Posted on 05/05/2015 12:45:00 PM PDT by nickcarraway
This weeks question is from contributor Jesse Hassenger:
I went to a couple of shows on Sleater-Kinneys recent tour, and they played their kick-ass song Entertain. When the song came out in 2005, Carrie Brownstein described it as a screed against the empty nostalgia of then-contemporary rock music. As much as I enjoy hearing Brownstein calling out a bunch of flash-in-the-pan buzz bands (and as much as I agree that just because something is catchy doesnt mean that its good), in my heart of hearts I dont particularly agree with the songs lament that fun rock music is just a silly ruse, or with its vaguely humorless kiss-off to the idea of music being, you know, entertaining. But Entertain is a great song anyway, a fierce and uncompromising blaze of punk rock crit (and, hey, pretty catchy). This got me wondering: What piece of pop culture (or lowly entertainment) do you love despite not necessarily agreeing with what its saying?
Alex McCown How much time do you have? I possess an uncanny knack for falling in love with pop culture that I find utterly reprehensible, politically or morally. Time and again, I find myself becoming enamored of a film, album, TV show, or novel whose perspective or message strikes me as utterly wrong-headed, if not offensive. Sometimes, the popular view of stuff I love is based on a misreadingCarol Clovers book Men, Women, And Chain Saws goes a long way toward rectifying some of the faulty assumptions about many of the horror movies I adorebut often, I just go for the appalling stuff. Want to talk to me about how screwed-up you find the politics of Kick-Ass? I agree with you! I also love that movie. Ive watched it a lot, and each time, I find something new to be dismayed by, intellectually, even though director Matthew Vaughn does his level best to offset some of Mark Millars more horrifying attitudes. But Nicolas Cage shooting his daughter in the chest to teach her how to take a bullet? Never gets old. (Let me stress, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg. If we have to agree with the message of any art to enjoy it, weve got a real problem, people.)
Erik Adams
Kanye Wests Yeezus is an ugly piece of work, teeming with so many questionable opinions that it singlehandedly kept the think-piece industry running for most of June and July of 2013. Yeezus also contains some of the most bracing and exciting music of Wests career, a cathartic blend of industrial beats, digital squawks, and left-field samples and guests. (Two years on, Bound 2s combo of Ponderosa Twins Plus One, Brenda Lee, and Gap Band leader Charlie Wilson still slays.) In reworking the record right up to its delivery date, West created something uniquely raw and honest, 40 minutes of id running roughshod over musical accompaniment painstakingly carved at the 11th hour. On the basis of a responsible work ethic, Yeezus is objectionable; in terms of content, it makes the sarcophagus / esophagus couplet from Monster sound like Barney Rubble rhyming about Fruity Pebbles. But Yeezus is also the sound of Kanye West making the record he wanted to make exactly the way he wanted to make it, the biggest musician in the world taking bold stances in bold singles like Black Skinhead and New Slaves. Ill always have respect for that sort of uncompromised artistry, no matter how much I feel like I need to take a shower after listening to On Sight.
Marah Eakin
I have to admit, like millions upon millions of Americans, I follow the comings and goings of the Duggar clan, stars of 19 Kids And Counting. The Arkansas-based brood has big hair, ancient courtship rituals, and loves tater-tot casserole, and while I find myself pretty much diametrically opposed to every single thing they believe (and I mean that. Every. Single. Thing.) I still eat that shit right up. I suppose thats a testament to TLCs marketing and selective editing. Sure, the show has talk of God and countenance and whatever, but its more about how expensive it must be to cook for all those kids, or what its like to have to travel around in an honest-to-God tour bus every single day. That kind of logistical chatter has always interested me, even though I seriously worry every time I page through a Duggar-centric People Magazine or DVR one of the shows special wedding episodes that Im passively contributing to the decline of each and every one of my civil liberties. If only those kids werent so damn charming!
