longer.blue

The Ali G movie is exactly what we need right now. Behind the ridiculous questions is something darker: how easily people stop thinking when authority, ideology, or loyalty to their team takes over. Right or left, people can recognize cruelty instantly when the other side does it—and explain it away when their own side does it. That’s what makes the comedy so uncomfortable. Someone says something outrageous, and instead of questioning it, the person across from them starts finding a way to go along. Everyone thinks they’d stand up against evil. The real test is whether you’d recognize it wearing your team’s colors.