He's heavily inspired by Hans Teeuwen, he talks about it early in his career. Bo is an /actual/ genius. Everything he does is 100% premeditated and flawlessly executed.
@@PartyThrasher118 idk, the cut scenes between each song weren't really doing it for me. I found myself fast forwarding through things like the intermission for example where he's just wiping my screen.... Like thanks lol but next pls
Like the marginalized people it represents! To the rich white people who use them for self actualization, they're pretty much the equivalent of a piece of gross looking laundry that the rich key in their hand only long enough until the people get bold and try to speak up and get out of line
That is like a lot of people who push narratives. they are happy and fun feeling till you start pointing towards them. Look at all the people pushing for changing how we live. they want everyone else to change, use less energy, eat less food overall, specially beef or such, use less water and so forth. yet when you bring the attention to them, they will run away faster than the flash when trying to use the infinite mass punch.
I think the last time they harmonize “that is how the world works” gets to the core message. After he’s threatened and humiliated him, Socko reluctantly keeps in line because there’s nothing it can do. Power and using it as a threat to keep the rest in line is how the world is run.
Exactly. Politics is about power - the right wing understands this and has become extremely fixated on playing power politics while liberals naively think they can “unity” and “decorum” Nazis into getting with the program. Fascists have a deep complex about the emasculation they feel about having to pretend to be decent in public, and they want nothing less than to humiliate and *hurt* you because of that. They only care about one objective: Power. Being made to feel small and stupid. They’re a cult, and they don’t care what your prissy “Jewish” academia says are the facts, because your facts are fake news that they think are contradicted by anyone with eyes looking out a window and trusting their intuition.
well also when socko is killed off it shows how you can just be taken out even if you fall in line and do what you are told to do weather it means getting fired or actually getting taken out is up in the air
Maybe it was originally a full song done for the movie but then it was scrapped so then he changed it up to fit the special as to not completely waste it
if you think someone whining about social issues for four and a half minutes without proposing any solutions or providing a new/interesting perspective is worth listening to, I am very interested in your views on quality.
@@ZephLodwick His family won a suit against the FBI for his murder. It seems they paid an exconvict to cross the country, kill him and flee the country. Later the killer got caught in the UK with loads of cash, which is how the story became known. He confessed to the murder, only to later change his statement.
@@maxermarcos Except there is no proof the FBI was directly involved with his assassination. The Loyd Jowers trial didn't prove what you said. Make no mistake the FBI hated Dr. Martin Luther King and harassed him and his family with wiretaps and blackmail, but there is no current proof they killed him. It is honestly the only part of song I dislike because the rest of it is evidence based.
I love how bo never looks at comrade socko whenever he speaks to him, he always stares into the camera, except when he's threatening him. He really doesn't care about whatever socko's saying, he only cares about our perception of him and tries to look nice by asking what can he do to help, but then he goes on to kill precious socko when he says something he doesn't wanna hear.
@@MxKythy yes i never looked at it that way and this really helped me understand that part bc i understood the general like idea but i never thought about how he only cared about anything socko said when it tried to hold him as a individual accountable so that was a really good point u made
Quick edit, he doesn't kill socko, it's worse than that, eternal suffering until the next time he comes out of the box. Everything else you got spot on
The face he makes at 1:58 is the face parents make when their kids are trying to tell them some real shit and the parents just say "aw isn't that cute"
Why the backhanded compliment? You didn't have to say "improved," drawing attention to past performance. You could have just said that he's great now. But you didn't choose that, you chose to include your little barb.
@@EyeLean5280 that’s a weird thing to get hung up on! i’ve been a huge fan of bo’s since 2009 and have always loved his content, but i think everyone and even bo himself would agree that the quality has gotten better and better over time! he wasn’t bad before, he has just objectively improved. hope that clears things up!
It’s so chilling how Bo is just smiling and happily reacting while Socko is singing his part like “bless his little heart” and isn’t at all skeeved by what he’s saying like he knows that nothing Socko can say can remove him from his position of power. Just like how the world works.
@thataestheticbxtch How about "Eat The Rude"? That would also include all the rude Rich people, and the kind hearted rich people could live in peace? Btw,, Im not rich - Im just against harming anybody who doesnt ask for it. Then again, it would be so much better, if people entertained the thought for a less violent way of changing things, but unfortunately we are too impatient...
@ It totally made sense, and I completely agree with you. The reason I wrote what I did was because of the first reply to the OP, which suggested we should kill the rich. Once I saw the next guy talking about Eating the rich, it reminded me of "Eat The Rude" - or an inside joke (ish) from the TV series Hannibal. In the end, I stand by what I said about not wanting harm for everyone, but I Absolutely agree that the resources of the planet we inhabit are distributed unfairly and that a change Is not only possible Without it becoming some "commies wet dream", but its Absolutely necessary for US as a species to survive.
@ Its one of my all time favorite shows, and Ive seen it through at least 4 times. Too bad it was cancelled, but there have been rumors its doing well on Netflix, since they started streaming it, so its still possible we might get the entire story the showrunner originally envisioned. That said, even if that never happens, the first 2 and a half seasons are absolutely Marvelous imo, and while I wasnt crazy about their take on The Red Dragon, it certainly wasnt bad, just didnt grab me the first time, and I intend on watching it again at some point - preferably right before S04 comes out ^_^
@ Unfortunately it was cancelled, yes. That said, the last couple of scenes worked alright as an ending of the story, but it definitely left interesting opportunities open, as the wonderful showrunner actually mapped out the entire story even before the production began. Taking that into account, as well as the slight buzz I mentioned before, if it goes in our favor, we might get 2 more seasons. However, if you want to end on a high note, then definitely stop at s03x07 - Imo it actually resolves the first big story arc in a satisfying manner. I myself have done so every time I rewatched the show, while still having hopes that Mr. Fuller gets to finish his vision so that I can finally revisit the last 6 eps.
inside (the album) is available to stream for free on amazon music. you just know ceo entrepreneur, born in 1964, Jeffrey Bezos bumped Bezos 1 and 2 on his dick rocket on repeat on his way to space without irony
I love the fact that, even thought Socko does EXACTLY as he is told, he still just ends up getting pulled off of his hand in the end.... Even after taking the humiliation and bowing down to the "elite" he still just ends up getting removed the second he isn't needed anymore... Cough cough.....
Me too buddy. Every thanksgiving: "ANY ATTEMPTS TO DISARM THE WORKING CLASS WILL BE MET WITH FORCE YOU BOURGEOIS CAPITALIST FUCKING PIG!" "Honey, I was just asking if you wanted any more.potatoes..." "Ohhhhhh, oh,... Of course grandma.... Love youuuuuh"
@@Justinsdada03 I think the meaning behind that line is that Socko wouldn't say anything outside of the narrative that Bo (playing the character of the social elite) has created. Socko then speaks the truth and gets punished for it.
technically bo’s already said what socko proceeded to say, in the first part bo said “gives what they can and gets what they need”, which is a paraphrasing of Marx’s “from each according to their ability, to each according to their need”.
@@MrNobbless I don't think he gets punished for his singing parts. I think he gets punished for not fully buying into "rich white person wants to help", upon his refusal to play along with a member of majority wanting to be "the good guy" he gets punished, the white guy gets to play the victim and oppress the minority whilst at it
Right after he told all his friends and family that he would never kill himself, and that if anything happens to him it needs to be investigated. So sad mental health can change so quickly 😢😢
I’d say he will win 2 or 3 not all 6 but I hope he does. Awards shows don’t usually get it correct though (and that’s coming from someone that quite enjoys them).
That's not an oopsies, that's the powerful not caring what the oppressed are saying because they know it will do nothing to jeopardize their position of absolute power.
Look at how Bo mostly looks at the camera, when showing that he "wants to become a better person", except for when he makes Socko shut up, where he doesn't want us to see his face, and obligates Socko to go back and singing with him looking at the camera after that, and once the video ends he takes Socko out of his hand because he doesnt need him to make us think he's progressive anymore Truly a masterpiece of a video and song
I really liked the part where everyone contributes according to their ability and receives according to their need. I wonder if we could organise society this way too?
You guys know there are dozens of other modernist philosophers who have shaped this idea? In fact, any philosopher who has spent more than a month in Paris in the last 250 years starts up with this bullshit.
The wonderful irony of Bo encouraging Socko to say what is on his mind, only to bear down on him when he says what he doesn’t want to hear is an incredible tension that deserves mentioning
Nah, inside is way more complex than anything black mirror has ever done. It's easy to just say technology and social media is bad, it's a whole other thing to dive into why people are drawn to it in the first place
His face there always cracks me up. His whole demeanor during this is very funny to me. Bo is a master of subtle, understated humor. Many people stating “this isn’t a comedy album,” and while I can understand why they’d say that, I find a lot of it continually funny. And it’s still funny on repeat watches because t doesn’t rely on the element of surprise and misdirection as much as a standard joke does.
It's interesting how Bo himself is like Socko, being allowed to say what he wants by a billion dollar company because they know that they are immune from his words. His rebellion is merely their entertainment. He is at their mercy. Brilliant self awareness!
Fun Fact: In the Green Room with Paul Provenza, Bo mentions that his favorite comedian is Hanz Teeuwen, who also has a bit with a sock puppet. I like to think that Socko is an homage to that.
Am I the only one or at 1:28 when socko is done explaining his existential experience, Bo just goes ahead and talks about what he was singing about, almost like how the world doesn't care for the mental health of others even when someone is genuinely sharing the crisis that they are going through.
@miriamhavard7621 in his "hey kids" bit "Every single cricket every fish in the sea gives what they can and gets what they need" It's a concept called mutual aid and it's a fundamental feature of Marxian thought Bos explanation starting with "hey kids" is an analysis of nature and a nod to the fact that the natural state of being is one of cooperation and ancient humans worked and lived in communities of communal aid Even in the end the sock is subservient to his sovereign lord bo
Close but not quite. Bo doesn’t represent the world itself but rather rich white patriarchal systems of power. Yes they don’t necessarily care about mental health in as far as they can keep making profit and exploiting marginalized groups/the working class, but its moreover the socko boing the voice of the marginalized/working class as to why he doesn’t care.
Socko being "dehanded" at the end shows that even when the oppressed cow-tow to the structures of power in order to avoid harm one is still ultimately crushed by the structure, showing that upholding the structures through silence and appeasement only delays the continued nature of systemic harm and oppression.
