The Gods Must Be Crazy

The film, “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” is set in the Kalahari desert and studies two very differing cultures. The very primitive Bushmen contrast sharply with the modern society that is just six hundred miles away. The narrator explains that the Bushmen live in a gentle world with “no stone, concrete or steel” and they have no ownership, they live a simple, primitive, happy life. Modern people have not adapted to their environment and have “sentenced their children to 12 – 15 years” to learn how to survive before being pushed out into the civilized world. Through multiple intertwining storylines, the movie criticizes the unsettled life of civilized men versus the rich, happy, possessionless life of the Bushmen.

One aspect that sharply contrasts the two cultures is the amount of possessions they own. The Bushmen have none, and modern man strives to own as much as possible. One day an empty Coke bottle is tossed from an airplane and discovered by a Bushman named Xi. He believes it has been sent from the Gods and everyone in the group suddenly has a “need” to use it. This object creates so much conflict that Xi decides to travel to the end of the earth and throw away “the evil thing” to bring peace back to their group. He believes “the Gods must be crazy” for sending this object.  Meanwhile, modern society is portrayed as being a slave to the clock in order to make more money to buy more possessions.  Ironically, at the end of the movie Xi is offered money for helping a scientist, yet he leaves without it; he has no need for money in his rich world.

Another contrast between the two societies is the peaceful nature of the Bushmen versus the violent nature of “civilized man”. The Bushmen are a gentle, peaceful people. They don’t fight, or argue, and their children are never reprimanded. When they must kill an animal for food (and that is the only reason they would kill an animal) they first tranquilize it. Before killing it they explain to the animal that it will supply food to their family. During the movie a band of terrorists force their way into a government meeting and start shooting people. For the rest of the movie they travel across the land destroying, stealing, killing and taking hostages. The actions of this group reflect poorly on the civilized world.

The amounts of fear each culture experiences are also in sharp contrast. Because of their very nature, the Bushmen are relaxed, trusting people. They don’t see the bad in anyone and have no reason to fear anyone. When Xi encounters strangers on his journey to the end of the earth, he greets them in a friendly manner. When he sees a gun lying on the ground, he picks it up and thinks that it is a “strange stick”, he doesn’t fear it as a weapon; he has never been taught to be afraid of guns. A Bushman wears only a loincloth and doesn’t fear what people will think of him for his attire. In contrast fear is a prevailing theme with civilized men. In the movie, when the scientist, Andrew Steyn picks up the new teacher, Kate Thompson, a series of mishaps occur, causing Kate to believe that Andrew is trying to take advantage of or attack her. In one instance, Andrew had built a fire to keep them warm because they were stranded and suddenly put it out because a rhinoceros was coming toward them. Andrew knew the rhinoceros would come toward the fire and trample them as it attempted to trample the fire. Kate assumed he was trying to make it dark so he could take advantage of her. Andrew is also a study in a different type of fear. He is so shy and awkward he can’t be himself around Kate and always makes a bad impression upon her. He is so afraid of what someone thinks about him that he can’t relax and be himself. 

I feel that this movie sent a very strong message about true happiness. The Bushmen while they have no possessions, no modern technology, hardly any clothing, they live in peace and happiness. While we as a “civilized society” are constantly in turmoil, fighting our fellow man, worried about how to get more of everything and what people think of us. I feel the movie teaches us to find peace with each other and happiness in a simpler existence.