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Belte's avatar

You give a very insightful take on this disturbing phenomenon. Another feature is the abandonment of publishing physical copies of old key science fiction and fantasy books that go against the narrative. I was shocked to see that there simply are not any new copies of Jack Finney’s classic science-fiction novel “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” available on Amazon or Barnes & Nobles (at the present time). Perhaps the pod people takeover hit too close to home as they replace all our beloved series and characters with this drivel. Another feature is the corruption of any sci fi or fantasy novels for teenagers. So many creative people speak of connecting with books in their formative teenage years that opened new and adventurous possibilities. Now, schools either never suggest these books or give out YA slop that simply transport their Woke social agenda to a space setting. Lastly, they make stories confusing and muddled by not having a proper five-act structure as described in John Yorke’s “Into the Woods: The Five-Act Journey into Story.” As a result, we can’t connect with the development and use it as inspiration for our own difficulties in life.

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ebear's avatar

This is a vast topic, something I've been studying as Media Ecology since Marshal McLuhan first alerted me to the concept over 30 year ago. McLuhan evolved a set of rubrics which he called the Laws of Media, one of which applies here: If you push something hard enough, it will flip into its opposite.

I believe we've reached that point with the motion picture industry's promotion of 'woke' ideology. These films are losing money because they've become a sad parody of themselves. The attempt to influence the audience is now so obvious that even the dullest minds see through it. It can be funny up to a point, but once you've caught on it's not something you need to be constantly reminded of. We get enough of that in real life without having to pay to hear it.

If you're looking for insidious influences that haven't yet reached their sell by date, I suggest you take a look at the music industry. It's much cheaper to construct negative stereotypes in that medium than in motion pictures, which are expensive to produce and have a shrinking audience.

Recently we saw the sad spectacle of "hip-hop" celebrating its 50th anniversary. I don't know who put that marker down (Grand Master Flash?) but the genre has definitely persisted and penetrated all forms of expression, especially the rap elements. McLuhan would probably call it the 'tribal drum' and point to the accompanying doggerel as a modern example of a Maori war chant, which again is a case of flipping into its opposite. Back when rap started no one wanted to put a 'cap in yo ass' - the intent was exactly the opposite, to draw ghetto youth away from negative influences. Unfortunately, basketball and break dancing aren't viable career choices, and it's hard to write a hit song about pursuing a degree in science and engineering. So what started as genuine insight, such as Public Enemy's 'Burn Hollywood Burn' has since morphed into a celebration of internecine violence and degradation of women. Flipped into its opposite.

McLuhan also advised us to look for the 'hidden ground' or in this case the 'hidden hand' which is the same influence that controls Hollywood and the porn industry. That said, its authors are subject to the same Laws of Media as everyone else, which is why they're losing their audience, the only response to which has been to double down into an unwitting parody.

You see the same effect in TV advertising. If you were an alien watching American TV from Alpha Centauri, you'd assume half the population was black, and the other half gay. You'd also assume that racial differences had been put aside, going by the number of interracial marriages portrayed. The most hilarious example of this was a recent laundry detergent commercial where the white lesbian couple was praising the ability of the product to remove even the toughest of stains imposed by their two hyperactive adopted black kids. Pure comedy, and totally lost in the unwitting parody was the name of the detergent.... was it Tide? I don't remember, I was so enchanted by the absurdity of it all. Of course everyone remembers Bud Light. No escaping that own goal. Even the NFL is feeling the effects, and as the last bastion of the truly stupid white male, that has to be a sign.

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