The Social Network: Deconstructing "centuries' worth of privilege and access"

"Fading in from black, an ethereal female chorus sings 'I don't care if it hurts/I want to have control/Iwant a perfect body/Iwant a perfect soul/I want you to notice/When I'm not around … I don't belong here,' building intensity alongside a haunting solo piano" in the trailer to "The Social Network." We haven't seen it yet (tomorrow!), but already it occupies our perfect body and our perfect soul. It resonates with the ur theme of our blog, the importance of being noticed by the other members of the tribe: Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg in the trailer: "I need to do something substantial in order to get the attention of the clubs."

"It's about the ability of a new media class to deconstruct centuries' worth of privilege and access that would've won in every other generation but now," writes Frank Chi at HuffPo, reviewing the movie that's the talk of the "sphere." First a bit about TSN itself, and then a bit of analysis. Now playing at a theater near you, David Fincher's "lightning-fast dramatization of the disputatious founding of Facebook" is "a grandly entertaining reminder of everything we used to go to the movies for (and still can’t get online)," writes Joshua Rothkopf at TimeOut New York:

… sparkling dialogue, thorny situations, soulful performances, and an unusually open-ended and relevant engagement with a major social issue of the day: how we (dis)connect. Forget about damage control — if I were billionaire site exec Mark Zuckerberg, I’d be down on my knees in gratitude for an origin story this brainy, suggestive and, yes, flattering. Sort of … 

The Social Network zings along like nothing attempted since the heady days of Paddy Chayefsky. (We might be looking at the heir to his darkly dazzling Network.)

An heir to Chayefsky's "darkly dazzling Network," indeed. It's in the air. This from Dan, who's been pounding the idea forever, often to deaf ears in the upper reaches of the GOP:

Thanks in large part to new media, politics as usual will not continue to be usual in the future … The system is broken, and it needs to be broken up.

As usual, Glenn Harlan Reynolds is primi inter pares, from his cyberancient Army of Davids (2006) to his latest must-read Washington Examiner column, "Tea Party dominance was inevitable — and I told you so." He quotes a prescient April 15, 2009 column on the topic:

General disgust has drawn a lot of people off the sidelines and into the political arena …

This influx of new energy and new talent is likely to inject new life into small-government politics around the nation. The mainstream Republican Party still seems limp and disorganized. This grassroots effort may revitalize it. Or the tea-party movement may lead to a new third party that may replace the GOP, just as the GOP replaced the fractured and hapless Whigs.

"Really, that was only last year? Seems like it's been around for three years, anyway," says Tuck as we reminisce about our first Boston Tea Party on that same April day last year. Meanwhile, a clueless Thomas Friedman gets the "disgust" vs "rage" distinction but continues to be astounded:

I continue to be astounded by the level of disgust with Washington, D.C., and our two-party system — so much so that I am ready to hazard a prediction: Barring a transformation of the Democratic and Republican Parties, there is going to be a serious third party candidate in 2012, with a serious political movement behind him or her — one definitely big enough to impact the election’s outcome.

Update: Michelle Malkin "Buzzworthy" link!

Update II: Trending on Memeorandum.

Update III: Instalanche!

Crossposted at Riehl World View and Liberty Pundits.

Comments

[goomp]

To change, one must have freedom. Change is not always for the better, but it does allow for the correction of mistakes. Let us hope our freedom is bringing us to a substantial change of better conduct from those whom we elect to manage our government. Manage our government, not try to govern us.

[Nohammernosickl]

I found The Social Network to be a triumph of American capitalism. A guy armed with nothing but a laptop and an idea was able to launch something that is now valued at $25 billion. A kid who wasn't born into privilege was able to outdo others with a lot more means. Sure, every character is flawed and to varying degrees not likable, but in the end the person with the best idea can achieve things not possible anywhere but in America. This is a movie that is pretty inspiring in these tough times.

[Jim]

I've heard great things about this movie, but I would never go see a film about the inventor of, say, the refrigerator--despite its massive effect on the culture. Similarly, I just don't care about who founded Facebook.

I'll catch it on the plane at Thanksgiving...

PS excellent point, nohammer.

[Kevin]

I didn't know 'disputatious' was a word. Thanks.

[Karen in PA]

Re "primi inter pares" -- I know Glenn posts an awful lot, but is he really more than one person?

[retriever]

Social networks are a useful tool. I admire you enormously, Sissy, for using Facebook and Twitter to spread the good word! While people like me painstakingly write long essays that attempt to bring back one or two liberal friends a year (if that).

Keep up the good work, Sissy.