Fox News, Ted Cruz, Republicans and Conservatives who have not even watched the Barbie movie are mad as hell. This blatantly or subtly (depending on your bias) perspective on dolls, women, femininity, and masculinity are further adding to the deep divide separating Americans from Americans. How dare Mattel and Margot Robbie put out a movie like this. What could its writers Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach be thinking? We need movies that will bring us together and not further divide us. Movies like The Ritual Killer, Casting Kill, and Sympathy for the Devil. Movies that will make you afraid to walk the streets and compel Americans to buy more guns.
Oops, did I mention GUNS? Sorry, I did not mean to offend any of our brave defenders of the Second Amendment. It is violent movies that bring Americans together. Movies that make you think are part of the Commie Pinko Intellectual Brain Cartel that drive Americans apart. We all know that thinking can be dangerous. Universities are hot beds for liberal ideas like Ecology, Critical Race Theory, Feminist Ideology, Climate Change, Diversity, Equity, Sustainability and something called “Wake Me Up” or WOKE for short. Going to any liberal college is an invitation to be brainwashed. If you think too much, you will question things that commentators on Fox News and Newsmax tell you.
Karen and I had not been to a movie theater in four years. The last movie we went to see was a remake of the original Cats. Cats as any conservative can tell you is a movie musical where the characters are all LGBTQ+i people disguised as cats. They run around doing silly things in hopes of being selected for a reincarnation ritual. It is amazing that conservative churches nationwide did not ban this weak attempt to transform our youth into Trans-Cat people. Nevertheless, despite negative comparison to the original Cats, Karen and I enjoyed it very much.
A week or two ago, when Raiders with Harrison Ford came out, we were ready to go see it. We had hopes that Indiana Jones would be as compelling as he was in the original Raiders movie. The more we thought about it the less likely this seemed possible. Ford is nearly 80 years old, and I was skeptical about his ability to play a thirty something. We decided to save the 25 dollars we would spend at the theater on tickets and popcorn until something better came along. Next week out came Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible and Barbie. Our friends all teed up to go to Mission Impossible or Opie. Something in my personality as I watched the Barbie trailer was turned on by her high heeled shoes, nice breasts, and beautiful blond hair. An all-American woman if ever there was one.
Without further thought, I decided to take Karen to see the movie. Little did I realize how subversive this movie was. If I had known, I would never have taken Karen to see it. Movies like this could turn women into raving maniacal feminists. Women who would do anything to overthrow the patriarchy and probably burn their bras. By the way, bra burning never bothered me, but if they burned their garter belts, I would be really upset.
The first third of the movie was a real joy ride. Hilarious visuals depicting all types of Barbies that I never knew existed. I thought most Barbies were just sort of “hottie” dolls but much to my surprise there were some Barbies who had brains as well as sex appeal. Now most men have been taught that these two things do not go together, and I admit I was a bit surprised. I should have known I was being setup.
Karen was enjoying the show very much. She remembered a good deal of the history and paraphernalia associated with Barbie. She had even seen a Ken doll. I confess I had never seen a Ken doll. I did not even play with toy soldiers when I was growing up or Action-Adventure Figures. My tough conservative father was aware that these “figures” were just pseudonyms for DOLLs and that playing with them would make me queer and effeminate. I could have guns, military aircraft, and navy destroyers. One of my favorite pastimes was building military models and then shooting them to pieces. My father approved and thought that I would be a military hero someday. It was my job to save America from “God-Less” Communism. Nevertheless, there were many parts of Barbie in which I laughed hysterically.
The second third of Barbie dragged a little. I was not sure where it was going. The comedy bits came farther apart, and the show seemed to be meandering, I knew not where. I began to enjoy it more as I realized that a plot was being set-up. The director and writers had something up their sleeves. I would soon find out what these devious devils were going to do.