Correct. Which is why we need to drop the Marxist ideology and fight to retain our individual freedoms. Giving up our freedoms in the name of equity is how the establishment will control the working class. Who will enforce the equitable distribution of resources and outcomes? He ruling elite. See China or North Korea as two modern examples.
Or its you know, a funny narcissistic sock puppet. These things aren’t exactly secrets that the world is terrible, its just funny to see a sock puppet talk about it and have existential crisis.
Same ngl. 3:51 in particular is just perfect. After you have that whole sequence with socko he just goes back to the chorus and it has a WHOLE new meaning
What's interesting to me that I don't think most people notice, is that Bo is in reality, in the position of both himself and the position of Socko in this skit. While he is being self-critical of his own role through Socko, Bo is also the puppet for whatever ideas the producers, Netflix, and "the system" want/allow him to share. And just like Socko, after his performance Bo disappears back into a liminal space for the vast majority of us, continuing his existence outside of our consciousness until he is once again brought out as a puppet to express what he is allowed to.
0:22 is such a beautiful descending line. Flow-er (B, A) Poll-en (G, F#) Fallen (F#, E). It's one of the prettiest things I've heard tbh. It's really the little things in music that make me love it so much.
Of all the praise Bo is getting for Inside, none of it is for his masterful use of music theory and how much his melodies have improved. Even more impressive knowing that he can't read music and is basically self taught. I need Adam Neely to do an episode about Bo.
When we hear the phrase “learned their lesson” we are used to it referring to the bad guy in fictional media. But in the real world the lesson to be learned is rarely what was right and how to be a better person, it’s how to sit down and shut the fuck up and let me use you or else.
I find an overlooked part of the song, which foreshadows the way socko is treated, is when socko describes his absolutely horrifying state of consciousness when he's not on Bo's hand. I can think of no hell more terrifying than a constant state of sleep paralysis. Bo shows absolutely no compassion or interest. It's cold. Edit: I know it's on purpose. I know it's the point. I'm saying that this specific part may be overlooked.
I don’t know why but the way Bo completely ignores what he says and goes back on topic makes laugh every single time. “Socko, we were just talking about the world and how it works.”
Could be a metaphor, we only have power in modern society when it's given to us, just as the puppet can only speak it's mind when it's closely controlled and given a platform by the more powerful elites. The rest of the time, we can only watch in horror and hope that the moment arises when we can speak out... and even when we do, that power can soon be ripped away and we'll be censored or worse. It's a fun song
I think that's literally the point of the song, See netflix as Bo and Bo as socko, as long as they aren't challenged directly he can say whatever the fuck he wants, he's making them money
It's almost if art really cannot do anything to change things. It can inspire others take action but in itself it is ineffectual as a political action. The know Americans have been beaten down and atomized by the cruelty of neoliberalism over the last four decades and even trying to make people realize the enemies they must destroy is a gargantuan task in itself.
Capitalism is a weird-ass mechanism, with loads of contradictions (or seemingly contradictions) like this. Netflix and other companies possibly benefit to some extent by platforming some socialist ideas or criticisms, but they can always pull the plug if any of their creators go too hard on them. I mean, I despise Netflix and know that they execs and shareholders donate to both the Republicans and the Democrats for tax breaks and who knows what other shit and would love to boycott them entirely, and yet here I am watching one of their videos, giving it a like and adding it to a playlist because I really like Bo and his song and want more people to see it. Instead of being able to neatly boycott Netflix and support art which critiques it at the same time, they have co-opted it, forcing us to choose between the two. Plus, seeing this kind of socially conscious work on Netflix might trick less informed people into thinking Netflix is a "cool" company with strong moral values (even though as an abstract set of mechanisms and processes designed to deliver profit, a corporation cannot hold values), more like Ben & Jerry's than Amazon.
Him looking at the camera when he says “what can I do to help?” and “I’m just trying to become a better person” is such a good touch. Usually when people in power acknowledge political problems, it’s just to make us think they care about our well being and come off as progressive, while in reality its far from the truth. McDonalds can put as many rainbows on their happy meals during June as they want, but it doesn’t mean they truly care about pride month. They just know how to profit off of a group who is so easily taken to any form of representation that they only have to do the bare minimum, leaving their support ambiguous to their bigoted customers while still getting bank from the queer community.
well tbf those woke people are crazy and delusional they try to defy the basic principles of biology the fundamental work of how lifeforms like us even work
McDonald’s is a corporation. It can’t care about anything. As for the individual leaders of the company, how do you know what they do or don’t care about?
I'm just now noticing that during the 2 different harmonic "that is how the world works" lines, the first one has socko singing the higher pitch (because he led with it) and the 2nd one has him with the lower one (because Bo led it). The first time was right after he just got done with his rant, and the second one was after Bo abused him into submission. It's almost as if the pitch change is depicting a passive form of dominance. Kinda chilling when you think about it.
My favorite part is how Bo is completely unfazed by/oblivious to all the truth bombs being dropped on him, just asking the sock to watch his mouth while remaining all chipper haha. That to me is the most necessary ingredient for insanely vivid Orwellian satire - people just smiling robotically and ignorantly no matter what the “weird outsider” tries to show them
Netflix, a corporation, liked a comment about how the art on their platform is warning us about the corporate dystopia we live in. So uh which comrade is managing their yt acc lol
Intellectually I know that Socko’s voice is just dubbed in, but I still can’t stop myself from watching to see if Bo’s lips are moving when Socko speaks. It’s like a Pavlovian response to seeing a puppet.
It’s somehow both less than and even more unsettling than the fact that everything Socko was saying was accurate, but we’ve just become kinda numb to accepting horrible things as “The way it is” because the people perpetrating those acts and systems literally couldn’t care less about regular folks. They’re free to do what they like essentially and ruin the world for the rest of us while they do it… meanwhile we are all smiling and nodding along with the funny sock like “Yes yes we all know the FBI murdered MLK. Tell me something I don’t know please.”
my brother walked out of his first grade classroom one day, and he was singing the first verse of the song, i asked him where he learned it and he said his teacher played half of the song. respect for that teacher 💀🤚🏼
she knows exactly what she’s doing. one day the kids are gonna remember that song and look it up and listen to the whole thing and be radicalized by a sock puppet
@@O_Canada why not? I have friends who are teachers who would do that. They are just humans too haha. And they might like this skit, and they might find it funny to play the first part in class.
I love how Bo first explains how the world works meaning how nature works And then Socko comes and tells how the world works again, but now about our society, and Bo just nods knowing it’s true but he choses to not say anything about it Later he comproves Socko's statement was right by acting the way he does It’s just absolute perfection
I love how the same "That is how the world works" chorus is used the exact same way three different time to convey three entirely different meanings. First, a naive oversimplified view of the world. Second, the realities of the world without a lens of false hope. Third, the futility of realizing the second point.
thats most of us when automation takes over most jobs, if we dont change our societal problems around private propperty or just a basic UBI, better get to it before its too late
@@bryangriffin4285 Yeah, it's called TH-cam, Bryan. Shall I check with YOU before commenting on any other videos? Would YOU prefer I just quote a lyric like everyone else does?
I've had a period where I had sleep paralysis every night. The first couple times are scary, but after a while you recognize it and try to relax and let it happen, which takes the edge off and make it pass faster. I think a constant state of it would eventually dull down enough to not be so bad.
@@Lilliathi I don't think you get the implications of how horrible having your body frozen, but your mind still active is. People who are in minimally conscious comas or Locked-in syndrome are the closest to this and the sheer state of being that helpless is a form of trauma few things in this world can match. Most people who go through that would have rather been dead, which is why Socko is screaming when he's about to go back.
@@NaMe-zg9qs Socko, in its answer, rails against class structure. Socko is also subject to it, being the puppet to a puppet master. When Bo says "Remember who's on whose hand here", he is both ignorant to what the puppet said, and confirming it.
All this is layered. "That is how the world works" The first time is learning as a kid and innocently learning that everyone gets what they need The second is with Socko explaining how the world works as an injustice The last is how IT ACTUALLY WORKS, the forces appressing Socko, this is how it actually works...
Good interpretation, but I see it as the "fairytale" that capitalism ( both in economy and power ) wants to tell us. it's easy for a privileged person to say things like "everything is fine". But as soon as a minority that knows the reality of the things by experience (and because of that doesn't get fooled) tries to speak up is silenced. I get the "kids explanation" because this song sounds like it's been made for a cartoon to entratain toddlers, but I think that it was "made" for the adults (the ones that vote and decide) that don't educate themselves and believe this "fairytale song". It might be because that's all they know, or maybe that's all they WANT to know. Either way this is is a song up to interpretation, just wanted to share opinions and actually have someone to listen to me, bye :D !
Bo is also a good allegory for Netflix in this very special. Speaking out against capitilism while being own by a capitilistic system because it allows you to. until it doesnt. Socko isnt expressing anything outside of what Bo has allowed, but yet for that brief time it looks like socko has power. he has none. John Oliver speaks against his HBO "business daddy". Many netflix shows make riffs of their netflix overloads. Disney too. Yet they all passed some kind of oversight to get there, to the point that the voice is commodified and a part of that system of power
@@flabee8083 another thing worth noting about the juxtaposition between the kids song and sockos rant. The kids song is how the natural world works. Sockos rant is how humans made the world work. In the eco system everything is balanced. Plants produce fruits around their seeds to entice animals, but in so doing they providd food for the animals. Theres actual give and take, which bo mentions. Humans decided to make a system so "optimised" and warped and "efficient" and disgusting, that there is only take. no give. I think this fits well with the other songs in this special, especially Welcome to the internet, a song about the horrifyingly grotesque and entrapping human made hellscape
The ironic part is that Netflix, a billion-dollar Hollywood company, is hosting an anti-capitalist song, while not batting a eye to it. Just like how Bo doesn’t care about Socko’s rant in the video.
@@ΠροκόπηςΠαυλόπουλος-γ4ξ yes, it literally blew it out by meddling with every country trying any left leaning policy by the us instating capitalist dictatorships and putting embargos, totally by its own merits, what a beautiful thing neoliberalism is.
