A key moment in the film occurs when John Nada, a homeless drifter, discovers a handful of cheap-looking sunglasses, referred to as Hoffman lenses. Grabbing a pair and exiting the church, he starts walking down a busy urban street. Sliding the sunglasses on his face, Nada is shocked to see a society bombarded and controlled on every side by subliminal messages beamed at them from every direction. Billboards are transformed into authoritative messages: a bikini-clad woman in one ad is replaced with the words "MARRY AND REPRODUCE." Magazine racks scream "CONSUME" and "OBEY." A wad of dollar bills in a vendor's hand proclaims, "THIS IS YOUR GOD."
This is the subtle message of They Live, an apt analogy of our own distorted vision of life in the American police state. These things are in plain sight, but from the time we are born until the time we die, we are indoctrinated into believing that those who rule us do it for our good. The truth, far different, is that those who rule us don't really see us as human beings with dignity and worth. They see us as if "we're livestock."
It's only once Nada's eyes have been opened that he is able to see the truth. Disillusioned and fed up with the lies and distortions, Nada is finally ready to fight back. What about you?
As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the warning signs have been cautioning us for decades. Oblivious to what lies ahead, most have ignored the obvious. We've been manipulated into believing that if we continue to consume, obey, and have faith, things will work out. But that's never been true of emerging regimes. And by the time we feel the hammer coming down upon us, it will be too late.
The message: take the warning signs seriously. And take action because the paths to destruction are well disguised by those in control.
This is the lesson of history.
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