THEY TAKE: How Comfort Became Control | Transmission 8

Описание: John Carpenter warned us in They Live (1988):
control doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it broadcasts.

This video pairs Carpenter’s cult classic with philosopher Herbert Marcuse’s One-Dimensional Man to break down the modern world’s quiet machinery of obedience - from curated feeds and algorithmic desire to billionaires turning rocket launches into public spectacle.

This is a transmission about:
CONFORM. BUY. CONSUME. OBEY.
And what happens when we finally see the signal for what it is.

If you’ve ever felt like something is wrong with the world but can’t name it…
if you’ve ever felt numbed, distracted, overwhelmed, or quietly compliant…
if you’ve ever felt like you were watching a circus instead of living in a society…

This one’s for you.

Welcome to Quiet Collapse.
Observe. Resist. Remember.

✦ If you want more impossible pairings of movies & philosophy, subscribe.
✦ Leave a comment: What film + philosopher should meet next?

#theylive #johncarpenter #herbertmarcuse #onedimensionalman #criticaltheory #culturalcritique #movieanalysis #filmessay #videoessay #consumerism #conformity #sociology #mediaanalysis #dystopianfuture #quietcollapse #resist

✦ Full credits & sources:

Primary Works
They Live (1988), dir. John Carpenter
One-Dimensional Man (1964), Herbert Marcuse (Image via Wikimedia Commons)
WWE Biography: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper — Best of Piper’s Pit (A&E)
News & Broadcast Footage (Fair Use)
BBC News (21 Feb 2025) – Elon Musk waves “bureaucracy chainsaw” gifted by Argentina
C-SPAN (20 Jan 2025) – Elon Musk “My Heart Goes Out to You” Gesture (user-captured clip)
BBC News (15 Apr 2025) – Katy Perry kisses the ground as Blue Origin crew returns to Earth
NBC / Meet the Press (5 May 2025) – Donald Trump on calling Jeff Bezos
CNBC Television – NBC archive footage: Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein (1992)
Technology & Corporate Media
TechCrunch / Meta (18 Sept 2025) – Ray-Ban Displays & Neural Band Interface Reveal
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (16 Sept 2025) – Aerial view of Microsoft’s data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin — Photo by Mike De Sisti
Additional Media
Wikimedia Commons — Herbert Marcuse in Newton, Massachusetts (1955)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Tesla, Inc. – Cybertruck promotional footage

Timestamps:
00:00 Opening Trailer : They Take
01:02 CONFORM
03:50 BUY
06:03 CONSUME
07:50 OBEY
09:53 THEY TAKE
12:08 RESIST
13:24 This is Your Signal