@@pablobarrios7681 You forgot the genocides or the support of them. Btw, did I mention Venezuela? Government so retarded that they still fucked the place up without embargoes for the first few years. Anyways, submit to neoliberalism and big capital, fellow consumer
@@ΠροκόπηςΠαυλόπουλος-γ4ξ No offense but you sound like you might be coming down with a chronic case of Hipster. Burnham is keeping it just as real here as Carlin did in "I Kind'a Like It When a Lotta People Die". If anything, Bo's marketability makes him even MORE effective as a purveyor of truth.
In case some people miss the point of the ending: it didn't matter that Socko complied in order to save his own life. The 'ruling class' forces him in compliance, but they don't care about him and they still silence him, either if he's an inconvience or just randomly. In the end it doesn't matter if you comply, so you might as well resist.
Socko: "probably won't say anything you haven't already said yourself" Literally earlier: "the gophers in the ground and the birds in the sky." My dudes.... The birds in the sky eat the gophers in the ground
@@user-pi1lb4tf2f Yeeeaahh I see what you're saying, but what I see is that really we're no better than the animals that we think we're above. I can't claim to know what Bo's point is, but that's what I took from it
One may argue that Bo omits it to avoid shocking the kids. Socko omits it *intentionally* to argue that the nature is idyllic and people are evil and sell his conspiracy theories.
@@seanentzel9616 the point of the skit is to make a contrast about what we are told about the world growing up vs what we learn over the years. At first Bo is portrayed as this figure that we see often on educational shows, the wholesome teacher that explains complicated 'truths' of the world in a way that even kids can understand. In the initial version presented everything works as it is supposed to, everything has a balance, every being has a role to fulfill. But then comes Socko and his version of the world is a stark contrast with Bo's version. The world he paints is brutal, unfair, full of flaws, and very complicated. And although that world is very different than the world Bo's told us about, he isn't dismissive of it, he acknowledges Socko's version and he feels bad about it, so he asks Socko what he should do to fix the world(because he wants to feel less bad). But that sparks a conflict, because Socko doesn't feel that it's his job to help Bo to figure out how to fix the world, he feels that Bo is better positioned to do that on his own, and that he should figure it out himself. Regardless if you feel Socko is right or wrong what comes next is the important part, as soon as Socko steps out of line he is treatened by Bo and forced to submit. This puts in focus the power disparity that existed between these two characters since the beginning, this also validates everything Socko said about how the world works and it shows us how it works. Even when priveledged people are open minded enough to recognize that the world is messed up and even if they are willing to do something to change(or dismantle) the unfair systems of power that exist, as soon as someone puts them in a situation of discomfort, they fall back to those systems of power for their own benefit. There's an irony to him saying "But what can I do to help?" And then oppressing his sock 'friend' right away. Somebody smarter than me probably has more to say about this, but that's pretty much all I can string together right now 🤷🏽 Edit: To put it shortly, those who have power fuck over those who don't have power, that's how the world works, and even if as humans we acknoledge that this is bad, the best positioned people won't do anything about it besides perpetuating those power imbalances because it benefits them. Meanwhile they will tell kids that this is how the world is and how it's supposed to be and everything is swell.
@@BriefDownpour Wow Bo Burnham! Thank you so much for commenting on my comment! Thanks for explaining Bo! Like I said, (and btw I read everything you said, you obviously didn't read everything I said) I am not Bo. You are not Bo. The only person that really knows what the message is, is Bo himself, as I pointed out. I clearly explained what I was CHOOSING to take from it. Good day.
Just as Socko gets done talking about how the world is built on people controlling others and creating narratives, Bo threatens and does the exact same thing to Socko just before the end of the song. Beautiful writing
That was shockingly graphic and disturbingly accurate. We need more of this kind of thing. It was beautiful and then cute, then when my defences to all the usual barrage of violence we see straight from the start were very effectively lowered, it punched with the ugly reality and actually made me feel sick. Thank you.
@@ar71498 criticizing capitalism = communism. For all you know Bo is a fuckin anarcho syndicalist, this song criticized the current status quo/capitalism perpetuated by "neo-liberal fascists", it didn't make any statements on what the solution is, or what Bo's political ideology is, just that he's not in favor of the current system.
@@absolutefocus2749 He criticized both sides of the political aisle. Whatever beliefs he has, he is clearly aware that both sides are not perfect and have problems and issues they need to work on rather than putting one on a pedestal and putting down the other.
@@absolutefocus2749 Hard agree. "Capitalism V Communism" is culture war nonsense stoked by both major political parties mostly as a distraction/justification.
Something people miss is that Socko says that when he's not on Bo's hand, he's in a constant state of sleep paralysis. In a sense, when he is not on someone's hand, being a puppet and essentially mimicking whatever they say, he is nothing. He cannot function without somebody else putting thoughts into his head and talking for him.
nice catch! i read this part as saying, when socko isn’t being propped up and used, he is unable to speak and be heard. similar to the fact that disenfranchised people aren’t given much of a voice unless the elite are using them for their own gain.
I thought of the constant state of sleep paralysis as the working class constantly needing to work, essentially having no energy, money, or relationships to organize and make their voice heard. Just work, sleep, work, sleep. They only get the voice when the powerful give them the means.
It's very clever. And my partner pointed out, it's even more poignant when you realise that even when he does back down and does what Bo wants, he still gets discarded at the end when Bo is done with him.
You could even draw a comparison to it being similar to Bo Burnham having to use Netflix and their power and money to send a message like this. Bo and his message being the sock and the hand being Netflix. A big corporation like Netflix doesn't really care and they benefit from views and subscriptions anyways despite the message so they keep their smiley face on. If they want, they can just cut his funding and support off. It's the same everywhere, no matter how you do it, every message is sent on the backs of these big corporations whether it's Twitter or Facebook etc. They are the hands and they don't percive you as a threat so they allow it. Bo's whole career is built on the facilities these companies provide.
this song speaks so much truth.. the way he forced socko to refer to him as sir subtly hinting how the people at the top separate themselves form the general public and starts chanting the main chorus of the song with a psycotic smile saying "That is how the world works" like Hayy this is how things work irl.. also how quick he was to dispose socko the moment he had no use for him(he only kept him alive for the song) because he started speaking against his "owner".
Realizing the ending was essentially a metaphor for Burnham complaining about capitalism on the Netflix platform, and more broadly the idea that criticisms about society are limited by the tacit threat of the powerful, made me appreciate this work of art even more.
@@Fatima-ec8pd it’s a metaphor for the power structures built into society that socko was eluding to. That’s why socko was confused and saying “did you hear what I was saying” or something to that degree. Socko isn’t allowed to criticize his own world because he’s under the will of Bo.
I love how the first part of the song illustrates how the principle "to each according to their needs and from each according to their ability" is why everything works, and then proceeds to demonstrate how our society is messed up due to straying from that principle.
Yeah. People dont want to just be forced to do things they don't wanna do and they also dont want to be limited just because weaker people demand them to be. Communism would work for ants obviously, who enjoy being enslaved. But theres no room for it in the human race, who must always be free and independent to choose their own lives and adventures.
I think the message is that part is extremely naive and delusional and the world in fact doesn't work like that. Even the natural worldvis not so hunky dory. Power rules there as well.
@@pomelo9840 My grandparents and parents would disagree, you are just trying to elevate anecdotes to history. In the meantime statistics about education, employment, life expectancy, healthcare would disagree also
Bo is in a position of power over Mr Socko. It is chilling that the lesson he teaches Mr Socko and subsequently the lesson society teaches children is that they should comply to the status quo and that the status quo will be enforced, violently if necessary, by people in positions of power like politicians and police. Radical/revolutionary thinking is punished if it challenges the status quo. This is an amazing work and social commentary!
@@takiyeet6946 yeah fair and maybe I worded it in a bit of a circular reasoning there, but the subject of my comment was not the radical thinking or the status quo, but the violence that the system uses that makes people comply to the status quo.
@@missABR1 yeah the government only celebrates the 'thought' of it to appease the masses but never encourage or make actual change happen because they dont want to lose power
"Hurr durr Netflix is providing me with revolutionary cultural icons and is totally fighting the power durr" Bo Burnham is promoted to make you emotionally crippled losers feel good about your own personal failure. No one gets on Netflix unless they fit the corporate leftist agenda. You're a failure so they send you a failure to worship.
Just realized he was already talking about Communism in the first part when saying "Gives what they can, gets what they need," which is basically "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." This means, to Socko's credit, Socko didn't add to anything Bo was saying, only elaborating.
yeah i noticed that too. that statement 'gives what they can and gets what they need' is a basic marxist sentiment, which i agree with. and i like the way he frames it as a wonderful kind of process of nature, that kind of harmony of living things
Netflix releasing this as an *official clip* should be considered a historical event in textbooks Edit - To be clear I am not commending nor condemning Netflix for this, I just think it's funny. Bo Burnham is awesome for spreading the word
@@tristan4621 It's a branch of netflix devoted to comedians. If you look at all the content they have uploaded in the last 6+ months, it's either sets performed by comedians or interviews with comedians.
It's ironically funny how Socko, whom being oppressed by Bo, stated what life might be like for those who had actually been oppressed and exploited in history: "In a frightening, liminal space between states of being. Not quite dead, not quite alive. It's similar to a constant of sleep paralysis" --Socko
@@kalfust7722 what? just because a person is oppressed does not mean that they constantly live on death’s door. also have you really been thinking about this for the last week?
God this man did so many takes of singing Sockos part in his head and syncing his hand to said thoughts while being silent and then coming into to say his parts all on beat. So its just him silently flapping the sock in a room losing his goddamn mind.
I love that cheeky smirk Bo gives as Socko sings "Don't you know the world is built with blood and genocide and exploitation?!" It's half an acknowledgement like "Whoopsy daisy, I guess that's true, oh well... " whilst also not actually agreeing because he is only half listening, tuning out all the legitimate concerns of Socko. It is such a good detail to include, portraying the naivety of a Rich White Guy who intentionally ignores other people's plights in order to not be burdened by guilty thoughts and not have to actually put any monetary effort in helping the less fortunate. Ignorance is bliss. That smile says it all.
yea, ignorance is bliss hurts you & everyone you love. including you.... hurts yr kids much more. ignoring these things does nothing but enable them, IT STILL AFFECTS YOU! WE,WE can do something, together. never come from just one person for millions of people... that'll keep that wheel of exploitation moving....
Socko didn't kill himself.
