Culture War Collateral Damage

In recent times there seems to be an almost constant reference to this thing called the “Culture War,” but what is it and why can't you walk away from it. Wikipedia says a culture war is a cultural conflict between social groups and the struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs and practices. There is nothing wrong with that. People since the dawn of man have disagreements on how to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. Like many things the problems don't arise from the strict definitions and theories on a concept but in the practice. At least now taking part in the conflict isn't discussion or debate about the values important to a populace. It takes on the form of war and conflict with attacks levied between tribes with shallow convictions and a lust for dominance. This seemingly is leading to a trend where everything is attacked causing what I think is the collateral damage of entertainment.

Now obviously there are studios that are producing for a more activist model and are trying to make a statement or infamously “start a conversation.” Those who step into the conflict, deserve all the volleys of arguments and screaming. They are literally asking for the reactions they get. The projects that don't, still find themselves in the middle of the battlefield. Audiences are now finding themselves in a minefield of creative excuses of propaganda. It's easy to become distracted and questioning the intent of certain creative decisions. Was this character changed because of a unique perspective of the writer or is it virtue signaling to a tribe? Especially in the era of reboots, remakes, and projects based on older properties. It's really easy to question the changes made from the original and if its world breaking. So instead of just sitting back and enjoying the work that one paid money for, they may find themselves on the defensive against possible proselytizing instead coming to personal thoughts about it. Now this doesn't always lead to the destruction of a property financially, but can ruin a works reach in the ability to actually mean something to more people. Eventually this may make it difficult for certain stories to become financially viable. Though I think there is still time before this happens. There is a lot to unpack about the pipeline of outrage, and all the outlets that lead to all the aggression we see in this Culture War. For now I just want to discuss how the tribal bickering is effecting entertainment for the audience. When it comes to being able to just sit and enjoy your experience I think there are two sides of the issue at the forefront.

Following the Trends.

The first; as mentioned previously, we are seeing a lot of messaging thrown into media today. Many studios are creating their media around capturing topical issues in the limelight, but not all narratives are created equally. Has this ever happen to you? You see a trailer for something or you start a new show, and you start hearing just strings of buzzwords and your sphincter clenches just a little bit instinctively? Mine does, it's because recently it seems to be a red flag that the writing isn't really that great. Either these topics don't feel organic in the story or feel forced and inauthentic. Especially when it's based on something else I love. It just doesn't feel like what I remember from it. It feels like there is an abundance of media out now that is trying to preach or pander to an ideological narrative more-so than putting together well crafted writing. Even if it is preaching to the choir, it still doesn't make up for the quality. They throw in these cultural war topics without connecting it to the character or the world, it usually has no payoff other than hey this is topical, or the character that uses the terms seems only there to say these words like ticking of a checklist.

Think of the evangelical Christian film production and distribution studio Pure Flix. They are known for the movie properties like the God's Not Dead franchise and 2019's Unplanned. Their movies are known for a tendency of writing Christian talking points but not building the world around them naturally. Many things are portrayed in extremes. When one views it from outside the ideology it feels poorly constructed. The thing is, sometimes writers can avoid all those pitfalls and it really works. They put together a story where the topics fit, but they don't linger on them for too long, and make a really enjoyable product. Usually when I find these works I feel bad because I've been clenching, waiting for the bad writing that never comes. When I could have just been taking it in and having a good time. Its a matter of getting burned too many times with bad writing that it's hard to trust a new piece of media.

When Tribes Collide

The other side of the coin is the outside observers. This would be the articles, marketing pushes, and the social media chatter around it. With social media everyone has an opinion and the means for it to reach a massive amount of people, but they are rarely sharing their uniquely personal thoughts. It starts with articles written, generally with the most outlandish titles. It almost becomes a race to claim the new work for the tribe. This way the narrative can be set and everyone else has to argue from a certain starting position. Then all the tribe members can share these claims as fact, sometimes seemingly to rub it in the other sides face. In many cases they haven't even experienced the product personally.

Now when you are enjoying your entertainment you're not just taking it in with your own thoughts. You're bouncing it around with all the hot takes, the trolling, and the outrage mobs composed mainly by strangers. That's assuming if you even go see it after absorbing all the opinions. A prime example of this is Disney and Pixar's Luca. It's a story about two sea monster boys going through a coming of age story exploring the surface world. Well articles and posts started being written strongly asserting that this story is obviously not a coming of age story but about LGBTQIA+ issues. This got to the point that the director had to come out and make a statement on how that wasn't the case. His intention was to put together a story of platonic friendship during a time in life before romance. After which articles were written chastising Disney for not making this the story they wanted.

Art is for everyone there are no right answers.

Now there isn't anything wrong with how people relate to art. If it makes someone feel a certain way about life... Awesome, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to relate the same way or even that the creators intended it that way. People should be sharing their impressions, that's the real joy of any medium of art. Attacking or shaming those who feel differently is uncalled for. It can be hard enough to take in a new movie or video game without feeling like the whole world will judge you if you don't follow the tribes. Even if people don't frequent the news around what others are saying about new media coming out; I bet they have a friend who does, so their timelines are filled with it.

Fortify your Enjoyment.

I am aware that not everyone suffers from my own affliction of over-thinking. Some people are able to flip a switch and fully engross themselves in the entertainment in front of them. I wish I was better at it, but I can't help it. My mind will wander while I think about what I'm seeing, and I can't be alone in that. This is why I am personally concerned about people losing the ability to just be told a story and enjoy it for themselves. I think this will have a much bigger impact the longer it goes on. How many movies will you pass up because you've heard it has an over-writing agenda? How many video games with amazing mechanics get passed over for having the “wrong” main character in marketing? Hell, take it to the extreme, how many productions go unfinished before anyone has a chance to judge it for themselves because Twitter threw a fit? The Culture War is creating sides to everything. If those behind a project aren't shoving some ideological message down your throat, then a portion of the audience will make tribal claims to pass judgment on it. I predict, this will lead to a drop in quality on future projects. Every project with no clear agenda will lose money because the outside observers will lay claim to the property and alienate countless people who would otherwise be willing to pay money for the experience. Then studios will have to pick a side and hope to rile up one side enough to make back its money. Afterwards we will see a Dark Age in entertainment. No matter the medium, every property will only tell “tribally safe,” stories that only those who are in the choir will take part in.

That is why I'm here asking you take steps to push through the battlefield. We need to start fortifying our entertainment from becoming Culture War Collateral Damage. Try to unplug from the bickering and try go into an experience blind. If that isn't possible maybe still try picking up something that you were originally scared off from checking out. Look at it objectively, try to engage with it honestly and mull around how it relates to your own life, or just ponder how it makes you feel on it's own merits. Start treating entertainment like its meant for you no matter the topics. You don't need to agree with tribal nonsense but you may be surprised what you take away. If you don't, I swear to you, your next viewing party will have to be as meticulously planned as the seating chart at a wedding.