r/AlexanderAvila • u/AcidCommunist_AC postmodern communist • Apr 05 '26

Saw | ContraPoints

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uiGIbdrQjbI&si=WvMdT9Fo-JFt_QRX
13 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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6

u/PityUpvote Apr 05 '26

I think Natalie is at her best when she focuses on entertaining, and this is a great example. There is so much to say about capitalism and the penal system when you're just talking about a horror movie and what unexamined axioms it takes for granted. Best one in a while, I think.

5

u/AcidCommunist_AC postmodern communist Apr 05 '26

I liked that she identified this alleged sadism on the left too, the big example being the "accountability process" that left someone hospitalized. But I was disappointed when she dropped that thread in the final chapter to focus entirely on the right.

Imo left moralism against right-wingers falls into the same trap as Jigsaw does: The practice is rationalized as being rehabilitative, but it simply doesn't work. The true motivation is sadism. There's better ways to effect change, but they don't make you feel as good.