re: The Infantilization of Popular Culture

I don’t go on or use Twitter. The only tweets I see are ones shared on other sites, mainly TD.

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Is rick & morty a bad show just because a small vocal subset of its fans are annoying on internet message boards?

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Wouldn’t call it small. Seems pretty large. And it’s not just on message boards. It’s in public settings, which have been captured on film and uploaded to YouTube.

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MCU, Rick and Morty, and boomers have brought this society to its knees.

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SJWs, social media, and public school progressive indoctrination have fricked society. All three of those things hate the Mcu, Rick and Morty, and Boomers.

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Mad Max

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Dates from the 80s

Yes and no. I do like that someone is going to rant about infantilization and then can't write down his argument like an adult. Bu look, genre fiction has always existed and it has always been a sandbox for people to sneak in all sorts of criticism of the status quo that people don't notice because it's just silly genre stuff.

So, I think the argument that comic book movies are popular means were infatilized is inherently short-sighted. Also, look who is making these films. Some of our greatest filmmakers are diving into genre not just because they like it but because they know it pisses Boomers off. They know the disdain older people, even some of their heroes like Scorsese, feel towards the genre, and it makes them want to shove it in their faces. It's an act of rebellion. (Also, it ignores that Scorsese spent his carer trying to rehab the low reputation of the genre movies of his youth - westerns and crime films - it's sad he can't apply that same generosity to another genre).

But the infantilization exists, and you can see it in this thread: the constant complaining about encountering any idea that you might find slightly uncomfortable. Get over it, you snowflakes. What good is art that has nothing to say? This board's constant complaining about SJW's or feminization or whatever other bogeyman is just putting up a signpost of your own insecurities. Which, frankly, aren't very interesting.

These force fields we walkaround with, making it impossible for us to encounter anything that might in any way challenge our worldview just isn't healthy. And it leads to, well, infantile thought. Our brains are atrophying not because of superheroes, but because we can't handle a deconstruction of our common myths or, on the other side of an aisle, a genuine appreciating for the NEED for a collective myth as the ties which bind society.

And there's plenty of great, old school action movies (and 80s action was a cartoon anyway... they were superheroes in all but name). Even John Wick is studiously unrealistic. but what about things like BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 or COLLATERAL? But even the soldier as superman movies like JASON BOURNE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, or the ever present Bond movies, which have always been right wing fantasies (and I don't say that as a criticism, Bond is fun as hell). Not to mention actual soldier movies like SEAL TEAM 6, THE HURT LOCKER, or ZERO DARK THIRTY.

The problem isn't with what's being made, it's that audiences won't go see it. As Pogo said, we've met the enemy, and he is us.

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I have noticed this before but never really saw it rationalized out loud by anyone.

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Bill Maher said it about a year ago albeit more succinctly.

I think the reality is that there simply isn’t as much money in Hollywood filmmaking as most would think. While we think of entertainment as such a huge part of culture, the actual money involved is less than most think, and the slices of that pie keep getting smaller as more and more options compete for your dollar.

Hollywood has responded by becoming increasingly risk averse, leaning on franchises with built in fanbases over unestablished properties, and selling theaters over the small screen with spectacle.
Pro sports are now reliant almost completely on foreign markets, gambling, and fantasy sports.
Collegiate athletics have become more corporate.
Video gaming has become more reliant on subscriptions, expansion packs, and selling games piecemeal with premium and restricted content costing extra.
Music has embraced genres that are less expensive to produce, perform, and market.

Entertainment Media is responding logically to market conditions while attempting to subtly mold the market’s perceptions to demand the products they wish to provide. Considering the tiny pool of companies making up the major studios, tv stations, radio stations, record labels, and ISP’s, it makes sense, but the landscape of how people consume media is rapidly changing.

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Paul Joseph Watson

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They have killed "real" action movies though. You don't see the type of movies Schwarznegger and Stallone did in the 80s anymore. Some of it still exists in the straight to video market and there's a few stars there but nothing like in the 80s. Even The Rock mostly does action comedies now. Nothing really gritty in mainstream.

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Superhero movies didn't kill real action movies.

The Feminization of Popular Culture did. This drove the mischaracterization of masculinity into a very small bucket that it hasn't been able to get out of. Comic book films have nothing to do with that.

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But the infantilization exists, and you can see it in this thread: the constant complaining about encountering any idea that you might find slightly uncomfortable. Get over it, you snowflakes. What good is art that has nothing to say? This board's constant complaining about SJW's or feminization or whatever other bogeyman is just putting up a signpost of your own insecurities. Which, frankly, aren't very interesting.

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Yes and No on this. You don't think that cultural pressures have affected the Zeitgeist enough to either reshape certain ideas? i just mean, it's harder for these films to get recognized. They do exist, and some are excellent as they were in the 80s and 90s. But they are much less culturally present.

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These force fields we walkaround with, making it impossible for us to encounter anything that might in any way challenge our worldview just isn't healthy. And it leads to, well, infantile thought. Our brains are atrophying not because of superheroes, but because we can't handle a deconstruction of our common myths or, on the other side of an aisle, a genuine appreciating for the NEED for a collective myth as the ties which bind society.

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100%

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The problem isn't with what's being made, it's that audiences won't go see it. As Pogo said, we've met the enemy, and he is us.

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Do you think at some point a Brawl on Cell Block 99 or John Wick or Bone Tomahawk doesn't get made, or, if they are the stand ins for masculine action, is that idea strong enough to never die? (Or "mythic enough" is really the phrase).

I think most react based on fear, not that those films have necessarily changed, but that their level of importance/cultural impact is waning.

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Those "real" action movies both of you are talking about only existed as the popular action movie for about 15 years.

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That is true and those that complain about lack of adult action movies (myself included) are looking for movies of our youth as well. We grew up in the 80's 90 when THE summer blockbuster was a violent R rated action movie. The Terminators,Aliens,Robocop,Predator, Total Recall, Die Hard,etc... Now those were great movies and imo better than anything that tries to pass as action movies today(Fast and Furious, whatever the Rock is staring in, most of the Marvel movies) but I dont think its feminized culture that keeps those types of movies from being made. Its all about money.