Philosophy in The Best Show Ever Made: Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Number one in the hood, 'g
On this web page, I will examine some of the interesting philosophical issues tackled by the show on Cartoon Network, specifically during their nighttime [Adult Swim] programming.
Wait, what did you just say?
You haven't seen it before?
First of all, if you are my friend and you a) haven't seen the show or b) don't like it, you probably should reconsider your status as my 'friend'.
Second, go to [adult swim] 's website and find the next time its on, because they occasionally change their programming, and its also about time you took initiative in your own life, and especially for your own benefit.
If you aren't at a computer, or don't have internet access, which means you can't be seeing this web page in the first place, you need to come to find me on campus, at Villanova, so you can watch the DVDs with me. Under no circumstance do they leave my room, mind you.
But just to get your interest piqued, here is the premise:
A group of 3 roommates fight crime, alien invasions and domestic disturbances using their super powers. The 3 are Frylock, a floating box of French fries with a genius IQ, Master Shake, a smack talking, no bullshit dude that happens to be a milkshake, and Meatwad, a retarded meatball.
They also have a next door neighbor, Carl, who, like most people from southern New Jersey, are assholes. He is your representative, you jerks. Forward hate mail to him.
Oh yeah, and there's a lot of good jokes about New Jersey, since you won't find anyplace like it except for a third world country.
Now, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, philosophy. There are several quotes from the show that immediately referenced themselves to famous philosophers throughout the ages. I will comment on each.
Season 3 - Episode: "The Dressing"
Meatwad: I added food coloring.. cause it's a holiday. But it turned black.. cause I added all the food coloring I have. And I ate this butter straight outta the tub.. cause it taste good. There's a reason behind everything.
Should we take this quote at face value, the most critical part of it comes at the end: "There's a reason behind everything." As Meatwad lists all his action, he proceeds to a conclusion, namely, that all the things that he did had a reason behind them.
We then should look to Leibniz, one of the less famous early modern philosophers.
According to Leibniz's logical processes, most especially the Principle of Sufficient Reason, will fall the layman's phrase, "everything happens for a reason". Under the Principle of Sufficient Reason, all the possible actions and events that could take place must be preceded by another fact that explains the second. The following act, then, falls into relation with the first, making every single one of an infinite number of events have a relation to some kind of previous fact. When faced with two possible futures, there is always a reason for one taking place and other not taking place.
Now, we have to understand why Meatwad said what he did.
First, he talks about the food coloring. It is a mystery throughout the episode why the beans in his tacos were black and mushy. So, he explains this. Then, he explains why he is holding a half eaten stick of butter. While it may appear simple, we have to understand that Meatwad was attempting to point out a metaphysical causality theory to someone.
And who was he talking to? A robot turkey.
Could Meatwad be attempting to find a soul in a robot. While the robot shows human qualities (he gets intoxicated, he appears to get angry), Meatwad took it to the next level, and pulled a philosophical concept and brought it to the forefront of the dinner conversation. Of course, it was mostly ignored by the Turkitron, but the fact that Meatwad said it in the first place shows his deep understanding of the Principle of Sufficient Reason.
Season 3 - Episode: "The Clowning"
Master Shake: "Don't chain me down with your...manners!"
One word to start out this analysis: Nietzsche.
Master Shake embodies the proverbial Nietzschean Man, because, as an almost immoral bastard, he still retains an amount of sympathy that does not border on nihilism.
In any case, Master Shake embodies Nietzsche in this quote. For those who don't know, Nietzsche was, in my humble opinion, the most important moral philosopher ever to have written. His work on the deconstruction of the origin of morals cannot be pushed away when studying philosophical history and theory. Nietzsche attacked the problem from the start of it: from history, examining the terms behind those things known as morals or, in Master Shakes case, manners.
Manners, and their counterparts, morals, through Nietzsche end up being a system imposed by a less proactive system of morality known as slave morality. For Nietzsche, it was the Jews that embodied the nature of slave morality, because of the nature of their own history. Nietzsche believed that because the Jews had always been persecuted, they had eventually gained a cultural norm of putting down those in power. "Nobility" and the concepts behind the word then became synonymous with "greedy" and a list of other properties that were far from virtuous. The real drive behind human kind has to do with biological function, not some abstract set of morals imposed by a Christian God.
Hence, when Shake responds to Frylock with this phrase, we can assume that he is referring to an abstract Nietzschean notion of the chains built by manners, ie, the holds that manners put on all humanity and their ambitions.
It could be argued that Shake borders on nihilist, but he also seems to be an embodiment of rebellion. That is a subject for another discussion, however.
Season 3 - Episode: "THE"
Frylock: What're y'all doin'..tonight?
Ignignokt: Well I wonder who wants to know.
Frylock: All right, look. I know we've had a lot of differences in the
past, but uh...
Ignignokt: But what? I've hacked into your mind. You're having a party
and no one's showing up.
Frylock: No... but how did you know that?
Ignignokt: Sadness surrounds us, doesn't it Err?
Err: Sadness is for poor people!
Ignignokt: We may be able to squeeze you by, but we can't promise
anything. We're busy.
Err: We're busy!
Ignignokt: Because on the moon, our weekends are so far advanced, they
encompass the entire week.
Err: That is right.
Ignignokt: Jobs have been fazed out..by our minds.
Err: We get checks from the government, and we spend it on beer!
Mexican beer!
Ignignokt: That's the cheapest of all beers.
Father, forgive them; for they don't know what they do.
Luke 23:34
When religion and philosophy mix, you usually have some very, very violent reactions from both sides. Mainly because reasoning is not a necessary component of religion. While its possible to reason on the nature of God, in religion, a person can go through life without the reasoning and still be considered a true believer.
What we see here is Frylock, a genius personality, forgive the previous actions of Ignignokt and Err, and invite them to a party he is having. Their reaction presents a mix of philosophy, moral reasoning and religion that boggles the mind.
First, Frylock forgives them and puts aside the differences. Admirable in all sorts of ways, it embodies the above biblical quote.
Ignignokt: But what? I've hacked into your mind.
You're having a party and no one's showing up.
Frylock: No... but how did you know that?
Ignignokt: Sadness surrounds us, doesn't it Err?
Err: Sadness is for poor people!
And then, we have the reaction by the mooninites. "Sadness surrounds us"? That sounds similiar to a similar relgion to Christianity, namely, Buddhism!
188-Those who have gone for
refuge to the Buddha, his Teaching and his Order, penetrate with wisdom the Four
Noble Truths--suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and
the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the cessation of suffering.189-This
indeed is the safe refuge, this is the refuge supreme. Having gone to such a
refuge, one is released from all suffering.
-The Dhammapada, the Word of the Buddha
Here, we have two opposing schools of thought: in Buddhism, the world is merely a place of suffering. Desires seek to conquer the soul and the mind, and through the learning of the 4 Noble Truths and the the completing of the Eightfold Path, one can stop all suffering in their lives, and reach a plane of existence where there is no suffering.
On the other hand, in Christianity, it is a very, very well known fact that God Almighty, who created the world, created it, in essence, as good. The suffering lies in human flaws.
Err then says: "Sadness is for poor people."
This completely negates all Christian AND Buddhist thought. Suffering coming to those who have not the luxury of money? Quite the claim, Err.
And then proceeds on of the best Aqua Teen Hunger Force quotes ever, about the weekend. I'll let you analyze that yourself.