Saurian Cinema: Capitalism Killed the Dinosaurs (And We're Next)

[@nomisunrider6472]

“I have never been able to understand how a system requiring endless growth and expansion was meant to function against the natural laws of interdependence and limit.”.- Ursula K. LeGuin

[@hemidas]

It's a cycle. You rise until you reach a certain point and you start to stagnate, decline and finally fall. Rinse and repeat

[@bronzeecho]

@@hemidas that is fundamentally against the ethos of capitalism which is explicitly limitless growth. and meanwhile during all the stagnating declining and falling people are suffering and dying for no reason other than profit incentives

[@caradanellemcclintock8178]

I was talking to my dad about how bad capitalism is for most people and he said well there its better than socialisim and thats the only other option. I told him there are other options that have been used before and none will be perfect but surely we can do better than 80% of people suffering and struggling but he doesn't think theres any other way and that is why we cant get out of it because we have so many older people who dont believe theres another way.

[@AkaiAzul]

@@caradanellemcclintock8178 Until you and your colleagues outlive them and instate something else. Nothing lasts forever.

[@nomisunrider6472]

@@caradanellemcclintock8178 Yup. Some people think the entire world is a capitalism/communism binary with capitalism as inherently good and communism as inherently bad, when the truth is they're just two of the many ways to structure an economy. Sure, communism hasn't worked out, but capitalism is setting the planet on fire and enabling mass exploitation. It's time to either find or make other options.

[@nemowindsor8724]

Fun aside - the Sinclairs are named after Sinclair, the oil and gas company with a dinosaur for a logo. Saw a sign for an old station recently and it made me think of the show.

[@daniexists6]

The Boss is literally named B.P. Richfield, two oil company names.

[@VendettaProduction01]

Yeah Jim Hessian thought that would be funny as hell cause they’re fossils. It’s great as long as you know the joke

[@daniexists6]

@@VendettaProduction01 Henson. And while he came up with the idea, he died before it went into practice.

[@Lark1610]

The irony of a company profiting from bringing the whole humankind to apocalypse by natural disaster of global reach using a symbol of a natural disaster of global reach that provide them resources for profit in the first place.

[@joshwilner5622]

I always assumed they were named after Upton Sinclair, since he exposed the dangers of capitalism and so did the family

[@trashketchum9782]

“it says pay now or DIE” “at least it’s giving us a choice” there it is. the problems with libertarianism in a nutshell. summed up entirely by a two-line joke in a now-defunct puppet show about dinosaurs.

[@Bisquick]

_Oh how the system fails you completely_ _When monstrous children get treated so sweetly_ _The violence is praised, the decision cemented_ _(They seem like nice kids)_ _Crimes go committed, but never lamented_ _(That doesn't change what they did)_ _That's when they lock up an innocent victim_ _The only thing that's more broken than her spirit is the system._ _They lock up femininity, _*_infected with the illusion that choice is free_* Sorry lol, just reminded me of tangentially related song lyrics that I think also describe this succinctly at the end. If anyone likes unnecessarily complicated prog metal to go along with the lyrics: youtube (dot) com/watch?v=z6Tp5G9HjjQ Probably goes without saying, but I think Boss Tweed in his hubris nicely captured how this extends to electoral politics in declaring to a local paper, _"I don't care who does the electing, so long as I can do the nominating"_ , and thus inevitably, as that craaaaaazy Marx guy put it, _"the executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie."_ Libertarians and liberals alike are pretty much blinded to politics entirely because they don't see the zero-sum antagonistic class dynamic built into capitalism's foundation, instead naturalizing this property regime into the background as a sort of divine right of "the market" (praise be), while individuals insulated from all relation/context take the foreground in discrete judgements of their actions. This sort of "business ontology" (as Mark Fisher once termed it), in reifying alongside a deep-seated American Protestantism tinted cultural lens, with all of its nuts-o puritan sects like Calvinists, Mormons, etc., everyone's life outcomes become understood merely as a reflection of their individual moral character (its unabashedly decadent apotheosis on display in "prosperity gospel") and thus this bread and circus spectacle of resentment-fueled performances of piety along with its intensifying individual moralizing miasma ("affectionately" known as the "culture war") becomes mistaken for "politics" while the soulless mechanical logic of perpetual capital accumulation only continues to strip-mine any remaining social meaning/trust to be sold for profit. Or something. If that made any sense. So I guess my rambling-ass point here is that in spite of the delusional prescription of libertarians, or the delusional _non_ -prescription from liberals, the _actual_ choice for humanity, should we choose to reconcile with reality at some point, is actually as simple as Earl's water bill: socialism or [continued] barbarism.

[@miked7011]

@@Bisquick Yes you are correct but why doesn't everyone else see it this way!

[@London_J]

libertarianism does not include legal murder...

[@eminentbishop1325]

​@@London_JLol r/whoosh

[@AbrasiousProductions]

I don't get it, I'm just conservative.

