Rick and Morty has become the latest craze amongst those who dabble in dark, facetious humor. But is this just humor? Or is this truthful?
Rick Sanchez, an 80 year old raging alcoholic who is the smartest man to ever exist, is the grandfather of 14 year old autistic boy, Morty Smith. The Smith household also includes Beth Smith, Rick's extremely intelligent daughter, Jerry Smith, Beth's husband who is of very little intelligence and is greatly despised by Rick, and Summer Smith, Rick's granddaughter who is intelligent, yet careless and hormonal. Rick spends each day traveling to different dimensions with Morty and putting their lives at risk every time.
Though the main purpose of the show is entertainment, it also references a lot of social and political issues in nearly every episode but always in a mocking manner, and always in a way that takes a stab at modern American politics (particularly during the Obama era). The show also attacks things such as religion, terrorism, gender equality, love, and racism. A few of Rick and Morty's most famous quotes are...
"There's no God Summer, you gotta rip that band aid off now you'll thank me later" -Rick
What is being portrayed with these quotes is that nearly anything people find important, special or joyful, is stupid to Rick, but the question can be raised, is Rick being brutally honest and telling people what they need to hear? Or is he simply just mocking people based on his own opinion? After watching all three season multiple time, I found that the purpose of the show is to make fun of government and society in every aspect possible and in the most blunt way possible. Rick is depicted as a realist who sees the universe in the most black and white form. In one particular episode, the creators of the show portray Barack Obama as a normal person who does what every president does, absolutely nothing and takes the credit for all of it, they expressed this opinion by having Morty say to the president, "You mean you ordered other people to do it for you while you sat on your a** at peace summits?"
Making any sort of joke in America is going to result in the offense of some sort of group, but rather than trying to get around that, the creators of the show address their opinions on society and government head on, and with absolutely no remorse. Though their have been many different groups and petitions fighting to end the show, or to at least persuade the writers to change the direction of the show, Rick and Morty continues to express its feelings toward modern America, and will continue to do so for as long as the series is televised.
Though the show offends some, it has an exorbitant amount of supporters, myself being one of them. I don't follow any particular religion, I have a very strong dislike of government, I'm very skeptical of 9/11, and I agree with Rick when he says "love is stupid." Most people will state that what Rick says is true, and that while his views and opinions are very harsh, they make sense and are very realistic. While yes this show is brutal, it is definitely something to look into and you can decide for yourself, is this show giving us the cold hard truth? Or are these writers simply stating their opinions?
Work Cited.
“Rick and Morty .” Pinterest , www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=44-810&url=http%3A%2F%2Favante.biz%2Frick-and-morty-wallpapers-25-wallpapers%2F&pin=337277459582722112&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDE2NjMxOTI1MjA1MAA~0.
“Rick and Morty GIF.” Google , orig00.deviantart.net/d535/f/2017/275/b/1/rickdurability_by_doctormoodb-dbpa81b.gif.
Bond, John-Michael. “15 'Rick and Morty' Quotes That'll Blow Your Mind and Crush Your Soul.” The Daily Dot, 3 Oct. 2017, www.dailydot.com/parsec/rick-and-morty-quotes/.
“The Best Rick and Morty Quotes From the Series So Far.” Ranker, www.ranker.com/list/best-rick-and-morty-quotes/movie-and-tv-quotes.
Rick Sanchez, an 80 year old raging alcoholic who is the smartest man to ever exist, is the grandfather of 14 year old autistic boy, Morty Smith. The Smith household also includes Beth Smith, Rick's extremely intelligent daughter, Jerry Smith, Beth's husband who is of very little intelligence and is greatly despised by Rick, and Summer Smith, Rick's granddaughter who is intelligent, yet careless and hormonal. Rick spends each day traveling to different dimensions with Morty and putting their lives at risk every time.
In this episode, Rick collapses an entire government after murdering their executive members.
