I also find the idea of accountants being in charge of ones fate as a fun play on the idea that capitalism manipulates even those who don't know they're being manipulated. And the use of clothing and gender roles also paints a very real image of the effects of capitalism on gender roles, women have to perform and men have the financial or work based burden. This show is fabulous!!!
I am not sure about lots of your criticisms of the original good place. For one, you seem to be using examples of the original four to show how flawed the concept of soulmates are. It feels like I shouldn't need to point out how the fact that they are not soulmates! That is the point of the torture - that Tahani and Chidi are forced to endure their 'soulmates' who they are not compatible with, so this is not a good criticism of the soulmate system. It is not like an arranged marriage system in the sense that they are random people being paired up, instead they have been found by the all knowing afterlife to be truly connected on every level, and for this reason being alone in the Good Place is unheard of, because everyone is so perfect for their soulmate. Second, it is not the fault of this soulmate system that there are few LGBTQ+ couples. The main four are all assumed to be heterosexual, which is a flaw of the representation in TV shows if anything, not a flaw of the Good Place. Also you say that because our time on earth is spent obsessing over this idealised monogamous relationship, we shouldn't be subject to it in heaven, but I disagree. This is exactly why it isn't a bad idea in the Good Place, because it satisfies and resolves what much of our human existence is devoted to. The concept of polyamory is a different question, just because we don't see it in the show doesn't mean a soulmate polycule doesn't exist somewhere in the Good Place. On the culture argument, I agree that much of the middle class culture of the Good Place is concerning and there are obvious flaws in the system in this way. I think that Tahani's presence cannot be used as an example of classism in the Good Place, because she didn't make it, but the froyo etc is definitely a good point. However, I think the differences between the paintings for Tahani, the love for opera over EDM music could be the Good Place's allusion to the issues with the points system, and how older practices or traditions are preferred by the Good Place because of the fact that there hasn't been a new admission into the Good Place for centuries.
If by, "work = morality" you mean; being self-sufficient human being and not leaching off others/society for your existence, even when you have the capacity to support yourself, is moral? Then yeah work does equal morality.
16:26 Well, Schurr can officially bite me. Acting as though conquest was something uniquely Western when it had been going on in China and Africa for centuries before Europe even thought about it. Now this fun, if silly and sometimes self-indulgent, series is ruined for me because now I know about the political crap motivating him. Dang it.
As a Christian, I find The Good Place interesting because the desire to be good is still motivated by self interest and not by faith in God, and so to me it is no wonder everyone struggles with existential crises.
The moment a person finds out about Hell, they're motivated, at least in part, by self-interest. Being good and avoiding being bad so that you don't go to Hell when you die is self-interest.
7:27 ok so first of all I would like to point out that even though there are yes soulmates and abundance of heterosexual couples in the neighborhood that Eleanor and Michael are in but it has been continuously portrayed that the people that most fit together the 322 people live together in this neighbourhood so Wouldn't that just solve every doubt, as in the people here do want soulmates and that they do want monogamy and they do want to live in pastel colored buildings. there would definitely be other neighborhoods that focus on other factors specifically what she talked about poly and non soulmates and no romantic connection, these points or some version of these are running disappointments in various videos like these, and I just can't understand why do they not think this way?
Sad to see that you kinda disapear from the Internet, but if you read this anywhen, The Good Place is my favourite show ever and i loved this video so so much, i never tought about the colonialism thing. Absolutly great job!!! <3
While I love the narrative of the good place, the whole “humanity hasn’t been good for 521 years” is a deeply imperial core pov. Even if many humans are unwillingly shafted into exploitation and suffering, who are they making suffer? Maybe I missed some things, it’s been a bit since I watched the show, I don’t remember meeting any human character without at least proximity to very wealthy countries. I find it very hard to imagine that every single one of the people in exploited countries were unable to be kind enough, buy local low exploitation products, etc for 500 years. It turns the global south into an abstract moral entity to be harmed and not a place filled with people with agency. I know it’s just because it’s an American show with American writers, but it is still an oversight.
