• dragontamer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    192
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    27 days ago

    Lex Luthor literally becomes president in many versions of the Superman cartoons.

    The idea of a rich billionaire with a narcissist Messiah complex with a bone to pick with heroes and actual helpful people that becomes popular and eventually the US President is practically a trope. Apparently this generation has forgotten the message.

    • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      62
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      27 days ago

      Like the way some people see cyberpunk, it’s not so much that they forgot is that they missed the point completely. They see an author warning about a dystopia and they just want the shining neon lights. Or as Confucius put it “when a wise man points at the moon the fool examines the finger.”

    • unalivejoy@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      40
      ·
      edit-2
      27 days ago

      At least Lex Luthor never called Superman a pedophile after saving children.

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      39
      ·
      27 days ago

      I mean, by any objective measure Luthor is a much better President than Trump.

      • dragontamer@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        26 days ago

        Lex Luthor is as a concept, a corrupt self serving villain who readily sacrifices his underlings to get ahead. But gains popularity and power anyway.

        The difference is that in the cartoon universe, they had to make up a believable reason why the US citizens would vote for Lex. Ex: invented a Kryptonite power plant or something.

        In the real world, it turns out you can just demonize immigrants.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          26 days ago

          The analogy I’ve used is that Nixon’s Southern Strategy was like beer; Reagan’s rhetoric was like grain alcohol punch; Bush Jr. fed them straight whisky; Trump gave them meth.

    • DreamButt@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      27 days ago

      You assume the people who learned the message forgot it rather than the people who failed to learn it continuing to vote without understand the repercussions of their actions

  • Godthrilla@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    27 days ago

    Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. The story has already been told. It’s just not funny this time

  • skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    27 days ago

    Step up your game. Imagine becoming a president, grifting as hard as possible, then when it all comes out prison would be all but inevitable… unless next president pardons you right as he assumes office.

    this is Yeltsin, and the next one was Putin

  • cRazi_man@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    edit-2
    27 days ago

    The guy didn’t take his position with violence. What’s going in America to make the majority of people support this guy?

      • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        27 days ago

        NGL I was apalled at first but the idea is kind of growing on me.

        CEO played by Eddie Murphy: “Alright, well, how do we get out of this?”

        Eddie’s Lawyer (David Hasslehoff): “Sorry, sir, but these charges are like steel, you’d have to be the president of the United States to get out of this mess.”

        CEO: “Well alright, then, let’s do that. Where do we start?”

        Lawyer: “Haa HahaHAA~… you’re serious…?”

        Later on in the film,

        Anchorwoman: “Here on screen, now, we see a clip of KKK Grand Wizard Rudolph McHornberry seen here shaking hands with his endorsed presidential candidate, CEO of placeholder holdings limited. Critics are calling him an Uncle Tom, while supporters are bashing current lawmakers as ‘hypocrites who talk about tolerance and don’t practice it’ one X formerly twitter user puts it.”

        Add in a VP pick played by also Eddie Murphy aged up who is an overqualified lifelong politician who understands demographics and campaign funds and laws but is less populist and more reserved on policy. Have the rising action with old VP Eddie being revealed as part of an evil international organization trying to reduce life on earth to consolidate power into one council, CEO Eddie doesn’t give af, female lead reveals they plan to kill CEO immediately after inauguration, now it’s personal and Eddie has to escape from his own security detail and announce his concession at CPAC.

        CEO: “Ah shit, I can’t do this, we need some guns.”

        Female Lead: “We can’t get guns in here, it’s not allowed.”

        Stranger at CPAC: “$5,000.”

        CEO: “What?”

        Stranger: “Each. Nice revolvers, 44s.”

        CEO: “Ammo included.”

        Stranger: “Sure do.”

        CEO: “You do PayPal?”

        • PunnyName@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          27 days ago

          Do you follow Ross Childs? He continues to bring attention to the Glauthian Mining Consortium, but no one is paying attention!

  • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    27 days ago

    So, like of Michael Douglas’ character didn’t die at the end of Falling Down and they did a sequel? I have a hunch that a lot of MAGAts actually consider him the hero of the movie.