A Tale of Two Dystopias: Children of Men VS The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale has clear aspirations to be the Children of Men of prestige TV in 2017. Can it live up to one of the greatest movies of the 21st century? Let's find out.
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[@KilgoreTroutAsf]

Or, in the words of Gramsci, "pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the will".

[@ahumaninwishing]

Margret Attwood is Canadian.

[@squamish4244]

Maybe in 1995, when she wrote The Handmaid's Tale. But in 2018, by American standards, even our right is a diametrically opposed worldview. The current administration tries to pretend global warming doesn't exist by pressuring their employees not to use the words "global warming", while our Arctic is fucking melting and its super obvious. And they claim Florida is sinking, that's why there are more floods. Not sea level rise. Argh.

[@TimothyBIinks]

@@doyleharken3477 You're completely misrepresenting what she meant by Red Tory. She has urged voting for "any party other than the Conservatives" in Canada, supported the separatist Bloc Québecois (who have many policies that would be considered radical left in the rest of Canada, nevermind America), and is an environmentalist, a feminist, and leader in Canada's Writer's Union - which is, you know, a union. She says she identifies as a "red Tory" in the historical sense of the term, which she takes as believing "that those in power had a responsibility to the community, that money should not be the measure of all things." Does ANY of that sound like a small-c American conservative?!

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

@@doyleharken3477 Like how 1984 is leftist complaining about Stalinists making his side look bad

[@Love_I_am]

"Open ourselves up to the radical possibilities of an uncertain future"

[@THExRISER]

0:35 This is a conclusion that I reached after an entire year of deep depression and pondering,finally knowing what I should/want to do in life,and why I should do it...

[@brotractor7015]

These video essays are great Mike!

[@michaelros7817]

Dude I am going through all your videos, and you are friggin AWESOME at what you do. Please keep it up!

[@michaelspears7116]

The reason for the fertility crisis in Children of Men is never revealed. Pollution is speculated as a reason, but it is never confirmed.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

It could be experimental medication like thalidomide or mRNA vaccines

[@danielvmay]

Was the sound fx you used for the scrolling text from Megaman?! Great video!

[@cherrybearylemondrop]

I appreciate your comparison between the books and movies. I would argue that religion, while not in the same way as a few decades ago, is still a prominent factor in politics and has the potential to negatively affect people's lives. Evangelicals still hold one of the strongest voting forces in the US, which is why Trump tried to ban transgender people from being in the military and appointed a pro-life supreme court justice to overturn Roe v Wade. Around the world gay people are not legally allowed to express themselves as they are, are imprisoned for it, or even killed. There are laws in place dictating how women may look and act, limiting their independence and self-expression. These are all religious in origin and enforced to subjugate people. Like other dystopias, The Handmaid's Tale feels real because it shows a gradual release of power from people to a government that slowly takes away freedoms. I argue that the vast majority of viewers are not mistakenly identifying with the oppressed people of the established authoritarian regime of Gilead but with the people who could have fought to prevent it's rise in the first place.

[@keiichimorisato98]

@@goatskin4487 that very pro life supreme court guy Kavrnaugh upheld Roe vs Wade recently... Also, the ideology of intersections feminism is just as bad as evangelical Christianity, probably worse, aince they have control over the media and big tech. Many conservative voices, including moderate conservatives are being silenced with deplatforming and the removal of of monetary resources like Patreon and PayPal.

[@SuperRat420]

@@keiichimorisato98 lol, how's middle school going for ya?

[@Droemar]

@@keiichimorisato98 When feminism tries to proudly take credit for taking away transgender rights, then you can say we're as bad as evangelical Christianity.

[@keiichimorisato98]

@@Droemar they arent going to try to take away trans right, probably, though there are the TERFs. Nah, y'all just advocate the removal of men's rights from society, and ignore the emotional needs of men, and victim blaming all their priblems on "toxic masculinity"

[@johnbrowne3950]

How dare Christians play a part in our democracy! How dare they!

