OK, I’ve been quiet on this up to now, and most likely will go back to being quiet after I say this since no matter what I say, I’m not gonna change anyone’s mind. That being said, I still need to vent.
I’ve been an avid watcher of a couple of pop culture critic channels, mainly because I tend to agree with most of what they say about current year media. They rag on identity politics, SJW’s taking over Hollywood, and how ‘woke’ philosophy is killing movie franchises as they try to use beloved IP’s to piggyback their ideology onto it. The MCU, Star Wars, Indiana Jones…and many more to come are destined to be utterly rejected by the mainstream and end up losing money.
Now, if these guys just stayed in their lane, poked fun at the woke and kept it light-hearted, that would be cool. Let’s all sit there and be smug, chanting ‘I told you so’ as we watch Hollywood implode under the weight of its own delusional arrogance.
But of course, hubris is not just the property of the left, is it?
These guys have a show on Friday nights, and I’ve watched them a few times. I’m not normally a fan of the long-form, 2+ hour podcast style of video, but sometimes the subject matter can hold my attention. Now, when they start going off about movies, TV, music, etc. I can get on board with that. I mean I love movies, and for the amount of money people shell out at the theaters, there’s an expectation that you’ll be entertained, not lectured to. If I want to be preached at about my sins, I’ll go to church. When I go to the movies, I want to laugh, cry, jump, and see shit blow up.
However, popular as these guys are, and as much as I like their take on a lot of pop culture, the moment they get political I get ready to bounce. Now again, I’m in line with a lot of what they are. I believe in personal responsibility, smaller government, and I think Biden is going to burn America to the ground before he leaves office. However, where we diverge in our beliefs is the vaccine. Now to be fair, several people on the show have had COVID and made it through OK, for which I’m glad. They’re all ‘vaccine-skeptical,’ which is the kinder, gentler way of saying they’re anti-vax. They’re determined to not get the shot and take their chances. To them, it’s fuck masks, fuck mandates, and fuck all the sheeple out there who just conform.
Now again, it’s their choice; I don’t want to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to. Live and let live, right? OK fine. But when one of them goes to see a movie and decides to be an asshole to a couple of people who were masked up at the movie, that’s pushing it too far. The moment you start confronting people about their choice to mask up, or their choice to get the shot, or their choice to say ‘no mask? GTFO,’ then you’ve stepped in it. You’re just as much a piece of shit as those Karens and Kevins out there who demand special treatment despite not following the rules. Self-entitled, arrogant, and self-delusional.
Look. There’s a lot of fear out there right now. COVID has the world in its grip and while not everyone who gets it suffers overly much, there is still that possibility. Tell me, did you ever think that the people in those masks may have had to put a loved one in the ground? Or maybe they have someone in the hospital who’s fighting for their life in the ICU. But hey, that doesn’t matter, right? Just be an asshole to everyone to pick up that oh so precious media clout.
Sadly, this guy will never suffer repercussions. He’s pretty well-insulated from any reprisal from social media or someone parting his hair with a tire iron. Karma will no doubt give this guy a pass, and he has his crew to pat him on the back and enable him to continue being an asshole. Makes me wonder if his mama ever belted his ass for stepping out of line. Probably not, or he would have thought twice about saying anything in that theater.
Bullies exist on both sides of the political fence, and sadly they’re the ones that folks are listening to these days. Cancel culture, consequence culture…all these ‘cultures’ out there determined to keep us divided. Seems that for all this talk of equality and unity, all people are really interested in is an OCD level of categorization and ‘order,’ where everyone is sorted according to their skin color and expected behavior. Or, you’re united by political ideology and use that as your bludgeon against anyone else.
We never got rid of tribalism…we just redrew the borders and gerrymandered ourselves into a new war.
Fuck it all…humanity is hopeless. Or maybe not.
They say the best revenge is to have a good life. Make sure those people who wronged you or pissed you off aren’t dragging you down. Tired of the politics? Turn it off? Your favorite rapper can’t get off the anti-woke kick? Change the channel. Sure, the shit’s still out there, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and embrace the good things you have. I went and saw a movie this past weekend that many people thought was ‘not bad.’ I had a blast.
Choices have consequences for good or ill.
So choose wisely.