A review of "Don't Look Up" and what we should take away from it
Don't Look Up was an amazing movie with amazing characters! It's an extended metaphor about science denial that uses the situation of an imminent comet impact. While the film is very direct in its approach, there are also subtle messages embedded in the story. ( Spoiler Alert : watch the movie first before reading ahead if you plan on seeing it.) One of the most important messages was that of building political will. President Orlean was initially more concerned with the midterm elections than addressing the comet and blew off the scientists. As Kate later explains to the audience, the president changes her tone as soon as a scandal makes taking action on the comet politically advantageous. This is the way our actual political system is structured. Politicians are acting rationally when they take actions that improve their poll numbers and avoid taking risks that could potentially drop their approval ratings. There isn't much room for integrity in poli