William Hughes As a kid with a healthy attachment to his library card, I devoured all of the classics of fantasy and science-fiction literature I could. Among many others, that meant long, pleasant afternoons reading through C.S. Lewis Narnia books, delighting in the battles, the humor, and the much dreamt-of scenario of being pulled into a magical fantasy world. But its impossible to divorce Narnia from the Christianity that pervades it. Even as a kid who had recently joined the Assemblies Of God as a sort of half-assed rebellion against my agnostic parents, I found myself skeptical. Its not all parables and heavy-handed lessonslike his contemporary Christian author, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis God often shows up in the form of normal people fighting for the greater good, instead of ostentatious miracles. But the exceptions to this are nowhere worse than in the final Narnia book, The Last Battle, which finds Lewis at his most aggressively allegorical. I still love the mans writingthe opening line of The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it, is one of my favorites in all of literaturebut the more his books go further up and further in, the more they leave me, like poor Susan Pevensie, behind.
Sam Barsanti I buy the new Call Of Duty game every year. And every year I have an internal battle about whether or not I really feel good about buying the new Call Of Duty game every year. Im not especially offended by the games glorification of war or the way they often emphasize the importance of a few soldiers lives while completely ignoring a thousand civilian deaths, though. My issue is more straightforward: I hate guns. I think theyre literally the worst, and how easy it is for people to get gunsany people, not just the people who shouldnt have themlegitimately bothers me a lot. However, put Call Of Duty or some other brainless shooting game in front of me, and suddenly Im deeply invested in making sure my gun is the coolest and most efficient murder-machine on the planet. I love choosing from different scopes and attaching cool laser sights and grips, even though the thought of doing that in real life disgusts me.
Kate Kulzick
I love the film Rio Bravo. Its well-directed, -written, and -paced; features fantastic performances from most of its cast; and has one of my favorite musical sequences in film. More than that, its an entertaining Western with a sense of humor, with stakes and a point of view as well. Unfortunately, part of that point of view is its painfully pro-McCarthy subtext. Director Howard Hawks made the film as a response to another classic Western, the anti-blacklisting High Noon, which explores the morality of a community as its members one by one refuse to stand with their honorable just-retired Marshal against a dangerous foe. Hawkes found the films message un-American and his Rio Bravo presents a very different hero, who refuses help rather than asks for it (and in doing so, conveniently winds up with far more assistance than High Noons protagonist). Its hard not to cringe as Angie Dickinsons Feathers apologizes to John Waynes paternalistic Sheriff Chance for having caused such a fuss over being unlawfully searched. When I can ignore the subtext, Rio Bravo is a blast, but the instant I look past its delightful surface, my hatred of its themes ruins the fun.
Will Harris This is actually a pretty easy one for me: Chuck Klostermans Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey In Rural Nörth Daköta. I like heavy metal well enoughit was inescapable when I was growing up, so I didnt have a heck of a lot of choice. But Klosterman freaking loves it, and that love comes shining through every page of his debut book. Even though I dont share the same level of adoration for the genre, Im thoroughly entertained whenever I go back and read his remarks on the stuff. (Ive never felt that degree of appreciation for anything else hes ever written, though.)
Mike Vago
Im usually unable to separate art from its message. I dont care how catchy Sweet Home Alabama might be; I cant enjoy a song that was written to defend segregation. I enjoyed the nonstop thrills of 24, but gave up on the show when it started offering torture as sound policy. But theres one pop-culture figure that, morally, I cant defend, and yet I cant help but love. His name is Bond. James Bond. An infantile power fantasy, the Bond films are unabashedly sexist. Nearly every female character in the series gets treated as a disposable conquestsometimes literally, as roughly half the women Bond gets involved with only enter the story long enough to be bedded by our hero, and then murdered by the villain to motivate him. Although Bond rapes Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, and has questionably consensual sex with an abuse victim in Skyfall, those are considered two of the best films in the series. Beyond that, Ian Flemings books are embarrassingly racist, even by the standards of the time in which they were written. Some of that makes it to the screen, from the Orientalism of You Only Live Twice to Live And Let Dies clumsy take on blaxploitation. Im fully aware of how problematic the character and the series are, and am far more politically aligned with Archer, FXs scathing take on the Bond persona and white male privilege in general, And yet, theres something irresistible about 007. So long as there are maniacal villains with needlessly complex plans and an unflappable Englishman in a tux there to stop them, Ill be watching.
