Societal War of Identities

In any war, the effects spill over into the very fabric of public life. Whether it is via propaganda pressuring the citizenry into believing the benevolence of the reason for the war, to its effect on the economics, and it even affects the thinking of the very people.

The culture war we are in is no different – the scope is just larger. It is more interconnected. We are experiencing the radical Left push their ideological propaganda. It affects our lives indiscriminately through books, movies, games, education and more. Will entertainment become entertainment again?

Left Pushes Identity Politics

Politics, academia, the internet, and every facet of media is directly affected by the Left. They seem to have a stranglehold on how the general public gets information. They are in the fabric of the education system – politicizing everything from art, architecture, and science. This seems to be how the Left is affecting the very discourse of the general public and it is seeping in on a generational scale. Identity politics seems to be the modus operandi of the Left. We The People, as the general populace, cannot seem to escape it.

The Larson Effect

A current figurehead sweeping conversational topics is Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson. This blond headed Oscar winner completely took feminism and racism to a degree that one can only cringe at. She claims to not care what 40 year old white dudes think of her movies, because they were not made for them. On the other hand, in general, limiting your audience may not be a good thing – ask those put in the infamous “deplorables” basket.

Apparently, Shao Khan wants to “Make Outworld Great Again!”

Plus, Disney, Marvel Studios’ parent company, continually padded the movie according to reports making Brie Larson a protected citizen. Netflix notoriously went after a reviewer who made some benign criticism of her movie “The Unicorn Store.”  You can follow that story here.  

Much of the Avenger’s cast cannot stand Larson’s hubris. It is seen in broad daylight, which poses some internal problems for Marvel Studios. You can see this displayed here in this interview. It is quite comedic that a proposed symbol of today’s feminism is receiving such backhanded disdain. This comes from some of the prominent figures in our media culture about the Marvel Comics Universe franchise. The final installment of Phase 4 closes with the Avengers: Endgame release this weekend, April 26, 2019.

Politics Invade a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Identity politics enters the Star Wars franchise. Once an iconic collection of lore, stories, shows, toys, and movies, the franchise shaped multiple generations. First appearing in theaters in the 1970s, George Lucas introduced all of us to Luke Skywalker. He was a young boy destined to become a hero, facing trials and tribulations. From living on a desert planet to donning a black uniform and wielding a “light saber”, we followed his life to become the storied Jedi Knight that George Lucas dreamed up. Episodes 4 – 6 showed us a galaxy far, far away.

Fast forward to the early 2000s era that started it all with Anakin Skywalker, who grew up to train, love, lose, and become the ultimate evil. He was the scourge of that far, far way galaxy. We were bombarded with video games, cartoon series, books, and compendiums tying this beloved universe together. Nearly a decade passed before the galaxy of childhood memories was visited again. In 2016, we were all reawakened to “The Force.”

In an age where identity politics invade our everyday lives, the narrative got into the galaxy, too. Not faring as well in the box office with original Star Wars were The Last Jedi, Rogue One (the movie in between Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and Episode 4: A New Hope), as well as Solo: A Star Wars Tale. Many conclude the lackluster results stem from two items: “Mary Sue concepts” and Rian Johnson’s directorial debacle. Some feel these items completely ruined the movie, subverting everything for subversion sake.

Politics Enter Video Games

#Gamergate occurred with the rise of Anita Sarkeesian, the founder of Feminist Frequency, who enjoys bashing video games. Many game companies capitulate to the Social Justice Warrior (SJW) crowds. This is where the game Battlefield 5 came from. It featured a World War II female protagonist with a prosthetic arm. Some of these gaming companies are not hiding their bias.

The recently released Mortal Kombat 11 is reaching fever pitch by politicizing a fighting game. If you do not already know, Mortal Kombat is a game series that took gore to shocking levels. The most infamous part of the game was that winners, through a series of joystick movements and button combinations, enact “Fatalities” on an opponent. Initially shocking to say the least, the game featured a character performing a fatality of ripping the spine out of the loser. It received congressional attention and calls for censorship.

In the current cultural climate, it seems Warner Brothers (WB) Games are trying to be more woke. Apparently, in the works is making the main antagonist known as Shao Khan want to “Make Outworld Great Again!” Sound familiar? It is no surprise that WB Games took a popular moniker and twisted it for their own enjoyment. Many find this distasteful and ridiculous.

Some Refuse to Bow to SJW

Some companies capitulate – others do not. In the case of Nintendo, their latest installed of Super Smash Bros features a stage creator option to the game. In this story, Nintendo found where the creator made a stage placing the Transgender Flag in the background. Nintendo deleted the stage and suspended the account. The trans-community revolted. Nintendo’s reason was that it was “… too political.” You can read about it here. Many are praising the video game company as they continue to shout out, “Keep your politics out of my games!” And it seems that Nintendo simply wants to make games.

Get Woke, Go Broke!

After number crunching, it appears “going woke” makes you go broke. Battlefield 5 game sales tanked. People are skeptical about Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker. Disney continues to pad the sales and numbers of Larson’s Captain Marvel. This is causing conflict with the Endgame release. Some report Disney is not allowing theaters to drop Captain Marvel from showing to force more ticket sales.  

And it seems that the mantra is clear, actors should not be political pundits and stick to acting. Movies, music, video games should focus on entertainment. The general public all seem to say one thing, “Stay in your lane!” I couldn’t agree more!