[@SaliamonXP]

TV can handle plenty of ambiguity. Just look at the BS success of LOST.

[@babylonisfalling8145]

Having only watched the TV series of THT, I cannot speak to the original author's intent but to me the criticism of religion in the show isn't that as 'Christianity evil bad grr' but more so Man using it for their own evil is wrong, especially since the protagonist's father is mentioned to being a pastor at one point, she herself understands this misuse. Children of Men even now seems ever more prophetic, more so than THT perhaps, the importance of having and being children in society waning in recent years further makes me believe this. Also I'm British so COM seems more real to me on that respect too I suppose.

[@7563able]

Fantastic video as usual

[@MichaelSaba]

Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate the heck out of everyone for watching, subscribing and encouraging me to keep on creating. There's definitely more videos on the way soon, stay tuned.

[@citycrusher9308]

@Michael Saba Atwood's Hand Maid's tale is a joke. In a day and age where a men have no legal rights against hashtags. And Right wing men have no ability to make women do a damn thing. They don't have the psychology for it. If you want a good Atwood novel, look at Cat's Eye. Atwood is great at showing just how viscous girls can be to one another.

[@kaboomzzz]

Hope you do more stuff, man. Subbed.

[@AliceDiableaux]

16:45 Yes, the merger of (authoritarian) state and corporate power, fascism. Buckle your anti-fascist belts, everyone, because it's gonna be a hell of a bumpy ride the next few decades.

[@pecansauce4030]

Aditya you’re cringe

[@MrMysterious420]

Wow, so The Last of Us kinda ripped from Children of Men, you can draw some parallels between the Fireflies and the Human Project.

[@ImOutsideTheBox]

Came into this video with no expectations and thought it was amazing.

[@jessiemillner6375]

The protagonists name is June not Offred??? You have missed the point if youve missed that

[@colleennewholy9026]

In the novel, it's speculated that it is June. Because she does not remember her original name

[@iannsinger5760]

Wow that last "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" moment was...really bad. I'm glad I stopped watching the handmaid's tale at like ep 3

[@brawlman87]

great video but you need to look into the camera lens more clearly, it's looks like you're looking past it

[@MichaelSaba]

I noticed this too -- this is my first time doing on-camera stuff and it's definitely rough around the edges. (I'm also just now seeing the shadow my lens hood is casting on my forehead x_x ) I will figure out a better position for the camera & mic for the next vid, thank you for the constructive feedback!

[@TheUnchosenOne]

I don't really understand the appeal here, but I think it's because I grew up on the west coast. Secularism and people who get the warm fuzzies when they think of Linkola are a dime a dozen. These places might as well be as they are depicted for all the effect it will have on my wanting to ever go there.

[@masterzoroark6664]

No mater the centurt, no mater the age Humanity still deserves a slow death

[@thesaurusrext]

yas queen

[@rubeng9092]

But 1984 is still the best one

[@avedic]

This was excellent......! :) And the correlation you drew between The Handmaid's Tale and Children of Men...the infertility aspect...was fascinating. That NEVER dawned on me until you mentioned it. It's interesting....the Venn diagram of these two works. BUT......I think the new Handmaid's Tale show is very very good. I'd be curious what you think now....given this was made a full 5 years ago. I mean...it is a show over many seasons, whereas the book....is just one book...that ends. A show like THT genuinely has more plot to fill out given the medium it's working in. I definitely get your critique up to a point....but I disagree with some of it. Then again, I'm saying this now, on the last day of 2022. While your critique is half a decade old now. You make good points....but I'd be curious to know what you think of the show now? Have you kept up with it? If so...what do you think now? Better? Worse? The same?

[@Shpooptypants13]

"Yas, yas, yas! Alexa, play Roar by Katie Perry"

[@nerdyninjatemptress]

0:40 Did F Scott Fitzgerald seriously pull out some dialectical thinking long before DBT would become a thing? For real? Damn. That’s fucking amazing. I need to show that quote to my therapist.

[@harunDMC]

Ayyeee

[@morganlefay999]

Both scare the shit out of me

[@TickleMeSenpai]

16:59 fuck.

