Comet is Coming

 In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, he describes a group of people who have been chained all their lives in a cave facing a wall. As other people pass in front of the fire, they project their shadows onto the wall. The prisoners assume the world consists of moving black shadows. One day, a prisoner is freed and realizes that shadows are projections. He is met with jeered and laughter when he tries to explain this revelation to his former inmates. They assume the freed prisoner has gone mad. The freed prisoner is unable to explain the ‘truth’ to them. 

Source: PosterSpy

 

The movie, Don’t Look Up, is like the Allegory of the Cave. The movie follows the events after two scientists discover that a comet is heading towards earth and will destroy the planet in six months. When they reveal this ‘truth’ to the POTUS (President Of The United States), they are met first with laughter, followed by suspicion, and later, apathy.

The movie is a satirical take on how the top leaders and their acolytes can brush aside the impending doom from the comet by silencing the speakers, raising questions about the credibility of the researchers, and spinning an alternate story that fits their objective. The purpose of the elaborate machination and scheme is simple — to retain power.

The two scientists run from one media house to another trying to educate the public that a comet is heading towards earth and likely to cause an existential threat to all living organisms, let alone animals. They beseech the public to force the government to take preventive actions like changing the trajectory of the comet. Yet, they are mostly met with the same response as the freed Plato prisoner from his former inmates, laughter and questioning their mental acumen.

It is hard not to draw associations with real-world events. Specifically, one can draw parallels between various characters in the movie with real-life personalities who exhibit similar traits — consciously or unconsciously.

The characters can be placed into five broad categories:

1. Group A — Apathetic Leader:
1. Description: This consists of top leaders and politicians, capitalists with immense political influence. In general, they have high political, financial, or social capital
2. Objective: To retain power 
3. Motto: Don’t Look Up or Just Look Up depending on the one that helps retain power
2. Group B — Useful Idiots:
1. Description: This group consists of media personalities, celebrities, bureaucrats, scientists, even activists that push the cause of Group A without fully understanding the consequences of their actions. 
2. Objective: Happiness of Group A
3. Motto: Same as Group A
3. Group C — Helpless Speakers: 
1. Description: This group consists of other media personalities, scientists, activists who want to educate the public and force the government to take action.
2. Objective: Save Everyone and/or Increase My Social Capital 
3. Motto: Just Look Up 
4. Group D — Angsty Youth:
1. Description: It is the only group that will face the consequences in the future for today’s missteps. After seeing Group C unable to change the response of Group A, they have become anxious about the future. They feel that everyone talks but nobody cares about them.
2. Objective: Survive
3. Motto: Please Please Save My Future
5. Group E - Public:
1. Description: Normal people like you and me, assuming Putin doesn’t read this. 
2. Objective: Don't Know
   
3. Motto: Whatever Group A tells Group B to tell me
   

Although the movie is supposed to be satirical, it is hard-hitting more than funny. Apart from an occasional chuckle, there was hardly any laughter in the theatre. One reason could be how similar they are to the actual events. Specifically, climate change is still being debated in political circles, especially by people who are unlikely to face the consequences.

Climate change is like the comet. It could pose an existential risk to millions through famines, floods, among others. As I walked out of the theatre, I looked up at the sky. It was a full moon but thankfully, there was no comet. But there is a comet out there. It is just not visible yet.