in unless actively fighting against it. It's a proactive viewpoint. Saying "I'm not racist" does nothing to stop racism, it just gives an individual absolution from guilt. Now I say, "I was born into a society with institutionalized racism and have been a passive participant in it my whole life, how can I fix it?" Same thing with sexism, poverty, and any other societal ills. Worrying only about your own personal guilt or shame is meaningless and useless. Only when you recognize that we are all participants in a greater societal problem can change take place. Thanks for the video!!
wow717 Yeah! It's interesting how helping others can bring us much more joy than just trying to help yourself. Of course, if people weren't built that way we wouldn't get too far as a society.
I wish I could like your comment multiple times
True and thanks. You gave me a neat formulation to describe it to those unaware of it. Finding the "right words" to come through is hard.
And sadly that's the bigger problem of our social system(s): The status quo is unjust and changing needs to put energy in it. Many don't want to "fix it" cause it takes effort and for many the system(s) not broke at all.
Good points, actually, but what I'm wondering is how to fix the damn problems to begin with. Especially when it's inevitably going to require breaking through to other people.
The impact these videos have on the world cannot be understated. You're the Wall-e of this world, helping us see the paths of least resistance. Bless you and what you do. It gives me hope.
This is easily my favorite channel right now. Your work is impeccably presented, well researched and just a general oasis in the overall CZcams climate.
Hey Jon, I found your channel about a week ago and since then I have been watching through your videos and been amazed at your incredible content. Your fantastic content continues to make me think and really helps me to understand a lot of social issues, you put a lot of things in ways I find amazing, in such an engaging way. I have watched CZcams for a long time, and always considered myself too poor to contribute on Patreon, but I have decided that I will sign up to help to fund your incredible content. Keep up the incredible content, you are genuinely the most insightful channel I have yet found on youtube.
This is a great analysis!! It reminds me of the concept of hegemony, especially cultural hegemony, where one group in power contains and moderates the dissent of more subjugated groups. It usually functions the same way, where it ends up with lots of people participating in a system that doesn't necessarily benefit them, they just don't yet know how to step outside of those norms. Watching your videos on pop culture really helps me understand and reflect on life in the real world! Thank you!
WOW... That was awesome. Wall-E has always been one of my favourite DIsney movies, favourite movies period, really, for it's warning against giving in to the inherit laziness and apathy inherit to our culture. It's truly an under-apprecited gem of story-telling.
I really liked your use of the Monopoly game as an allegory for explaining the nuanced difference between a despicable system and a despicable person. FAR too often I'm sure we've all seen, reactionary people, quick to defend themselves whenever a construct they identify with is criticized. From the christian institution to the patriarchal system, people often seem to find too much of their self-worth in the ideas of others.
Another GREAT work from you, sir. *applauds* BRAVO!
great to see creators put so much thought and effort into their videos. this made me see a lot of things in a completely new way. keep up the good work!
Oh wall-e, the only animation movie that left me actually felt something back then when I was a kid watching it. I also love this analysis video, thank you so much for all your quality contents.
Huh. I just noticed while watching this video that the Axiom kinda looks like a cruise ship with some engines pasted onto the bottom. Interesting.
Finally, someone giving this movie the analysis it deserves. Keep it up man
I honestly cannot believe those ads for the Monopoly board game. The mind boggles.
Your visual+academic essay/article is great! Keep it up. Definitely the type of video that should be shared in all storytelling classes.
Dammit, I hate that you're right about Idiocracy. I love the dumb humour in it, but yes, now that you mention it... ew.
My dad walked over and was like why are you watching monopoly ads
any chance you can add subtitles?
IM working on it
Thanks to his good diction and pace, the auto-generated English subtitles seem pretty good. Still, I'd pitch in a few hours a month adding subtitles to these videos.
English subtitles done, just need to be reviewed.
B Long whoever did, the subtitles has distractingly, poor grammar. With constantly, unnecessary commas and full stops,
This made a sociology graduate very happy. All too often sociology is dismissed as 'wishy-washy pseudo-science' instead of a useful (and, in my view, essential) tool to analyse our world. Wall.e was always my favourite Disney movie for many of the reasons you describe in this essay (the cleaner robot jumping off line being my favourite moment). So, yes, thank you thank you thank you!
This really helped me with an essay I'm working on, thank you.
these videos are incredibly well-made. i feel like i've learned something or gained a better understanding from each one, even though they discuss topics i already know a lot about.
I like how all of the monopoly ads show only the winner enjoying the game
One of my Uni Professors recommended this video in her lecture.
You must do a video about Idiocracy. My political science professor loves it and it grinds my gears lmfao
You're awesome, thank you for this video. This has been one of my favorite movies for a long time and you made me realize even more of the reasons why I love it so much. Keep doing what you're doing, your channel is fantastic and I think it's helping a lot of people to understand things they weren't able to see before.
Amazing video. This makes me feel even better about taking sociology 101 last semester. Sociology applies almost everywhere.
This helped me understand why I didn't like that frase about "human kind being inherently bad", something along those lines "human nature". I never believed it. I always thought that it was unfair to place an individual in a situation that it's easier "to be bad" and expect them to behave "right". Thank you, for making this.
