8/18/2023 0 Comments Brave new world movie![]() It’s what makes us dream of utopia and-because any perfect society would still require drudge work no self-actualized individual would be satisfied doing-what keeps that idyll out of reach. But it also opens us up to authoritarianism, inequality, war, genocide, systematic destruction of the environment. Sure, it’s what defines humanity-what allows us to make choices, feel emotions, form societies, create art, understand the world around us. A “New World Order” has no place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Consciousness is, at best, a mixed blessing. The last thing we need in these films is unchecked conspiratorial dog-whistles tainting what should otherwise be harmless entertainment. Their cinematic universe is an ever-evolving tapestry of connected stories meant to take us to another world. The MCU loves sympathetic villains but we have to draw the line somewhere. They provide bombastic and fun action movies that help us get a short reprieve from the day-to-day. Marvel likes to maintain an overall very light-hearted, escapist form of media. It would be irresponsible at best and actively hateful at worst to let these phrases be made innocuous through their use in pop culture. ![]() With antisemitism on the rise again in general and with conspiracies like Q-Anon gaining traction in the last few years, we cannot ignore the power certain phrases and signals can hold. In an age where a poorly drawn green frog can become a symbol of fascism, it’d be completely irresponsible to allow such a blatant and long-lasting allusion to a harmful conspiracy to be in the title of a superhero blockbuster that supposedly espouses American values. Unfortunately, we live in a time when even innocuous things can become dog whistles for conspiracy theories. Not to mention it's such a vague subtitle that the only possible thing we could think to associate it with are the terrible real-world origins it has. And when all the other titles have been so straightforward this feels like an unnecessary and extreme departure. For a film studio that so often sanitizes the more overtly political elements of its stories, allowing such a blazing red flag to go by would be absolutely ridiculous. The idea of conspiracy and even global conspiracy are nothing new to the character but when that fictional conspiracy is even nominally tied to a real-world one with historical weight or prejudice, we can’t just let that slide. ![]() To associate that “New World Order” with any version of Captain America is as much a disservice to his character as making him join Hydra was in the comics. It’s a heavy responsibility but both Steve and Sam accept it fully. Whether it was Steve Rogers ( Chris Evans) fighting bullies in alleys, a super soldier taking on Hydra in World War II (and again in the present), or Sam Wilson taking on the mantle to fight new problems in a broken world, Captain America has always fought to make the world a safer and more humane place. Captain America is a unifying symbol meant to embody the best of what America can be, even when the country isn’t living up to those expectations (see: Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Justice, patriotism, and looking out for the little guy are usually the go-to's, but it's more than just that. ![]()
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