I'm glad someone else recognized Trump's posing after the shooting for what it was. Another brilliant reaction by America's Reality TV Star ex-President
I totally agree with Jared's stand. We want competence and good judgement from our President. Full disclosure, I too was a combat infantry platoon leader, in Vietnam, and once again elsewhere. I knew a lot of very brave officers, I don't remember that I thought anyone of them should be POTUS.
" To frame it in combat terms, years of vitriol from Donald Trump and his party—promoting violence against the media, political opponents, and citizens—has pushed our political discord into dangerous terrain."
Yeah, it was Trump who is at fault for the bullets that whizzed by both sides of his head, hit his ear, and almost went through his brain. I guess those French women who wear mini-skirts are also responsible for the gang rapes. Are liberals just constitutionally incapable of taking responsibility for anything, like maybe admitting using pop culture to promote and act out assassinating Trump was a bad idea? If so, then maybe they can finally admit to themselves that they have something in common with Trump: an unwillingness to admit when one was tragically and dangerously wrong about something they care about.
I would say (as neither a liberal or a conservative) that the boiling rhetoric that both conservatives (and Trump) and liberals (and especially idiots like the Squad) have been using for more than a decade have brought us to this point. I absolutely do believe the inflammatory language (e.g. "Trump is the new Hitler") would encourage people to consider committing political violence. I mean, if in fact Trump is Hitler, why not kill him? Wouldn't anyone want to kill Hitler? It would take a very stupid person to make this illogical leap... but there are a lot of dim bulbs out there. But on the other hand, the language that conservatives have been using hasn't been at all healthy for the temperature of political conversation either (consider when Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked with a hammer... this isn't because of what liberals were saying). When you say liberals are incapable of taking responsibility for anything, I don't know that this is something unique to them. I see remarkable similarities between both sides.
I don't know much about culture, but I know Presumed Innocent was a great novel and a great movie starring Harrison Ford. Why AppleTV+ thought it needed a thorough rewrite to stretch it into eight hours is beyond me. If you want to see a great film, get the original and save yourself several hours of filler.
Erica, I love and appreciate your road trip with three dogs. I have two, one an old and perpetually disgruntled Havanese, the other a timid (but sneaky) shih tzu/poodle mix. They have criss crossed America with us, but at least I have my husband to help corral them. I can't imagine driving to Alaska and back with the needy, neurotic little s**ts. That said, the memories made with them..priceless. May you and the pack have many more adventures!
Hey Garth, strength is peace. Condescending arrogance is confusing that with war is peace. We see those on the left can't get anything right when it comes to armed conflict. But then, biden stated he has started no wars but the fact is, he didn't take the necessary and appropriate steps to deter Putin from invading Ukraine. I guess you are right, to the Dems, war is peace. And there is no mystery to why Putin, Iran and Hamas waited for joe to get elected.
I would say this to Jared and anyone else who cares: While I have no intention of voting for Trump or Harris (I'm a "double hater"), please don't discount Trump's presence of mind to show defiance after being shot. The primary duty of the presidency is being Commander-in-Chief, not Compassionate-in-Chief, nor is it to dole out goodies to win votes.
I joined the Marine Corps in 1975 and would have voted for Carter had we not deployed to Norway for Teamwork '76 exercises (they didn't tell us about absentee voting then). His record as a naval officer under Rickenbacker aside, Carter turned out to be the weakest and most ineffective president in our history until Biden came along.
Carter was a man who cared about those in need and indeed, his record with Habitat for Humanity makes him our greatest ex-president. Sadly, that is not a required trait for the Commander-in-Chief. We need a Commander-in-Chief who cannot be bullied and will stand up for this country on the world stage. Carter and Biden both failed that test miserably and our grandchildren will suffer for it.
Trump's defiant attitude is the one thing he has going for him. Mattis gave up in frustration over Trump's lack of understanding the Constitution, but does anyone think that Harris is any more capable of meeting the challenge of being Commander-in-Chief?
I'm a bit like you, in that I'm also a double-hater. They both suck frankly. But what flavor of suckyness do I prefer? I made a promise to myself that if Joe Biden were to be kept as the Democratic nominee, then I wouldn't vote for either of them because I don't want to reward the DNC for their shameful behavior (I was planning on writing in Henry Rollins). I don't like Kamala Harris. I think she's a self-serving, cynical, insincere, race-baiting opportunist. But I also think Trump is a narcissistic, self-serving, unsophisticated, bullshitting grifter. I find him repugnant. I honestly think neither Trump nor Harris have moral cores. I'll watch Kamala closely. If somehow she can move towards the center on social issues (and move away from wokeness, DEI, and all that bullshit) and doesn't cave to the idiotic Hamas supporters, I *might* hold my nose and vote for her (but even so, I'll still feel like I'm rewarding the DNC for acting like horrible people). If she goes full-woke, then Henry Rollins it is.