The entire plot went over your head. It's clear, blatantly clear, you're a liberal. Because we all know liberals have no sense of humor and what liberals think is a sense of humor is as dry as King Tuts taint is today. And to prove it there isn't any way for you, or anyone reading this, to disprove me. Now bite
Realise this video is old. You'll probably never see this, but I hope you'll appreciate the engagement regardless. I'm like 5 minutes in and I just abruptly noticed the background music is one of the tracks for simcity. I felt compelled to tell you what a work of genius that is. Also, your observations so far have been inspired and insightful. Love the good place, and analysing it might be a special interest of mine.
Slightly off topic, and maybe 4 years too late, but I love how we've all decided to collectively use Michael/Ted Danson's pronunciation of Eleanor whenever we say her name.
6:30 you are obviously only talking about season 1 as it’s mentioned later on that in one iteration Tahani and Eleanor’s were partnered up as souls mates. Also YOU REALLY didn’t pay attention because Souldmates are presented as the idea of a best friend and it is expressly stated that it does not have to be romantic. Elenor and Tahani make it about romance but when it’s presented it is presented as a BFF scenario.
Years ago I found out that Disney ran several war time propaganda clips turing WW2 displaying several iconic charakters. For example there is a Goofy flick with a pogostick. This is from that time and dealed with the rubber and steel shortage turing WW2. I remember one video with Snow White's dwarf buying somkind of stocks (I think) in order to support the american military. And another video with Donald Duck having a nightmare about living in Naziland. When he wakes up he say that he is proud to be an American (or something similar). There were more but those are the ones I remember most. I didn't know the influence of the military is still so strong.I was biased toward American jsut fenzy the Military so much that it is such a big part in action movies (also I think I just got used to it.) (I'm Austrian, therefore I don't know everything about th influence the US military turly has.)
So good, saving for rewatch. One thing that would def. be helpful for viewers: floating a label over the movie clips as you show them. It gets confusing trying to visually decipher which is which.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTENT ! (scuse me while commenting on every vid to up your algo stats) Two beloved things in one place: The Good Place & lefty social critique.
I don’t understand the big speech about capitalism being the problem, I don’t know if you know anything about Venezuela or North Korea or, China, Russia, all examples of a socialist structure. Those countries make the most pollution, are the most corrupt, their people suffer of the absolute most, working in uranium mines and factories at eight years old. even using the words “our capitalist world” is extremely naïve and honestly uncultured. Clearly from an American mindset that hasn’t researched places outside of here. using capitalism as a scapegoat for human greed is ridiculous, human greed has and will reign under every single type of government or social system, monarchy, capitalism, dictatorship, communist state, socialist state. It just sounds silly and uneducated to act as if capitalism is the root of greed, when places like North Korea encourage making weapons, selling illegal drugs, child porn, anything on the dark web, is North Korea’s biggest industry. Anything that pollutes the earth, is China’s industry. And they are not capitalist countries
As usual, everyone should read Terry Pratchett Monstrous Regiment, mostly because one of the key plot points is how the military does have a lot of women in power, but they 1) got in power so don't care about other women trying to get where they are and especially 2) Sure as shit are still advocating for the same amount of war crimes as the men.
An easier solution to the points problem other then the test would be just adding in the clause that “the human must be aware of the consequences to lose points.” It would be effective .
well, that's how they got me, i thought the injustice was going to be the story arc, and in the long run it was, and the system was even worse than it had seemed, even after you find out it's hell. plus i guess i really bought michael's sweet naive act and crying in the friends' hoody
you know, i caught the no exit reference when michael locked jason in that room, and the twist still managed to surprise me, because they had me so invested in the lie
I really appreciated the restatement of the shows ideas. It can be hard for a person watching years of shows to follow a set of ideas without summary. I also liked the capitalist offer to buy all four seasons you tube put here just in case there was some money to be made on this ideas of following the good place in the marketplace. Seems like there is always more ways for that these days. I hope you have found a new job and that it is working for you I don’t always look at he dates of thing before I watch them I often assume they are fresh. Have you ever had the idea that technology is mike some kind of organic system like cells in a body just doing what they want and that it all adds up to the body as a whole existing? Well I do when a question I am considering just pops up in my feed.