[@manospondylus]

I love this sitcom so much. Recently rewatched it and damn, the biting satire is everywhere, not just the last episode, which seems to be the only one that people seem to remember. The most striking thing I noticed on the rewatch was the double-episode where the dinosaurs go to war over pistachios. At the time it was meant to be a satirisation of the first Gulf War, but in 2020 the pistachio lobby of California urged Donald Trump to declare war on Iran, because Iranian pistachios were outperforming Californian ones on the global market. Real life almost imitated the show. Also, the movie Midsommar pretty much stole its elder-execution tradition from this show’s Hurling Day episode, even right down to the age at which the elders are thrown off the cliff.

[@thelittlewateringhole5576]

Holy shit, the Californian pistachio industry and the 2020 Pres. Trump administration really _almost_ did that!?!? Also holy shit, the 2019 horror feature film Midsommar really did that!?!?

[@guy-sl3kr]

The ritual elder murder thing comes from Nordic history iirc. Attestupa I think it's called

[@manospondylus]

@@guy-sl3kr I know, it‘s just a really funny coincidence

[@harrietpotter649]

_"in 2020 the pistachio lobby of California urged Donald Trump to declare war on Iran, because Iranian pistachios were outperforming Californian ones on the global market"_ JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

[@wrazzberrie1197]

I also remember a running gag involving a cop show, where the abuse of the cops escalates, before the final episode involving that cops giving the burglar a lesson about socioeconomic conditions with a side of pretty explicit marxsism.

[@henriquebastosbernardoni3630]

I read this title to the rythm of Video Killed The Radio Star and I don't regret it a single bit.

[@sicKlown86]

Between this video and the one Jose did, it's refreshing to see this get the respect it deserves for being more than just funny costumes. Along with Captain Planet, it's a bit of a tickle to see some the 90's propaganda shows from my youth really were on the bleeding edge of out dystopian reality.

[@conrad4852]

I agree! Jose's video essay is a masterpiece as is one. They compliment each other so well.

[@willcwhite]

Matt Baume also has a great vid on “Dinosaurs”

[@theomcinturff1213]

Too bad the blood was ours :

[@NomadiKat]

What is the link to this Jose video so many commenters have been referencing?

[@conrad4852]

@@NomadiKat kzbin.info/www/bejne/gquxZ5-plNWtrNE

[@michaeladkins6]

I never watched Dinosaurs. I assumed it was a dinosaur version of the Simpsons, Raymond, Flintstones, and Honeymooners. I wasnt expecting a depressing dramatization of 50 years of continued capitalism run amok. Two days ago, the newly weaponized supreme court ruled that the epa cant regulate companies to control emissions. 50 years of scary gop administrations and disappointing democratic administrations that never seem to solve too much of anything. This was a really good video, maybe too good. Thanks a lot.

[@Iowa2006]

In your defense, iirc, it WAS sold as dinosaur puppets version of Simpsons, Flintstones, etc. You had to see it to know where they were going with it.

[@VendettaProduction01]

It was really good. The later seasons did have some episodes that were very Simpsons like

[@BluetheRaccoon]

Maybe it's just me, but to me it felt like Roseanne but more intelligent.

In retrospect, this show radicalized me as a kid.

[@themothjam]

as an autistic creative with a special interest in paleontology, saurian cinema really feels like it was made specifically for me lol. these videos have not only taught me genuinely so, SO much, but as a writer as well i love seeing the work you put in to making them! i hope you continue to talk about dinosaurs and other stuff :) but no matter what you do i will be following!

[@CordeliaWagner1999]

Why are autists so narcicisstic?

[@nandyk.2026]

god, this was a good dose of existential dread. something that I really liked that you brought up is the was that anti-capitalist media ISN'T enough to make a change. it's sobering, as someone who aspires to write stories with radical leftist theming, but seeing how stories like squid game have ended up being another franchise companies can produce profit from, it's something crucial to remember. at this point, a primary goal in my writing is for it to be a cathartic 'screaming into the air' at how things are fucked, and seeing how you've made an hour long video essay on dinosaurs, I think that does have some value.

[@zeonianking2983]

Personally I don't think it's enough to say "Capitalism Sucks!" You have to offer an alternative solution; a system that puts the needs of the poor ahead of the rich, the needs of the weak ahead of the strong, and the needs of the sick ahead of the healthy.