I had no idea that Henry Rollins is running! Is that for real, kinda like Pat Paulsen, or is writing him in your way of thumbing your nose at the Uniparty?
My problem with Kamala is that as a small "L" libertarian, I see her authoritarian-Left policies at least as repugnant that those on the Right, so even if she turns out to be more than an empty pantsuit, I still couldn't vote for her. I was going to vote for RFK, Jr, but after he offered to drop out and endorse Trump in exchange for a Cabinet position, he became the number one turd on my shit list.
Calling Biden ineffective seems inaccurate to me. He passed more consequential legislation than any president since LBJ.
Regarding world leadership, the appearance of Trump as a whipped puppy alongside Putin in Helsinki in 2018, and his declaration there that he has more confidence in Putin than in the US intelligence agencies, was the most graphic display of American weakness on a world stage ever. https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/trump-meets-putin-in-helsinki-idJPRTX6BKUJ/
I did say that I have no interest in voting for Trump for a variety of reasons.
When I used the term "ineffective," I was referring to Biden's role as Commander-in-Chief. When it comes to legislative successes, "destructive" would be more appropriate.
And what is amazing, but unsurprising, is that TFP if ever they publish something positive about someone NOT from the Uniparty, they tend to follow up a day or so later with a U>niparty-aligned piece trashing that original article.
I am outta here in a few weeks. The more I read the less will I miss it.
I'm here to read opinions from all sorts of perspectives. This is what The Free Press has promised, and I feel like they're doing all right so far in delivering. If you're only looking for pieces that trash Biden and the Democrats, then I don't really know why you'd have thought you'd find that here. You know Infowars still exists, right?
Sounds like Mr. Alexander left his courage in Iraq. Trump's reaction to being shot absolutely is relevant to his character and his leadership. Especially for an untrained citizen, reacting to being shot by encouraging your crowd to press on is incredible. Mr. Alexander has been sipping the juice box of the media, telling him that Trump's rhetoric is dangerous and that he is a fascist leader.
I entirely agree about Trump acting truly remarkably in that moment. It's likely the most impressive thing I've seen him do. To have the presence of mind to create a photo op for yourself only moments after a bullet missed your brain by an inch. I was very impressed.
And yet, I do think Trump's rhetoric is dangerous (but I don't believe he's a fascist). It's not impossible to hold both of these beliefs at the same time, because they can both be true at the same time.
The Wire remains one of the best series ever produced.
Original, beautifully crafted (expensive I guess) series that were often available in the early days of streaming are longer being made. As long as the unoriginal lightweight rubbish that is now available continues to be accepted and profitable the days of the The Wire, Game of Thrones (first five series at least), Rome, Big Love, A French Village, The Sopranos, Mad Men etc are over I fear.
I am Australian but have to report that the stuff churned out here is truly abysmal. Within the first twenty minutes of every series we have the obligatory Aboriginal character (always 'good' and always some sort of victim), the lesbian, the Muslim, the gay man, the nasty white bloke who's a bully, the domestic violence victim, the refugee, the middle eastern/Somalian immigrant who suffers terrible racism etc etc. As well, there is usually some sermonising reference to 'climate change' inserted to remind us of our sinful ways.
Unlike the Wire that so skilfully portrays such fully-realised rounded characters in all their human variations, these Australian token 'characters' are portrayed in clunky stereotypes in the manner of a teacher instructing a kindergarten class on DEI and gender.
The recent Free Press coverage makes me believe the Chinese military has mind-altering weaponry. Either that or Bari really does have to be a mom when she’s not busy being a mom.
I would say to Jared. In these days, I need leader who will go toe to toe with the bad guys and defeat them or have them back down. Nice, weak "leaders" are not what is needed to survive and prevent more wars or armed conflict. I don't need moral authority. I need someone who the bad guys understand, he will do what he states he will do. Like, kill one more American soldier and your family will be next.
Physical courage is the foundation of moral courage. Soldiers on the battlefield expect physical courage out of their leaders, all the way up to the generals.
