By Brandon Smith

I was recently watching a video by some of my favorite movie commentators in which they were lamenting the apparent death of the movie theater business. They cited a long list of recent blockbuster bombs with some confusion as to why so many films were failing. In particular, they had predicted the film 'Furiosa' (a feminist bait and switch movie designed to replace the more popular male Mad Max character) would do relatively well. Yet, the movie bit the dust in epic fashion. They were bewildered as to why this occurred.

They posited numerous social and economic theories trying to explain why so many big budget bonanzas were losing money. They of course suggested that the covid event might have pushed people to adjust to streaming services as the better option. They noted that theaters can be more frustrating because of loud customers. They tried to apply some economic theories to the situation (these theories were overly simplistic and painful, but these guys aren't economists so I gave them a pass).

However, when the concept of the culture war was briefly broached, they dismissed it immediately.

They acted as if it wasn't a part of the equation at all; a mere fringe element of "click baiters" trying to make something out of nothing. The idea that people are boycotting Hollywood on principle was too much for these film critics to handle. And, I have to say, the level of delusion required to ignore the effects of the culture war is mind boggling to me. If you don't understand the culture war, then you don't understand a thing that's happening in America (and many parts of Europe) today.

People Oblivious To The Importance Of The Culture War

I realize that there are people out there that refuse to engage in anything political. Some of them don't like to involve themselves in conflict of any kind. Others see themselves as "above it all" and superior to anyone that spends time on politics, social issues or "conspiracy theories." This seems more like a coping mechanism for those that don't grasp the complicated nature of civil division.