Podcast Macabre ‘26
5/52

Nobody signs up for this…not really.

Although The Long Walk was originally written as a reflection of capitalism and post-Vietnam war America, I couldn't help but view this through the lens of modern politics. That said, on this occasion my notes tend to veer away from the films’ plot and spiral into reality, but how can they not while watching a story like this at times like these?

Assorted ramblings:
• "We pray for the poor. We pray for the hungry, the unemployed, and those without shelter." Sentiments of 'prayers' from governing bodies never cease to piss me right the fuck off. Government officials offer 'thoughts and prayers' for victims of gun violence on the regular but won't do anything to help because they benefit more from keeping things as they are. Offering prayers is traditionally a practice that comes from those without the money or power to enact any sort of tangible change or aid in any significant way. This is never a phrase that should come from a government. It's quite literally their fucking job to provide support to the people they govern and enact laws which serve those communities. The whole damn point of government. But apparently that’s far too idealistic.
• Assigning the boys numbers both removes any trace of individual identity, a trademark of capitalism, and made me think of gambling, like what is seen in The Hunger Games. I have not read The Long Walk so this is just an assumption, but I could totally see them allowing people to place bets on contestants as an additional stream of revenue for the government.
• "Any of you can win. Any of you can do it if you walk long and steady enough..." This felt like a very on-the-nose American dream metaphor. The idea that anyone can achieve whatever they set their mind to as long as they work hard enough for long enough. Myths and lies and falsehoods. No one even starts on the same level, and so many are disadvantaged by no fault of their own (e.g., being born to an oppressed group in a country that maintains that oppression and systemically make it impossible for you to merely work your way to the same economic and educational standing as others who didn’t start from a place of disadvantage).
• "...If you refuse to give up" more decades-old propaganda aimed at brainwashing the masses into working themselves into the ground for capitalists and billionaires. People breaking their backs just to keep the elite in power and living luxuriously, while never advancing themselves, just running on an endless hamster wheel of false promises. The Major is basically saying ‘work yourself to the bone and be proud doing it because that's what indicates your value as a human.’ Messaging that is still being shoved down our collective throats.
• Obviously supremely privileged of Garrity to say the prize doesn't matter, especially when Art just spoke about his experience growing up poor in Baton Rouge. Money means different things to different people. Money is luxury versus comfort, comfort versus survival, survival versus death. We can pretend it means nothing, but we live in a society that places it at the center of everything. And it’s deliberately designed (at least in America) so that an individual’s self-worth, education, healthcare, ability to have children, etc., is all tied to money. The motto of the USA is basically money > humans...contribute to our GDP or die! *sigh* This is the bad place.
• The walk is designed to have a sole survivor—a singular exception to trick everyone else into thinking, "They did it, so I can too. It's possible!" No, it's all by design. Horrible, toxic design.
• "Where else in the world would you have an opportunity like this? Nowhere is the answer." American exceptionalism is a fucking cancer. A blight on the public consciousness that completely knocks out any potential for growth or improvement at the knees. It's here that I would like to take a moment to highlight the brilliant and increasingly relevant monologue from Aaron Sorkin's 2012 political drama The Newsroom: "There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We are 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number four in labour force and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies...so when you ask what makes this the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Personally, I think that entire thing needs to be plastered on billboards across the country.
• "It's something in the fucking brain...I don't have that. I don't want to beat people that badly. I think when the time comes, when I'm tired enough, I think I'll just sit down." OUCHIEEEE. I had to pause here because this triggered insta-tears. Very much how I've come to feel about my own life, at least at this point in time. Eventually when I'm tired of this world and fighting to survive, I plan to voluntarily bow out instead of suffering to the bitter end for the sake of 'surviving.' I want to leave as myself, not delirious, haggard, and stumbling off the road. And I've found a lot of peace with this. But hearing this come out of Pete's mouth cut straight through my soul.
• Much like Pete killing the Major, corrupt individuals dying unfortunately won't fix anything. It's a systemic rot that needs to be purged, but it's so deeply entrenched in our society and history that the entire system must be overhauled for real change to occur. But on a human level, I completely understand why Pete did what he did, especially after losing Ray. It feels like he should have taken the money to help people, based on his own logic and morals, particularly Hank's wife, Art's grandmother, and Ray's mom. But also, I do get it. The ending perhaps felt a bit abrupt, but I suppose it’s designed to make us feel hollow, as Pete did upon winning. There is no winning in a system like this.

Despite being a super depressing watch, I think it was incredibly well done. The character performances are what carry this film and all the young actors, particularly David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman, really get to flex their already impressive acting chops here. Francis Lawrence really found his niche directing dystopian thrillers and I love that for him.

Like the works of Orwell, Atwood, and Collins, the circumstances under which The Long Walk takes place feel only marginally removed from our reality, less so with each passing day. Such stories serve to highlight how these dystopias are merely an understandable result of centuries of colonisation, oppression, racism, and classism, particularly in a country like America. We're not headed toward an exact replication of these works, rather some sort of horrifying amalgamation.

#18: Unseen Stephen King