We're Still Living Modernity

"Modern Times" was a really interesting movie directed by Charles Chaplin, in 1936. This "silent" movie was based in the result of industrialization, in which many people tried to survive the consequences of this huge change.

Chaplin was a modest worker. He suffered a breakdown because of the machine age. As he got mad working efficiently and quickly, he was transferred into a mental hospital. When he finished his treatment, doctors advised him to stay relaxed, but when he got out of the hospital, he discovered that this was really impossible: He saw people struggling against factories (all of them got unemployed). Unfortunately, police caught him, because he was holding a red flag (which meant he was communist) and he was abruptly sent into jail.

Life in jail was better than being outside, and Charles preferred to stay in prison, than being poor and unemployed. As everything has an ending, he had to confront the cruel reality, but he suddenly met a lonely girl who was trying to survive too. They both were fighting very hard, because they wanted to live a “normal life”, and many times they took risks. At the end of the movie, they had to leave their city for having better opportunities and expectations.

“Modern times” has clearly expressed that changes could be tremendous; if they wanted to get success, capitalism, consumerism and efficiency, they had to work hard, without having time for break, and for themselves.

If there is something that called my attention, was that hierarchy was highlighted: you were a worker or a consumerist, even though it was very easy to become poor, due to competence among factories were evident. I also noticed that workers were becoming as human machines, due to the fact that they couldn’t get neither tired, nor “wasting” time. In spite of everything, we’re still living the same epoch, but with a different context. Do you agree with me?