Modern Times

Modern Times brings many problems in our society to light. Chaplin addresses these problems through humor, which is probably one of the best ways to get audiences to listen. These problems are not only relevant in 1936 but in current times as well. The problems of unemployment, increasing efficiency, and governmental protests are still problems, not quite on the scale as they were in 1936.

Modern Times addresses this problem in two parts, when Chaplin becomes the night watchman of the department store and when he gets a job again at the factory. Chaplin only gets the job at the department store with the letter of recommendation from the sheriff.  As he is working he encounters intruders, these intruders don’t wish to steal anything besides food because they are hungry.  Now days there are similarities. Jobs are difficult to procure and to get one you must have an infallible resume and lots of recommendations.  Secondly when Chaplin gets a job at the factory again, the employees immediately go on strike, continuing their streak of unemployment. The same can be said, at times, currently. Workers in general are never content with their position, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But when there is a lack of job openings, one should be content with the fact that one actually has a job, promotion will come later.

Companies are still looking for ways to become more efficient, as was the factory in Modern Times. The lunch feeding machine puts this issue in to comical light, it also shows the difference between humans and machines. Humans can make mistakes but eventually learn and adapt, machines are programed and can make mistakes but have to be reprogrammed if such a thing happened. In the movie the Lunch machine was built and programmed to increase efficiency in the factory, but ultimately fails with hilarious results! Currently machines are replacing humans in assembly lines contributing to the problem stated in the previous paragraph, and are still making mistakes! One notable failure on the part of machine assembly lines was the Toyota breaking system problem in 2009-10. The machines in the Toyota assembly line were built to increase efficiency but ultimately failed just like the lunch feeding machine but with less hilarious results.

When people are unemployed, especially in current times, they begin to question the government. The same can be said in Modern Times. Chaplin is mistaken for a leader of a communist rally. The modern equivalent is the 99% movement in 2011-12. Both demonstrate the unemployed in masses and asking for employment equality. Another similarity can be drawn between the two. Neither worked. Obviously the US in not Communist nor has the 99% movement effected any change in employment.

Modern times is a hilarious comedy, it actually had me ROTF I was laughing so hard! But it is also addresses problems prevalent in 1936 as well as 2013. Unemployment, efficiency, and governmental protests are problems threatening the common man. Increasing efficiency in some cases leads to unemployment, which leads to protests and rallies against the government, which finally leads an unruly populace, not good at all for the government.