[@Nick_CF]

@@zeonianking2983 yeah we need stuff to look at and aspire too. I'm so tired of hearing all the problems regurgitated to me ad nauseum without ever a solution being presented. (This is not a criticism of this video)

[@zeonianking2983]

@@Nick_CF I'm also working on a story where the heroes are fighting to establish a socialist democracy. I haven't really gotten into the socialist themes yet, but I hope that when people read it, they'll be inspired to take up the cause in the real world. Remember, no matter how bleak things may seem we can't give up; that's exactly what the capitalist want us to do

[@komiccomik4796]

@@zeonianking2983 I really think presenting stories with non capitalist societies is the most tangible praxis you can get in writing as oppose to writing the fall of capitalist societies like, everyone complains about Capitalism, the issue its seen as the world, just like you would complain about the sun being too bright or not being able to fly, everyone agrees its bad but its not seen as changeable. Capitalism is the status quo everything is measured up against and of course it when all fiction uses it as the bases write about a leaderless gift economy or socialist democracy, change things up from your personal beliefs, show its flaws and make it just familiar enough but dont gloss over the differences. Have that character interact with a Capitalist society not with familiar annoyance but with vague bewilderment and curiosity, force the reader to see it as a alien, a choice their making and not their only one. Which is what I would say if the planet wasnt actively burning and we were going through four economic crashes per decade. We're kinda passed the 'make something not being capitalist the norm in stories outside of utopian think pieces' into the 'burn down your local police station and actively sabotage companies attempting to build into areas' idk, join the anarchist group in your area for the mutual aid and write to remember that the world might not be fundamentally good but it can always be fundamentally better

[@komiccomik4796]

whats that quote like 'its easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of Capitalism'

[@conradtheeditor]

This is, of course, exceptional in every way both as a primer of discourse around capitalism and a retrospective of a show I now feel I completely underestimated. I always expect excellence, but this is incredible!

[@Moscato_Moscato]

Man the finale is really bleak and we know that’s where we’re going too It’s kinda ironic for me tho…I knew about this show and parts of its anti-capitalist lean about it, so I downloaded a few episodes like the one where Earl writes the Marxist cop show, the psa one and the finale I remember watching the finale on the first day of the big Texas Freeze and it felt so fitting to watch it because it wasn’t long till after the freeze that ted cruz announced his deal with major cryptominers allowed to use the Texas grid without paying for any upgrades I felt like I was stuck in a comedy show about a society careening towards extinction and I was the punchline, just like Earl

[@MrChristianDT]

Oh, well that's why Texas' electrical grid is fucked.

[@powerbalancevathelastkitsu2504]

So my biggest question to you now is, what should we do with this knowledge? If we've been given the knowledge, and we know why we have the problem and know what to do, then what now? What should we do now? Thats the question, that is something I really want answered

[@historynerd37]

Goddamn this was good. You have a real talent for taking movies and shows and really telling their subtextual stories. It's also nice to see other people my age look around them and see we need to deal with our reality, however stark out of genuine concern for each other and the planet.

[@afterdinnercreations936]

Idea: Jurassic Park, but the scientists revive the now-fossilized Sinclaires. Fran (Has to be recast because Jessica Walters died in 2021) Robbie, and Charlene adapt to modern-life like a glove. Baby and Earl are horrified the humans are repeating the actions that killed off the dinosaurs.

[@sierra565]

I've always heard that conservative and "traditional" family values are beneficial to capitalisms. I never fully understood how they were connected, but I definitely do now.

[@Hannah-wh3vo]

When you realise watching Dinosaurs as a 7 year old is what radicalised you

[@ShinYaguchiSama]

Amen

[@norbertomurillo4565]

My older sister gifted me the first two seasons of the show in a box set when I was very young and I remember rewatching the show almost every day until they got scratched and we had to throw em out

[@montrose252]

Bravo! Excellent work. I never watched that show -- my jaw dropped when you showed the car thief show and the cops start explaining marxist theory, hahah. I can't believe that was shown on TV!!

[@AwakeintheAM]

can't believe it's been a year since you began this series!! another phenomenal entry, genuinely a remarkable video about a show I had never even heard of. I was raised by a capitalist and was also taught that this is the way things need to be or else we'd fall into terrible communism. everything you said perfectly captured the shortcomings my father and those like him fail to recognize and the fearsome power to dehumanize use into profit-hungry workers. great work as always

[@johanna7254]

I almost skipped this one because as a kid I was terrified of these character suits LOL But I'm so glad I just watched it. Definitely one of your best videos!

[@Stauderhorse]

I vaguely remember watching this as a young kid but certainly didn't pick up on all the deeper issues. I'm kind of shocked with what they got away with addressing just because they were silly dino puppets.

[@MrChristianDT]

Oh, I'm constantly shocked when I find a really well written &/ or deep TV series or movie from the 80s-90s. Its always tuff you don't expect, either- like Inspector Gadget or an Eddie Murphy film (Holy Man.) Or even just one trying to do something outside the box with established tropes of the time, like Crocodile Dundee constantly trying to subvert both the romantic comedy & fish out of water stereotypes of its contemporaries.