The third part of Barbie was the showstopper. Gerwig and Baumbach wanted their movie to be more than just a mindless comedy. They wanted a movie that might make Americans think. This was a movie with a message. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your political affiliation they did not run it by the Republican National Committee. If they had, it would never have reached the silver screen. Here is what some conservative pundits had to say about it:
- Elon Musk wrote: “If you take a shot every time Barbie says the word ‘Patriarchy,’ you will pass out before the movie ends.”
- Texas Senator Ted Cruz, for the second time, accused the Barbie movie of pushing “Chinese communist propaganda.” The Texas republican was referring to a “nine-dash line” used on the map, depicting what China claims is its territory within the South China Sea
- Ben Shapiro tweeted: “My producers dragged me to see ‘Barbie’ and it was one of the most woke movies I have ever seen.” He added, “My full review of this flaming garbage heap of a film will be out on my YouTube channel tomorrow at 10am ET.” (He did indeed post a video of himself setting Barbie dolls ablaze in a trash can.)
WOKE, Communist China, Bashing Patriarchy. Lions and Tiger and Bears, O MY! What is a red-blooded American male to do today? Was this what I joined the military for during the Vietnam war? To see my country making a movie supporting China and to help destroy the White Male Patriarchy that has made our country great. God forbid it. To paraphrase the great patriot Patrick Henry:
“What is it that the Barbies wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or feminism so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of Patriarchy and Male dominance? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, BURN those, Barbie Dolls!”
This past Thursday I attended a meeting for a new Veterans group that had recently formed in our town. There were three people at a table in front of the group (two men and a woman) and about 20 or so people in chairs facing the table. The two men whom I assumed were leaders mentioned that the key-note speakers, someone from the Arizona Posse and someone from the Pinal Country Sheriffs department may or may not make the meeting. Apparently there had been a few recent killings in area and both groups were lending support to the Casa Grande Police department. The woman in front was the spouse of one of the men leading the group. She was also the club secretary.
Now in America today, we have five political perspectives arranged along a continuum. On the extreme right, we have the “extreme conservatives” as they may think of themselves. However, they are fascists and anti-democratic in symbols, outlook and beliefs. On the extreme left we have a smaller group who might think of themselves as progressives or socialists but in the minds of many on the right they are “card carrying communists.” Indeed, some of the extreme left-wing do fit this perspective. Slightly to the right of center we have the true conservatives and slightly to the left of center the true liberals. In the middle we have people who support some social programs but are fiscally conservative. We also have people in the middle who support some government but are against too much government.
One characteristic of both the extreme right and the extreme left is the inability to see perspectives different than their own. To the extremists, the world is black and white. Good and bad. Each extreme entirely rejects the perspectives of the other extreme. Each extreme feels that they are not allowed to speak but that the other extreme is. Newspapers and zealots take sides with the extremists and promote narratives designed to appeal to the extreme views exposed by each side. The ability to condone or support multiple perspectives becomes more and more difficult as a greater and greater polarization ensues. People bemoan the death of compromise but each side ladens itself with oaths and pledges guaranteed to insure that they will not try to see the world from the other side.
The result is a form of warfare between each side. The middle groups become more and more polarized as they find that they must take sides to survive. Liberals talk about the importance of listening to understand what the other side says and thinks as though this will solve the problem. It will not. Unless someone listens with an OPEN MIND, no amount of listening will make a difference. I was once approached by an employee who asked me to speak to his boss on his behalf. I asked him why he did not do it himself. I pointed out that his boss had “an open door policy.” The employee looked at me and replied: “Open door but closed mind.”
Our schools have failed us because they teach right answers and not right questions. They teach closed minds and not open minds. We have a generation who are now increasingly anti-education. We have a war against our schools by people who do not believe that schools exist to teach right thinking but only right answers. Liberal schools are boycotting right-wing fanatics and not allowing them to speak. Fox News prints daily rants against schools portraying the worst aspects of what once was a liberal education. The right wing increasingly wants a technocratic education which will result in a job that pays well. Any focus on mindfulness, morality, ethics, and integrity plays little or no role in the education system desired by the right. Those on the left believe that public education should be for the masses but ignore the needs of many rural and poor people to get a job that pays a living wage.
Aging Capriciously 