As a frowned-upon centrist, I have to say I view the habit of buying into prepackaged ideologies on either side as a dangerous intellectual laziness...
I think it is a useful exercise to think about issues where we differ from our political “tribe.” And if we agree with them on everything, it is worth it to ask whether we really agree, or whether we are going along to get along.
If you like Ryan Gosling, the algorithm gave me a clip of him promoting the movie on “Jeopardy” with a “Hail Mary” of a final answer (not real, and there was a behind the scenes shot of him being effortlessly charming as well) and another, where he’s very creditably throwing a football through a giant donut sign in Hollywood?
I don’t think 1 in a hundred Americans or residents of America could identify or would have the slightest clue what is meant by “manosphere”, but my admittedly indirect notions of it, derived solely from substack references and such, suggest to me it is entirely a mirror image of OnlyFans and the obsession with plastic surgery and altered bodies and - just a reductiveness in every way - among women, that has been the strangest fruit of feminism and the sexual revolution* - strange at least, to those of us who came up in the 70s and 80s when a very different aesthetic operated.
*For reasons, I watched a good deal of TV when I was a kid, at least during the daytime, and then saw/owned no television after about 1988. Thus I was like Rip Van Winkle when I noticed some time in the oughts - probably in a waiting room somewhere that the TV was always on - utterly vacuous, clownishly made-up (to me) young women on TV crying all the time, sometimes trying to win plastic surgery or a fake proposal.
And to me the obsession with cosmetic surgery and body alterations is so depressing. People don’t even look good after these procedures! It just seems like body dysmorphia to me.
It's a great movie, and it feels made with love, not cynicism. See also the Game of Thrones prequel Night of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO. People are hungry for heroism, especially right now.
There's also the video game Clair Obscur Expedition 33, which has a darker, more tragic story, but it still contains many likeable characters who feel real. I'm telling you, people all across the political spectrum are hungry for entertainment that makes them think and feel. Slop will not do.
As a side note, I think that most RW-types, while believing that humans are *naturally* bad, think that humans can be trained to be not bad, and guys like Tate are extremely controversial at best.
And, well...it's also worth noting that what unifies humanity in the movie is an outside threat by an Other, and that the alliance and friendship between Rocky and Grace is also initially built on that basis.
That having been said, as you allude to, Grace's final choice is certainly not borne out of pragmatism, but out of affection and honor. (And, I will argue, Grace's arc pushes the idea that while humans are naturally bad they can become good--Grace, chronologically, is something of an honorless coward at the start, but by the end is selfless and brave because by his choices and Rocky's example he has trained himself to be virtuous.)
This is a great point that the world in the movie is united by an outside threat. If only we didn’t need aliens devouring the sun to learn to work together! And I really like your point that the movie shows Grace training himself to be virtuous (with the help of Rocky’s example).
The more I think about it, the more parallels I see between events in the film and the Easter story. It doesn't feel like pointed allegory and it's perfectly unobtrusive, but it is in so many ways a story about the ways in which people lay down their lives for each other. The film manages to give us that drama in several different ways without even killing anybody. SPOILER: The scene that hit me hardest is when Rocky offers Grace the fuel, and he emerges into the light crying because he had not, in fact, reconciled himself to death. Utterly wrecked me.
That scene got me too. I was tearing up in the theater. And yes, the subtle Easter theme is one of the reasons the movie is so powerful. (In fact this is why I chose this week to post about it!)
I tend to view Horseshoe Theory through the lens of an integer overflow. In programming, if you’re using an 8-bit signed integer, the sum 127 + 1 equals -128. In computers, as in life, an errant minus sign can cause catastrophic problems.
When people drift to the extreme ends of the political or social spectrum, they do seem to wrap back around toward one another. Tribalism becomes the norm, absolute conformity is mandatory, and empathy is discarded as weakness.
Since we’re talking Sci-Fi, I’ll point to Octavia E. Butler’s excellent Xenogenesis trilogy (also known as Lilith’s Brood). Butler explores the thesis that humanity is inherently tribal and genetically predisposed to ‘us vs. them’ fracturing. She takes this idea to—and far beyond—the breaking point of human civilization. Butler shows what happens when the 'integer' of human tribalism overflows into total self-destruction. It’s a brilliant series, though it offers a sobering, even depressing, view of our species.
Back in the real world, we see some conservative Christian groups labeling empathy a ‘sin’. They fear empathy might be twisted to embrace ‘un-Christian’ causes. But I have serious doubts. My reading of the Bible suggests Jesus practiced a radical empathy. I doubt he would want us to harden our hearts 'just in case' our compassion overflows the banks of righteousness.