That actually made me laugh
That’s not true, it was a suicide, and there’ll be 5 more unless you take that back.
@@sportsfaniguess154 what?
Well if Socko just did as he was TOLD then maybe it wouldn't have happened to him. Not that it did but he deserved it.
PAHHDJFHAGS
I know Socko is a recording but a part of me believes that Bo was so bored in Covid that he learned Ventriloquism
possible but highly unlikely since there's a part where both of them are singing
I thought he did until they started singing at the same time
He's heavily inspired by Hans Teeuwen, he talks about it early in his career.
Bo is an /actual/ genius. Everything he does is 100% premeditated and flawlessly executed.
@@PartyThrasher118 idk, the cut scenes between each song weren't really doing it for me. I found myself fast forwarding through things like the intermission for example where he's just wiping my screen.... Like thanks lol but next pls
@@Hayanomie boredom is a crime.
Friendly reminder that this man will also be composing music for the upcoming Sesame Street movie.
When I first heard the first half I thought he should compose kids music
wait actually
@@theemeralddragonyt9315 yes
he's also the same guy in the meme "is there anything better than pussy? yes a really good book"
@@elmosworld8011 encouraging education already
I like how Socko is literally _just_ a sock. No googly eyes, no glitter. Just a fucking sock.
And still manages to look adorable and demonstrably oppressed.
Like the marginalized people it represents! To the rich white people who use them for self actualization, they're pretty much the equivalent of a piece of gross looking laundry that the rich key in their hand only long enough until the people get bold and try to speak up and get out of line
@@gl22222 Don't.
A sock with a human level consciousness
@@gl22222 Can you maybe *don't*
“So what radicalized you?”
“A sock puppet”
Nough said
“So what radicalized you?”
“My first paycheck”
So what radicalized you?
23 years of subsistence living and being told the avocado I eat once a week is why I am not Bezos rich.
The fact we are all split down lines that don't matter while the one's that do calmly get ignored in major politics
Jreg and memes. Socko just reinforced it. lol
I like how Bo doesn't have a problem with what Socko is saying until he turns the criticism towards him
That is like a lot of people who push narratives. they are happy and fun feeling till you start pointing towards them. Look at all the people pushing for changing how we live. they want everyone else to change, use less energy, eat less food overall, specially beef or such, use less water and so forth. yet when you bring the attention to them, they will run away faster than the flash when trying to use the infinite mass punch.
Its a metaphor for the puppet maters of the world can silence the little guy.
@@DarkMustard1337 i noticed that the first time i heard the song!!
🎼 Thaaaats how the world works 🎶
the world is playful and silly until you get in Their way.
me listening: "hmm so when's this all gonna go morbidly downhill.. oh there it is"
i was trying to sing along, read your comment just before the second verse and broke down laughing as it started
There it is, that funny feeling 🎧
Same
It was pretty peppy all the way through to me
That was my first reaction to watching the film. Waiting for the shoe to drop 😂
I think the last time they harmonize “that is how the world works” gets to the core message. After he’s threatened and humiliated him, Socko reluctantly keeps in line because there’s nothing it can do. Power and using it as a threat to keep the rest in line is how the world is run.
I know socko is a sock but I think he deserves more than an “it”
Exactly. Politics is about power - the right wing understands this and has become extremely fixated on playing power politics while liberals naively think they can “unity” and “decorum” Nazis into getting with the program. Fascists have a deep complex about the emasculation they feel about having to pretend to be decent in public, and they want nothing less than to humiliate and *hurt* you because of that. They only care about one objective: Power. Being made to feel small and stupid. They’re a cult, and they don’t care what your prissy “Jewish” academia says are the facts, because your facts are fake news that they think are contradicted by anyone with eyes looking out a window and trusting their intuition.
@@fedsavi well I didn’t wanna gender it so that’s what I came up with lol
@@king_supreme1102 they???
well also when socko is killed off it shows how you can just be taken out even if you fall in line and do what you are told to do weather it means getting fired or actually getting taken out is up in the air
Bo at age 20: "I don't think anyone wants to hear a 20 year old tell them how the world works"
Bo finally 30: *finally*
Better late than never.
Thats such a good episode of green room
quagsire high tier
He never said anything about a THIRTY year old telling people how the world works
*puts sock on hand...
I REALLY hope that this started out as one of the songs for Sesame Street and he just got a bit carried away.
omg i have the same theory!! 😂
@@KateSylvesterMusic the idea really makes me laugh! 😂
Bring Comrade Socko back for Sesame Street
Maybe it was originally a full song done for the movie but then it was scrapped so then he changed it up to fit the special as to not completely waste it
Obsessed with this take
Some depressed history teacher is gonna play this song on his last day of work.
Was thinking about showing it on the first day actually
me, a depressed history and social studies student listening to this before studying
@@juliarzasinska428 Legend of a teacher
I hope they play it on the first day 😂
@@kylethornton77 dude my teacher did today
Did I just learn from a sock? Yes.
Worth listening to? Yes
First reply
Mrspherical knows about bo burnham?!!??!? 🤯🤯🤯🤯
Welcome to the internet, have a look around, anything that brain of yours can think of can be found...
if you think someone whining about social issues for four and a half minutes without proposing any solutions or providing a new/interesting perspective is worth listening to, I am very interested in your views on quality.
@@the_real_mr_wolff go away
His face when Comrade Socko says about the FBI killing MLK absolutely sends me
Did they kill him?
@@ZephLodwick His family won a suit against the FBI for his murder. It seems they paid an exconvict to cross the country, kill him and flee the country. Later the killer got caught in the UK with loads of cash, which is how the story became known. He confessed to the murder, only to later change his statement.
@@maxermarcos Except there is no proof the FBI was directly involved with his assassination. The Loyd Jowers trial didn't prove what you said. Make no mistake the FBI hated Dr. Martin Luther King and harassed him and his family with wiretaps and blackmail, but there is no current proof they killed him. It is honestly the only part of song I dislike because the rest of it is evidence based.
@@jouaienttoi there is tons of proof.
@@pinklefoo Donde esta, Juan?
I love how bo never looks at comrade socko whenever he speaks to him, he always stares into the camera, except when he's threatening him. He really doesn't care about whatever socko's saying, he only cares about our perception of him and tries to look nice by asking what can he do to help, but then he goes on to kill precious socko when he says something he doesn't wanna hear.
Is this understandable?? English is not my first language but i hope I got my point across.
@@MxKythy yes i never looked at it that way and this really helped me understand that part bc i understood the general like idea but i never thought about how he only cared about anything socko said when it tried to hold him as a individual accountable so that was a really good point u made
@@MxKythy its perfectly understandable id never have known it wasnt your first language.
also youre 100% right.
Quick edit, he doesn't kill socko, it's worse than that, eternal suffering until the next time he comes out of the box. Everything else you got spot on
Holy crap.
The face he makes at 1:58 is the face parents make when their kids are trying to tell them some real shit and the parents just say "aw isn't that cute"
His facial expressions during Socko's section will never not kill me, it's just too good
nope its its more of: A parent whos kid just said something that exposes them in a way. so they just smile at the other random parent who heard it
@@jamesred7272 That's just a specific scenario of what I already said lol
@@jamesred7272 YES!
@@jamesred7272 and then their answer would be like "no I didnt do that, Im a good parent"
Socko teaches us that even if you submit, they'll still destroy you.
...so you might as well fight.
Who's they, tho?
@@DiktatGame The bourgeoisie.
@@DiktatGameCorporations, Corrupt politicians, and Oligarchs
Jews
@@JohnSmith-gc7dp no, the ruling class, and it's inherently ant-proletariat to hate people based on things they can't choose
bo has improved SO much musically and vocally that i find myself unironically grooving to the first part of the song every time
I've always loved his songs for their lyricism, but I can admit his vocal tone could be unpleasant sometimes. It's a genuine joy to listen to now
Me too ! I especially love the first part too, his voice is so good, my heart always flutters a bit, haha !
yes! This one’s so much better, hopefully he has more control over his voice on live shows as well
Why the backhanded compliment? You didn't have to say "improved," drawing attention to past performance. You could have just said that he's great now. But you didn't choose that, you chose to include your little barb.
@@EyeLean5280 that’s a weird thing to get hung up on! i’ve been a huge fan of bo’s since 2009 and have always loved his content, but i think everyone and even bo himself would agree that the quality has gotten better and better over time! he wasn’t bad before, he has just objectively improved. hope that clears things up!
It’s so chilling how Bo is just smiling and happily reacting while Socko is singing his part like “bless his little heart” and isn’t at all skeeved by what he’s saying like he knows that nothing Socko can say can remove him from his position of power.
Just like how the world works.
@thataestheticbxtch How about "Eat The Rude"?
That would also include all the rude Rich people, and the kind hearted rich people could live in peace? Btw,, Im not rich - Im just against harming anybody who doesnt ask for it.
Then again, it would be so much better, if people entertained the thought for a less violent way of changing things, but unfortunately we are too impatient...
@ It totally made sense, and I completely agree with you.
The reason I wrote what I did was because of the first reply to the OP, which suggested we should kill the rich. Once I saw the next guy talking about Eating the rich, it reminded me of "Eat The Rude" - or an inside joke (ish) from the TV series Hannibal.
In the end, I stand by what I said about not wanting harm for everyone, but I Absolutely agree that the resources of the planet we inhabit are distributed unfairly and that a change Is not only possible Without it becoming some "commies wet dream", but its Absolutely necessary for US as a species to survive.
@ Its one of my all time favorite shows, and Ive seen it through at least 4 times. Too bad it was cancelled, but there have been rumors its doing well on Netflix, since they started streaming it, so its still possible we might get the entire story the showrunner originally envisioned.
That said, even if that never happens, the first 2 and a half seasons are absolutely Marvelous imo, and while I wasnt crazy about their take on The Red Dragon, it certainly wasnt bad, just didnt grab me the first time, and I intend on watching it again at some point - preferably right before S04 comes out ^_^
Maybe Bo wasn’t entirely correct when he said the Internet was toxic. Wholesome exchanges like this can happen too!
@ Unfortunately it was cancelled, yes. That said, the last couple of scenes worked alright as an ending of the story, but it definitely left interesting opportunities open, as the wonderful showrunner actually mapped out the entire story even before the production began. Taking that into account, as well as the slight buzz I mentioned before, if it goes in our favor, we might get 2 more seasons.