[@wolfferoni]

The analysis of this show is so good. I never knew about this show and it's amazing. I'm really surprised anything criticising capitalism to such an extent would be allowed to go to air. I wish something like this would air today, maybe modernised like Fraggle Rock. Not sure which company would allow it to air though

[@cabbagecart-u3x]

god damn i just found out fraggle rock is getting a remake ?? thats so weird

[@katisawriter]

The big challenge is trying to enact change when everyone who holds the power benefits from how it currently is. *On a lighter note this video reminded me I had a huge crush on Robbie when I was a kid. 🤦‍♀️

[@snarkotron1035]

Ok, glad I'm not the only one who feels daunted by the challenge of changing the world by fighting those who hold all the power... And the Robbie thing. Yeah, definitely the Robbie thing.

[@sinnsage]

same same

[@johannageisel5390]

It would be easier to fight those in power if we weren't surrounded by stupid masses of people who still don't want to believe we have a problem or at least don't want to change anything. They still haven't understood that extreme change will be coming and that they can only make the choice between change now and somewhat controlled or change in a few years and chaotically. And if you try to explain it to the they are all either annoyed or just say they aren't that interested and they just don't watch the news because it makes them depressed. Oh, and a bunch of them starts telling you all the excuses for why nothing else but capitalism can work.

[@potmeetkettle]

Y’all ain’t crush on Robbie’s friend, the big guy in the leather jacket? 😍

[@tatehildyard5332]

Maybe you were drawn to his earnest, defiant spirit.

[@Ellaliluleloka]

This felt like if someone was allowed to make a thesis on the show and current socio-economic-climate times and turn in into an audio book. Loved it.

[@THC4k]

Great show, I was 15 or so when I watched it and loved how blunt and witty it is. Kinda depressing that 30 years later most social issues have gotten worse and the people are even less financially secure now.

[@CordeliaWagner1999]

But we have rainbow flags on every federal building and a whole month for L B Q T G

[@crystaldragonjesus2195]

Love me some dinosaur and Dinosaurs content...but damn this is actually one of the better anti-capitalist videos in general I've seen. Does a great job of explaining aspects of it without being so weighed down on pure data and facts (which, don't get me wrong, I love me some data, but sometimes having it all thrown at you at once can be overwhelming to process, you know? And it can be hard to pace that stuff properly so it gets breathing room.). I had to pause the video at that Buttigieg clip ... it was just... I can't. lmfao. I still can't. Need a stiff drink jfc

[@lenaeospeixinhos]

I was already anti-capitalism before I saw this video, just with a barely below-surface level of understanding. Oh God it's way worse than I realized. Excellent, excellent video. I'm gonna wait a bit for the subtitles, before I spread it around.

[@theMoporter]

Have a gander at Some More News, comrade 😘 all subtitled, btw!

[@Nick_CF]

Or Behind the Bastards

[@AbrasiousProductions]

I'm hardcore anti-socialism/communism but lets be real capitalism isn't great either

[@saturationstation1446]

@@AbrasiousProductions galaxy brain wants to return to monky lmfao... if you are against communism because of the past, understand that communism has never even gotten close to happening, because it cant happen within a nation state....

[@saturationstation1446]

@@AbrasiousProductions and i'd bet my left nut that you are placing your judgement on feelings instead of hard facts and math. "but but but nation states HAVE TO exist because it would hurt my well off feelings if they didnt" lololol

[@nealwhaley63]

When Earl says to Fran “I don’t give a damn about your day,” that moment represented the American family perfectly.

[@sarah3796]

😓

[@onamazaku]

Still can't believe the boss said "rape" and "denude" (? what even is that, guess I have a google search to do). I am like the grandma to that, you can't say that.

[@randallbesch2424]

@@onamazaku denuding of a forest isn't good for the forest.

[@OhSkyeLanta]

Thank you. Sometimes I feel like the only one screaming about how on fire capitalism is and it’s really really nice to know we’re not alone. At least it gives me a little more faith that maybe it will change in time? *remembers this show was made in 1994 before I was even born and was effectively destroyed by the system it was criticizing* or uh…probably not…

[@thewitchbasket]

Let's not forget that the events leading up to and following the French Revolution lasted over 120 years. Just because things move slowly doesn't mean they aren't moving. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the fall of capitalism in the next decade, but if further spreading anticapitalist rhetoric and changing some minds is the best I can do as an individual, it's better than nothing. Vote, and if that doesn't work, strike, and if that doesn't work, steal, and if that doesn't work, riot.

[@fairyperry1265]

the only thing that stops change is thinking it'll never happen

[@MrChristianDT]

I barely remember it at all, though maybe I ought to try to track down a DVD, or something.

[@LaurasBookBlog]

41:47 "The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose off the common But leaves the greater villain loose Who steals the common from the goose. The law demands that we atone When we take things we do not own But leaves the lords and ladies fine Who takes things that are yours and mine. The poor and wretched don’t escape If they conspire the law to break; This must be so but they endure Those who conspire to make the law. The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common And geese will still a common lack Till they go and steal it back."

