Two White Guys Solve All the World’s Problems

Quondam Dreams—Planetarium Auditorium

I chose this show because I had a feeling I might be in for a good laugh. Not to sound jaded, but I do think there are a certain amount of serious problems in the world that need addressing and thought that maybe these guys might have some insight. Who knows right? They might be onto something.

The story takes place at one man’s cabin in the woods (cottage at the lake? That sounds less sinister). His friend, going through a rough patch, arrives for some R&R. We quickly realize however that he is a very unrelaxed, very worked up and very misguided about the world and his place in it.

What follows is an interesting discussion between a man who has isolated himself, off the grid, in his cabin and is choosing to relax and enjoy life. He has chosen to remove himself from mainstream life and get away from the problems and make the most of his time here doing what he loves. The other, however, is angry, ignorant, and honestly a bit of a misogynistic dick. His divorce is his wife’s fault, he had no choice but to make seriously bad decisions, he’s a victim here, and issues in society are because of immigrants, or the LGBT community, or anyone he can point a finger of blame at with zero self reflection. Nothing is his fault and life is unfair and the world is a mess and he is SO angry (and wrong).

I felt, at least to my own hopes, that despite the claim to the contrary in the title, that nothing actually WAS solved by the end of the show. We see two friends who have very different views on the world argue, debate and ultimately disagree on major issues. Which is not uncommon. I spent most of the show cringing at the ignorant, insensitive and asinine opinions of the troubled man, uncomfortable with the knowledge that these twisted beliefs are not fabricated; its becoming clear that this violent ignorance is everywhere.

While I feel as thought the show ended suddenly and nothing was really solved, I think what I learnt is that yes, the world is a mess, but there is also a lot of good in it. The real place to start solving problems is being able to reflect on our own actions and how we ourselves can make changes for the better. The show is funny, relatable, and informative I suppose. Even though I share NONE of the opinions of our troubled divorcee.

Calantha Jensen