It is a movie that I have been wanting to watch for awhile (mostly just to catch a glimpse at young Robert DeNiro~), one that is critically acclaimed, but most importantly, it is a film that was produced before this era of woke garbage. I am talking, of course, about the movie Taxi Driver.
- SPOILERS AHEAD -
Now, we have a bit of an oldie here! Our story takes place in 1970s New York City. If you are unfamiliar with the time period, then you may be unaware of the decay that was occurring in the state during the time. It was a time of economic crisis: hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost, just as many people began to flee the city, and as such, many buildings ended up becoming abandoned. Landlords would set fire to their buildings just to collect the insurance money! As a result of this, degenerates--thieves, killers, and pimps--began to run the streets of New York...
In the thick of this, we meet Travis Bickle, a 26-year-old war veteran who, surprisingly enough, wants to become a late-night taxi driver. Already Travis is quite a troubled man. He lives alone, deals with constant insomnia, and is frequently disgusted by the state of his city and the people that inhabit it. He spends his days attending pornographic movie theatres, lazily trying to pick up women, and having meaningless conversations with his coworkers. As the audience looking in, we can already recognize that, although Travis once had something worth fighting for--which was literally fighting for his home country--he no longer has a purpose. What's more, the one thing that gave him purpose is slowly slipping away: he is losing sight of the humanity of people, the people that he once fought for...
One day during his shift, Travis encounters a beautiful woman named Betsy. He immediately becomes infatuated with her and even works up the courage to ask her on a date! She agrees. They attend a coffeeshop together, where they both realize that there is a connection between them and want to learn more about one another.
However, on their second date, a date to a pornographic film, Betsy is disgusted and refuses to speak to Travis afterward. Travis begins to grow angry and resentful, claiming that Betsy is "just like all the rest of them."
Travis ceases to idolize Betsy, and as a result, loses his newfound "purpose," retreating further into his loathing. He continues to witness debauchery and destruction; at one point, even a child prostitute enters his taxi. It is becoming too much for him.
Towards the end, Travis' new purpose becomes dedicated to violence and revenge: he seeks to assassinate Betsy's employer, and eventually the pimps of the child prostitute.
Although Taxi Driver was produced nearly 50 years ago, it has done a wonderful job of predicting the state of young men living in western society today. Now more than ever, men are becoming alienated from society simply for being men/masculine. Everything that once used to give men meaning and purpose is slowly being stripped away from them: masculinity, being in a loving relationship, being the breadwinner, providing for a family, engaging in physical, strenuous activity... Similar to Travis, when men are devoid of purpose--are constantly demonized for who they are--their emotions manifest in a negative way. They begin to search for meaning in the wrong places, idolize the wrong things, associate with the wrong people... This horrible perception of men has left many of them feeling isolated, and this effect has resulted in an increase in angry, vengeful men, mass shooters, "incels," etc. in today's society.
Even at the end of the movie, after Travis is perceived as a hero, he is still left with so many feelings of negativity and anger, showing the audience that the damage has already been done. This is the most important thing to take away from the film. We need to do better for men. We cannot continue to view masculinity in such a negative light--they are necessary traits that we need in people--lest we end up with more Travis Bickle's in our society...