It's the Individual that's finished.

This is the final Howard Beale speech in the movie Network. Most people cite his former speeches because they're empowering and harshly criticizing of the people and the system, but the movie ends on this sad note.

Thanks for getting this to 10k views, guys!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Network
• Howard
• Beale
• Peter
• Finch
• Democracy
• Dying
• Giant
• Individual
• Finished
• dehumanization

[roachy333]

This is the most profound quote from the film imo and it really registered with me.

however...

The idea that 'flourishing freedom' was meant for all...is incredibly niave imo. You've only got to look at basic history to see that freedom was never a given....for anyone.

The American ideal of freedom...is a nonsense. Free to buy and sell in the market place...I'm struggling for anything else.

Finished? It never really started.

Ned Beatty's character....summed it up even better than Beale.

[woohookittys]

@roachy333 He's not saying that freedom was given to everyone all or that all men had it at one time in the past. He's saying the notion that this country is any longer devoted to the ideal of freedom and flourishing for every citizen is dead. It never achieved it but at the very least it paid it lip service and tried more so than most nations in the world, but it does so no longer.

[roachy333]

@woohookittys

The profound part of the speech is where he talks about the death of individuality & the individual.....the key being how societies are... 'en-masse' homogenised and rinsed of their individuality....to become automatons to the bigger machine.

[woohookittys]

@roachy333 That is the observable reality of it but my explanation was to evoke the romantic tragedy of Mr. Beale's situation. He realized what could have been and while his efforts were fruitful they were inevitably beaten down. Only after the situation was already hopeless did he and his viewers realize what they might have had.

[mjohnson1915]

People like to overlook this scene.

[woohookittys]

@mjohnson1915 It's a rather depressing scene is why. The quote, "What is finished... is the idea that this great country is dedicated to the freedom and flourishing of every individual in it." is probably the most chilling line in the movie.

[tokwok2]

Well this deserves more views...

[sinschild07]

@TheTrueScource They were put on hold because everyone got mad. Now, if only all of Texas got mad, then maybe Lamar Smith would be out on the streets where he fucking belongs, along with 85% of other members in Congress.

[TheTrueScource]

my thoughts of the SOPA and PIPA situation....

[GothChristianPatriot]

@roachy333 EuropeanChavesky wrote that America would be.After all they secularized their society and globalized and federalized it. Now they aren't reproducing nor are they interested in closing borders because they wish to use non whites as their servants and sex toys. They insulted the Honor of each European nation's sovereignty by creating the EU. If they fall apart it is because they fully accepted the globalist scheme long before America.

[Toasty373]

@Lava91point0 If people had heeded Carlin's words then we wouldn't be as bad as we are now

[SomeOne9213]

@kuro5hin420 This is by far the smartest comment I've ever read on Youtube.

[T00LIZATION]

@woohookittys its industrialism that killed the individual in this country. people work longs hours in repetative jobs that dont make you think. we have very few philosphers, craftsmen, artist.. and we work 10-12 hours a day with about 3 hours left at the end of the day to eat, take a shower, shit, kiss your spouse good night and thats about it and then you wake up and do it all over again. with no time to sit and let your mind think for long. jobs are a factory line not a craft.

[pauleypauleypauley]

i randomly grabbed this movie from a bit torrent a couple years ago and i still have to say it is one of my favorite films. a perfect film

[tceBansai]

Worst Eastenders character EVER.

[kuro5hin420]

I see a lot of people here peddling answers, half truths, fake truths, crack pot conspiracies, gods, guru's and prophets. I am not here to do any of that. I am simply here to remind those of you who don't fall into the above catagory, the intended audience for these comments, that these people are no different from the man in the suit with the nice hair on the television.

Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who tells you they have the answer to all your problems is full of shit.

[Lava91point0]

As a comedian once said, Freedom is a state of mind, if you have to be at work for 9 tell em to fuck themselves cus ur comin in at 10:30. That's freedom.simple. You all have the will power to turn away from the t.v and read a book, but most of you won't cause things like big brother and jersey shore are a part of your lives, it's the only thing youve got to talk about other than sex and money. It's time to wake the fuck up, seriously.

[MyEccentricMind]

@woohookittys That line kills my emotions.

[roachy333]

@woohookittys

Fair enough...but that's what my point is....it NEVER was devoted to the ideal....even from the get go...lip service to it is meaningless and more fitting to kidology and brainwashing. If folk want to be this naive about nostalgia...let them, but I won't agree.

[RevolutionRequired]

Ideas are bulletproof.

E N D

T H E

F E D

Google revolutionrequired

[WillofIceandIron]

I love the remark 'This deserves more views'. That's kinda the point, isn't it? People don't like to hear the truth when it's ugly. They'd rather take refuge in an idea, any idea, whether it be God or political ideology or the quick fix, or even just take refuge in an emotion like anger or laughter. That is why this speech, this terrible but probably accurate speech, will never get as many views as 'I'm mad as Hell'.

[velveteyes79]

@ListlessCraving Seek the ALLmighty! Let the spirit fill,guide and protect you! the truth sets you free it may be painful at first but it's good for you, lies are are easy to digest but they harm you.....:)

[ck1kid]

Watch it, learn it, live it.

[Lukyo1984]

I find it interesting that the Zeitgeist movie mentions the beginning rants of Howard Beale rather selectively but doesn't mention this one.

[andmaketherain]

This scene should be QFT (Quoted for Truth).

[Mr19841504]

@dljc1979 we must believe to in something that have no chance,but in the most darken night,ift the sun will shine even for a second,the world will be a better place!

[honorabili]

@dljc1979 in RL the badguys always win; anything else is a lie