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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 17, 2023

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You clearly see the fascination of these Hollywood profit-machines as they struggle to understand how RRR is generating so much enthusiasm for going to the theaters.

Because it's ridiculously, stupidly, over the top fun. Like Honest Trailers said, if you have a warning for "no oxen were harmed in the making of this movie", it's gonna be awesome. It had nothing to do with the concerns about Representation and Gender And Sexual Orientation and Strong Female Characters and Political Commentary (apart from "The Brits are evil", a message we can all get behind) and time round, nationalism and patriotism are good - the guy comes swinging out of the flames wrapped in the flag - and the heroes are uncomplicated, Captain America and Superman good guys, types.

It was clearly made with an agenda, but the agenda was so far from Western concerns that people could ignore that, if they even became aware of it, and just enjoy action, over the top stunts, heroism, male friendship with nobody giving one single flying fig about 'toxic masculinity', spectacle and dance numbers. This was what got people through the Depression who weren't going to see social realist documentaries, they went for escapism and Hollywood glamour far away from the grind of everyday life.