However, if you want to end on a high note, then definitely stop at s03x07 - Imo it actually resolves the first big story arc in a satisfying manner. I myself have done so every time I rewatched the show, while still having hopes that Mr. Fuller gets to finish his vision so that I can finally revisit the last 6 eps.
The fact Netflix has a comedy special which includes digs at executives like ones that probably work at Netflix is amazing.
and terrifying!
inside (the album) is available to stream for free on amazon music. you just know ceo entrepreneur, born in 1964, Jeffrey Bezos bumped Bezos 1 and 2 on his dick rocket on repeat on his way to space without irony
Or maybe they know that nothing will change even if people know of how the world works?
Why would they care? Clicks are clicks. Probably taking a bath in all the money they got from this
Cuties
I love the fact that, even thought Socko does EXACTLY as he is told, he still just ends up getting pulled off of his hand in the end....
Even after taking the humiliation and bowing down to the "elite" he still just ends up getting removed the second he isn't needed anymore...
Cough cough.....
That's how the world works.
@@DavidBolger-b6d You forgot to sing it, here ♩♫♪
Exactly. Bo is so brilliant
Me: “I promise guys, no politics tonight”
Also me, but after a few drinks: 1:47
LMAO
At least you have to have a few drinks for it to happen to you
@@Systematic_memes ikr. Have a conversation with me for half an hour and I'll somehow connect it to politics and capitalism
Me too buddy. Every thanksgiving:
"ANY ATTEMPTS TO DISARM THE WORKING CLASS WILL BE MET WITH FORCE YOU BOURGEOIS CAPITALIST FUCKING PIG!"
"Honey, I was just asking if you wanted any more.potatoes..."
"Ohhhhhh, oh,... Of course grandma.... Love youuuuuh"
Lol
"Not everything needs to be political, y'know"
*SOCKO HAS ENTERED THE CHAT*
Is it me or sucko is a bit yellow in the end...
everything is political lol
@@richardtheerune2891 makes sense with the orange lighting
@@richardtheerune2891 Pretty sure the tip of the sock is yellow the entire time. Probably just a yellow tipped sock
@@pkpyro2000 yeah better that what I first thought of... A dirty sock XD
"I wouldn't say anything that you probably haven't already said yourself."
Well of course; he's a sock puppet.
Socko assuming that Bo has already sung the first verse in his usual cynical tone
@@Justinsdada03 I think the meaning behind that line is that Socko wouldn't say anything outside of the narrative that Bo (playing the character of the social elite) has created. Socko then speaks the truth and gets punished for it.
technically bo’s already said what socko proceeded to say, in the first part bo said “gives what they can and gets what they need”, which is a paraphrasing of Marx’s “from each according to their ability, to each according to their need”.
@@MrNobbless I don't think he gets punished for his singing parts. I think he gets punished for not fully buying into "rich white person wants to help", upon his refusal to play along with a member of majority wanting to be "the good guy" he gets punished, the white guy gets to play the victim and oppress the minority whilst at it
Socko died of a “self-inflicted” gunshot
Correction, four self-inflicted gunshots, all in the back, so sad, didn't know Socko was dealing with so much.
hunting accident
@@paddylynch8743🤣🎯
Right after he told all his friends and family that he would never kill himself, and that if anything happens to him it needs to be investigated. So sad mental health can change so quickly 😢😢
Choked himself in his prison cell.
He's a genius. I hope he will wins at least one Emmy.
he's winning 6
If he doesn't win 6 he got robbed
I’d say he will win 2 or 3 not all 6 but I hope he does. Awards shows don’t usually get it correct though (and that’s coming from someone that quite enjoys them).
@@alwaysloaded4585 why do you think that?
@@alwaysloaded4585 bruh
*It was genuinely upsetting how socko was ripped out of existence*
Probably because it as accompanied by a slushy ripping noise.
Socko's okay though.
@@meboy3 No, not until capitalism is over he isn't :c
@@jean_etcetera what do we do once it’s gone
@@jogolord8122 socialize Mars next, ig
"Don't you know the world is built with blood and genocide and exploitation?!"
Bo's face: OOPSIES
That's not an oopsies, that's the powerful not caring what the oppressed are saying because they know it will do nothing to jeopardize their position of absolute power.
Just like the natives did to each other
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 you're right that makes it okay
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 I'll never understand how these people get in bo burnham comment sections
@@connorp3618 the funny songs
Look at how Bo mostly looks at the camera, when showing that he "wants to become a better person", except for when he makes Socko shut up, where he doesn't want us to see his face, and obligates Socko to go back and singing with him looking at the camera after that, and once the video ends he takes Socko out of his hand because he doesnt need him to make us think he's progressive anymore
Truly a masterpiece of a video and song
Huh nice observation. I wonder if that's intentional.
awesome observation.
@@JonM-hg9tz This whole special was an amazing piece of social commentary. It was absolutely intentional.
100% intentional
@@JonM-hg9tz Bo's greatest fear is making a mistake in one of his performences. It's definitly intentional
The first part is so uplifting, like it's Randy Newman singing for a Disney movie. And then that second part...lol what a song!
The second part is randy Newman’s other song such as short people
I really liked the part where everyone contributes according to their ability and receives according to their need. I wonder if we could organise society this way too?
Seems highly sensible to me.
I'd love to hear Randy Newman sing this song
This wend from Randy Newman to Randy feltface
Karl Marx has been really quiet since Socko dropped this
True Karl needs to make another book
You guys know there are dozens of other modernist philosophers who have shaped this idea? In fact, any philosopher who has spent more than a month in Paris in the last 250 years starts up with this bullshit.
@@BlastinRope cry more Andrew
@@BlastinRope cope seethe
@@BlastinRope mald harder
I only had time to hear the first minute of the song, but what a positive message!! Very educational for smaller kids :-)
LMAO
LMAOAOAOAOOASJSKSKSK watCH THE SECOND PARTS
This comment is gold
♡
Lmao 😂
The wonderful irony of Bo encouraging Socko to say what is on his mind, only to bear down on him when he says what he doesn’t want to hear is an incredible tension that deserves mentioning
That's the hypocrisy that amuses the elite: push a narrative of "acceptance" while silencing all dissent
To be fair, that is how the world works
In the future, when people look up why Bo ended up on the FBI's shitlist, it will just link you to this song.
@@vincomortem 🎶 Isn't that ironic . . . 🎶
@@vincomortem so they can make money off it
This is a good time to remind everyone that George Carlin was on the FBI's watchlist back in the day.
@@vincomortem George Carlin, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain and even some producers for Sesame Street were on the FBI's watchlist.
@@ActuallyHoudini as was MLK jr. He was a demsoc so the fbi hated him (and possibly murdered him)
It's like a goddamn Black Mirror skit.
@Kim right- black mirror manages to do dystopia while never critiquing power (beyond the first season)
It is
Nah, inside is way more complex than anything black mirror has ever done. It's easy to just say technology and social media is bad, it's a whole other thing to dive into why people are drawn to it in the first place
But actually good! And not written by a crotchety old man!
We're through the mirror, that's for sure.
I love Bo’s face at 2:00. It’s almost like he thinks that what Socko’s saying is cute, a bit “he does this all the time, don’t worry about him”
His face there always cracks me up. His whole demeanor during this is very funny to me. Bo is a master of subtle, understated humor. Many people stating “this isn’t a comedy album,” and while I can understand why they’d say that, I find a lot of it continually funny. And it’s still funny on repeat watches because t doesn’t rely on the element of surprise and misdirection as much as a standard joke does.
It's interesting how Bo himself is like Socko, being allowed to say what he wants by a billion dollar company because they know that they are immune from his words. His rebellion is merely their entertainment. He is at their mercy. Brilliant self awareness!
The rich are like the grasshoppers from Ants. They only have as much power as we give them.
You basically summed up capitalism in a nutshell
@brianc5617 you mean a bugs life right?
@@brianc5617whe. you say rich... you just mean white ppl lol
@@endcaps1917:o HOPPER! 😡
Fun Fact: In the Green Room with Paul Provenza, Bo mentions that his favorite comedian is Hanz Teeuwen, who also has a bit with a sock puppet. I like to think that Socko is an homage to that.
that's awesome and you're probably right
When I first saw that and he said"look who came to say hello" i said to myself i wish it's a white sock
I love that bit because Bo makes a killer joke without messing a beat.
Hans*
@@casmatt99 You'll notice socko is a white sock
Am I the only one or at 1:28 when socko is done explaining his existential experience, Bo just goes ahead and talks about what he was singing about, almost like how the world doesn't care for the mental health of others even when someone is genuinely sharing the crisis that they are going through.
Well spotted.
@miriamhavard7621 in his "hey kids" bit
"Every single cricket every fish in the sea gives what they can and gets what they need"
It's a concept called mutual aid and it's a fundamental feature of Marxian thought
Bos explanation starting with "hey kids" is an analysis of nature and a nod to the fact that the natural state of being is one of cooperation and ancient humans worked and lived in communities of communal aid
Even in the end the sock is subservient to his sovereign lord bo
Close but not quite. Bo doesn’t represent the world itself but rather rich white patriarchal systems of power. Yes they don’t necessarily care about mental health in as far as they can keep making profit and exploiting marginalized groups/the working class, but its moreover the socko boing the voice of the marginalized/working class as to why he doesn’t care.
@@WhyGodby
i was wondering why the marxian quote was in the lyrics, still don't know though,.
@@daddydevito4405 true true, that is a much better understanding
Socko being "dehanded" at the end shows that even when the oppressed cow-tow to the structures of power in order to avoid harm one is still ultimately crushed by the structure, showing that upholding the structures through silence and appeasement only delays the continued nature of systemic harm and oppression.
Correct. Which is why we need to drop the Marxist ideology and fight to retain our individual freedoms. Giving up our freedoms in the name of equity is how the establishment will control the working class. Who will enforce the equitable distribution of resources and outcomes? He ruling elite. See China or North Korea as two modern examples.
@@trollimusprime8521 Woof. You forgot something something Venezuela something something eleventy trillion dead.
@@GinsuChikara They were driving the right direction, and then they swerved off the road and landed in a libertarian ditch full of shit.
@@trollimusprime8521 China is a capitalist economy, and if you think North Korea is what Marx was arguing for, you're way off. Lol.
