This sub has correctly identified that Dune contains many neoliberal themes, particularly worms.
However, The King of Queens is far more neoliberal, and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.
TKOQ (I’m gonna call it that from now on), is an intimate look at the micro level of neoliberalism and the “boots on the ground” of everyday Americans.
We all love global supply chains and efficiency, and what represents that better than International Parcel Service (IPS)? Trade is good, and Doug Heffernan helps flow goods from all around the world to hard working folks like F. Moynihan in Queens.
Carrie represents upward mobility that neoliberals seek to enable. She consistently tries to optimize, encouraging Doug to get a promotion, networking within law firms.. Carrie views the world as a series of market opportunities to be seized.
And what would neoliberalism be without a succ to laugh at? Enter Arthur Spooner, a vanguard of the old left. Arthur is a former communist, whose critiques of capitalism and support of the USSR (even criticizing Ukraine like modern leftists) are laughable, since the audience knows that there is no viable alternative to the market in TKOQ’s universe (or ours, for that matter).
A common storyline in TKOQ is solving problems through consumption, whether it’s a big screen TV, renovating the office, or envying an above ground hot tub.
Doug’s friend group personifies the big tent: Deacon, Danny, and Spence are a multicultural, middle class coalition that exists with minimal racial and social friction.
The show even touches on the housing theory of everything, in the final season. Carrie desires to move to high density Manhattan (YIMBY), while Doug prefers to stay in the low density suburbs (NIMBY). Unfortunately, the writing deteriorated in the last season, and the NIMBY won, but at least they did their part to increase the fertility rate while doing so.
tl;dr: Vox.com has not been neoliberalism for a while, but now neither is Dune. All hail Doug Heffernan.