Reagan's Ghostbusters | Renegade Cut

[@alessioaletta8121]

"Ghostbusters is the most American film ever made. People discover that there's life beyond the pale veil of death - so, they start a small business and cash in." - SMBC comics by Zach Weinersmith

[@lojakz]

I have a special loathing in my heart for Reagan: My father, who had broke his back before I was born, and had five back surgeries (this was in the 70's) was on disability. When Reagan took office and had Social Security disability reformed my father was taken off because he cold walk, and was forced to work physical jobs due to his lack of education and inability to gain more training due to lack of resources. He essentially worked himself to death, and by the time he was able to get back on disability (after Clinton took office) he only live a couple of more years. So yeah. Reagan is garbage. Thanks for this video, great analysis as always.

[@alvaroramos9069]

My parents raised me to despise Ronald Reagan. As a young adult, people my age are still feeling the effects of his conservative policies to this day.

[@inyobill]

@@alvaroramos9069 I was already voting when Reagan ran as a gubernatorial candidate. I could not believe the number of folks my age (young adult) and younger that espoused love for that old reprobate. That folks today, espescially young folks, don't understand the damage his legacy has done is a success of "Conservative" rhetoric.

[@harrymon0]

I'm so sorry this happened to him. Thank you for explaining this though. It makes the impact of Reaganism less abstract.

[@wesleyprince3465]

Kinda different circumstances, I watched my mom work two jobs for most of my life into my adulthood while dealing with deep and horrible depression, stress, and anxiety (from not knowing what she was "doing wrong" and why we didn't "have more".) as I got older and started working myself on top of learning about Reaganomics I always tried to console her that it was literally not her fucking fault, that in the 60s we would've been living comfortably...but at the point her own doubts had more than won and I think she more or less dismissed me as just being political and trying to make her feel better. I laid her to rest in early 2020 before the age of 50...worked herself, without healthcare or health insurance, into a wheelchair and she died waiting for disability....and even tho it was well after Reagan had come and gone, I still blame him and the economic policies he introduced and normalized as to why my kids will never know their grandmother. It's not hyperbole or exaggeration to say that I literally want to piss on this man's grave. And I literally mean literally.

[@ScarletRedCrimson]

Im from Scandinavia, and i remember when i watched Ghostbusters for the first time, i was really confused about Peck. Of course as a child i still rooted for the ghostbusters and was annoyed that Peck didnt listen. But i was also very confused why they didnt want their equipment to be safe? Whats the harm in letting the governmet look at it? Of course Peck shouldnt have shut it down just like that. But thats one thing ive never understood when it comes to America, whats wrong with safety? Whats wrong with securing people arrent killed or cheated? Fx watching something like Kitchen Nightmares horrify me, as i cannot fathom how the government has not closed most of those places down already. But maybe its just becaurse im a 'socialist' european...i dont know.

[@LaNoLaCola]

It honestly baffles me that any could see what Reagan and Republicans did since the 80s onward to today as “beneficial” to the country.

[@treystephens4490]

@@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat 😂

[@SapphWolf]

You can when you think of it like religion. If you compare how a lot of conservatives talk about the U.S. and how they talk about Christianity there's a lot of parallels. The U.S. is always the best and always the good guy and the strongest, but also always under attack. It always needs to be defended against outside forces. Those forces are insidious and looking to cause you harm from the shadows while seeming innocent. The idea of the U.S. is just as much a religion to many conservatives as Christianity is so it's no surprise that facts or repeated failed attempts at the same policies don't sway them. It's about being true to the tenants and ideals of conservativism and overcoming "the enemy."

[@BrickworksDK]

@@SapphWolf Also, let's not forget the effect that years of Red Scare and anti-communist propaganda has had.

[@wesleyprince3465]

​@@BrickworksDKwhat's reaaaaaallllllllllly extreeeeeemely fucking ironic is that the walking bag of dementia riddled puppet that was Reagan was directly quoted saying "an employee owned economy" would "greatly benefit a free people" My dude. You literally just described Marxism with friendly 21st century language. This is the same dude who also famously said that the difference between a communist and an anti-communist was that one just read Marx while the other understood Marx. Just further proof that Republicans and conservatives don't even know what the fuck they actually believe in and that they only think in sound bites and cliches.