Or its you know, a funny narcissistic sock puppet. These things aren’t exactly secrets that the world is terrible, its just funny to see a sock puppet talk about it and have existential crisis.
There could be a person in the world who never listened to this but there isn't a single person in the world who listened this only once
i am addicted to this
Same ngl. 3:51 in particular is just perfect. After you have that whole sequence with socko he just goes back to the chorus and it has a WHOLE new meaning
tick privilege
Me too lol
Verified and only 44 likes
yo
What's interesting to me that I don't think most people notice, is that Bo is in reality, in the position of both himself and the position of Socko in this skit. While he is being self-critical of his own role through Socko, Bo is also the puppet for whatever ideas the producers, Netflix, and "the system" want/allow him to share. And just like Socko, after his performance Bo disappears back into a liminal space for the vast majority of us, continuing his existence outside of our consciousness until he is once again brought out as a puppet to express what he is allowed to.
nooooo shit
It's also kind of a metaphor for the leftist side of TH-cam if you think about it
no its about white people silencing poc lmao
Yeah sure.... or its a funny bit
@@ktoth29 this is willful ignorance on your part
0:22 is such a beautiful descending line. Flow-er (B, A) Poll-en (G, F#) Fallen (F#, E). It's one of the prettiest things I've heard tbh. It's really the little things in music that make me love it so much.
Of all the praise Bo is getting for Inside, none of it is for his masterful use of music theory and how much his melodies have improved. Even more impressive knowing that he can't read music and is basically self taught. I need Adam Neely to do an episode about Bo.
Perfect pitch gang
@@aurorarhys5666 His singing ability has hit a whole new level in this special as well. It's really one of the better art pieces I've enjoyed.
YES
i think my favourite lines are "i hope you learned your lesson!" "i did and it hurt!" idk why but its just so subtly heartbreaking
When we hear the phrase “learned their lesson” we are used to it referring to the bad guy in fictional media. But in the real world the lesson to be learned is rarely what was right and how to be a better person, it’s how to sit down and shut the fuck up and let me use you or else.
Bo: “That’s pretty intense..”
Socko: “Nooooooo shit!!”
😂😂
@Lello lmao
yes we watched the video, we know
@@brokenrokuremoteofficial cool, just wanted to make sure
Socko: don't you know the world is built with blood, exploitation and genocide
Bo: 😀😃😄
I find an overlooked part of the song, which foreshadows the way socko is treated, is when socko describes his absolutely horrifying state of consciousness when he's not on Bo's hand. I can think of no hell more terrifying than a constant state of sleep paralysis. Bo shows absolutely no compassion or interest. It's cold.
Edit: I know it's on purpose. I know it's the point. I'm saying that this specific part may be overlooked.
I think it’s funny
@@trix3042 It can be both :)
@@trix3042 same
I don’t know why but the way Bo completely ignores what he says and goes back on topic makes laugh every single time.
“Socko, we were just talking about the world and how it works.”
Could be a metaphor, we only have power in modern society when it's given to us, just as the puppet can only speak it's mind when it's closely controlled and given a platform by the more powerful elites. The rest of the time, we can only watch in horror and hope that the moment arises when we can speak out... and even when we do, that power can soon be ripped away and we'll be censored or worse. It's a fun song
We must protect Bo at all costs.
Who is "we"? Do you think anybody would let you near him?
@@hurtigheinz3790 I hope this comment is satire.
@@CookieDerp who is we do you think anybody would let you near him?
Protect him from what? The leftist media control grid he is now firmly entrenched in? I'm sure this college commie pussy boy will be just fine.
@@Judge_0f_Everything fair.
Comrade Socko, sees through the veil of capitalism despite being a product of it. We can all learn from this.
Capitalism doesn’t work.
EDIT: FUCK GUYS I WROTE THIS AT LIKE 2AM, I MEANT COMMUNISM INSTEAD OF CAPITALISM. FUCK FUCKF CUFKF. UFKF VUFKCU FUCK
@@emilal it does, it's working exactly as it is intended to work. Exploiting human and natural resources, to enrich privileged western people.
#JusticeForSocko
@@emilal it unfortunately works but it's not the perfect answer
@@julian9664 it absolutely works.
You can tell Netflix is a big and powerful company when they see no problem in uploading an anti capitalist song in their TH-cam channel for free.
Greta Thanos It’s anti capitalist satire lmao
@Greta Thanos it's anti-capitalist satire lmao
I think that's literally the point of the song, See netflix as Bo and Bo as socko, as long as they aren't challenged directly he can say whatever the fuck he wants, he's making them money
It's almost if art really cannot do anything to change things. It can inspire others take action but in itself it is ineffectual as a political action. The know Americans have been beaten down and atomized by the cruelty of neoliberalism over the last four decades and even trying to make people realize the enemies they must destroy is a gargantuan task in itself.
@Greta Thanos Funny you're telling people it's satire, when you're the one who in fact, missed the satire.
So is no one gonna mention the irony of Netflix, a billion dollar company, is promoting this song, which is explicitly anti-capitalist.
Gets the noggin' joggin'
Capitalism is a weird-ass mechanism, with loads of contradictions (or seemingly contradictions) like this.
Netflix and other companies possibly benefit to some extent by platforming some socialist ideas or criticisms, but they can always pull the plug if any of their creators go too hard on them.
I mean, I despise Netflix and know that they execs and shareholders donate to both the Republicans and the Democrats for tax breaks and who knows what other shit and would love to boycott them entirely, and yet here I am watching one of their videos, giving it a like and adding it to a playlist because I really like Bo and his song and want more people to see it.
Instead of being able to neatly boycott Netflix and support art which critiques it at the same time, they have co-opted it, forcing us to choose between the two.
Plus, seeing this kind of socially conscious work on Netflix might trick less informed people into thinking Netflix is a "cool" company with strong moral values (even though as an abstract set of mechanisms and processes designed to deliver profit, a corporation cannot hold values), more like Ben & Jerry's than Amazon.
I mean we'll still have steaming services under Socialism sooo
Lol if you think this song is EXPLICITLY anti capitalist you missed the point.
@@CutterIsHere well it does swear a bit
Him looking at the camera when he says “what can I do to help?” and “I’m just trying to become a better person” is such a good touch. Usually when people in power acknowledge political problems, it’s just to make us think they care about our well being and come off as progressive, while in reality its far from the truth. McDonalds can put as many rainbows on their happy meals during June as they want, but it doesn’t mean they truly care about pride month. They just know how to profit off of a group who is so easily taken to any form of representation that they only have to do the bare minimum, leaving their support ambiguous to their bigoted customers while still getting bank from the queer community.
I really feel socko saying "just don't burden me with the responsibility of educating you"
😊😊00000000000000
well tbf those woke people are crazy and delusional they try to defy the basic principles of biology the fundamental work of how lifeforms like us even work
McDonald’s is a corporation. It can’t care about anything. As for the individual leaders of the company, how do you know what they do or don’t care about?
Nobody cares about pride month except those who use it as an excuse to do more drugs, and have more sex events.
I'm just now noticing that during the 2 different harmonic "that is how the world works" lines, the first one has socko singing the higher pitch (because he led with it) and the 2nd one has him with the lower one (because Bo led it). The first time was right after he just got done with his rant, and the second one was after Bo abused him into submission. It's almost as if the pitch change is depicting a passive form of dominance.
Kinda chilling when you think about it.
TOGETHER: That's how..."
SAD SOCKO: _"It W O R K S."_
What Bo really teaches us with this special is how to be smiling and crying at the same time.
My favorite part is how Bo is completely unfazed by/oblivious to all the truth bombs being dropped on him, just asking the sock to watch his mouth while remaining all chipper haha. That to me is the most necessary ingredient for insanely vivid Orwellian satire - people just smiling robotically and ignorantly no matter what the “weird outsider” tries to show them
Did... Did Netflix just like your comment? What
Who fucking knows, as if a giant corporation can act like their self aware and it works.
@@nyetnyetcykablyat9483 clearly, I get my own show now. That’s how it works
@@Papa-dopoulos c'mon Netflix, wheres my mans show?
Netflix, a corporation, liked a comment about how the art on their platform is warning us about the corporate dystopia we live in. So uh which comrade is managing their yt acc lol
Intellectually I know that Socko’s voice is just dubbed in, but I still can’t stop myself from watching to see if Bo’s lips are moving when Socko speaks.
It’s like a Pavlovian response to seeing a puppet.
There's something completely unsettling about bo harmonizing with himself.
That’s how it works
we can't discount the fact that it's actually a dissonant interval between the two parts
im too dumb to understand this
It’s somehow both less than and even more unsettling than the fact that everything Socko was saying was accurate, but we’ve just become kinda numb to accepting horrible things as “The way it is” because the people perpetrating those acts and systems literally couldn’t care less about regular folks. They’re free to do what they like essentially and ruin the world for the rest of us while they do it… meanwhile we are all smiling and nodding along with the funny sock like “Yes yes we all know the FBI murdered MLK. Tell me something I don’t know please.”
No he's harmonizing with Socko
my brother walked out of his first grade classroom one day, and he was singing the first verse of the song, i asked him where he learned it and he said his teacher played half of the song. respect for that teacher 💀🤚🏼
Imagine if he sang the second part lmao
Imagine a first-grader come out of his classroom singing; "And the FBI killed Marthin Luther King"
she knows exactly what she’s doing. one day the kids are gonna remember that song and look it up and listen to the whole thing and be radicalized by a sock puppet
@@O_Canada why not? I have friends who are teachers who would do that. They are just humans too haha. And they might like this skit, and they might find it funny to play the first part in class.
@@somethingstupid1075 It's gonna be one of those "childhood ruined" moments for the future generation.
saw this in the theater, the crowd went absolutely nuts when socko came out lol
This was out in theaters?
@@testest12344 Yeah, for one weekend only in select theaters.
Yeah it was a blast. People in my theater loved Socko too but the crowd went the wildest for “Jeffrey Besos.”
I hated people in the screenings. Its not a fucking sing along ffs
Lucky
I love how Bo first explains how the world works meaning how nature works
And then Socko comes and tells how the world works again, but now about our society, and Bo just nods knowing it’s true but he choses to not say anything about it
Later he comproves Socko's statement was right by acting the way he does
It’s just absolute perfection
Yes. I think we all watched the video.