Perhaps President Trump should not attack the press. Maybe the press should return their Pulitzer Prizes.
Many of us learned about leadership in the military. One trait of a good leader is to set the goal, give the troops to achieve it and get out of their way. Some generals have become presidents, presidents are not generals. As we have seen over and over again, staring with Vietnam, when the civilians micromanage the military, it more likely to fail. Senior Bush didn't finish the job in Iraq. The changed mission in Afghanistan that lead to a 20 year war after the military neutered Al-Qaeda. Biden's disastrous retreat from Afghanistan after disregarding his military advisor advice. The only proper actions by a president, as judged by his military's results, was Trump. He instructed his military to get rid of ISIS, he got out of their way, and they did. Joe didn't want generals, he wanted ideologues to remake the military in his social justice image. Austin and Milley are an embarrassment. Traitors like Vidman and Kirby who sold their souls to become the first, an unnamed source who told lies and the other a shill for a president that a reputable Sec of Def., Gates, stated, he has known joe for 40 years and he has never been on the right side of a foreign policy decision. Maybe they will put he/she pronouns on the side of the nose of B52s and other bombers. That will make the enemy turn tail and run.
You are so right. It was obvious that the Afghanistan catastrophe would have a high cost. I don't think we've seen the end of that. Vietnam had the same issues, somehow we thought if we were killing the enemy at 10:1, we were winning.
It gives me no joy to see 300,000 Russian soldiers killed or maimed. There's 300,000 wives, sons, daughters, moms and dads who are living with that grief. And the responsibility can be laid at the foot of this administration and whoever is running it.
A word in defense of the Hays Code, from someone who was alive (b 1951) when it was.
I was raised in a country where children could roam the public square unsupervised because materials that they weren't ready for were kept away from them by responsible adults. Cocktail lounges had opaque storefronts, pornography was in locked counters tended by adult clerks, and at the movies the Hays Code saw to it that adult themes were communicated over the kid's heads. This didn't keep serious adult themes out of the movies. I remember Town Without Pity, a movie about a rape in a small German town committed by American occupation soldiers after WWII. And then there was The Apartment, a sweet rom-com about an up-and-coming young exec whose bosses used his apartment for their extramarital affairs - all within the Code. Now 11-year olds have easy access to online pornography, hardly an improvement.
Before we dis the old ways, we should first try to understand them charitably, like Chesterton's fence.
I am not sure that I would call The Apartment a "sweet rom com". It's pretty bleak much of the time - the writing is sharply black humour. (Billy Wilder would have to be my all-time favourite auteur.) But it is certainly true that Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine had a wonderful chemistry that shone through the darkness.
I was born in '79, and have watched the erosion of what remained of all those norms. I also am an artist, and the norm in my world is now this trite fallback to the "transgressive" without any real questioning of just what is being transgressed or why, nor what exactly that transgression leads toward. I suppose we can thank Mapplethorpe and others for that, bu t is scarcely seems to have led us toward beauty, subtlety, or elevation.
Watching Oppenheimer last year, for example, I found myself wondering what, exactly, did the prolonged scenes of female nudity add to the film, other than an R rating?
Everything feels "pornographized" and I just don't see how that has had a good effect on our culture, particularly the young.
I have to defend Mapplethrope - at least to some extent. The guy could photograph white on white! His technical prowess was amazing!
More generally, I think the rise of the 24/7 media cycle and now social media have hastened the dumbing down of popular (American) culture.
It is also interesting to consider what the current content creators were raised on, and how that influences their output. Observe the beeeyoootifull language of the Errol Flynn 'Robin Hood'. That script was written by someone fluent in Shakespeare. Contrast that to 'Wish' (a recent Disney movie.) If it wasn't written by AI or committee, it was written by someone who was raised on music videos.
I suspect that one of the reasons that Succession did so well is that it's writers were predominantly British and raised on the English literary canon.
Great letter/essay, and photos, by Erica Abernathy!
I'm glad someone else recognized Trump's posing after the shooting for what it was. Another brilliant reaction by America's Reality TV Star ex-President
I totally agree with Jared's stand. We want competence and good judgement from our President. Full disclosure, I too was a combat infantry platoon leader, in Vietnam, and once again elsewhere. I knew a lot of very brave officers, I don't remember that I thought anyone of them should be POTUS.