[@1SaG]

What I do lament is the fact that, when I was younger, I was naive enough to be goaded into rooting against Walter Peck ... and only when I got older did my viewpoint shift to: "why should I hate this guy? He's only doing his job, trying to protect the public". Good catch re the dean, the cop and the army, BTW. Especially when looking at these characters, it's pretty hard not to see the political/ideological message the film tries to spread. Poor William Atherton, BTW. Between Walter Peck and Richard Thornburg, he was pretty much the poster boy for what/whom a good Reagan-believer should hate in the 80s. What I might want to add are some of the leaps the movie makes to paint the GB as these successful businessmen. It takes a very specific and friggin supernatural set of circumstances for a bunch of "poor scientists" to become successful. Plus the movie pretty much goes from "brilliant business-idea" to "successful company" in a heartbeat. Never even explaining why or how the team got their cutting edge equipment. The proton packs, the containment system, the traps ... they just have all that stuff all of a sudden when they need it. The thing is that the very work academia does that is mocked in the firing scene (study, research, experimentation, etc) is exactly what would be required to obtain all that tech.

[@Drawkcabi]

What about "Nobody steps on a church in my town!" Reagan and conservatives love them some religion (as long as it's Christianity).

[@FaeQueenCory]

The fact that the EPA is the bad guys in the original Ghostbusters has never made sense to me.... except as nonsense antienvironmentalism.

[@devilinav7494]

We had cute stuff like Love Canal and Three Mile Island and rivers polluted enough to develop film in back then. It was pretty obvious that something needed to be done.

[@JimmyneutronwasokayIguess]

Yeah that’s interesting about Nixon. I think even many republicans would consider Nixon corrupt because it’s kind of an accepted part of society that everyone hates on Nixon. I don’t think I’ll ever defend Richard Nixon any time soon but he definitely was closer to the modern Democratic Party than modern Republicanism

[@umjackd]

You're also free to interpret Venkman as being in the wrong. It just doesn't help that Walter Peck is also a prick.

[@holographicbunny3297]

Uncle Dan It’s Egon who was mostly in the wrong. I’m making an assumption of course but I severely doubt Venkman had very much to do with the construction of an unlicensed nuclear reactor in the basement of the cheapest building they could find. He just said that cutting power to it would be extraordinarily dangerous, which was true.

[@wildsheepc]

Given the nuclear-reactor backpacks, you'd think that it would be the Nuclear Regulatory Commission working with them instead. And in my experience working with Federal employees, they're definitely not drama queens like Peck was.

[@Otokogoroshi]

Reagan, Ayn Rand and basically almost every Republican in office in the last 20 years, if they were never born the world would literally be vastly improved.

[@shadowsrose4978]

Love Ghostbusters, but Peck was right. Even on the elevator Egon admitted the untested packs could be dangerous.

[@renatobuchert7879]

To update it to modern conservatism, Peter would need to sleep with possessed Dana: "What? She invited me in and came on to me!" Also, the Ghostbusters would need to charge way more, insist on being paid upfront, and then not catch any ghosts.

[@brendanmccabe8373]

Well to be fair they were going to rerelease ghosts if they weren’t paid

[@celieboo]

Sounds like infertility treatment. Pay up front, but we won't guarantee any success.

[@dangerouslytalented]

Even in the film, the machines break and all the ghosts escape because they were unsafe. A non-strawman environmental inspector would have worked with them to make sure they were safe.

[@mikesstuff5307]

dangerouslytalented this is why I love what they did with Peck in the IDW series.

[@Cephalopod51]

To be fair, it was Venkman's fault that Peck was so eager to shut down the protection grid. They should have had Egon or Ray talk to Peck. Peck might've respected them more. Venkman was pretty full of himself, thinking he could act as he always did without consequences. Janine had a point that he should've kept his promise to hire more help. But then again, Peck was too eager to get back at Venkman, and he let Venkman get under his skin far too easily. To Venkman's credit, he actually tried to be reasonable before the grid got shut down, but it was already too late. Venkman and Peck were just not suited to work together. They didn't like each other, they miscommunicated, and as a result, the whole city got infested by ghosts.

[@Bothrops_Asper_89]

tbh it was Peck's fault the containment unit broke. Even when the government worker told him he didn't knew what the hell the containment unit was and it would be better if they left it alone, Peck ordered him to turn it off just to get back at Peter. But as someone mentioned, the comic books add Peck as their government liaison and makes sure they have regulations instead of acting as rogue private contractors.

