I love this piece. Part of me thinks. - oh, this isn't new. What about poor Cinderella in rags who gets to marry the charming prince and move into the castle and never worry about money again ? (Do note that she's pretty with a dainty foot; otherwise, she doesn't get to live happily ever after.) Then, I think of a period not long ago when I was typing into search engines, "films and shows about rich people." I knew I was losing my job, and I was scared; I wanted to imagine myself in big financial security. The woman watching your films on the phone, on the bus between jobs, probably wants the same thing. The conservative kid – I don't know. Both will discover that the promised riches don't arrive, and that's the sad part, especially for the kid because the woman probably already knows it. What's left for him though, if he hasn't learned how to think or care for others?
YES, this is it exactly. It’s not new, but there’s a new version of the narrative that’s being woven as a TRUTH that’s tricking the kid. The woman, like you and like me, knows a fantasy when she sees one. The kid doesn’t, and that’s what’s new and scary. Astronomical wealth is starting to feel like the modern divine right (of Prince Charmings, for example) in the same way that capitalism has started to feel like Catholicism centuries ago. A dogma that can’t be questioned. I don’t know what the solution is but I don’t think the fantasies are the problem.
My friend Gari and I talk about how this culture is affecting our twenty-something sons, who were raised in progressive families but fall for right-wing propaganda. She believes it’s because of the news they choose to watch, which promotes the slant you describe. The astronomical wealth just isn’t going to happen to most of us, and that becomes clear sooner than later. The stuff is worrisome. Anyway, you’re a good writer, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
"And maybe in the beginning, the money served the stories; maybe the money even respected the stories. But as capitalism rages insatiably on, the money respects only itself."
Brilliant essay...such a complex issue that's often on my mind when watching big budget films. It's always hard for me to reconcile the profit motive with the genuine impulses and aims of cinema as an art form. What a difficult siren song to resist!
I do know that most people LOVE movies, even the people who are exploiting artists to make them. It all sounds bleak on paper (and it’s pretty bleak in practice, too) but I guess I take SOME comfort in knowing that this whole machine sprung from a very old and very human impulse. And if that’s where it comes from, maybe we stand a chance of working our way back to that, even at the highest levels of the industry.
I love this piece. Part of me thinks. - oh, this isn't new. What about poor Cinderella in rags who gets to marry the charming prince and move into the castle and never worry about money again ? (Do note that she's pretty with a dainty foot; otherwise, she doesn't get to live happily ever after.) Then, I think of a period not long ago when I was typing into search engines, "films and shows about rich people." I knew I was losing my job, and I was scared; I wanted to imagine myself in big financial security. The woman watching your films on the phone, on the bus between jobs, probably wants the same thing. The conservative kid – I don't know. Both will discover that the promised riches don't arrive, and that's the sad part, especially for the kid because the woman probably already knows it. What's left for him though, if he hasn't learned how to think or care for others?
YES, this is it exactly. It’s not new, but there’s a new version of the narrative that’s being woven as a TRUTH that’s tricking the kid. The woman, like you and like me, knows a fantasy when she sees one. The kid doesn’t, and that’s what’s new and scary. Astronomical wealth is starting to feel like the modern divine right (of Prince Charmings, for example) in the same way that capitalism has started to feel like Catholicism centuries ago. A dogma that can’t be questioned. I don’t know what the solution is but I don’t think the fantasies are the problem.
My friend Gari and I talk about how this culture is affecting our twenty-something sons, who were raised in progressive families but fall for right-wing propaganda. She believes it’s because of the news they choose to watch, which promotes the slant you describe. The astronomical wealth just isn’t going to happen to most of us, and that becomes clear sooner than later. The stuff is worrisome. Anyway, you’re a good writer, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
"And maybe in the beginning, the money served the stories; maybe the money even respected the stories. But as capitalism rages insatiably on, the money respects only itself."
Brilliant essay...such a complex issue that's often on my mind when watching big budget films. It's always hard for me to reconcile the profit motive with the genuine impulses and aims of cinema as an art form. What a difficult siren song to resist!
I do know that most people LOVE movies, even the people who are exploiting artists to make them. It all sounds bleak on paper (and it’s pretty bleak in practice, too) but I guess I take SOME comfort in knowing that this whole machine sprung from a very old and very human impulse. And if that’s where it comes from, maybe we stand a chance of working our way back to that, even at the highest levels of the industry.
A question I am constantly asking myself. Beautiful end to the piece.
Artistry under late capitalism…what a TRIP!!!