" To frame it in combat terms, years of vitriol from Donald Trump and his party—promoting violence against the media, political opponents, and citizens—has pushed our political discord into dangerous terrain."
Yeah, it was Trump who is at fault for the bullets that whizzed by both sides of his head, hit his ear, and almost went through his brain. I guess those French women who wear mini-skirts are also responsible for the gang rapes. Are liberals just constitutionally incapable of taking responsibility for anything, like maybe admitting using pop culture to promote and act out assassinating Trump was a bad idea? If so, then maybe they can finally admit to themselves that they have something in common with Trump: an unwillingness to admit when one was tragically and dangerously wrong about something they care about.
https://x.com/darrengrimes_/status/1812453404565737756
https://x.com/laralogan/status/1812349005482889713
https://x.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1812471779773800807
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-assassination-attempt-bennie-thompson-secret-service-security-1924954
I would say (as neither a liberal or a conservative) that the boiling rhetoric that both conservatives (and Trump) and liberals (and especially idiots like the Squad) have been using for more than a decade have brought us to this point. I absolutely do believe the inflammatory language (e.g. "Trump is the new Hitler") would encourage people to consider committing political violence. I mean, if in fact Trump is Hitler, why not kill him? Wouldn't anyone want to kill Hitler? It would take a very stupid person to make this illogical leap... but there are a lot of dim bulbs out there. But on the other hand, the language that conservatives have been using hasn't been at all healthy for the temperature of political conversation either (consider when Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked with a hammer... this isn't because of what liberals were saying). When you say liberals are incapable of taking responsibility for anything, I don't know that this is something unique to them. I see remarkable similarities between both sides.
Erica Abernathy's account of her road trip with her three dogs was worth the price of my TFP subscription.
Cute dog photos.
I don't know much about culture, but I know Presumed Innocent was a great novel and a great movie starring Harrison Ford. Why AppleTV+ thought it needed a thorough rewrite to stretch it into eight hours is beyond me. If you want to see a great film, get the original and save yourself several hours of filler.
Erica, I love and appreciate your road trip with three dogs. I have two, one an old and perpetually disgruntled Havanese, the other a timid (but sneaky) shih tzu/poodle mix. They have criss crossed America with us, but at least I have my husband to help corral them. I can't imagine driving to Alaska and back with the needy, neurotic little s**ts. That said, the memories made with them..priceless. May you and the pack have many more adventures!
The pics of the 3 pups were great! What a fun adventure.
Hey Garth, strength is peace. Condescending arrogance is confusing that with war is peace. We see those on the left can't get anything right when it comes to armed conflict. But then, biden stated he has started no wars but the fact is, he didn't take the necessary and appropriate steps to deter Putin from invading Ukraine. I guess you are right, to the Dems, war is peace. And there is no mystery to why Putin, Iran and Hamas waited for joe to get elected.
I would say this to Jared and anyone else who cares: While I have no intention of voting for Trump or Harris (I'm a "double hater"), please don't discount Trump's presence of mind to show defiance after being shot. The primary duty of the presidency is being Commander-in-Chief, not Compassionate-in-Chief, nor is it to dole out goodies to win votes.
I joined the Marine Corps in 1975 and would have voted for Carter had we not deployed to Norway for Teamwork '76 exercises (they didn't tell us about absentee voting then). His record as a naval officer under Rickenbacker aside, Carter turned out to be the weakest and most ineffective president in our history until Biden came along.
Carter was a man who cared about those in need and indeed, his record with Habitat for Humanity makes him our greatest ex-president. Sadly, that is not a required trait for the Commander-in-Chief. We need a Commander-in-Chief who cannot be bullied and will stand up for this country on the world stage. Carter and Biden both failed that test miserably and our grandchildren will suffer for it.
Trump's defiant attitude is the one thing he has going for him. Mattis gave up in frustration over Trump's lack of understanding the Constitution, but does anyone think that Harris is any more capable of meeting the challenge of being Commander-in-Chief?
I'm a bit like you, in that I'm also a double-hater. They both suck frankly. But what flavor of suckyness do I prefer? I made a promise to myself that if Joe Biden were to be kept as the Democratic nominee, then I wouldn't vote for either of them because I don't want to reward the DNC for their shameful behavior (I was planning on writing in Henry Rollins). I don't like Kamala Harris. I think she's a self-serving, cynical, insincere, race-baiting opportunist. But I also think Trump is a narcissistic, self-serving, unsophisticated, bullshitting grifter. I find him repugnant. I honestly think neither Trump nor Harris have moral cores. I'll watch Kamala closely. If somehow she can move towards the center on social issues (and move away from wokeness, DEI, and all that bullshit) and doesn't cave to the idiotic Hamas supporters, I *might* hold my nose and vote for her (but even so, I'll still feel like I'm rewarding the DNC for acting like horrible people). If she goes full-woke, then Henry Rollins it is.