[@debrasam5525]

or he could have been like some enviromental types and collect a tax (bribe). Just like they tax us because it rains or the cows fart. Dont believe me. Look up Maryland Rain Tax. All corrupt. Dont know why they could just tax us more to let us go maskless during covid, cuz extra taxes fights global warming.

[@alexmayzlakh8004]

The bit about "bustin" is awesome

[@renegadecut9875]

Thanks. I'm no comedian, but I'm trying to insert a little more playfulness into my videos.

[@bradbarker4041]

Well-crafted joke.

[@inkpenavengerYT]

Interestingly, the film then exemplifies the inherent hypocrisy of American conservatism, too. It scoffs at "liberal academia," yet the Ghostbusters are only able to do what they do thanks to their extensive scientific education (all three have PhDs, after all). The Church, longtime ally of the conservative movement, offers "no position on these...phenomena," proving utterly useless in any actual crisis. The Ghostbusters literally kill a god with science, the film even going so far as to suggest that the myths and prophecies of the Bible were actually about Gozer all along, merely misinterpreted and changed over the ages.

[@wesleyprince3465]

Using science to kill a god while the church offers nothing tangible is my new favorite take away from this movie. Lmfaoooo thank you. That's great.

[@Moscato_Moscato]

I still like this movie a lot but like Dark Mother says, just because something is problematic, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it

[@lordvlygar2963]

Politically motivated or not, Peck was completely right.

[@renegadecut9875]

Justice for Walter Peck.

[@Darksmirk1]

Reganomics was a joke and so was Regan. The fact people believe these corporate sellouts is astounding.

[@NightmareLyra]

Honestly kinda surprised by this, I always thought it was making fun of "both sides" as a kid. Then again I'm not American so that probably left me without some context

[@84blizzle]

I still love this movie, but I admit watching it recently, now that I'm older, I notice how they make the EPA out to be the villains when in fact they're actually right. "Nuclear Storage Facility" in a basement in New York City lol. I didn't know the anti-government stuff was on purpose though.

[@Omegarex24]

Only after watching this video did it occur to me that you also never see them busting ghosts from the homes of regular people, only from expensive hotels, jewelry shops and art galleries/museums. The games and the tv shows are better about that, but realistically, the average family couldn’t afford to pay five grand in 1980s money.

[@AConnorDN38416]

I've always thought of Ghost Busters as one of the great classics of the '80s, and I still sort of do, but I watched it recently and found some aspects of it pretty off-putting. The main one is Peter Venkman. He's just a detestable person with no real redeeming qualities besides his dry comedic timing. His pursuit of Sigourney Weaver's character is just gross. She hires the Ghost Busters to take care of a haunting in her home, and Venkman has no interest in taking her or her problem seriously but instead uses the job as an excuse to try to get a date with her. She repeatedly turns him down, but he's the sort of creep who won't take no for an answer, and as she tries to kick him out of her apartment he asks her for a kiss. We're supposed to find this cute, but as someone who's dealt with this kind of behavior myself, I find it pretty gross. And Venkman is pretty useless as a Ghost Buster. He couldn't even use his proton pack to defend himself against Slimer.

[@eartianwerewolf]

Yeah plus he acts like a creeper towards his students.

[@Bothrops_Asper_89]

Fun fact: there's a leaked script for the never made Ghostbusters 3 in which Peter is somehow elected mayor of NYC and proceeds to run everything to the ground; to the point where he is 'skeptical' of Egon and Ray telling him freaking Cthulhu is headed to town and does nothing to prevent it; only reacting when good ol' squidface is already trampling down Times Square.

[@MedievalWerewolf]

It's over a year late but I honestly think that we can still view this movie through a multi faceted lens. You can argue that the University dismissing them was justified from an academic standpoint. The field that they're studying is the paranormal, which is seen in most academic circles as pseudoscience. And why would it be seen as anything else if there's no proof for any of their findings? If anything this may also potentially be seen as an indictment of the private sector considering that any person with a crazy crackpot theory can succeed as long as their idea makes money. Just look at the History Channel. That Venkman, Ray, and Egon happened to be right about their theories but not taken seriously is not the fault of either the private or public sector, but a matter of evidence, or lack thereof. Someone else also made a comment here about the interaction between Walter Peck and Venkman, about how it was Venkman who screwed up initially and made cooperation impossible when egos clashed. I totally agree with this assessment. The movie as a whole definitely seems a lot more balanced politically than the authors intended, when examining deeper into the subtext.

