Who knew the apocalypse would turn out so sordid and tacky?
This was supposed to be State of the Apocalypse, Spring Equinox Edition. That was, of course, a week ago. Never mind.
So there was this business at the Oscars last night in which a black comedian made a joke about a black actor’s famously unfaithful wife losing her hair, and the famously cuckolded black actor, after laughing, then getting a look from his wife, walked up on stage and slapped the black comedian with his open hand. It’s generally understood that this was staged to reignite interest in an awards show people lost interest in over 20 years ago but the memes are filling my Facebook timelines, so I’d say they succeeded. Me, I reflect on how the 4channers might laugh at what is referred to as “TNB” is used to attract viewership along the lines of the World Star Hip-Hop site.
Like the Oscars, like all of Hollywood, like all of the news media, like modern medicine, law, education, and everything else, it’s clear that none of it is for me, so I don’t care. I’m honestly not even angry. The Best Picture Award was supposed to go to a melodrama about homosexual cowboys, ostensibly set in the U.S. but filmed in New Zealand, for whatever reason. It was directed by a witchy-looking hag with a grudge against men in general, etc., which made it all the more precious. Over 20 years ago, just before the turn of the last century, the animated TV satire South Park aired an episode about the Telluride film festival. The joke was the best movie was Gay Cowboys Eating Pudding. Our film in question wasn't even the first homosexual cowboy melodrama nominated; Brokeback Mountain was the first some 15 years or so ago. “And so it came to pass….”
Once again, however, the homosexual cowboys ended up being the bridesmaids, never the bride. The Best Picture Award went to another female director of a movie I’d just heard of today. I’m reminded that movies like The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love got Best Picture awards in the 1990s. No one knew about those movies then, and they know even less now.
For all that, the Hollywood studios have been making films for Chinese consumption first and foremost for years already. In this regard they make more money than the NFL—the fanbase for sci-fi and horror franchises are as doggedly loyal as the men who “just can’t quit their teams” even after all the insults thrown at them by the players and even the halftime performers on professional sports. I don’t have the figures but I suspect they’re more numerous, too.
Executive summary: Hollywood shambles on, like the NFL, a walking corpse of its former self. But it will not fall. Too many people take the bait and feed these monsters. If they no longer have the dignity and gravitas they once enjoyed, that’s because they’re walking corpses. Rotting, corrupted flesh, no life save for bacterial, etc. Doomed forever to walk.
My Facebook timeline is crazy with these memes, but this is the best so far, and most worthy of further meditation. What are the Powers That Be wanting us to forget most?
Oh, and for the record, I think Russia has Ukraine in the bag. Most of the yellow-and-blue flag wavers won’t be angry at the media for lying to them. They’re already not-angry at being lied to about the Ghost of Kiev, (years-old) photo-ops of the Ukrainian leader in camo with the troops, etc. They’ll just keep hating those mean old Russians because that’s what they’re told to do. After COVID-mania, we should not be in the least surprised at this.
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