I hate all this.
I had no idea that Henry Rollins is running! Is that for real, kinda like Pat Paulsen, or is writing him in your way of thumbing your nose at the Uniparty?
My problem with Kamala is that as a small "L" libertarian, I see her authoritarian-Left policies at least as repugnant that those on the Right, so even if she turns out to be more than an empty pantsuit, I still couldn't vote for her. I was going to vote for RFK, Jr, but after he offered to drop out and endorse Trump in exchange for a Cabinet position, he became the number one turd on my shit list.
As with you, I hate all this...
Calling Biden ineffective seems inaccurate to me. He passed more consequential legislation than any president since LBJ.
Regarding world leadership, the appearance of Trump as a whipped puppy alongside Putin in Helsinki in 2018, and his declaration there that he has more confidence in Putin than in the US intelligence agencies, was the most graphic display of American weakness on a world stage ever. https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/trump-meets-putin-in-helsinki-idJPRTX6BKUJ/
More consequentially destructive
I did say that I have no interest in voting for Trump for a variety of reasons.
When I used the term "ineffective," I was referring to Biden's role as Commander-in-Chief. When it comes to legislative successes, "destructive" would be more appropriate.
Yeah, Jerad has so much TDS he can't see reality. No surprise that piece appeared in today's TFP Hates DJT episode.
And what is amazing, but unsurprising, is that TFP if ever they publish something positive about someone NOT from the Uniparty, they tend to follow up a day or so later with a U>niparty-aligned piece trashing that original article.
I am outta here in a few weeks. The more I read the less will I miss it.
I'm here to read opinions from all sorts of perspectives. This is what The Free Press has promised, and I feel like they're doing all right so far in delivering. If you're only looking for pieces that trash Biden and the Democrats, then I don't really know why you'd have thought you'd find that here. You know Infowars still exists, right?
Sounds like Mr. Alexander left his courage in Iraq. Trump's reaction to being shot absolutely is relevant to his character and his leadership. Especially for an untrained citizen, reacting to being shot by encouraging your crowd to press on is incredible. Mr. Alexander has been sipping the juice box of the media, telling him that Trump's rhetoric is dangerous and that he is a fascist leader.
I entirely agree about Trump acting truly remarkably in that moment. It's likely the most impressive thing I've seen him do. To have the presence of mind to create a photo op for yourself only moments after a bullet missed your brain by an inch. I was very impressed.
And yet, I do think Trump's rhetoric is dangerous (but I don't believe he's a fascist). It's not impossible to hold both of these beliefs at the same time, because they can both be true at the same time.
Trump was also showing the crowd that he was still alive, and has said that he consciously did that to prevent any panic.
Early on in the article - it's "exasperating", not exacerbating ... ☺️
Apple TV: Slow Horses x three series.
Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas et al
Of course, it's British not American...
The Wire remains one of the best series ever produced.
Original, beautifully crafted (expensive I guess) series that were often available in the early days of streaming are longer being made. As long as the unoriginal lightweight rubbish that is now available continues to be accepted and profitable the days of the The Wire, Game of Thrones (first five series at least), Rome, Big Love, A French Village, The Sopranos, Mad Men etc are over I fear.
I am Australian but have to report that the stuff churned out here is truly abysmal. Within the first twenty minutes of every series we have the obligatory Aboriginal character (always 'good' and always some sort of victim), the lesbian, the Muslim, the gay man, the nasty white bloke who's a bully, the domestic violence victim, the refugee, the middle eastern/Somalian immigrant who suffers terrible racism etc etc. As well, there is usually some sermonising reference to 'climate change' inserted to remind us of our sinful ways.
Unlike the Wire that so skilfully portrays such fully-realised rounded characters in all their human variations, these Australian token 'characters' are portrayed in clunky stereotypes in the manner of a teacher instructing a kindergarten class on DEI and gender.
I prefer reading.
The recent Free Press coverage makes me believe the Chinese military has mind-altering weaponry. Either that or Bari really does have to be a mom when she’s not busy being a mom.