[@nobodylistens5322]

I was really ill when I watched the movie, so I figured it was making fun of Reagan's bullshit... the director's comments killed that thought. Great video, Leon!

[@EvelynDayless]

Living in the results of Reaganomics makes it seem like it's being farcical with that stuff because we know the terrible outcomes firsthand. In the 80s, the only reference to the real world application would be Reagan's promises and if you were studied stuff like Horse and Sparrow economics from the 1890s and such.

[@JackgarPrime]

Walter Peck Was (Mostly) Right

[@Reejuya]

He still was not really good at his job.

[@tolchok89]

Suddenly, I think I'm starting to understand where the pre-emptive MRA/broflake backlash against Paul Feig's movie came from.

[@ianlove4031]

As sad as it is that my childhood love for this movie is gone in favor of the knowledge of its messaging, I'm very thankful for this video. Learning that your childhood movies have disagreeable theming can be a downer, but it also adds a greater dimension to the discussion.

[@fleacythesheepgirl]

Ian Love just do what republicans do and lie. It's actually a pro socialism film because they don't become truly great until they realize money doesn't matter and just do their job for free to help social as a whole XD

[@turkeypedal]

I did notice these things. But I also noticed how the guys are bumbling idiots who only luck into saving the day. I noticed how much damage they caused along the way. So, while I don't disagree at all with Leon's analysis, I am able to watch it as also skewering the private sector. Since they are self effacing, it makes it where I can see the humor. Though, honestly, I much prefer the cartoon.

[@Razorgeist]

I prefered the Cartoon as well. Though that tended to shed the Reaganomics and focused more on the scince vs mysticism aspect of the franchise that I enjoyed more.

[@SodaVampire]

I recently rewatched this movie and I was like...yeah, their ghost-busting should have been regulated.

[@justaname9330]

I think the IDW comics may have unintentionally addressed this a little, the Ghostbusters are a bit more regulated if I'm remembering right, and have to work with Walter Peck.

[@PhilipPetrunak]

Awesome!

[@arkinyte13]

That’s a smart update of this series.

[@PTSmash]

My parents are Conservatives, and my Dad especially has a strong distaste for Liberals and anyone who supports the idea of "giving free stuff to people who don't want to work." In fact, he always quotes Dan Akroyd's line about how the Private Sector expects results when he talks about how if you want a decent living you have to work for it. The problem is that he and my Mom will never be able to retire, they're completely unaware that the party they blindly support doesn't have their best interests in mind, what with the tax cuts for the rich and increase in prices, among other things, and they haven't seen a dime from all the money that was supposed to trickle down upon them by these policies. Lord knows the Democratic party needs a lot of fixing, but I'd rather stay where I am than support a party that still embodies the spirit of Reagan.

[@meganoobbg3387]

Liberalism was the "humane" face of capitalism during the Cold war - in the face of the USSR's universal healthcare and education, the West had to adopt the "welfare state". Or else capitalism would be recognized as a slightly reformed version of feudalism (which it is), and the West could have worker revolutions of their own. But when they saw signs of the USSR collapsing in the early 80s, Reagan's administration had no fear to implement their complete cuts to welfare, and abolishing classic liberalism in favor of "neo-liberalism" - which is about bringing a more "pure" and raw form of capitalism, where the rich eat the poor. Same thing happened in Britain with Thatcher - and the rest of western Europe followed abolishment of the welfare state in the 90s.

[@wesleyprince3465]

I know far too many people, especially older people, who will complain about the cost of prescriptions then turn around and call fucking BIDEN of all people a communist in the same 5 minute window. To some degree I think a lot of these people know they're wrong (because of you get anyone talking long enough without partisan language and vocabulary they'll eventually land on it being a class struggle issue, but they'll never admit it or actively change cuz to do so would be to admit that you were naive enough to be fooled and lied to for decades.

[@RX552VBK]

Another great one! I really enjoyed the analyst on the Ghostbusters ('84)! Its amazing--but I understand why now when I recently watched the film (which I also loved and can quote lines) something that struck me quite surprisingly--that GB had a right leaning theme. And you're right--its not that the first hasn't aged well--its how and what it originally stood for that bugs me now.

