MADness—the Blog

Stirling Newberry writes about the new, “final” chapter to the Saw franchise and finds parallels between the torture porn genre of horror films and the torture porn politics of the right.  (The MAD front-page feature this week was on horror franchises, and on Thursday, the Saw films in particular.)

The cresting of the torture porn wave in popular culture is underlined by the rise of torture porn politics, exemplified by the tea party, but echoing across the political spectrum. The viciousness of cuts in social programs in the United Kingdom, and across Europe, compounded with a Franco-German backed initiative to clamp down on social spending even more, are torture porn economics. The reason for demanding repayment now, is not because that repayment is economically productive, but because those demanding repayment now hope that bankruptcy or insolvency is the result, which give’s them the lector’s license to slowly pull the intestines out of the victim. Say Ireland, Iceland, or Greece.

The last act of the movie saga of the Jigsaw cult, signals, clearly, to those who are listening, that both the patience of the ordinary population is exhausted, and the energy of the torturing class is also exhausted.

Not sure if I agree with all the points Newberry goes on to make, but I would say that horror films can’t be understood without understanding the culture and politics of the times.  The torture porn films of recent years wouldn’t have been made—or caught on, at least—if not for the dangerous rightward shift in our politics.

Will things get better now?  Not so fast.

However, that is precisely why the danger is growing, because a movement that knows it is not actually entitled to power on support, is far more likely to push through laws quickly, in the limited time it has.

If predictions of a Republican resurgence in Tuesday’s elections are right, I don’t expect much in the way of new laws from either side anytime soon.  But we may be headed for an especially ugly period in our politics.  As Paul Krugman says:  “Be afraid.  Be very afraid.”

What can you do?  For one thing, vote.