The Enduring Moral Insight and Satirical Power of Charlie Chaplin and The Twilight Zone
Current Affairs23 Sep 2022

The Enduring Moral Insight and Satirical Power of Charlie Chaplin and The Twilight Zone

Today we dive into old cinema and television, looking at the films of Charlie Chaplin and the television show The Twilight Zone, both of which have recently been the subject of essays in Current Affairs by Ciara Moloney. Ciara has written for Current Affairs on subjects ranging from the 2020 Democratic candidates' range of merch to Hollywood's depictions of George W. Bush. Her essays on Chaplin's films and The Twilight Zone make the case that while both have become enduring cultural tropes and cliches, going back and viewing the original works shows them to have incisive and enduring satirical power. Today Ciara joins us to talk about how Chaplin skewered modern capitalism and how Rod Serling depicted anti-Communist hysteria, and why each showed the capacity of film and television to generate empathy. We also talk about how valuable it is to go back and view things that are old and neglected, since they are often fresher and more relevant than one would expect.

The other films Ciara mentions in the episode are:

More of Ciara's writing on film, television, and music can be found at The Sundae. The "feeding machine" sequence from Modern Times can be watched here.

Episoder(600)

Ed Wood and the Politics of Bad Taste (w/ Will Sloan)

Ed Wood and the Politics of Bad Taste (w/ Will Sloan)

Will Sloan is a film critic and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Jacobin, and the Toronto Star. He is the co-host, with Luke Savage, of the podcast Michael and Us, which examines poli...

21 Jan 43min

The Coup In Venezuela Is An Assault on the Whole World

The Coup In Venezuela Is An Assault on the Whole World

Donald Trump's overthrow of Nicolás Maduro sets a terrible precedent that severely erodes international sovereignty. Can other countries depose any leader they accuse of a crime?🇻🇪 Read the article:...

6 Jan 18min

How Zohran Mamdani Defeated the Democratic Establishment

How Zohran Mamdani Defeated the Democratic Establishment

In the fall of 2024, Zohran Mamdani was a long-shot challenger taking on New York City’s political establishment. Today, he’s the mayor. In this early interview with Current Affairs, recorded shortly ...

2 Jan 31min

Michael Pollan Is Lying to You About "Ethical" Meat

Michael Pollan Is Lying to You About "Ethical" Meat

John Sanbonmatsu is a professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the author of The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves.The book is a response...

1 Jan 40min

What the Government Shutdown Actually Revealed for Democrats (w/ Ettingermentum)

What the Government Shutdown Actually Revealed for Democrats (w/ Ettingermentum)

Joshua Cohen is a political theorist and writer of the Ettingermentum Substack: an exceedingly thorough and insightful resource for anyone hoping to understand what the hell is going on in American po...

27 Des 202550min

Gaza, Ukraine, and Why Trump’s "Anti-War" Rhetoric Is a Lie (w/ Medea Benjamin)

Gaza, Ukraine, and Why Trump’s "Anti-War" Rhetoric Is a Lie (w/ Medea Benjamin)

Medea Benjamin is an anti-war activist and one of the co-founders of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She’s spent decades fighting the American military-industrial complex, organizing protests against the i...

19 Des 202547min

Candace Owens and the Decay of the American Brain

Candace Owens and the Decay of the American Brain

How can someone so delusional attract an audience of millions? What does it say about us that Owens is listened to by anyone other than a psychiatrist?🧿 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.o...

16 Des 202528min

MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

Right-wing megadonors flew mayors to an all-expenses-paid summit in New Orleans, where they pushed a policy framework that codified mainstream criticism of Israel as “antisemitic.”📰 Read the article:...

11 Des 202531min

Populært innen Humor

rss-spartsklubben
papaya
enkel-servering
tusvik-tnne
harm-og-hegseth
tore-og-haralds-podkast
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
topp-3-med-wold-og-fladseth
folk-flest-med-linn-og-nils
ma-pa-behandling-med-morten-ramm
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
misjonen-med-antonsen-og-golden
wolfgang-wee-uncut
hanna-de-heldige
jan-thomas-og-einar-blir-venner
rss-snorre-med-gaute
verdens-verste
rss-det-alle-snakker-om-med-siri-og-kim
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
mikkels-paskenotter