After all, I may be the "captain of my soul," but I’m certainly not the captain of anyone else's. As a Christian, I am called to embrace my neighbor even if they are a sinner—which is good news, considering I am one, too. I am not, however, called to be the moral judge of others (Matthew 7:1-5). So we can safely leave our worries about ‘accidental unrighteousness’ arising from empathy in Christ’s capable hands.
I do have my own red lines: hypocrisy, cruelty, and a lack of empathy. But I try to remember that there is no ‘Us vs. Them’. They are Us. There is only Us.
Everyone have a Happy Passover and a Blessed Easter!
P.S. The Cluely ad was most disturbing. My concerns that a marketeer thought this was a compelling ad are exceeded only by my fears they might have been right.
Beautiful comment, especially your point that were called to embrace our neighbor and that we are all sinners, after all.
You probably know this book, but just in case, here’s a recommendation: The Secret of Our Success, by Joseph Henrich. He argues that humans evolved as a species not because we competed, but because we cooperated. He discussed numerous ancient technologies (for example how to prepare manioc root so it isn’t poisonous) that were only possible because communities pooled their knowledge. The zero-su tribalist view of humanity is simply false.
I read Project Hail Mary so wasn’t sure if I also wanted to see the film, but reading of the allusions and imagery here I now have to see it! As far as sharing a story that refutes the belief that we are all fundamentally selfish and cruel goes, I conversely can’t think of a personal story that *supports* that notion. It may be because I don rose-colored glasses, but even if it is, they sure do help me see the world, human effort, and connection through a kinder, more forgiving, most beautiful lens. Thank you, Mari, for being one of the myriad people who have shown me fundamental kindness and generosity. 🩷
It is interesting to me how often the general public (w/o really knowing) default to Catholic metaphors, Like "Hail Mary." Anyone who grew up praying the Rosary said at least 53 "Hail Mary" prayers a day.
As a frowned-upon centrist, I have to say I view the habit of buying into prepackaged ideologies on either side as a dangerous intellectual laziness...
I think it is a useful exercise to think about issues where we differ from our political “tribe.” And if we agree with them on everything, it is worth it to ask whether we really agree, or whether we are going along to get along.
If you like Ryan Gosling, the algorithm gave me a clip of him promoting the movie on “Jeopardy” with a “Hail Mary” of a final answer (not real, and there was a behind the scenes shot of him being effortlessly charming as well) and another, where he’s very creditably throwing a football through a giant donut sign in Hollywood?
I don’t think 1 in a hundred Americans or residents of America could identify or would have the slightest clue what is meant by “manosphere”, but my admittedly indirect notions of it, derived solely from substack references and such, suggest to me it is entirely a mirror image of OnlyFans and the obsession with plastic surgery and altered bodies and - just a reductiveness in every way - among women, that has been the strangest fruit of feminism and the sexual revolution* - strange at least, to those of us who came up in the 70s and 80s when a very different aesthetic operated.
*For reasons, I watched a good deal of TV when I was a kid, at least during the daytime, and then saw/owned no television after about 1988. Thus I was like Rip Van Winkle when I noticed some time in the oughts - probably in a waiting room somewhere that the TV was always on - utterly vacuous, clownishly made-up (to me) young women on TV crying all the time, sometimes trying to win plastic surgery or a fake proposal.
I love Ryan Gosling and must watch this clip!
And to me the obsession with cosmetic surgery and body alterations is so depressing. People don’t even look good after these procedures! It just seems like body dysmorphia to me.
It's a great movie, and it feels made with love, not cynicism. See also the Game of Thrones prequel Night of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO. People are hungry for heroism, especially right now.
There's also the video game Clair Obscur Expedition 33, which has a darker, more tragic story, but it still contains many likeable characters who feel real. I'm telling you, people all across the political spectrum are hungry for entertainment that makes them think and feel. Slop will not do.
I really like this: “made with love, not cynicism.” This is exactly right—and you are also right that we have a hunger for media like this.
As a side note, I think that most RW-types, while believing that humans are *naturally* bad, think that humans can be trained to be not bad, and guys like Tate are extremely controversial at best.
And, well...it's also worth noting that what unifies humanity in the movie is an outside threat by an Other, and that the alliance and friendship between Rocky and Grace is also initially built on that basis.