[@harperdellastrada8284]

White Sokka! White Sokka! White Sokka!

[@justinlaporte9414]

Wow Great watch! very interesting parallels within our modern world...

[@SerAbiotico]

17:24 nice, Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Perpetuum Mobile

[@diegobotto6245]

How does this have so little Views?

[@elbarto6668]

Nice

[@imptwins]

Pretty good take! Algorithm algorithm algorithm bleeeuuuu

[@adam973]

Love the video, but Atwood is Canadian!

[@artsaganza8742]

margaret atwood is canadian not america, please look into these things. and has been denounced by many feminists for opposing many of the battles of the last 30 years. i know i met them, she is actually banned in many areas. and its true but i actually like the handmaid;s tale tv series but it could have some improvements and atwood is heavily involved in the tv shows production, and even acted in it.

[@Maijolin1]

Canadians are american, too. That Expression is not exclusive to the usa.

[@696190]

Is it just me, or did the video show her cameo as an Aunt?

[@annec.4351]

@@Maijolin1 Canadians are not Americans. They have to have a passport to enter the USA.

[@ExosLife]

this didn't age well.

[@MrSanchez159]

dont look up, you know what you wrote it just looks weird

[@rafaguelfand6615]

Why is your face so pink tho?

[@thetaobera5823]

uh so wrong.

[@deepakgurung2620]

Overrated.......

[@Matthew-zx8cs]

You say that not everyone fits into neat categories of oppressor and oppressed or resistance and evil empire but you seem to have no problem painting the right as evil in your video. You talk about unfair or unearned advantages but nobody asked to born into a certain station. If i'm born into a family at a higher station than another that's not unfair or unearned, its nothing. its just the circumstances of my birth.

[@pamelaleigh4225]

I know. Me, too. But We're responsible for knowing that and not believing we are the ones solely bringing about our achievements, and working against our own advantages by helping others.

[@candide1065]

I hope "they/them" sees this, bro.

[@itsnouse-yourswillbeastill2562]

Children of Men is such a overzealous and overrated movie that I cannot fathom why people place it so high when all it does is pretty mediocre stuff seen already before. Like OH NOES there's awful conflict and huminz dies "SNIFF" SNIFF" OH MY GOD a babby is born whowzie! Much realism!

[@olivercuenca4109]

@Maintenance Renegade If you'd watched the film then you'd know that the point is to get the pregnant lady to the Human Project, not because her baby is able to single handedly perpetuate the human species, but because the Human Project is studying fertility and she is potentially the key to studying how to revive human fertility from a living source. The whole point of the story was that getting the lady to the Human Project might lead to a fertility cure that could allow "5000 humans to start reproducing". Honestly, if you're gonna criticise a film at least get the plot points right.

[@agirlwithdreams15]

Insert Name Here You're right but the fact that the baby's father is just shoved away still doesn't make sense because from a logical standpoint because his sperm works. I know it's supposed to be a Mary/Jesus metaphor and taking the dad away gives the illusion of a virgin birth but still. I really liked the film and I liked the racial politics in it, but I just don't like stories in general where one baby is seen as the key to fertility despite the fact that one couple can't sustain the human population

[@juliangrinblat955]

Shouldn't mention Children of Men in the same sentence as The Handmaid's Tale... Children of Men is pretentious garbage

[@tsartomato]

Children of Men is like one of the worst movies i ever saw it's so far up it's own throat during congratulatory self-important autofellation that nothing intelligent can be discerned from the screen i haven't read the book so i see it only as a movie not as an illustration to the existing text

[@PabloH0ney]

out of curiosity, what do you consider to be good movies?

[@itsaUSBline]

So what do you base that assertion on? You've clearly stated what you believe, now tell me why you believe it.

[@aumuamuanakakara9908]

i swear i've read this exact words on another movie analysis is this a copypasta

[@tsartomato]

@@aumuamuanakakara9908 no

[@tsartomato]

@@PabloH0ney hardcore