I love how the same "That is how the world works" chorus is used the exact same way three different time to convey three entirely different meanings. First, a naive oversimplified view of the world. Second, the realities of the world without a lens of false hope. Third, the futility of realizing the second point.
It's a musical thing. The same note can feel different in different keys.
And in the second chorus he manages to sing the same phrase almost identically with Bo phrasing it as a question and Socko as a statement.
Yup. At the end of the day, we love Big Brother
Socko screaming as he's pulled from existence stretching out with his cotton body haunts my dreams as they become nightmares
I’m with you brother...
Seriously traumatized..😧
I imagine you share the expression of the person on your avatar. I’m sry
thats most of us when automation takes over most jobs, if we dont change our societal problems around private propperty or just a basic UBI, better get to it before its too late
Nice pfp
AND THAAAAAAT IS HOW THE WORLD WORKS
This is so brilliant on so many levels. You could teach an entire class on the narrative of this song.
It's being taught already by your marxist schoolteachers
@@purpleboye_ good
@@ActionScripter it's ok to punch commies
@@purpleboye_ naughty kid
and not the good kind
Bo Burnham is so talented. He can play the piano while strangling Socko.
the lighting is a reason to live
His use of lighting on stage is amazing and sets him light years ahead of traditional stand up comics
A constant state of sleep paralysis would be my personal hell.
mine too i recently believed i had sleep paralysis and it was terrifying
Well done Daniel you found a way to
Make it about you.
@@bryangriffin4285 Yeah, it's called TH-cam, Bryan. Shall I check with YOU before commenting on any other videos? Would YOU prefer I just quote a lyric like everyone else does?
I've had a period where I had sleep paralysis every night. The first couple times are scary, but after a while you recognize it and try to relax and let it happen, which takes the edge off and make it pass faster.
I think a constant state of it would eventually dull down enough to not be so bad.
@@Lilliathi I don't think you get the implications of how horrible having your body frozen, but your mind still active is. People who are in minimally conscious comas or Locked-in syndrome are the closest to this and the sheer state of being that helpless is a form of trauma few things in this world can match. Most people who go through that would have rather been dead, which is why Socko is screaming when he's about to go back.
His voice and expression at 3:53 is so subtly menacing after what came before it... dude is a genius.
The 'I did and it hurt!' gets me every time
I’m gonna tell my kids that this was Sesame Street
Same.
Bo's doing songs for the Sesame Street movie so you can show them the credits as proof.
@@mayawoflax2488 NO WAY
They're going to be very good left wing political commentators on twitch. I want to see that.
i think we ought to acknowledge that "remember who's on whose hand here" line. because fuck man i just caught that. beautifully done.
Yep, that's how the world works :(
@@flabee8083 you fu-
@@helloitsme6702 me fu what
I still dont got it
@@NaMe-zg9qs Socko, in its answer, rails against class structure. Socko is also subject to it, being the puppet to a puppet master. When Bo says "Remember who's on whose hand here", he is both ignorant to what the puppet said, and confirming it.
"I hope you learned your lesson"
socko: "i did and it hurt!!!"
It was fine even when he swore. It was when he started criticizing the white man with power over him
AAAAAAAAAA
Best line.
Such a genius, every single time I come across his stuff, I am reminded how spot on he is, and the way he gets the message across is brilliant.
All this is layered. "That is how the world works"
The first time is learning as a kid and innocently learning that everyone gets what they need
The second is with Socko explaining how the world works as an injustice
The last is how IT ACTUALLY WORKS, the forces appressing Socko, this is how it actually works...
Good interpretation, but I see it as the "fairytale" that capitalism ( both in economy and power ) wants to tell us.
it's easy for a privileged person to say things like "everything is fine".
But as soon as a minority that knows the reality of the things by experience (and because of that doesn't get fooled) tries to speak up is silenced.
I get the "kids explanation" because this song sounds like it's been made for a cartoon to entratain toddlers, but I think that it was "made" for the adults (the ones that vote and decide) that don't educate themselves and believe this "fairytale song". It might be because that's all they know, or maybe that's all they WANT to know.
Either way this is is a song up to interpretation, just wanted to share opinions and actually have someone to listen to me, bye :D !
@@flabee8083 Not sure what you're actually saying here.
@@ZINGERS-gt6pc just explaining the meaning of the song for me! :)
Bo is also a good allegory for Netflix in this very special. Speaking out against capitilism while being own by a capitilistic system because it allows you to. until it doesnt. Socko isnt expressing anything outside of what Bo has allowed, but yet for that brief time it looks like socko has power. he has none.
John Oliver speaks against his HBO "business daddy". Many netflix shows make riffs of their netflix overloads. Disney too. Yet they all passed some kind of oversight to get there, to the point that the voice is commodified and a part of that system of power
@@flabee8083 another thing worth noting about the juxtaposition between the kids song and sockos rant. The kids song is how the natural world works. Sockos rant is how humans made the world work.
In the eco system everything is balanced. Plants produce fruits around their seeds to entice animals, but in so doing they providd food for the animals. Theres actual give and take, which bo mentions.
Humans decided to make a system so "optimised" and warped and "efficient" and disgusting, that there is only take. no give.
I think this fits well with the other songs in this special, especially Welcome to the internet, a song about the horrifyingly grotesque and entrapping human made hellscape
The ironic part is that Netflix, a billion-dollar Hollywood company, is hosting an anti-capitalist song, while not batting a eye to it.
Just like how Bo doesn’t care about Socko’s rant in the video.
The instruments of capitalism will bring about its destruction
@@mrmemes3887 According to Cuck Marx it would have happened already
@@mrmemes3887 neoliberalism literaly blew the fuck out marxism, or any leftist thought really submit to global capital, fellow consumer
@@ΠροκόπηςΠαυλόπουλος-γ4ξ yes, it literally blew it out by meddling with every country trying any left leaning policy by the us instating capitalist dictatorships and putting embargos, totally by its own merits, what a beautiful thing neoliberalism is.
@@pablobarrios7681 You forgot the genocides or the support of them. Btw, did I mention Venezuela? Government so retarded that they still fucked the place up without embargoes for the first few years. Anyways, submit to neoliberalism and big capital, fellow consumer
As a guy approaching his 40's I'm glad there are relevant comics like Bo Burnham to carry the flame of George Carlin onto the new generations
Eh, Burnham is more of the pseudo-progressive of our time and shit, he just said baby's first thoughts when reading Marx. Carlin was far better
@@ΠροκόπηςΠαυλόπουλος-γ4ξ Yeah, he’s more vague and marketable, which maximises engagement. I wonder if Carlin is on Netflix?
@@nicolesong6199 He's on Prime... In Bill and Ted.
@@ΠροκόπηςΠαυλόπουλος-γ4ξ No offense but you sound like you might be coming down with a chronic case of Hipster. Burnham is keeping it just as real here as Carlin did in "I Kind'a Like It When a Lotta People Die". If anything, Bo's marketability makes him even MORE effective as a purveyor of truth.
He actually takes inspiration from Carlin! "rolling in dough while Carlin rolls in his grave"
In case some people miss the point of the ending: it didn't matter that Socko complied in order to save his own life. The 'ruling class' forces him in compliance, but they don't care about him and they still silence him, either if he's an inconvience or just randomly.
In the end it doesn't matter if you comply, so you might as well resist.
Socko: "probably won't say anything you haven't already said yourself"
Literally earlier: "the gophers in the ground and the birds in the sky."
My dudes.... The birds in the sky eat the gophers in the ground
That's the point. Whatever Socko has said, Bo already said but in a way acceptable. That's the "simple narrative that history taught us".
@@user-pi1lb4tf2f Yeeeaahh I see what you're saying, but what I see is that really we're no better than the animals that we think we're above. I can't claim to know what Bo's point is, but that's what I took from it
One may argue that Bo omits it to avoid shocking the kids.
Socko omits it *intentionally* to argue that the nature is idyllic and people are evil and sell his conspiracy theories.
@@seanentzel9616 the point of the skit is to make a contrast about what we are told about the world growing up vs what we learn over the years.
At first Bo is portrayed as this figure that we see often on educational shows, the wholesome teacher that explains complicated 'truths' of the world in a way that even kids can understand.
In the initial version presented everything works as it is supposed to, everything has a balance, every being has a role to fulfill.
But then comes Socko and his version of the world is a stark contrast with Bo's version. The world he paints is brutal, unfair, full of flaws, and very complicated.
And although that world is very different than the world Bo's told us about, he isn't dismissive of it, he acknowledges Socko's version and he feels bad about it, so he asks Socko what he should do to fix the world(because he wants to feel less bad).
But that sparks a conflict, because Socko doesn't feel that it's his job to help Bo to figure out how to fix the world, he feels that Bo is better positioned to do that on his own, and that he should figure it out himself.
Regardless if you feel Socko is right or wrong what comes next is the important part, as soon as Socko steps out of line he is treatened by Bo and forced to submit.
This puts in focus the power disparity that existed between these two characters since the beginning, this also validates everything Socko said about how the world works and it shows us how it works.
Even when priveledged people are open minded enough to recognize that the world is messed up and even if they are willing to do something to change(or dismantle) the unfair systems of power that exist, as soon as someone puts them in a situation of discomfort, they fall back to those systems of power for their own benefit.
There's an irony to him saying "But what can I do to help?" And then oppressing his sock 'friend' right away.
Somebody smarter than me probably has more to say about this, but that's pretty much all I can string together right now 🤷🏽
Edit: To put it shortly, those who have power fuck over those who don't have power, that's how the world works, and even if as humans we acknoledge that this is bad, the best positioned people won't do anything about it besides perpetuating those power imbalances because it benefits them.
Meanwhile they will tell kids that this is how the world is and how it's supposed to be and everything is swell.
@@BriefDownpour Wow Bo Burnham! Thank you so much for commenting on my comment! Thanks for explaining Bo!
Like I said, (and btw I read everything you said, you obviously didn't read everything I said)
I am not Bo. You are not Bo. The only person that really knows what the message is, is Bo himself, as I pointed out. I clearly explained what I was CHOOSING to take from it. Good day.
I'm beginning to think this Bob Urnham character is going to go places
Yeah, I also really like Bobur N. Ham!
I think you mean Bobern hem
What about bo heatmeat?