That having been said, as you allude to, Grace's final choice is certainly not borne out of pragmatism, but out of affection and honor. (And, I will argue, Grace's arc pushes the idea that while humans are naturally bad they can become good--Grace, chronologically, is something of an honorless coward at the start, but by the end is selfless and brave because by his choices and Rocky's example he has trained himself to be virtuous.)
This is a great point that the world in the movie is united by an outside threat. If only we didn’t need aliens devouring the sun to learn to work together! And I really like your point that the movie shows Grace training himself to be virtuous (with the help of Rocky’s example).
The more I think about it, the more parallels I see between events in the film and the Easter story. It doesn't feel like pointed allegory and it's perfectly unobtrusive, but it is in so many ways a story about the ways in which people lay down their lives for each other. The film manages to give us that drama in several different ways without even killing anybody. SPOILER: The scene that hit me hardest is when Rocky offers Grace the fuel, and he emerges into the light crying because he had not, in fact, reconciled himself to death. Utterly wrecked me.
That scene got me too. I was tearing up in the theater. And yes, the subtle Easter theme is one of the reasons the movie is so powerful. (In fact this is why I chose this week to post about it!)
Yet Another Moralizing Comment by Brent:
I tend to view Horseshoe Theory through the lens of an integer overflow. In programming, if you’re using an 8-bit signed integer, the sum 127 + 1 equals -128. In computers, as in life, an errant minus sign can cause catastrophic problems.
Go take a look at: https://xkcd.com/1245/ for an example!
When people drift to the extreme ends of the political or social spectrum, they do seem to wrap back around toward one another. Tribalism becomes the norm, absolute conformity is mandatory, and empathy is discarded as weakness.
Since we’re talking Sci-Fi, I’ll point to Octavia E. Butler’s excellent Xenogenesis trilogy (also known as Lilith’s Brood). Butler explores the thesis that humanity is inherently tribal and genetically predisposed to ‘us vs. them’ fracturing. She takes this idea to—and far beyond—the breaking point of human civilization. Butler shows what happens when the 'integer' of human tribalism overflows into total self-destruction. It’s a brilliant series, though it offers a sobering, even depressing, view of our species.
Back in the real world, we see some conservative Christian groups labeling empathy a ‘sin’. They fear empathy might be twisted to embrace ‘un-Christian’ causes. But I have serious doubts. My reading of the Bible suggests Jesus practiced a radical empathy. I doubt he would want us to harden our hearts 'just in case' our compassion overflows the banks of righteousness.
After all, I may be the "captain of my soul," but I’m certainly not the captain of anyone else's. As a Christian, I am called to embrace my neighbor even if they are a sinner—which is good news, considering I am one, too. I am not, however, called to be the moral judge of others (Matthew 7:1-5). So we can safely leave our worries about ‘accidental unrighteousness’ arising from empathy in Christ’s capable hands.
I do have my own red lines: hypocrisy, cruelty, and a lack of empathy. But I try to remember that there is no ‘Us vs. Them’. They are Us. There is only Us.
Everyone have a Happy Passover and a Blessed Easter!
P.S. The Cluely ad was most disturbing. My concerns that a marketeer thought this was a compelling ad are exceeded only by my fears they might have been right.
Beautiful comment, especially your point that were called to embrace our neighbor and that we are all sinners, after all.
You probably know this book, but just in case, here’s a recommendation: The Secret of Our Success, by Joseph Henrich. He argues that humans evolved as a species not because we competed, but because we cooperated. He discussed numerous ancient technologies (for example how to prepare manioc root so it isn’t poisonous) that were only possible because communities pooled their knowledge. The zero-su tribalist view of humanity is simply false.
Happy Easter to you and your family, Brent!
I read Project Hail Mary so wasn’t sure if I also wanted to see the film, but reading of the allusions and imagery here I now have to see it! As far as sharing a story that refutes the belief that we are all fundamentally selfish and cruel goes, I conversely can’t think of a personal story that *supports* that notion. It may be because I don rose-colored glasses, but even if it is, they sure do help me see the world, human effort, and connection through a kinder, more forgiving, most beautiful lens. Thank you, Mari, for being one of the myriad people who have shown me fundamental kindness and generosity. 🩷
Thank you for this lovely comment! I am grateful you are my friend, Amy.
I read the book and loved it too, and I am happy to report that the movie is very faithful to the book.
It is interesting to me how often the general public (w/o really knowing) default to Catholic metaphors, Like "Hail Mary." Anyone who grew up praying the Rosary said at least 53 "Hail Mary" prayers a day.
Yes! This prayer is part of American culture.
"As for the far right, well, they’re worse."
Narrator: They were not worse.