As of midnight, House Republicans are still “debating” the GOP’s Billionaires’ Bill that will add 3 trillion to the debt, give tax cuts to the rich, and pay for it by cutting nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid. Even though the bill is astoundingly unpopular and will permanently harm, and possibly even kill, many Americans, Republicans just don’t care. They’ve received their marching orders from Donald Trump and their corporate donors, and they’ll end up pulling a Murkowski and delivering at the last second. Everything before that is just theater.
Speaking of performances and stories, pop culture has often reflected the attitudes of the moment. It also has the power to inform and influence our perceptions and politics. Andrew Breitbart, who was a mentor to Steve Bannon, famously said, “Politics is downstream from culture.” If one were to observe the current zeitgeist, our culture seems to be in a moment of reckoning and helplessness as income inequality widens and the world’s worst people gain all the power. However, there are also glimpses and narratives of resistance and hope.
I’m introducing a new segment, POP CULTURE WARS, where I’ll discuss current political and social trends through commentary and analysis of pop culture. For the first episode, I invited my old friend, Zaki Hasan, an award-winning film critic, commentator, podcast host, and professor, to discuss the politics of resistance.
For an hour, we talk about Squid Games Season 3, Andor Season 1 and 2, Parasite, the NYT’s selection of the Best Films of the 21st century, and we touch upon why the world needs Superman.
Remember, “rebellions are built on hope.”
Give us a watch and let me know if you would like to see more of this type of content.
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