[@BioMedEd]

THANK YOU. I heard someone say there was no themes of Ghostbusters and I had to explain this!

[@nicolelee4800]

I still really like Ghostbusters but I also like Walter Peck so my reading of the movie is uh...against the text I think. Great analysis as always.

[@renegadecut9875]

Thank you.

[@shoesncheese]

Upon rewatch, I think Venkman is the villain of Ghostbusters. He is a reckless, egotistical, misogynist who only lucks his way into helping save the day. The characterization of Venkman as huckster or modern PT Barnum is apt, even if the science was real, he was first a showman. Damn the rest. I agree that they should not have survived the explosion that closed the gate. They, and few city blocks should have been vaporized and irradiated. A sacrifice to save humanity. But that'd be too dark I guess.

[@Bothrops_Asper_89]

I don't know if there's enough english info about it, but google the story of Carlos Trejo and the Cañitas ghost. He's the real world equivalent to Peter Venkman, even purporting himself as 'the most important paranormal researcher in the world'.

[@joshsobchak9902]

Ah yes, Reaganomics- the "Willy Wonka" plan. Except this isn't a kids' book, so it didn't work.

[@lynnshort1635]

Fuck one of my favorite movies as a kid (I was 13 when it came out). I’ll never be able to look at it the same way. I guess I’m growing

[@jamieleezandarski5749]

I hit like when you said busting. Knew it was coming, still well played w such dryness.

[@jpickens189]

Though I don't agree with its politics, I still enjoy Ghostbusters because I think its framing is robust enough to support multiple interpretations. I hardly think the note about the proton packs being nuclear powered or the ridiculous levels of destruction they cause were meant to make me think the characters were glorious rebels. This isn't like the Fountainhead where ideology blinds the creators to the attitude and implications of the work.

[@owl2192]

Your videos seem to just be getting better with each one.

[@sternchild]

Great video Leon, you keep outdoing yourself!!!

[@renegadecut9875]

Thanks!

[@MindEyeMediaVR]

Good analysis. I always saw Ghostbusters as what happens when a '70s and '80s era "slob" comedy is cross-pollinated with a horror movie, and that the punchline of the film is that New York City is going to be saved by four guys you wouldn't trust to clean your house. As such, I am a bit baffled that this film spawned a fan base that lionizes the Ghostbusters as heroes, because they are completely missing the film's main joke. On the other hand, slob comedies of this era always had a conservative streak to them, no matter how rebellious or anti-establishment they claimed to be. Will you be doing a genre analysis of slob comedies?

[@RetroRevivalLuke]

Lol. My favourite movie is Ghostbusters and I HATE Ronald Reagan.

[@Micho55]

Leon is making america great (not exactly again but it's a start)

[@tomboz777]

Bustin' is one helluva drug.

[@aargut]

11:16 "So what if ghostbusters are carrying nuclear weapons on their backs?" "So what if they're firing these weapons all over the city?" Ok call the EPA, goddamn. Unregulated nukes in backpack form...ok!?

[@negirno]

Moral of the story: be a disillusioned cynical adult from the start, so it won't going to hurt (as much) when stuff like this is unveiled...

[@ricmahurin7535]

i love this freaking movie, i never noticed the rightward underlying message

[@theplebeian2706]

Nothing makes me nearly puke more than the idea of private prisons...

[@wesleyprince3465]

Realizing as an adult that this movie was basically just simping for Reaganomics and libertarian capitalism bummed me but fuck it, i still love it, it's still an all time favorite.

[@alexbristol4413]

Awh shit, now Ghost Busters makes me sad. Oh well, very well done analysis and video essay! I subscribed recently, and now I'm even more glad that I did! :) Keep up the good work mate!

[@RappinPicard]

I do wonder if the film’s conservative messaging was one of the reasons the backlash for GB2016 was so intense.

[@leonardorossi998]

Maybe. On the other hand, the new Star Wars trilogy got an even bigger backlash, and is arguably less leftist than the original trilogy (which turns the Vietcong stand ins as the good guys).

[@RappinPicard]

Leonardo Rossi fair point. Though I would argue that GamerGate and GB2016 primed the pump, so to speak for TLJ’s reactionary backlash.

[@vegasrebel1889]

The rich people who run this country could care less about someone elses debt. The country goes bankrupt not them.

