Sleep Now In The Fire Analysis

Sleep Now in the Fire: an Outcry Against the Cost of Avarice Wealth and power are powerful motivators for people and civilizations. While there are many people who have a more altruistic and minimal lifestyle, much of the leadership of our capitalist society draws from a pool of people who see acquisition of wealth as a symbol of a successful life. It is the American Dream to be able to show through such outward symbols as home ownership and vacations that one is moving upward in economic status. However, it has reached the point in America that much of the wealth is concentrated with only a small percentage of people and a large part of the population has found upward mobility unattainable. The conflict between the wealthy and the rest of the people is becoming a common topic of public debate and, despite being over 15 years old, the music video for “Sleep Now in the Fire” by Rage Against the Machine is still a
A golden title screen introduces the fake game show as “Who Wants to be Filthy F#&%ing Rich?”, a spoof on a popular show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” During the game show in the “Sleep Now in the Fire” video contestants are asked to choose between two answers to questions about poverty or the economy and consistently choose the more optimistic answer. The players are all confused when their choice turns out to be wrong and the economic realities are much bleaker than they expected. These scenes are portraying the ignorance of some of the population and asking people to learn the truth about where the money is in America. Meanwhile, back on Wall Street, the band continues to play until the police decide to end the disruption. Large rolling metal doors crash down around the building and Moore is handcuffed while the band is escorted away. These are people who want to be heard, even risking arrest to make their