[@caminandoyflotando]

So I loved this show as a child. My mom bought me a bunch of the official VHS tape releases. As a kid I just liked it because it was dinosaurs and puppets, it wasn’t until I bought the official DVD sets years later that I understood all the nuance, jokes and critique of capitalism through an anthropomorphic dinosaur society. The episode where Robbie comes out as herbivore is classic 💀

[@artemisrose3065]

If you also count time spent commuting, most people still work 10-12 hours a day! That's why the pandemic was such a revelation for so many people as they got back this wasted time. Now you have companies saying that if you work from home your pay should be cut because you don't need to pay for transportation, instead of being grateful that their workers are supplying the office space they would otherwise need to pay for along with a lot of the office supplies and (generally) improved productivity (because people are more relaxed and rested)!

[@robokill387]

Yeah, and as a disabled person it really shows that accessibility was *always* possible for these companies, they just don't want to. As soon as working from home was needed for their survival, it happened pretty much instantly. Then it was snatched away as soon as it was no longer necessary for *them*.

[@k.e.5886]

Awesome video Serge, i hope this is viewed a million times. I really hope our country stops overworking people and underpaying them and manufacturing products that destroy the earth. However Greed is hard to get around. Aside from that I think everyone should know how valuable they are by their family and their workplace no matter how much time is spent. If you give people your time, you are important and nothing can erase it~Kela

[@colonelweird]

Somehow I've always assumed Serge was a liberal -- glad to discover how wrong I was. KZbin definitely needs more explicitly socialist contest... just as the US needs a revolution. And now I definitely have to go find an extremely legal way to watch this TV show.

[@jliller]

Socialists are liberals, but not all liberals are Socialists.

[@toriyt2714]

Why do we label everything? Socialist, liberal, communist, on and on and on. Why can’t you just be person who is for what’s right and fair?

[@jliller]

@@toriyt2714 "Why do we label everything?" If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck why shouldn't we call it a duck? "Why can’t you just be person who is for what’s right and fair?" Almost everyone believes their political beliefs stand for that. Saying you stand for that doesn't tell anyone what you actually believe.

[@toriyt2714]

@@jliller that’s my point the only reason we label political beliefs is to signal to others how to categorize you. It doesn’t really mean anything. That’s why we get stuff like I’m a moderate central leftist with a conservative background but liberal ideas.

[@jliller]

@@toriyt2714 Your strawman of random political terms doesn't mean anything. Most people who resent being categorized or labeled can nevertheless be accurately labeled and categorized. That's assuming they actually have coherent, defined political beliefs; some people don't. Political categorization is as meaningful as scientific classification. If I say duck then you know I'm talking about an animal with feathers, bill, and webbed feet. Likewise, if I say Republican you know I'm talking about someone who is pro-military pro-police anti-abortion anti-regulation. There are different species of ducks just as there are Republicans who are more or less conservative or who might be Christian or Jewish. The Venn diagrams wont be one circle but they'll all mostly overlap.

[@Phrenotopia]

"Don't look up" avant la lettre, I suppose. When I watched the show back in the day I was too young and confused to let the deeper messages sink through. I just enjoyed a show with dinosaurs amazingly implemented and acted.

[@alonsoarana5307]

That last episode was so depressing to watch

[@alonsoarana5307]

@I true

[@reganlandau]

You do TERRIFIC, excellently-researched work. Thanks for your insight!

[@jessicap.848]

I loved that show when I was a kid. I remember first questioning the origin and purpose of religion, because someone asked about it, than a secret meeting of powerful people came up with The Great Potato (or something like that) as the origin of life and now everyone should pray for it.

[@wompwomp9946]

i currently have a four-hour workday and i couldn't imagine going back to 8-10 hours like i did for twenty years. i have nothing to show for all that work except exhaustion and mental health issues.

[@thewitchbasket]

I'm not even in the workforce and this happened to me. Going from an 8 hour day in high school to a 4 hour a day (for the most part) 4 day week in College has made me feel so much more in control. It's insane. Going into a normal labor market is going to kill me, I know it.

[@grapeshot]

I always remember the final episode of this series when the asteroid was about to hit and everything got dark.

[@oomflem]

I only ever watched this show dubbed into German, and am shocked to discover Sinclair originally had the same voice as Elmo.

[@BryonyClaire]

Okay this was amazing and now I really want to watch dinosaurs again. Hugely appreciate the amount of work it would have taken to edit this, too!

[@deathdoor]

Noooooo! Don't do this! I hate this tube feature, making me wait two days to watch is cruel.

[@TheFrugalVideoGamer]

The shortsightedness of B.P. Richfield is why one of my absolute favorite villains is CEO Deus of Machina Industries in "Grrl Power" (yes, the punny name is *fully* intended) - during a confrontation with an African "President" who was corrupt to his core, Deus elaborated on why he was willing to front the money to him for infrastructure needs. "A few billions in, dozens of billions out long-term. Most executives only care about the next quarter. They lack vision. I plan in *decades."*

[@6Rudolph6Shitler6]

This was an eye opener. Stuff they don't really teach you growing up.

