Carpenter Vs Neoliberalism (University Project)

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:05]Mainly inspired by Ronald Reagan's conservative revolution, there was a great deal of obsession with greed and making a lot of money, and some of the values that I grew up with had been pushed aside. The world that we live in today, and as a matter of fact, right now, it's even more true than it was then.

[00:00:35]John Carpenter is known for sci-fi horrors, but a lot of his work holds values against the conservative neoliberalism of the 1980s, most notably under Ronald Reagan. This style of neoliberalism, also known as Reaganomics, can be defined as markets working through supply and demand with only a few minor regulations by the state.

[00:00:53]Carpenter imposes these values through his use of ideologies, settings, and characterization in his films. He does this strongly in They Live, which has a strong focus on ideology. Ideology consumes every response and controls the civilization in the film.

[00:01:10]I'm giving you a choice.

[00:01:13]Either put on these glasses or start eating that trash can. I already am eating from the trash can all the time.

[00:01:21]The name of this trash can is ideology.

[00:01:24]By exposing these consumerist ideologies, such as obey, consume, and marry and reproduce, Carpenter opposes the social effects of neoliberalism and reveals it as a trash can. posing the neoliberal mindset that the common person must abide a traditionalist system where they must stay in line for those above to privatize their profit and thrive.

[00:01:42]In one instance, sympathy is created for the homeless and the drifting protagonist when the police forces decimate a homeless shelter built by the church. The homeless scurry around the scene like rats, unable to fight back or resist the massive machinery that's opposing them, which is completely unfair on their part.

[00:01:58]This scene represents a negative perception of Reagan's neoliberalism, where the result of the rich benefiting leads to a wider economic gap between the rich and the poor, and the poor being treated like vermin.

[00:02:23]The characterization of the villains reveals uses of semiotics once again to challenge neoliberalism. The villains in this film are aliens, but they take the form of humans and are wealthy and suited individuals.

[00:02:35]Our projections show that by the year 2025, not only America, but the entire planet will be under the protection and the dominion of this power alliance.

[00:02:46]The watch that they wear can be considered symbolic of traditionalist right-wing ideology.

[00:02:50]Furthermore, the drifting protagonist with his dusty cowboy-esque appearance is placed in front of the city setting, suggesting his headfirst approach to each situation is disruptive to the society around him. Carpenter does this to alienate the viewer's own perception of the world around them and consider the ideology around them, as the protagonist is more the alien to this city.

[00:03:10]They Live has an entire focus on neoliberalism, though it is arguable that a film like The Thing also shares some of these values, despite not appearing to on the surface.

[00:03:20]It is important, though, to understand the contextual time frame of both They Live and The Thing with Ronald Reagan.

[00:03:26]Reagan was president between 1981 and 1989, and The Thing released in 1982, They Live in 1988. Therefore, it's greatly unlikely for a film like The Thing to oppose Reaganomics if it hasn't happened yet. However, it is arguable that the movie shares values against the beginning of Reagan's era, as well as promote similar beliefs like They Live, as well as similarly promoting these through ideologies, settings, and characterization. In comparison with They Live, ideology is not a constant infecting the protagonists.

[00:03:58]But the ideologies found in The Thing arguably have a social connection with neoliberalism. The isolation of the film removes the characters from an urban state, changing the set of beliefs around them.

[00:04:08]This stark change in ideology can mirror the radical conservative changed economics under Reagan. Zizek states, "He stressed the themes of paranoia and leadership broken by distrust in extreme situations that would manifest in the behavior of humans."

[00:04:39]In The Thing, we watch the characters paranoia grow as they begin to not trust one another, thinking they could have become one with the alien. This causes them to act in rashness and insanity, suggesting the stark change of ideology causes a mass mental social decline. The Thing's Antarctic setting isolates the characters from the rest of society.

[00:05:10]But despite this, neoliberal ideology still haunts them. The Antarctic base space that the workers are employed in becomes a very hostile environment for the shape-shifting alien. This hostile setting creates questions about that company that has hired and placed them in this position. It exudes neoliberal ideologies where the working people are living through inhuman conditions for the rich to profit from. Like Zizek states, "It's manifesting in the behavior of the humans."

[00:05:55]>> The characterization of the alien can be considered a manifestation of neoliberalism. Its manic transformations act as an allegory on the unpredictability of a mass economic change in America. It attacks the blue-collar workers presenting a boundary between neoliberalism and his attack on the lower quarter of the economic scale. Furthermore, our placement alongside the workers put us in their perspective. Similarly to They Live, we are placed in the fight against the upper forces. Therefore, John Carpenter can be seen to fight right-wing economic change such as neoliberalism and Reaganomics. It is evident that he felt this way even before Reagan's political reign presenting it as a common theme in The Thing. In Reagan's reign, he felt strongly against it creating They Live to fight back against Reaganomics.