Jesse Hassenger If I may self-indulgently re-answer my own question, Id add later seasons of Parks And Recreation, and the finale in particular. I love the shows optimistic view of what government can do; Im no Ron Swanson on that front. But in the last few years of the show, I found myself disagreeing with the personal outgrowth of that generally wonderful philosophy: the idea that if good people work hard, all of their dreams will come true and theyll get everything they ever even maybe wanted (especially children. Multiple children). Im not saying the show should have ended with everyone or even anyone in abject poverty or even unfulfilled lives; as a fan, I actually really enjoyed seeing inventive happy endings for everyone. But I cant always buy that, even if Id really like to.
Zack Handlen I was very, very nervous the first time I reviewed 24 for The A.V. Club, for a lot of reasons. I was relatively new to the job; taking on a new show was always a challenge; and I was terrified that my conflicted response to the series would make for some unhappy commenters. I was definitely right about that last part, but I kept writing about the show. Things kept being complicated, but nobody fired me for trying to work out why. Having done a few seasons now (and having watched the rest of the show before that), I can safely say that Im a fan of Jack Bauer and his madcap adventures, but still have trouble with the some of the series dodgier thematic elements. Whether those elements are intentional or not is up for debate, but the racial profiling and the perpetual use of torture as a narrative devicea tool that, at least in the shows early going, regularly yielded up useful information no matter how many of us wussified liberals complained otherwisemade me uncomfortable then, and makes me uncomfortable now. I still have a lot of fun watching Jack be Jack, but Id be lying if I said that fun is entirely stress-free.
Molly Eichel I love Clint Eastwood movies, with Clint both as an actor and a director, but there is nothing I love more than Eastwoods surreal, psychedelic High Plains Drifter. I can and will talk about this movie for hours. Theres quite a bit to disagree with when it comes to the politics of a lot of Eastwoods body of work. But High Plains Drifter is specifically problematic because Eastwoods character sexually assaults not one, but two different women. Their response is to ask for more. In fact, one character gets offended when he does not opt to rape her again. The fuck-the-patriarchy-feminist in me knows I should hate these reactions so much, but the Eastwood fan in me brushes this off as a just another aspect of the solitary Eastwood persona.
Caroline Siede
Ive heard my fair share of misogynistic lyrics throughout the years, but Im pretty sure nothing will ever hold a candle to Jimmy Souls 1963 ditty If You Wanna Be Happy. The song offers simple advice for men: Marry an ugly woman who will feel indebted to you and youll have a happy marriage. Sample lyrics include A pretty woman makes her husband look small / And very often causes his downfall, and An ugly woman cooks her meals on time / Shell always give you peace of mind. By all accounts the absurd levels of misogyny should make the song irredeemable, but its so damn catchy, energetic, and exuberantly performed that its on regular rotation on my iTunes. I know I should be mad when it comes on, but Im too busy dancing to care.
Dennis Perkins Pixar may have hit something of a bad patch in the past few years, but there was a time not so long ago when the animation studios very name equalled exciting, fulfilling family entertainment. The Incredibles pushed the Pixar formula even further. Its superhero-family tale ups the action and violence quotient so that it functions as a legitimate action film a later fan of The Avengers or Guardians Of The Galaxy can recognize. Funny, exciting, moving, The Incredibles has everything necessary to make it a comic-book geeks favorite Pixar moviebut for the fact that its main villain espouses a philosophy right out of Ayn Rands most supercilious, contemptuous fantasies. If Rand ever wrote a comic book, Syndrome would be her ideal villain, an unexceptional, resentful wannabe hero whose envy of those like his idol, the super-strong Mr. Incredible, curdles into a murderous quest to wipe out every genetically superior ubermensch in the world. (Hes the superhero equivalent of the crappy artists and writers in The Fountainhead who essentially create all modern art out of their desire to devalue the real artists they can never hope to equal.) The concept of a supervillain being motivated by fear or mistrust of superpowered heroes isnt new. The concept has been mined for effective, complex comics drama elsewhere. But the fact the people behind The Incredibles chose to create their villain from the vile, sniveling jealousy of the unexceptional poisons what is otherwise a great, fun movie.