[@jonhelmer8591]

I always loved Dinosaurs, that's why I stopped by. I never dreamt it was so deep. I'm now subscribed, if I'm getting this video recommended, the algorithm is doing its job for me!

[@vallum12100]

Not even twenty minutes and I've cried three times in this video. Thank you for thinking of the mediocre of us. I have ASD and, though 'high functioning', I keep coming to odds with my career's principles vs the reality in which capitalism has morphed it to be the antithesis of what it was, (education). I keep getting in trouble for putting the needs of my students first, (multiple times wrote up for saving students lives without breaking the law because I got hurt and that makes them liable), and feel borderline ostracized to my field of work by the bosses that don't want that. Ultimately, my job wants me to put the school before students well being to make it easier to push kids out without preparing them for the world, without encouraging them to be the best they can be. It's really triggering for me working in special education and seeing how I was treated still happens, to verify how adults really thought of me and wonder if that changed as an adult. The amount of abuse I've seen students put up and how I was abused for wanting that to change has killed my love for what I do, desperately trying not to ever take it out on my students. Maybe if I was Neurotypical, maybe I could change to adjust to this or not take it so personal. Every facet of growing up in the USA is compromised from capitalism. It has effected education, all the money we put into it is lost in the upper thresholds of the hierarchy, which is the foundation of youth that become adults. It has become a machine to forcibly obey authority while killing our notions of being valuable and worth a sustainable wage to live good lives.

[@juliannehannes11]

I'm a TA with ASD and ADHD and I feel so seen as I am too going through the same exact thing having the same daily moral conflictions and tramatic childhood reminders of how I punished and othered into developing crippeling RSD and then seeing it happen again and being powerless to stop it

[@jedgrahek1426]

The marketers had no idea what to do with this. I was just a kid at the time (like 10) but I remember being super turned off to it by the ads for the show itself when it was upcoming. It looked like nothing but lowest-common-denominator jokes where the whole attraction was supposed to be the costumes, or something? Of course I would have been too young to appreciate any of the good things about it anyway... but it blows my mind to know that what I had always thought of as pure idiocy was actually one of the most sophisticated and progressive things on tv at the time. Thanks for talking about the police issue with the perspective you do. It is vital in order to ever have real societal discourse on this issue, and widespread, common-knowledge level understanding that the police exist to protect the power structure, and all of their other "roles" are not true duties they have, or the things they are truly being paid to do. Unfortunately decades of cop shows, generations of propaganda, have made that a "radical" view, despite it being the simple truth and what needs to be the starting point of any real improvement. My god the guy in charge of Uvalde who did everything possible wrong and probably literally caused more children to die that day, still hasn't had to even make a public statement, and won't be held accountable in any way. And yet the status quo media does nothing but make fun of "woke people", when what that always meant was simply being aware of these systemic issues as opposed to being utterly ignorant of them... and of course this is a great way to make being ignorant and unthinkingly accepting the status quo sound somehow intelligent. People like Bill Mahr who like to present themselves as smarter than everyone else when all they actually do is make childish fun of the actually serious people genuinely trying to improve things... make me so f'ing sick.

[@feanaro2712]

Really great video! I never saw this show as a kid, so it was fascinating learning so much about it, and through such an interesting lens as well. The Capitalist Counterpoint Theatre was a nice touch, and very well-performed.

[@Icepick614]

Great video, I think you forgot to cut a line at 55:08 because it's used twice.

[@miguelmiguel173]

Ardent conservative here; thank you, I learned something.

[@RRAAII17]

I am in awe of how one of the best KZbin videos I can remember seeing is about Dinosaurs, the 1991 Sitcom starring Jim Henson

[@robcor80]

Great video, I always remember Dinosaurs and the Potatoe episode but no one else does, now I can reference this video.

[@SabrinaRina]

I love all your work. I'd adore talking about shows with you. I get called a downer, you're thinking too deep/serious, you're reading more into it than whats there. So i appreciate you. Addressing so many serious issues and how we all buy into things through our media and/or ignore the satire even smashed in our faces. Yes, media and art are up for interpretation, but also made with intent. Capitalism is why some leave it to interpretation so less people reject their work. But meanings are there. Heck sometimes creators share their intent and are treated like they lost their mental way and made up a message retroactively. Do people even believe in satire until they're trying to excuse very nasty but sincere opinions anymore? Mirrors to society are treated as sincere and sincere people get away with defenders (not usually them) saying "it was a joke" and few turn on their brains. Lastly, thank you for bringing up Kentucky (as a big, but only one of several examples) and how they actually hurt their public and they pick the non-issues to get angry at. Most politicians are procrastinators scrolling Wikipedia versus writing that essay they've had on their desk 2 weeks.