[@The_Glasses_Character]

The story relies on very good and smart scientists, practicing outside the scientific establishment, I'm not even sure that a thing outside books and movies.

[@dduuddeechil]

Film AND political analysis? Ohhh I'm gonna have fun binging all your videos till daybreak

[@gabbyortega8879]

Ok but I really needed the last part. Thank you🙌🏽

[@steampoweredmaniac5359]

But... but... busting makes me feel good.

[@chujiwu68]

Oooo, burn. I don't have to agree with a film's politics to still enjoy it. I've been aware of "some" of the movie's problematic aspects for ages, but I don't care. I still love Ghostbusters! Thanks for another excellent analysis. I didn't realize quite how deep this rabbit hole went. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Horror Month videos, though I might have to skip A Nightmare on Elm St. 2 since I've never seen it.

[@arkinyte13]

Chuji Wu Agreed 100%.

[@samsun216]

This is beautiful.

[@Pensive_Scarlet]

The intent behind a film won't stop me from reading it in the way that entertains me the most. In fact, knowing Reitman was sincere about that perspective makes some of the hilarious irony I've always loved in the film even more hilariously ironic to me.

[@dreamthief286]

And that's why RoboCop is a much better film.

[@donmorris1709]

Puts the reaction to the Ghostbusters remake into perspective. The new Ghostbusters does not do any of these things. :(

[@BlueberryBricks]

I bet lots of my favorite childhood movies are like this too. Damnit.

[@drbowtie3435]

Going into this video, about 75% of me expected this to be about a little known brother to Reagan’s Star Wars plan. Stymied by international regulations, President Reagan turns away from nukes in space and forms a plan to place nuclear weapons on the ethereal plane. Find out more at 6!

[@noheroespublishing1907]

Are you going to do an examination of The Exorcist and it's placement in American history and it's presumed tie to the Regan/Evangelical rise of the Moral Majority? It sounds like an interesting premise, but I've never heard a very detailed examination of this idea.

[@renegadecut9875]

Hi there. I work by commission. Nobody has commissioned an episode on The Exorcist. So, it's not on my list.

[@noheroespublishing1907]

+Renegade Cut, oh, ok, wasn't sure of the format, just had heard about the argument that the undertones of the movie The Excorsist had a lot of cultural influence in that aria and had wondered about whether it was true or not.

[@asiamatron]

Nice work Leon.

[@rizziequeen5253]

I love the message at the end.

[@grudgemonkey6590]

wtf I hate ghostbusters now it's a joke you guys

[@YTWanderer]

I gave a like at Bustin´ ...

[@WikiSorcerer]

I'd like to see a Ghostbusters comic book that takes place in a world where Reality Ensues and the Ghostbusters end up looking like crazed vigilantes that accidentally destroy half of New York in their attempts to catch ghosts, who inevitably try to fight back _politically._ After all, shouldn't ghosts who were once human be allowed human rights?

[@ericrodriguez9444]

1. Bustin' so good haha

[@sockatume]

This was absolutely delightful.

[@pedroprovan4046]

Yea you definitely like radiohead. Nice sendoff at the end also, its refreshing to hear that we should cherish our adulthood

[@squwooshk]

I still love Ghostbusters I grew up with the film, but I watched again recently and picked up on the political theme's. I definitely don't agree with the film, but I think you can still enjoy it despite that

[@selmaunsley6683]

May ( or may not) explain why certain commentators got so annoyed at the remake

[@zombieraddish]

Nationalize ghostbusting

[@fulanitoflyer]

WoW you just blew my mind

[@Eletheo]

I think a sort of missing point in this video, as it is not quite verbalized but is demonstrated, is that Reagan was not “conservative” but rather neoliberal/corporatist.

[@isprobablyjobhunting]

Fantastic work.

[@JohnSmith-mp6vb]

I've noticed comments saying they got CRTV ads in front of your video. Well, same here. I'm pretty sure I've seen other ads for that garbage on other left-wing videos too.

[@renegadecut9875]

Unfortunately, I don't get to choose the ads. That's yet another reason why having direct customers through Patreon is so helpful. I don't have to rely on a nameless, shapeless apparatus to pay my bills.

[@JohnSmith-mp6vb]

@@renegadecut9875 Hey, thanks for responding to my comment. Your work has been a really influential source in my life and your 2014-era RC videos were most likely my first experience with what we now call video essays (your A Clockwork Orange video is my favorite from yours). I wish you good luck in your future endeavors!

