You're right people do revolt, but that doesn't topple the system. I mean by that logic capitalism and dictatorships should have long since passed. But they haven't. Because revolutions fail.
I'm sorry but what? I've no idea what you're talking about.
It seems like you're implying revolution is impossible and has never succeeded anywhere? I don't get your point here, at all.
Also I dispute your assertion that "if revolutions work, capitalism and dictatorships wouldn't exist".
The error you're making is that people being disenfranchised by a system means that out well be eradicated.
I strongly disagree.
And calling it "disenfranchised" is borderline facetious.
These people are put into a human hamster wheel of production with absolutely zero safety net outside of charity or begging. The main characters mother dies because she can't afford a bus trip.
The mistake you're making is comparing In Time to contemporary American society. It is nothing like America. The quality of life is nothing like America. I'd encourage you to think of a country more like Nigeria than America.
This is empirically and historically false.
Empirically false? Okay then. Source?
Also historically false? I don't even have to look back past 2011 for revolutions successfully toppling (multiple) dictatorships.
Yes, people attempt to move. One: not everyone does. Two: that doesn't improve the system in the place they are leaving. Three: there are still huge barriers to entree. Four: people move less within their own country. So like I said, people do not automatically leave their negative circumstances and even when they attempt to it is incredibly difficult as you say yourself. In other words success is rare. As we see in the film. They literally have paying toll blockades.
To be honest from this paragraph it seems to me like you've completely missed the point of my plothole...
You're acting as if I'm saying everyone will simply say "thank you, kind sir, but I don't agree with this system and I'd like to lawfully immigrate to another country". That's not what I'm saying, at all.
What I'm saying is that, firstly, this system would never be set up in the first place and secondly if it ever did then people would never stand for having a shorter life span and lower quality of life than a bunch of shoeless African nomads. People simply wouldn't stand for it, they would revolt. They wouldn't go anywhere.
But the overhead for this procedure seems incredibly high and I can't imagine that people wouldn't find a way to hack it. But I suppose that is treated the same way as counterfeiting.
They do find a way to hack it and manipulate the system, hence the time keepers in the film.