[@FutureNoize]

I very often find that only my 7yr old son is willing to tolerate my rants on media and their deeper meaning. Recently I toned it back thinking he only conversed with me out of an obligation, but within days of my ceasing such rants, my son said "I miss our talks about what shows really mean and how modern politics are leading to a dead end". I very literally teared up a bit. Ok, enough "proud dad" cringe. All that said, I have not a single adult willing to listen or even willing to make me listen. So, feel free to shout in my general direction, rather than the void, if you like. Also, my son and I will begin posting videos on our channel, FutureNoize, at the end of this month. It will be a mixture of things, but it will be from a leftist viewpoint and uniquely present how a very far left father's views compare and contrast with the viewpoints of a 7yr old that knows right and wrong rather than left vs right. It sounds like a nightmare, but it's his idea, and if nothing else, it will be unlike anything else on KZbin. (I apologize for the shameless plug. I know it's...shitty to advertise in the comments. I'm just doing anything I can to make this a success for him. Including high end video and audio so you're at least guaranteed it'll be pretty to look at it. Fingers crossed that it'll also be worth peoples time)

[@SabrinaRina]

@@FutureNoize Well I tried to throw out where we could chat, but my reply was deleted, suggesting someone deemed I was soliciting or spamming. I was going to delete eventually if you wanted to chat. But no idea why someone deemed it wrong.

[@JohnnyBurnes]

The puppeteering's so good. Even the bit characters are better than, say, TMNT3. :/

[@Aishyo]

That last episode was too real.

[@tylarsyddall286]

19:44 "Nuclear" in nuclear family does not refer to nuclear power but to a centre surrounded by a periphery element. Here the the "nucleus" would be the parents, and the rest of the family would be what around the nucleus. These words predate nuclear power and are derived from latin.

[@saturationstation1446]

but they made that term during a time when they were actively detonating nuclear weapons in the atmosphere and in close proximity to americans even. i believe its called nuclear family because they were LITERALLY irradiated by the contaminated atmosphere. over 2000 nuclear detonations have happened within earths atmosphere. many of them were within the same 5 years...

[@thesleepinggirl]

Magnificent! I remember loving this show when I was young... before I moved on to Deep Space Nine... which explains a few things...

[@Superkia75]

Wow, I watched Dinosaurs last year after getting Disney ++. My memory was that it was Simpsons with Dinosaur muppets, but rewatching it, I was surprised at how cynical it was, and how miserable the Sinclair family was. I agree with most of what you said, and yes, the show was a criticism of traditional '90s families and culture, of which Capitalism was a contributor to that misery.

[@randallbesch2424]

Realistic not cynical and it is worse now than in the 1990's.

[@hellopeople1013]

This was such a good video. I never watched the show, but I knew the reputation of it being sharp commentary on the state of the world / capitalism. Some of these clips live rent free in my head.

[@tryingreallyhard4880]

Another fantastic, well thought out, and eloquent video! Seriously, love this channel!

[@AwareWolfOnWheels]

This is why I subbed, fantastic opinions on important issues. That and awesome reviews of great shows. I loved Dinosaurs when it aired and I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane and take on current problems in the world.

[@nimblebimble]

Genuinely excellently mined analysis of a show that’s nearly faded completely from my memory. Now that all the memories of the show have rushed back, I do recall feeling a certain sour, portentous quality from this show, even as a young child-the grandma senicide ep, the terrifying boss, the finale (I could’ve sworn they watched a meteor fall, weird), eeesh. I really appreciated this video touching on the real and potential dangers that arise from the right’s dependency on wedge issues… which couldn’t be more timely.

[@hawleyolsen170]

Thank you. This is the important stuff they somehow didn't get to in all my years of schooling, and I deeply appreciate that you've made it available to me for free.

[@coltonmartin5057]

I can't wait to rewatch this a dozen times

[@FerretinSocks]

my mom loves all things jim henson, so i watched the vhs we had of this a lot! the episode on the afterlife is burned into my memory :D banger video as always

[@ATakTakTak]

Nice of you to take a look at the whole show, I'm tired of people onlh ever talking about the last episode.

[@JuriAmari]

I used to watch this show when I was a child and I didn’t know it went so deep. I especially remember how sad I was at the finale. Rewatching it as an adult, it’s impressive about how much this show really holds up both as an artifact and as a present day critique!

[@KasirRham]

Those are some fun character designs. Especially Baby... and Robby's terrible hair.

[@blueravenfire]

i loved this tv show as a kid, watching it as a kid a lot of the adult themes just flew over my head and i liked the show mostly just for the silly stuff, but when i rewatched it as an adult the adult themes certainly stick out to me more. i remember the ending to this show being depressing as hell because the family doesn't get a happy ending. your video essay just proves this tv show was way ahead of it's time and it is a shame it didn't last longer.

[@michaelyapp3254]

Not wrong about the work day length. The final two hours to 90 mins I’m just trying to look busy.