[@hhhhhhyy]

Bustin' government control of businesses makes me feel like 300% profits.

[@kassemir]

Well, certainly didn't notice that when I originally watched the film. Will probably be weird re-watching the film nowadays. The point at the end was really good. Power structures are important in comedy. You should aim towards punching up, not down. In my opinion that seems to be the kind of comedy that's the most funny, and the one I prefer.

[@bell5082]

ty for the Bustin'

[@lukelee7967]

Don't forget the origin of the word "privatization".

[@daverhodus]

I enjoy watching movies from different eras. Every era has things that I like and dislike about it. I feel lucky.

[@kleptopolarbear1609]

So...when they remade Ghostbusters what would have been really interesting is if they straight up deconstructed the pro business and anti-government regulation angle of the movie. Like make so they go down a similar path that the originals did and they go into conflict with the EPA but this time their arrogance ends up creating a mess and making everything worse. Throw in some Reagan was a fucking monster jokes, some low blows at Ayn rand (hell make her the big baddie ghost.) and some other humor and you will likely have yourself a pretty darn good movie instead of an ok one.

[@uninstaller2860]

It also reminds me of the gun nuts saying that, the only thing stopping a bad guy is a good guy with a gun. In this case the ghostbusters with their dangerous weapons

[@kuru8152]

That was a brilliant piece.

[@typhaneic]

Great content!

[@ShirDeutch]

I know you're not taking requests, but I recently watched Ghostbusters II after many years of not seeing it, and I think there's room to expand on the ideas you brought here, if not a full episode than at least a mini episode. In Ghostbusters II, they go out of business because the mayor screws them over and refuses to pay them for their services. Then they discover the recent ghost activity, and DIG A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF STREET, without asking anyone for permission and even lying to the police and pretending to be working for the public utility provider. When they are discovered and taken to court, despite being completely at fault, they are of course presented as the righteous party being wrongfully accused. The judge is an irrational maniac who keeps shouting at them, refuses to believe anything they say or even believe the existence of ghosts altogether (even though everyone in the city experienced ghosts in the previous movie) and only when ghosts appear right there in the courtroom and threaten him, he cowers and begs the Ghostbusters to save him and agrees to change his ruling if they do so. So basically, the first film went after the EPA, the second goes after the courts. Sounds familiar? (On the plus side, Venkman is much less of a douche and Dana Barrett is given far more agency)

[@jabberw0k812]

I always dismissed the EPA thing as just lazy writing in a movie I liked. Disappointed to know how purposeful it really was....

[@eartianwerewolf]

Peter Venkman does not seem like a 'good guy' to me..and a lot of the behavior of the Ghostbusters feels reckless so I think that obfuscated the endorsement of more right leaning attitudes.

[@Bothrops_Asper_89]

Each of the GB has their own goal towards the business. Ray out of legit interest in the paranormal (he's pretty much Dan Aykroyd himself), Egon was focused on experimental sciences and how they could be employed to deal with the paranormal, Winston was a guy who was simply doing a job; and Peter was an overall scumbag and opportunist. He went for fame and fortune, and that's all.

[@morphingfaces]

love the Scott Joplin song

[@cg-rf7lo]

Would you ever consider making a video on The Big Short?

[@Cephalopod51]

I recommend checking out Ivan Reitman's film Dave. It's probably the most liberal film he made. Dave would yield an impressive film analysis if given the chance.

[@benzo12]

Well, Ghostbusters is ruined for me.

[@ТарасШалай-у5ю]

Awesome

[@josephlopez9891]

I am guessing your not a Reagan fan.

[@andresacosta4832]

No shit, Sherlock.

[@bb1111116]

This informative video shows the far right political slant of Ghostbusters. Taken further, current extreme conservatives often are anti-science (sometimes for religious reasons). The far right also oppose the ideas of climate science (global warming/climate change). Because to reduce global warming would cost fossil fuel industries money. The far right may ridicule science & so does Ghostbusters. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) is unethical in his research. The heroes are not supposed to “cross the streams” of their energy beams but improvise & do it. Now that I understand the agenda/propaganda of the film, I would have a harder time enjoying it.

[@GregPrice-ep2dk]

It should be pointed out that the other person to become a "demon dog" is an artist, also a conservative boodyman...

[@nicolesamsonite]

What is your intro song btw?