I just re-watched this great short film. And I have a new interpretation of it. I'll admit to being a bit of a Anders Thomas Jensen fanboy, as I love his humor.
A year or two ago, I ran into the new term "virtue signaling". For the uninitiated: "Virtue signaling is the expression or promotion of viewpoints that are especially valued within a society, especially when this is done primarily to enhance the social standing of the speaker." This is often seen when a person labels and shames someone else for "wrongthink". Being racist, sexist, homophobic etc. Often for things that are completely innocent, or rather mild.
I see the main character as virtue signaling. Already early on, he labels his friend a racist, because he doesn't want to drink Mexican beer. Thus attempting to shame his friend, and showing how virtuous he himself is. He continues in this vein, though with more reason, as he refuses cab-rides, because he finds the opinions of various cabdrivers objectionable. Thus he ends up traveling by foot, and fails to complete his original goal, of getting his vote cast, before polling closes.
In an ironic twist, and perhaps a bit of karma, he himself gets labeled a racist, and physically assaulted.
My possible interpretations are that people who are busy labeling and judging others, maybe should spend some time examining themselves.
That being quick to judge people, and take offense, may well condemn people unfairly, for no reason, or for being verbally clumsy. And miss examining a persons actual opinions and intentions.
In the end, the main character asks for the local beer brand, rather than the Mexican beer. Does that mean that he actually wanted the local beer all along, and he learned that pretending to like something else, to signal his virtue as tolerant and multicultural, really wasn't worthwhile?
Or is it the more sinister interpretation, that he becomes jaded, gives up on his ideals, and tries to fit in?
Virtue signaling as a concept may be new, but the underlying mechanism is age-old. Pretending to be something you are not, to gain status.
To quote Tycho Brahe: "non haberi sed esse" A notion that can be found in many variations, and far back in time.
A year or two ago, I ran into the new term "virtue signaling". For the uninitiated: "Virtue signaling is the expression or promotion of viewpoints that are especially valued within a society, especially when this is done primarily to enhance the social standing of the speaker." This is often seen when a person labels and shames someone else for "wrongthink". Being racist, sexist, homophobic etc. Often for things that are completely innocent, or rather mild.
I see the main character as virtue signaling. Already early on, he labels his friend a racist, because he doesn't want to drink Mexican beer. Thus attempting to shame his friend, and showing how virtuous he himself is. He continues in this vein, though with more reason, as he refuses cab-rides, because he finds the opinions of various cabdrivers objectionable. Thus he ends up traveling by foot, and fails to complete his original goal, of getting his vote cast, before polling closes.
In an ironic twist, and perhaps a bit of karma, he himself gets labeled a racist, and physically assaulted.
My possible interpretations are that people who are busy labeling and judging others, maybe should spend some time examining themselves.
That being quick to judge people, and take offense, may well condemn people unfairly, for no reason, or for being verbally clumsy. And miss examining a persons actual opinions and intentions.
In the end, the main character asks for the local beer brand, rather than the Mexican beer. Does that mean that he actually wanted the local beer all along, and he learned that pretending to like something else, to signal his virtue as tolerant and multicultural, really wasn't worthwhile?
Or is it the more sinister interpretation, that he becomes jaded, gives up on his ideals, and tries to fit in?
Virtue signaling as a concept may be new, but the underlying mechanism is age-old. Pretending to be something you are not, to gain status.
To quote Tycho Brahe: "non haberi sed esse" A notion that can be found in many variations, and far back in time.