WEBVTT 00:00:08.838 --> 00:00:11.208 Greetings, and welcome to Earthling Cinema. 00:00:11.218 --> 00:00:13.878 This week we are looking at Mean Girls, the 2004 smash 00:00:13.878 --> 00:00:14.917 hit written by onetime Vice Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. 00:00:14.917 --> 00:00:18.478 hit written by onetime Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. 00:00:18.478 --> 00:00:23.298 A true departure from Palin's other work, the film documents the sociopolitical climate 00:00:23.298 --> 00:00:28.428 of the American "high school," one of the most terrifying and dangerous places on Earth. 00:00:28.428 --> 00:00:33.098 Our protagonist is Cady Heron, a teen-aged human female who was raised on the continent 00:00:33.098 --> 00:00:37.978 of Africa. Africa was inhabited primarily by animals, so when Cady's family moves to 00:00:37.978 --> 00:00:44.418 the American province of Illinois, she must interact with other humans for the first time. 00:00:44.418 --> 00:00:48.508 Cady quickly discovers that her posh life in the plains of Africa could never prepare 00:00:48.508 --> 00:00:52.328 her for the brutal savagery of the American public school system. 00:00:54.838 --> 00:00:59.858 We are introduced to their social order in a highly anthropological manner 00:01:03.698 --> 00:01:08.958 ...much in the same way Cady's zoologist parents would classify the five animal species of Africa: 00:01:09.118 --> 00:01:11.798 horses, tall horses, dogs, birds, 00:01:11.878 --> 00:01:13.288 and... 00:01:15.498 --> 00:01:22.308 These subdivisions form the basis of the American "high school" experience: segregation, ostracization, 00:01:22.308 --> 00:01:26.867 and humiliation, not necessarily in that order. Though there are adult humans present, they 00:01:26.867 --> 00:01:32.908 are largely decorative. The school is controlled by a student named Regina George. 00:01:32.908 --> 00:01:38.107 Her first name, Regina, comes from the word regis...which means "king" in Latin, the primary 00:01:38.107 --> 00:01:42.217 language of Earth. And her last name, George, is a reference to either the British ruler 00:01:42.217 --> 00:01:46.088 from whom America took its independence...or the clown prince of New York. 00:01:46.088 --> 00:01:48.388 Either way, royalty. 00:01:48.388 --> 00:01:52.468 Regina rules with an iron fist, implementing a strict dress code 00:01:56.318 --> 00:02:00.918 and striking fear in the hearts of anyone who would dare cross her, and most who wouldn't. 00:02:04.858 --> 00:02:11.038 As part of her royal duties, Regina uses an official ledger to keep track of all the females in her class. 00:02:13.058 --> 00:02:17.358 It becomes a sort of bible, which is appropriate, since, like Earth's Christian bible, it's 00:02:17.358 --> 00:02:19.858 just a list of people's names and some rumors about them. 00:02:19.858 --> 00:02:24.917 The religion of "high school" is a complicated one with constantly shifting mores and attitudes, 00:02:24.918 --> 00:02:29.478 but it basically boils down to this: math is gross, and clothes are everything. 00:02:31.658 --> 00:02:35.087 The "American Dream" is to walk confidently down hallways. 00:02:35.087 --> 00:02:40.288 Also important is their preoccupation with locking mouths, a pagan ritual meant to indicate 00:02:40.288 --> 00:02:41.188 approval. 00:02:41.188 --> 00:02:45.388 But despite the peaceful coexistence of many disparate groups, there is tension in the ranks. 00:02:47.318 --> 00:02:51.818 Regina is a dictator continuing in the footsteps of such noted tyrants as Adolf 00:02:51.818 --> 00:02:54.958 Hitler, Jimmy Carter, and Julius Caesar. 00:02:57.848 --> 00:03:03.158 And like them, she would eventually be overthrown. Indeed, as the total annihilation of the human 00:03:03.158 --> 00:03:09.867 species would later prove, all great dynasties must eventually fall. As is typically the 00:03:09.867 --> 00:03:13.807 case, this revolution is spurred by the proletariat. 00:03:13.807 --> 00:03:20.807 Together, the outcasts stage a coup to oust their leader using undercover espionage, military 00:03:23.188 --> 00:03:30.188 strategy, and biological warfare. 00:03:33.338 --> 00:03:37.718 At the end of the film, Regina's throne has been usurped and Cady is coronated. However, 00:03:37.777 --> 00:03:44.248 she rejects the crown, dismantling the monarchy in favor of a new, more egalitarian system: 00:03:44.248 --> 00:03:45.548 Communism. 00:03:46.158 --> 00:03:52.118 For Earthling Cinema, I am Garyx Wormuloid. To see more exciting Earth action, hit the subscribe 00:03:52.118 --> 00:03:53.538 button.