Sadly, most other points in time have a measurable worse standard of living. Just saying, don't take what you got forgranted
this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2026
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It's really just Idiocracy.
Even the fears about AI is more Idiocracy than Terminator. Sure, this word-guessing program is going to guess enough words to suddenly gain consciousness...
I always felt that Terminator was a natural prequel to the matrix.
I've read/seen about half of these. I haven't seen They Live yet. What do you feel are the "must read/see" from the list?
Honestly Brazil.
It’s made by the Monty python guys and it captures today so perfectly.
It’s full on surveillance state but the state is just soooo incompetent. The absurdity is very relavant.
Don't Create The Torment Nexus
But the torment nexus is so cool!
It's fine, I'll just create a small torment nexus!
If we don't build the Torment Nexus first, China will beat us to it!
Meanwhile, China is spending 1/10000 of your research, just to see WTF is that Torment Nexus you seem so eager to weaponize.
And getting better results somehow.
2016: Statesia: Can statesia have a little torment nexus, as a treat?
2024: Statesia: Whoopsie doodle we need to create a torment nexus at work in case we go to jail for creating a torment nexus at home
This is strangely dead-on...
I'm curious about the blank sections
Not OP. Making guesses here…
- Idiocracy = humanity becomes catastrophically stupid / institutions decay
- The Matrix = humans are reduced to resources inside a machine-controlled system
- Terminator = machines actively exterminate humanity
Idiocracy X Matrix: People are dumb & happy, caused their own problems, so maybe Wall-E?
Idiocracy X Terminator: Our stupidity puts us in a bad situation of creating our own demise. Dr. Strangelove perhaps?
Matrix X Termiantor: Machine dominate humanity out of existence. The cross here feels shallow, like these films are pretty similar with regards to humans, machines, and the outcome. Oblivon (2013) kinda works? 9 could also work.
Center: I dunno, Robocop? Systems failing, corporations suck, lethal machines. Honestly Black Mirror likely wins, but it’s too broad a series.
i'm trying to think about Matrix X Termantor for a bit, since i'm looking at both as Machine genocide of Humans. Matrix is captivity, Terminator is extermination.
center spot: people are overly dumb and happy, their stupidity puts them in a situation causing their own end, specifically the machine genocide of humans.
i'm trying to think of movies for the spots but it's too early for my brain to work and i need more coffee. honestly the center one feels like a decent hook if it hasn't already been done.
Yeah they are almost antithetical. Matrix uses humans as resources. Terminator kills humans. Maybe that’s why the cross is hard.
I mean, some elements of AI fever/panic do relate to that center notion you outlined. A lot of corpos arguing it’s amazing & transformative (happy). A lot of people who don’t know better are using the tools & using them poorly (dumb). We all know some drawbacks about this tech, and there’s unknown unknowns we don’t know. Some people believe it’ll lead to our demise (machine genocide run?).
I guess we’ll find out in time.
you're not just human, you're like, extra human. where are you from?
NE America. I’m happy to be somewhere online with mostly real people. Corpos don’t have much reason to care about the fediverse right now.
Why do you ask?
They weren't relevant for the message.
Holy cow, Idiocracy was the best movie ever, and this meme is SO TRUE , we are cooked
i can see terminator and idiocracy, but why matrix?
Surveillance capitalism
Because your job is to shutup, keep your head in the sand, and pay your taxes while your life force is drained from you by entities and machinations beyond your grasp.
Because much of the world’s economy is powered by the collective addiction of a huge portion of the population that willingly gives up its agency and privacy for hits of brain chemicals that make them feel superficially good while ultimately only serving the needs of a few obscenely wealthy people who fully understand and are okay with the harms they cause. We’re their batteries. We give them their power and they trap us with shiny gadgets and new games to play, continually turning our power against us and exploiting more of our economic, social, and cultural value.
I feel like Gattaca or Metropolis are missing here...
Add Alien Earth without the aliens and the expanse with Idiocracy and you have something more realistic