[@safflower_s]

Thank you for this video. I loved your analysis, structured, with references and examples. I think I can just link this video in case of a discourse, and it will do the job more effectively than I ever can. Who would have thought that the scariest video of 2022 for me will be a video essay about a sitcom.

[@sonorasgirl]

This is really a helpful video for me, cause I’ve been trying to figure out what else is out there other than corrupt options - but you know, working a long job and keeping myself fed and clean doesn’t always leave the research time I would like. This perspective is interesting and while dire, oddly hopeful. Thanks 😊

[@jorgemariosanchezrodriguez7527]

Thanks again for this piece !! You're work is getting better and deeper at each new vid ! Big thanks from my proletariat heart !!

[@martinprehjan9944]

I had an economics teacher in collage that was the arch enemy of Reagan and his "Reaganomics"!!! If he saw Reagan walking on some sidewalk and he had been driving I have no doubt he would have plunged his 2 tone, fake wood sides, Ford LTD Country squire Wagon that he always drove, and cleaned so lovingly every time that he could into him!

[@razieldumas]

Wait wait wait. Hedwig and the Angry Inch got a Criterion release?!

[@jestersudz6085]

my teacher showed this show to our class in kindergarden. i will always remeber it

[@paleo1019]

Bro, you didn't need to go that deep, but somehow, you did! Damn!

[@monsignorerasmus.6441]

Incredibly well done. A pleasure and an education all in one You should be proud of this. Thank you for sharing.

[@endTHEhegemony_Today]

Whoah. This video grabbed me by the neck and took me on a journey. Thank you I had no clue I would get such in-depth analysis from a channel I havent heard from in a while!! You're making fantastic videos!! 🖤💜💙💚💙💜🖤 Much love!!

[@bugg7402]

Very excited for this

[@pchabanowich]

Well done, dear Sir! ''I don't enjoy doing something I love to do for eight hours...'' is surely proof of brotherhood with this soul.💐

[@wookong1723]

feel like your bluray collection in the background grows with every new video

[@shekwaga]

Very very good! Caught this just as I was listening to an announcement that my flight will be daleyed for 2 hours. Thank-you!

[@THATGuy5654]

I don't know what to do with the fact that one of the darkest endings of a television show is a direct reflection of our own potential ending. Didn't know what to do with it when I saw it as a kid, either.

[@petyamiteva2382]

You are wrong my friend. Sunlight is definitely commodified. Think of office desks with no view of a window, factory floors with no access to natural light, apartments with barely any light...

[@aprilk141]

This video and the Dinosaurs series are fantastic. I was a kiddo when i watched the show originally. I had no idea the seeds that were planted in my mind would grow into such a luscious garden. We have a hard road ahead. May we walk it with vigor.

[@BlackstoneMASK]

you've got a couple editing errors in this where you repeat sentences (such as around 55:09, closeup transitions to VO with the same line) solid video as always!

[@anja7168]

Thank you for this excellent and very thought provoking video. Watching it made me reactivate my disney + subscription so that i can rewatch the dinos. Saw the series as a kid in Germany (where i'm from) in the 90's. But albeit with different eyes than now as an adult. So thanks for the inspiration. And keep on your good work with this channel 👍

[@michaszkot4419]

Serge, have you considered an appeareance at the Deprogram podcast?

[@Ace-ki3rr]

One of the best KZbin videos I have ever seen in a while. Bravo.

[@Rissa_1322]

The 3 days grace riff sent me back in time to 2012

[@FaiaHalo]

I learn sooo much from your videos. And I'm incredibly grateful for that. I appreciate all the effort and research you put into making them. And I'll be sharing it with as much people as I can. Much love from Latin America!

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

This is really very good actually. Would make a nice intro for laymen into some of the issues we face. Kudos :)

[@wildsheepc]

I am GUTTED. I intentionally avoided the dinosaur show when it was on but Matt Baume also recently did a video about the vegetarian episode as being coded gay. At any rate you've given us a LOT to think about and I'm going to be chewing on this for a while.

[@alexb8433]

This is a very interesting video by I'm too distracted by how terrifying this show is. So much uncanny Valley

[@happytofu5]

Wow, the finale hit me so hard as a kid.

[@FaxModem1]

I learned a new term today, thank you. I'm now reading up on post Fordist economics.

[@ariannawright7586]

This might be my new favourite video about capitalism. Also it made me really want to watch this show. I love this channel so much wish it had more views!

[@GuyWicke]

Brilliant, and SPOT ON. Love your work, my friend!

[@Carla-jd1ub]

This is amazing and ties so many topics that move me together! Thank you! Especially ending it on a positive, hopeful note, that giving up isn’t the answer to all those despressing injustices.

[@hanumaniam]

I didn't expect an entire hour plus video would crop up, let alone be as epic and relevant as it turned out. Congrats on getting such great mileage out of this classic show!