Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
If art and media is a reflection...
...of the culture of the times, then we can look at movies, specifically the late 1990s to show us the people’s common sentiment. There is a common theme throughout Fight Club, The Matrix, American Beauty, American Psycho, and Office Space, among other movies made during that time.
The 1970s were marked by the end of the Vietnam War and rebellious anti-authority after the war. Film also touched on a masculinity crisis prevalent during the time. Surrounded by war veterans, a generation of men realized they could never amount to the toughness of their fathers and instead turned to climbing Corporate America. This led to the rise of metrosexual hygiene instead of physical toughness to assert one’s superiority. The explosion of consumerism and technology fueled another way to show dominance.
And so the 1980s were marked by yuppies and the rebirth of the modern “American Dream.” However, the 1990's, especially towards the end, was marked by disillusionment with the rat race and evoked a sarcastic tone on most cultural aspects. These 1990s movies seem to come off with a real "Okay, now what?" confusion and frustration, especially in the wake of the decadent 1980s and the overall suggestion of that time that monetary success would bring fulfillment.
It is said that we were heading towards a real white-collar revolution against the “system.” However, 9/11 happened which caused a dramatic shift in American sentiment in the early 2000's. "It's too dangerous out there. We need to put our trust in authority." The same mindset is then applied to corporate culture when the economic crash delivers a foul taste of forced independence, and that affects the way our children are raised.
And so the 2000’s are about a constant state of fear and war, with a nebulous enemy, fighting for vague ideals, staggered with a divisive culture caused by polarized views. The recent trend of superhero/apocalypse movies may indicate how this generation feels part of a huge system they can't do anything about, and capitalizes on a fantasy of societal breakdown, chaos and libertarianism. The great recession, global warming, terrorism, oil wars, all huge global problems that make us seem insignificant, and unable to deal with individually. It seems like we're all craving to have more control over our lives, and feel significant.
Hopefully our look back at failed economies and failed wars will at least sustain the current trend of questioning authority again. It doesn't criticize the system as much as it should, preferring to paint targets on specific significant power players, but perhaps that's better than nothing. But I believe Americans are now jaded enough where they are at the level of cynicism that characterized the late 1990s. We’ll see what happens this time...
The 1970s were marked by the end of the Vietnam War and rebellious anti-authority after the war. Film also touched on a masculinity crisis prevalent during the time. Surrounded by war veterans, a generation of men realized they could never amount to the toughness of their fathers and instead turned to climbing Corporate America. This led to the rise of metrosexual hygiene instead of physical toughness to assert one’s superiority. The explosion of consumerism and technology fueled another way to show dominance.
And so the 1980s were marked by yuppies and the rebirth of the modern “American Dream.” However, the 1990's, especially towards the end, was marked by disillusionment with the rat race and evoked a sarcastic tone on most cultural aspects. These 1990s movies seem to come off with a real "Okay, now what?" confusion and frustration, especially in the wake of the decadent 1980s and the overall suggestion of that time that monetary success would bring fulfillment.
It is said that we were heading towards a real white-collar revolution against the “system.” However, 9/11 happened which caused a dramatic shift in American sentiment in the early 2000's. "It's too dangerous out there. We need to put our trust in authority." The same mindset is then applied to corporate culture when the economic crash delivers a foul taste of forced independence, and that affects the way our children are raised.
And so the 2000’s are about a constant state of fear and war, with a nebulous enemy, fighting for vague ideals, staggered with a divisive culture caused by polarized views. The recent trend of superhero/apocalypse movies may indicate how this generation feels part of a huge system they can't do anything about, and capitalizes on a fantasy of societal breakdown, chaos and libertarianism. The great recession, global warming, terrorism, oil wars, all huge global problems that make us seem insignificant, and unable to deal with individually. It seems like we're all craving to have more control over our lives, and feel significant.
Hopefully our look back at failed economies and failed wars will at least sustain the current trend of questioning authority again. It doesn't criticize the system as much as it should, preferring to paint targets on specific significant power players, but perhaps that's better than nothing. But I believe Americans are now jaded enough where they are at the level of cynicism that characterized the late 1990s. We’ll see what happens this time...
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