The Poor as a Political People

The Running Man

This flow traces Ben’s movement from isolated individual to someone who recognizes collective identity among the poor.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Isolation in Co-Op City Isolation in Co-Op City from "The Running Man". Alone Among Millions Social Fragmentation Co-Op City contains millions of unemployed people, but the population lacks organized power.

Isolation in Co-Op City from "The Running Man". Alone Among Millions Social Fragmentation Co-Op City contains millions of unemployed people, but the population lacks organized power.

Alone Among Millions Social Fragmentation Co-Op City contains millions of unemployed people, but the population lacks organized power. Free-Vee keeps neighbors watching instead of meeting. Private Survival Ben initially thinks only of Sheila Richards and Catherine Sarah Richards. His isolation is emotional as well as economic.

Stacey’s Alley Stacey’s Alley from "The Running Man". Informal Solidarity A Child Helps Stacey shelters Ben and buys medicine for Cassie.

Informal Solidarity A Child Helps Stacey shelters Ben and buys medicine for Cassie. The child’s assistance is risky, improvised, and independent of official institutions. Mutual Obligation Ben pays Stacey, but the exchange becomes more than commerce. Each recognizes the other’s vulnerability and capacity.

Bradley’s Library Bradley’s Library from "The Running Man". Education Against Free-Vee Stolen Access Bradley Throckmorton and his friends steal library access because poverty excludes them from knowledge.

Bradley’s Library from "The Running Man". Education Against Free-Vee Stolen Access Bradley Throckmorton and his friends steal library access because poverty excludes them from knowledge.

Education Against Free-Vee Stolen Access Bradley Throckmorton and his friends steal library access because poverty excludes them from knowledge. Reading becomes a form of clandestine organization. Political Formation They learn how pollution data has been suppressed. The group’s intelligence challenges the Network’s claim that the poor are ignorant by nature.

The Roadside Crowd The Roadside Crowd from "The Running Man". The Poor Stand Watching Uneasy Spectators Poor residents gather on one side of the road while middle-class spectators gather on the other.

The Roadside Crowd from "The Running Man". The Poor Stand Watching Uneasy Spectators Poor residents gather on one side of the road while middle-class spectators gather on the other.

The Poor Stand Watching Uneasy Spectators Poor residents gather on one side of the road while middle-class spectators gather on the other. The social division becomes visible geography. Potential Power Their presence prevents an easy execution and produces clashes with police. Ben sees that collective presence can alter the state’s calculations.

The People Below The People Below from "The Running Man". Returning to His Own City as Community Ben flies over Co-Op City and sees the poor neighborhoods beneath the machine. He is no longer merely escaping them.

The People Below from "The Running Man". Returning to His Own City as Community Ben flies over Co-Op City and sees the poor neighborhoods beneath the machine. He is no longer merely escaping them.

Returning to His Own City as Community Ben flies over Co-Op City and sees the poor neighborhoods beneath the machine. He is no longer merely escaping them. A Collective Target The Games Building stands above the people whose suffering finances its entertainment. Ben’s final attack is shaped by the belief that the poor have been made into a political people.

before Ben enters the Games

after the sewer escape

before the Manchester escape

during the Rockland standoff

during the final descent toward Harding