Understand the Game: Why Speed Racer is NOT a Sociopath
Content:
Critique:
A man of Speed Racer's skillset is not someone who you compete with unless you intend to go all the way. Even then, the legendary Mach 5 is known for leaving the dreams of others in the dust. In fact, if your opponent is a guy whose literally named Speed Racer, do yourself a favor and dropout.
The video begins with Speed receiving a call on his radio from his girlfriend, Trixie. In a frantic, she desperately begs Speed to sacrifice his undefeated record for another driver. Hap Hazard, the brother of Eloisa Hazard, is allegedly participating in this prix in order to save his sister's life. A righteous cause. Well, until you start to ask yourself some very basic, but important questions.
The mind of a keyboard warrior is absolutely frightening. If my family member, or loved one is in dire need of money to finance a treatment the first, and most logical thing I should do, is take a lavish race car through a track that loops through and around various obstacles. Now, I can see how this detail may not have been very apparent to those who just passively watched the video; however, I was left in a John Travolta level of dumbfounded-ness as I saw hundreds of people slandering Speed as a callous businessman. There was only one person I saw defending Speed's actions.
As Irok pointed out, there is nothing stopping Speed from donating the prize money, the amount of which is worth $10,000—$80,000 in 2021. Now, as I said before, the last thing I would be doing is taking an expensive race car easily worth tens of thousands of dollars through a redneck's backyard derby. There is just an abundance of options readily available to a man like Hap. He could have mentioned this tragic situation to Speed before the race, sold his car to another driver, or even Speed himself, used the car as collateral for a loan, etc. I could literally talk until I were delirious about potential solutions.
I wish I could have just said, "this is a cartoon," nothing more or less. Unfortunately, an uncomfortable number of people misinterpreted this clip. You have to be a glib ego-maniac to call upon an undefeated driver last minute and ask them to throw their life's work aside for you, a complete stranger. Speed is not a sociopath. If anything, he is a man whom—
"will keep the main thing the main thing" — Shane Law.
Additionally, what is not shown in this clip is that Trixie and the rest of the passengers in the helicopter eventually betray Speed by getting him disqualified. Yep, the people begging Speed to throw away his career of his own volition, end up tarnishing it illegitimately for their OWN selfish desires. So, moral of the story, keep the real estate between your ears iron tight. Speed understands the game, and he must accept that other's: Trixie, Hap, etc. will do what they must to serve their interests first.
P.S. great cartoon.