Though the main purpose of the show is entertainment, it also references a lot of social and political issues in nearly every episode but always in a mocking manner, and always in a way that takes a stab at modern American politics (particularly during the Obama era). The show also attacks things such as religion, terrorism, gender equality, love, and racism. A few of Rick and Morty's most famous quotes are...
"There's no God Summer, you gotta rip that band aid off now you'll thank me later" -Rick
"Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, and everybody's gonna die, now come watch TV" - Morty
"You're so stupid Morty! You're an Idiot! Theres no such thing as hell!" -Rick
"You're so stupid Morty! You're an Idiot! Theres no such thing as hell!" -Rick
"How is praying going to help?" - Beth
"Weddings are basically funerals with cake"- Rick
"Listen, Morty, I hate to break it to you but what people call "love" is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed. It hits hard, Morty, then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. I did it. Your parents are gonna do it. Break the cycle, Morty. Rise above. Focus on Science" - Rick
"What else do you wanna hear Morty? That 9/11 was an inside job?" - Rick
"Why are you fighting? can't you see you're all the same??"- Summer "First race war huh summer?" -Morty
"Yeah well, scientifically, traditions are an idiot thing" -Rick
Rick and his grandson Morty
Rick in an altercation with President Obama
Making any sort of joke in America is going to result in the offense of some sort of group, but rather than trying to get around that, the creators of the show address their opinions on society and government head on, and with absolutely no remorse. Though their have been many different groups and petitions fighting to end the show, or to at least persuade the writers to change the direction of the show, Rick and Morty continues to express its feelings toward modern America, and will continue to do so for as long as the series is televised.
Though the show offends some, it has an exorbitant amount of supporters, myself being one of them. I don't follow any particular religion, I have a very strong dislike of government, I'm very skeptical of 9/11, and I agree with Rick when he says "love is stupid." Most people will state that what Rick says is true, and that while his views and opinions are very harsh, they make sense and are very realistic. While yes this show is brutal, it is definitely something to look into and you can decide for yourself, is this show giving us the cold hard truth? Or are these writers simply stating their opinions?
Work Cited.
“Rick and Morty .” Pinterest , www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=44-810&url=http%3A%2F%2Favante.biz%2Frick-and-morty-wallpapers-25-wallpapers%2F&pin=337277459582722112&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDE2NjMxOTI1MjA1MAA~0.
“Rick and Morty GIF.” Google , orig00.deviantart.net/d535/f/2017/275/b/1/rickdurability_by_doctormoodb-dbpa81b.gif.
Bond, John-Michael. “15 'Rick and Morty' Quotes That'll Blow Your Mind and Crush Your Soul.” The Daily Dot, 3 Oct. 2017, www.dailydot.com/parsec/rick-and-morty-quotes/.
“The Best Rick and Morty Quotes From the Series So Far.” Ranker, www.ranker.com/list/best-rick-and-morty-quotes/movie-and-tv-quotes.
I think it's super interesting how you tied this TV show to all of the political background behind it. I don't think most people realize the "true meaning " of this show when they watch it and it's cool to look at how much they really do relate things to government and our society today.
ReplyDeleteFrom never watching this I would think of the religious part of this show is just an opinion since everyone has their own thought about that. I feel like it is an interesting opinion they take on the government though.
ReplyDeleteI watch Rick and Morty so I am familiar with the television show. That is what brought me to your blog. Your blog is very impressive and you provide extra detail to back up what is being said in the shows. I enjoyed this piece!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, Rick is sort of a meta figure that can see past all the unimportant things. Whereas Morty plays the role of the innocent bystander (i.e. the average american) who is just sort of along for the ride and can't fully understand what Rick is really doing.
ReplyDeleteI have watched this show before and i believe that what the authors are doing is a little bit of both. In some cases they are giving the audience the cold harsh truth and in some others it is just an opinion. For example when he states that the president does not do anything (we all know that for a fact) and when he denies the existence of a God (that is just an opinion).
ReplyDelete