Drew Fortune
While I wouldnt say I love the 1980 cult horror flick Cannibal Holocaust, widely regarded as the most controversial film ever made, but I have a begrudging admiration for it as a horror junkie. Despite its sordid reputation for grimy rape and graphic violence, its actually a somewhat thought-provoking and well-made film, with an excellent score. The film was so convincing that Italian director Ruggero Deodato had to prove that it was not a snuff film. The progenitor of the found footage genre, the movie makes clever use of the civilized are more vicious than the natives theme. Its well shot, and not shaky, bucking the later trend of nausea-inducing found-footage rip-offs. However, there is actual animal killing in the film, which I certainly do not agree with. Although its rumored the animals were food for the native Amazonians, I refuse to watch those scenes, just like Ive always avoided watching Faces Of Death. That said, the films animal abuse is not nearly as horrible and gratuitous as knock-off Cannibal Ferox, 1981s quickie follow-up that has none of the social commentary and lots more animal killing.
Pop culture today sucks. I feel bad for the kids.
I love the music of Pink Floyd despite the fact that its main creative force, Roger Waters, is an unapologetic anti-Israel lefty.
Heavy Metal music.
They have nothing
They’re flocking to superhero movies
” I hate guns. I think theyre literally the worst,”
I stopped reading right there.
You'd go crazy if you sought only people who were George Washington Re-incarnated.
I can Still Like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift and still Work to and Vote for Ted Cruz's Election.
All of it. No exceptions.
Sweet Home Alabama was written to defend segregation?
Huh?
1, 2, 3
Turn it up
Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the Southland
I miss Alabama once again
And I think it’s a sin, yea
Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
In Birmingham they love the governor, boo boo boo
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Here I come, Alabama
Ah ah ah
Alabama, ah ah ah
Alabama, ah ah ah
Alabama, ah ah ah
Alabama
Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they’ve been known to pick a song or two
(Yes, they do!)
Lord, they get me off so much
They pick me up when I’m feeling blue, now how about you?
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Sweet home Alabama, oh, sweet home baby
Where the skies are so blue and the governor’s true
Sweet home Alabama, Lord
Lord, I’m coming home to you, yeah yeah
Montgomery’s got the answer
Communist.... ;)
All but today’s incredible technology: Large screen HD TVs, Home theaters, MP3 players, cell phones, tablets, etc.
WTF does that mean? Sounds like this Kulzick still has some butthurt about all the jewish commies that got outed.
About time to let it go and admit most of them WERE commies and still are today.
Let’s see...
Pop culture....
nope, I got nothing.
Movies and TV shows have gone through just about everything.
We had the Sci-fi stuff, some of which was pretty good. A brief superhero faze. Then I think it was Vampires followed by zombies and now back to superheros.
Won’t be long before we see a Vampire Zombie Crime-fighter from space movie.
I disagree that technology is pop culture. Pop culture is the crap you consume or entertain yourself with and not the hardware.
Besides nobody under the age of 50 invented any of that stuff.
I was referring more to the ability of us to use the incredible new technology. The use of these gadgets are a major part of the culture today. However, I do not like the, in some cases, dangerous, obsession many people have with them.
It seems now the media force feeds pop culture, as an example I’ve been with Netflix for about six years, it use to be gay and lesbian movies were something one would have to search for although not very hard, now they are displaying it regularly directly on the front page, I’m sure they surrendered to complaints by the gay lobby.
Many times such perversions just pop up in the middle of an otherwise good movie spoiling it at least for me, it is frustrating to see how liberalism is so deeply embedded in every form of our culture, all the things one would be ashamed to publicly seek out in the past is now open, prevalent and celebrated everywhere.
An example that comes to mind is Ingmar Bergman. I like a lot of his films. He was the son of a minister, but rejected God. His films are dark and nihilistic, and seem to put forth the idea that if there is a God, he does not care anything about humanity. I don't agree with it, but Bergman does such a great job of illustrating his worldview, that I cannot help but admire his work.
I love the song “Happiness is a Warm Gun” by the Beatles even though its really about the fact that a warm gun is drug slang for a clean needle to do drugs with.
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