Excellent video! You have an outstanding speaking voice and you explain everything so well! Keep up the great work!
Your videos are just AMAZING bro, thanks for all of this!
I wasn't expecting it to get so real at the end - which is silly in hindsight, since your videos are always insightful and interesting. Great job, as usual!
I like how Wall-E didn't villify the BnL CEO. He genuinely wanted the best for everyone and actually tried to clean up the mess his corporation made. He just fell into the pattern of taking the easy path. In any other story (like the inferior Lorax movie) he'd just be evil because "money".
But the CEO was in control of the whole planet, he was the global government as well.
Great video! I do have a question about not describing participants in a social system by their actions. At the end of the video you mention that we can refuse to be complicit in oppressive systems. Doesn't this mean that, from a moral standpoint, one ought to do exactly that? Shouldn't we expect the men in Hollywood to refuse to be complicit? Maybe these men aren't in favor of sexual harassment, but they had the power to potentially prevent further harm and chose to do nothing. That's where the monopoly analogy breaks down for me, social systems have real-world effects that the participants are aware of, which means there is a moral value associated with the decision to take the path of least resistance. In monopoly, there are no *actual* consequences.
Criticism exists to elicit change, but as a critic of culture, what can one expect to change if the problems of a social system are only attributable to the system itself? It seems to me that to critique culture is to urge the participants of a social system to modify their behavior, which happens at the level of the individual.
I could be conflating one idea with another, and that might be because individualism is so pervasive. Like I said at the beginning, this was a great video, and It challenged some ideas I didn't know I had.
TheWizardOfOsborne These are my thoughts exactly. The issue I have with the video is that it cant decide whether an individuals actions are guided by social systems or by its own moral judgements. Okay, there might be paths of least resistance, but the choice to do the right thing is and has always been the individuals, at all times. The passengers of the axiom had a choice between complying and refusing to consume vast amounts of junk food. So you are right in saying that systemic change can only be achieved at the level of the individual. The only, albeit undesirable alternative is to construct social systems through policy, basically meaning force, which would have dire consequences. Look up Jordan Peterson for more on this topic.
i think he's explaining what happens and how, not talking about what one should do. he gives you information with which you can try yourself to answer the questions you asked.
I personally believe that the reason why people don't choose the obvious morally better alternative at times is because they don't trully believe they can.
Bad faith, they believe deep down that they have no choice because they are following the social system blindly without questioning if they can change it, ergo not "knowing" they can, or at least not knowing they wouldn't be completely thrown away from society for doing so.
systems are made up of people, who can indeed decide to stop participating in them. Should we expect men in Hollywood to refuse to be complicit?
Well, this is a tricky question. Morally: yes. But the question is: who can afford to? Morality is nice and all, but practical concerns have to take precedence whether you're a famous actor or a poor single mother. You can only expect people to refuse to be complicit when the things they might lose by doing so are lesser than what they might gain by doing so. The answer, as it eventually turned out (although somehow this almost got lost in the general hubub), was George Clooney. Of all people. He stepped up, and talked about incidents he had witnessed. It should be assumed however that when he spoke, he spoke for thousands of other men in Hollywood. He was simply the one who could say the words, because he doesn't need to worry about his job security.
So what I see is that in the social system set up around Weinstein, people who witnessed it didn't feel like they had the power to stop it. Either their career would be forfeit, or they wouldn't be believed by the higher-ups. The social system created space for Weinstein to abuse his power. There is room for people to not be monsters, but to solve the problem we need to change the system that gives him room to harass and assault without consequences.
Wall-E is one of my favorite movies ever, and you managed to give me a whole new perspective on it. Another fantastic video!
It was an interesting point to learn from Monopoly the family game we like.
I never thought I would find a cockroach the cutest living thing on earth for more than an hour. But here we are.
I love your videos and the way you analyze media based on sociology, it is both entertaining and educating. I will support you as much as I can to get more great content on yt!
Your videos are getting better and better!
This is an amazing analysis and a brilliant piece of work. Thank you
This was fantastic; no matter how many videos of yours I watch each one seems to blow my mind. Keep up the great work!!
Wow... This is actually really inspiring. This is one of my favorite CZcams channels, thank you so much for your work
I almost screamed when I saw the new video in my feed.
Such a brilliant work! Gives so much to think about.
Wall-e is one of my favorite films of all time, and I just managed to make me like it even more. Your channel is amazing, keep up the great work!!
I would just like to say that I've been watching your videos for a short while now and they're absolutely fantastic. Keep up the great work!
Awwwww dang! Next time's about the Star Wars prequels, a favorite talking point of mine and its going to be from my new fave channel. Lookin' forward to that!
i watch a lot of video essay channels on youtube and I've just found you recently but you have quickly become my favourite
Didn't expect this lovely video with my morning coffee. Thank you.
Dabbling as a GM for tabletop rpgs, inspiration is always welcome.
Amazing content as expected. I love your long essays.
I love watching your videos, I always feel like I gain something from watching them!
I've been binging these videos and you really do not miss.
THIS VIDEO IS SO GOOD I CAN'T
You are so amazing, every video essay made by you nails it completely. Thanks for this