I think that's the point here. How close the fictional universe it to the real. Verhoeven's film, like most art, was made on reflection. Similarly this essay is

I think that's the point here. How close the fictional universe it to the real. Verhoeven's film, like most art, was made on reflection. Similarly this essay is making a point by referring to, and building on, previous points that have been made ... it is entirely relevant. Moreso, the fact that this film is so misunderstood suggests that it was an exception to its genre. Most science fiction and westerns are set as they are, in space or on a vast prairie, so as to remove all noise and closely examine an area of human interest. If not explicit, they are absolutely intended to be relevant.