The Debt Ceiling, in Pop Culture

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Enlisting readers in a hunt for answers.

During the financial crisis, the bank-run scene from “It’s A Wonderful Life” proved a useful pop-culture reference for helping people understand what was happening to the economy.

Enlisting readers in a hunt for answers.

This whole debt ceiling debacle and its potential consequences are similarly confusing, especially if you’re just tuning in now. It would be nice if there were a similar popular allusion to help people make sense of the debate. Yesterday I asked the Twitterverse for suggestions, and so far I’ve heard “Thelma and Louise,”  the end of “Planet of the Apes” and “Jackass: The Movie.“ Those aren’t exactly the kind of analogies I was looking for, but hey, they’re amusing all the same.

So readers, what do you think? Is there a film or other cultural touchstone that can help people understand the debt limit discussions and their potential consequences?