They’re all equivalent in manpower!
I would say to Jared. In these days, I need leader who will go toe to toe with the bad guys and defeat them or have them back down. Nice, weak "leaders" are not what is needed to survive and prevent more wars or armed conflict. I don't need moral authority. I need someone who the bad guys understand, he will do what he states he will do. Like, kill one more American soldier and your family will be next.
Physical courage is the foundation of moral courage. Soldiers on the battlefield expect physical courage out of their leaders, all the way up to the generals.
Perhaps President Trump should not attack the press. Maybe the press should return their Pulitzer Prizes.
Many of us learned about leadership in the military. One trait of a good leader is to set the goal, give the troops to achieve it and get out of their way. Some generals have become presidents, presidents are not generals. As we have seen over and over again, staring with Vietnam, when the civilians micromanage the military, it more likely to fail. Senior Bush didn't finish the job in Iraq. The changed mission in Afghanistan that lead to a 20 year war after the military neutered Al-Qaeda. Biden's disastrous retreat from Afghanistan after disregarding his military advisor advice. The only proper actions by a president, as judged by his military's results, was Trump. He instructed his military to get rid of ISIS, he got out of their way, and they did. Joe didn't want generals, he wanted ideologues to remake the military in his social justice image. Austin and Milley are an embarrassment. Traitors like Vidman and Kirby who sold their souls to become the first, an unnamed source who told lies and the other a shill for a president that a reputable Sec of Def., Gates, stated, he has known joe for 40 years and he has never been on the right side of a foreign policy decision. Maybe they will put he/she pronouns on the side of the nose of B52s and other bombers. That will make the enemy turn tail and run.
You are so right. It was obvious that the Afghanistan catastrophe would have a high cost. I don't think we've seen the end of that. Vietnam had the same issues, somehow we thought if we were killing the enemy at 10:1, we were winning.
It gives me no joy to see 300,000 Russian soldiers killed or maimed. There's 300,000 wives, sons, daughters, moms and dads who are living with that grief. And the responsibility can be laid at the foot of this administration and whoever is running it.
Thank you for your reply.
A word in defense of the Hays Code, from someone who was alive (b 1951) when it was.
I was raised in a country where children could roam the public square unsupervised because materials that they weren't ready for were kept away from them by responsible adults. Cocktail lounges had opaque storefronts, pornography was in locked counters tended by adult clerks, and at the movies the Hays Code saw to it that adult themes were communicated over the kid's heads. This didn't keep serious adult themes out of the movies. I remember Town Without Pity, a movie about a rape in a small German town committed by American occupation soldiers after WWII. And then there was The Apartment, a sweet rom-com about an up-and-coming young exec whose bosses used his apartment for their extramarital affairs - all within the Code. Now 11-year olds have easy access to online pornography, hardly an improvement.
Before we dis the old ways, we should first try to understand them charitably, like Chesterton's fence.
Ken
I am not sure that I would call The Apartment a "sweet rom com". It's pretty bleak much of the time - the writing is sharply black humour. (Billy Wilder would have to be my all-time favourite auteur.) But it is certainly true that Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine had a wonderful chemistry that shone through the darkness.
I appreciate your comment and perspective, Ken.
I was born in '79, and have watched the erosion of what remained of all those norms. I also am an artist, and the norm in my world is now this trite fallback to the "transgressive" without any real questioning of just what is being transgressed or why, nor what exactly that transgression leads toward. I suppose we can thank Mapplethorpe and others for that, bu t is scarcely seems to have led us toward beauty, subtlety, or elevation.
Watching Oppenheimer last year, for example, I found myself wondering what, exactly, did the prolonged scenes of female nudity add to the film, other than an R rating?
Everything feels "pornographized" and I just don't see how that has had a good effect on our culture, particularly the young.
I have to defend Mapplethrope - at least to some extent. The guy could photograph white on white! His technical prowess was amazing!
More generally, I think the rise of the 24/7 media cycle and now social media have hastened the dumbing down of popular (American) culture.
It is also interesting to consider what the current content creators were raised on, and how that influences their output. Observe the beeeyoootifull language of the Errol Flynn 'Robin Hood'. That script was written by someone fluent in Shakespeare. Contrast that to 'Wish' (a recent Disney movie.) If it wasn't written by AI or committee, it was written by someone who was raised on music videos.
I suspect that one of the reasons that Succession did so well is that it's writers were predominantly British and raised on the English literary canon.