His actual name is Bonathan BurnthemAll
How real name is actually B Ob Ham jr sr |||
The sock doesn't even have a face and it conveyed more emotion than most hollywood actors
Just as Socko gets done talking about how the world is built on people controlling others and creating narratives, Bo threatens and does the exact same thing to Socko just before the end of the song. Beautiful writing
Socko is on the "Left" hand
True leftist!
And the Right hand brutally silences him off.
That was shockingly graphic and disturbingly accurate. We need more of this kind of thing. It was beautiful and then cute, then when my defences to all the usual barrage of violence we see straight from the start were very effectively lowered, it punched with the ugly reality and actually made me feel sick. Thank you.
I mean...the whole appeal to communism doesn't exactly make me feel sympathetic but I did feel pretty messed up when he was like "yes...sir" 😂
@@ar71498 criticizing capitalism = communism. For all you know Bo is a fuckin anarcho syndicalist, this song criticized the current status quo/capitalism perpetuated by "neo-liberal fascists", it didn't make any statements on what the solution is, or what Bo's political ideology is, just that he's not in favor of the current system.
@@absolutefocus2749 He criticized both sides of the political aisle. Whatever beliefs he has, he is clearly aware that both sides are not perfect and have problems and issues they need to work on rather than putting one on a pedestal and putting down the other.
@@absolutefocus2749 Hard agree. "Capitalism V Communism" is culture war nonsense stoked by both major political parties mostly as a distraction/justification.
@@Dillman502 bruh. anti-capitalism isn't culture war bs, the fuck are you smoking?
Something people miss is that Socko says that when he's not on Bo's hand, he's in a constant state of sleep paralysis. In a sense, when he is not on someone's hand, being a puppet and essentially mimicking whatever they say, he is nothing. He cannot function without somebody else putting thoughts into his head and talking for him.
nice catch! i read this part as saying, when socko isn’t being propped up and used, he is unable to speak and be heard. similar to the fact that disenfranchised people aren’t given much of a voice unless the elite are using them for their own gain.
I thought of the constant state of sleep paralysis as the working class constantly needing to work, essentially having no energy, money, or relationships to organize and make their voice heard. Just work, sleep, work, sleep. They only get the voice when the powerful give them the means.
It's very clever. And my partner pointed out, it's even more poignant when you realise that even when he does back down and does what Bo wants, he still gets discarded at the end when Bo is done with him.
You could even draw a comparison to it being similar to Bo Burnham having to use Netflix and their power and money to send a message like this. Bo and his message being the sock and the hand being Netflix.
A big corporation like Netflix doesn't really care and they benefit from views and subscriptions anyways despite the message so they keep their smiley face on. If they want, they can just cut his funding and support off. It's the same everywhere, no matter how you do it, every message is sent on the backs of these big corporations whether it's Twitter or Facebook etc. They are the hands and they don't percive you as a threat so they allow it. Bo's whole career is built on the facilities these companies provide.
It’s amazing seeing smart people like you see this shit. Respect.
this song speaks so much truth..
the way he forced socko to refer to him as sir subtly hinting how the people at the top separate themselves form the general public and starts chanting the main chorus of the song with a psycotic smile saying "That is how the world works" like Hayy this is how things work irl..
also how quick he was to dispose socko the moment he had no use for him(he only kept him alive for the song) because he started speaking against his "owner".
REMEMBER WHO'S ON WHO'S HAND HERE!!!!!! chef's kiss! brilliant! perfection!
If only you could see where Socko was going with his comments.
@@Keeper69s we are entrenched in a-
I didn't understand that part 🥲
Realizing the ending was essentially a metaphor for Burnham complaining about capitalism on the Netflix platform, and more broadly the idea that criticisms about society are limited by the tacit threat of the powerful, made me appreciate this work of art even more.
@@Fatima-ec8pd it’s a metaphor for the power structures built into society that socko was eluding to. That’s why socko was confused and saying “did you hear what I was saying” or something to that degree. Socko isn’t allowed to criticize his own world because he’s under the will of Bo.
I love how the first part of the song illustrates how the principle "to each according to their needs and from each according to their ability" is why everything works, and then proceeds to demonstrate how our society is messed up due to straying from that principle.
Yeah. People dont want to just be forced to do things they don't wanna do and they also dont want to be limited just because weaker people demand them to be. Communism would work for ants obviously, who enjoy being enslaved. But theres no room for it in the human race, who must always be free and independent to choose their own lives and adventures.
I hope you get to experience communism the way most of Europe learned it, painfully
I think the message is that part is extremely naive and delusional and the world in fact doesn't work like that. Even the natural worldvis not so hunky dory. Power rules there as well.
@@pomelo9840 you are not a good person
@@pomelo9840 My grandparents and parents would disagree, you are just trying to elevate anecdotes to history. In the meantime statistics about education, employment, life expectancy, healthcare would disagree also
Bo is in a position of power over Mr Socko. It is chilling that the lesson he teaches Mr Socko and subsequently the lesson society teaches children is that they should comply to the status quo and that the status quo will be enforced, violently if necessary, by people in positions of power like politicians and police. Radical/revolutionary thinking is punished if it challenges the status quo. This is an amazing work and social commentary!
Apart from radical, 'revolutionary' thinking isn't punished if you're left leaning in America. It's celebrated and championed.
Nothing to add to your point but I like very much that you call Socko "Mr Socko"
@@takiyeet6946 yeah fair and maybe I worded it in a bit of a circular reasoning there, but the subject of my comment was not the radical thinking or the status quo, but the violence that the system uses that makes people comply to the status quo.
@@missABR1 yeah the government only celebrates the 'thought' of it to appease the masses but never encourage or make actual change happen because they dont want to lose power
"Hurr durr Netflix is providing me with revolutionary cultural icons and is totally fighting the power durr" Bo Burnham is promoted to make you emotionally crippled losers feel good about your own personal failure. No one gets on Netflix unless they fit the corporate leftist agenda. You're a failure so they send you a failure to worship.
"I hope you learned your lesson."
"I did, and it hurt."
Fucking hell, is that good.
Just realized he was already talking about Communism in the first part when saying "Gives what they can, gets what they need," which is basically "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."
This means, to Socko's credit, Socko didn't add to anything Bo was saying, only elaborating.
It's like Bo is a performative neoliberal disguising as a progressive but will never actually do anything and Socko is a straight up Marxist
@@majortom4711 I wonder if we give art more meaning than the artist intended, but this is a brilliant take.
yeah i noticed that too. that statement 'gives what they can and gets what they need' is a basic marxist sentiment, which i agree with. and i like the way he frames it as a wonderful kind of process of nature, that kind of harmony of living things
But the whole “private property is inherently theft” is a Mutualist concept. Marx rejected it, more or less.
But I think when Bo said his line, he was acting as if that's already our reality - not something to continue striving for.
I love his EVER SO SUBTLE glance off-camera to check his camera monitor after he pulls up Socko, around 1:13!
Well, you’ve ruined me. I’ll never live in ignorance again.
@@ameliagorringe5529 If he didn't want it in the special he would've edited around it or done another take. I really believe that.
Art is a lie, nothing is real
I noticed that, too! That said, I suppose it's in line with Bo operating lighting and sound transitions before our very eyes.
I love it too, I find it cute as heck for some reason lmao
Netflix releasing this as an *official clip* should be considered a historical event in textbooks
Edit - To be clear I am not commending nor condemning Netflix for this, I just think it's funny. Bo Burnham is awesome for spreading the word
Why did they change the name to "Netflix is a joke". Strange
@@tristan4621 It's a branch of netflix devoted to comedians. If you look at all the content they have uploaded in the last 6+ months, it's either sets performed by comedians or interviews with comedians.
This is the comedy special of our time
Hey Google define: capitalist recuperation
iT's So HiStOrIcAl
0:40 this part goes insanely hard
2:30 everybody’s gansta till bo burnham starts harmonizing with himself
Bo at the start: "That must be com-pi-la-cated!"
Socko when he's introduced: "Boy, that sounds complicated..."
I see you Bo, I see you...
I don’t get it? WhT am I missing
It's ironically funny how Socko, whom being oppressed by Bo, stated what life might be like for those who had actually been oppressed and exploited in history:
"In a frightening, liminal space between states of being. Not quite dead, not quite alive. It's similar to a constant of sleep paralysis" --Socko
not ironic, you used the word “whom” wrong, and oppressed people absolutely do not live in liminal spaces of being between life and death
@@nate_storm you feel that way though when your oppressed
@@nate_storm or are you one of the people that assumes how everyone in one "group" of people live life like
@@kalfust7722 what? just because a person is oppressed does not mean that they constantly live on death’s door. also have you really been thinking about this for the last week?
@@nate_storm not really I have a life everyone assumes I don't but I do
When Bo says 'Look at me.' I felt that in my chest. Where the hell are my little orange anxiety pills
There it is again, that funny feeling
I cannot stop singing this song. It's insanely brilliant. Also, Socko's verse was savage and pure fire.
Based Comrade Socko. He didn’t get a single thing wrong.
same. its keep getting repeated in my head
God this man did so many takes of singing Sockos part in his head and syncing his hand to said thoughts while being silent and then coming into to say his parts all on beat. So its just him silently flapping the sock in a room losing his goddamn mind.
prob just recorded the song ahead of time and did a lip sync
@@blessedpigeon6304 so like its playing in the room with him while he flaps socko?
@@skaterdude7277 yeah yeah, I think it's the case for the most of the special
@@blessedpigeon6304 still sounds psychotically tedious
I like how Bo has evolved from chaotic young adult to the literal embodiment of middle age panic.
he's only 30
I love that cheeky smirk Bo gives as Socko sings "Don't you know the world is built with blood and genocide and exploitation?!"
It's half an acknowledgement like "Whoopsy daisy, I guess that's true, oh well... " whilst also not actually agreeing because he is only half listening, tuning out all the legitimate concerns of Socko. It is such a good detail to include, portraying the naivety of a Rich White Guy who intentionally ignores other people's plights in order to not be burdened by guilty thoughts and not have to actually put any monetary effort in helping the less fortunate. Ignorance is bliss. That smile says it all.
yea, ignorance is bliss hurts you & everyone you love. including you.... hurts yr kids much more. ignoring these things does nothing but enable them, IT STILL AFFECTS YOU! WE,WE can do something, together. never come from just one person for millions of people... that'll keep that wheel of exploitation moving....