Prediction on the Downfall of the MCU Coming To Pass

Disney/Pixar just laid a pretty big turd this weekend, so it seems like a good time to revisit my answer to a Quora question a year ago. It has garnered 75 likes in that time, and so I am kind of proud of that. Honestly I just rushed my answer out with a lot less work that I generally put into blog posts. The reason people like it is obviously not because of brilliant writing but because the message resonates with fans of stories of all sorts. Here's the text:

Will Marvel Studios’ “woke” stance backfire like the comics did?

If the storytelling goes downhill, then the MCU will fall. “Wokeness” seems to erect artificial barriers to good storytelling. For example, look at the Charlie’s Angels movie. All the women are Mary Sues and can all do just about everything. All the men are awful and easy for the women to beat. The old white guy turns out to be the villain and this surprises no one. The movie tanked and was deservedly mocked.

“Batwoman” is another recent cringeworthy example. Good storytelling takes a back seat to woke button-pushing, and it is one of the lowest rated things in the DC realm.

Having said all this, there are many macho-crap films, stuff as far from “woke” as possible, out there that suck as badly as Batwoman. They feature one-dimensional, steroid-jacked heroes and hot women posing merely damsels in distress. I have just never heard anyone insist that those examples of film-making are great. Not in the way people insist that Last Jedi or Rise of Skywalker is great storytelling when the plot holes in those films are gaping and their characters demonstrably less realistic.

The best of the older, cheesy action films didn’t suffer from macho or woke posturing. Commando didn’t take itself very seriously, but neither of the females comes across as a fearful damsel-y character, but rather tough characters with courage. Rae-Dawn Chong actually uses a rocket launcher to free Schwarzenegger from a paddy wagon. But if Chong was shown beating all these military guys up with Arnold sitting there cheering her on that would have ruined the story. I feel like there are a bunch of woke fans that want that, i.e., ruin the story for the sake of a narrative that shows that men need to take a back seat to women, not that men and women can work together, using different talents, to beat the bad guys. “Edge of Tomorrow” is a good example of a more recent example of this, along with the first “Avengers” film of course.

“Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is a good example of the latest MCU project which was not sure what it wanted to be. Quirky action romp or preachy geopolitical / racial statement? Fortunately, the great action scenes provided enough cover for fans like me to ignore the cringe-worthy monologuing and confusion about who really is the “bad guy”. But here’s the thing: I’m a hardcore comic movie fan. If the MCU takes the wrong message from its decent ratings and injects more statement and less fun into their products, they are going to lose a lot of audience. You have got to get normal people to see your movies. If you are just able to count people like me coming through to door then woke or not, you’ll go broke.

I added a number of comments over the months about new MCU movies. I noted that Spiderman did really well and was missing all the SJW virtue signaling. A guy whose first name was Mohammad showed up in the comments and agreed with me numerous times, providing his own insights and examples that I appreciated very much. Unfortunately he deleted all his comments. He may have been scared that people might see them and decide he is a _______phobe, so I do not blame him one bit.

There are many people out there calling this stuff out now and pointing out that political messaging destroys stories. So many in fact that a list would be sort of hard to make, but here is a partial one: Critical Drinker, Nerdrotic, Ryan Kinal, Infinity Girl, The Quartering, Clownfish TV, Geeks and Gamers and Odin's Movie Blog. A lot of these folks are great fellow travelers for traditional Christians and conservatives to follow and check out.

Still in search of Rod Dreher's Benedict Option

In response to a claim that "[Rod Dreher's] Benedict Option work is massively important for American Christianity"*, Vox Popoli commenter YIH has unearthed an early training film:

But who says Benedict Option ducking and covering can't also be fun?

Rod Dreher & Marvin Olasky practice practicing Rod Dreher's Benedict Option

Not to mention, if you happen to be chosen as one of the Benedict Option Elect by actually being invited into the prophet's compound, you also get the rare privilege of wielding Rod's Mighty Mallet:

Marvin Olasky whacks the wood

Marvin Olasky, to his great honor, joins an impressive roster of previously co-opted mallet minions, Rod's recently declared Pagan soul mate Franklin Evans

Franklin Evans

and Rod's former pal around Dallas, longtime gay NPR commentator Rawlins Gilliland.

Rawlins Gilliland

That's right, moms and dads, a mint julep-sipping middle-aged Alfred E. Neuman still sporting Dr. Seuss hair hosting what can only be described as a rainbow coalition of bar tending house guests will personally guide you through his Benedict Option as you try to help your families and children navigate our increasingly strange and strangely sexualized culture.

That can only be better than the pathetic, failing job you're doing now, right?

Right.

Say, why not start right now, practicing Rod Dreher's Benedict Option at home yourselves?

First, have a little family fun Criscoing everyone's hair into fanciful tempests of twirls.

A culture-tossed family chooses Rod Dreher's Benedict Option

Then, crush some ice, with your own special mallet or, if you're common, in a blender or by running over it with a brick and your car. Make everyone a mint julep. For those children who can't hold their liquor, substitute root beer for the bourbon.

Finally, sit everyone in a circle on the couch around your Apple laptop (no Apple laptop?...I-I'm so sorry...) and get the whole family to read one of Rod's best culture-disengaging posts aloud, maybe one of the ever-popular ones about trannies, or, hey, how about something fresh and new, like a bold, ground-breaking put-down of Donald Trump?**

With brave new Christian cultural-thickening moves like these, I can assure you, it's only a matter of time before our enemies begin falling before us like matchsticks.

*How something Dreher himself has characterized as "inchoate" can be massive is unclear. Maybe it's like dark matter.

**See how Rod did that? Pretty cool, huh: took a free comment and recycled it as one part of a build-a-Mr. Potato Head post, then a free article by a colleage, then stuck it al together with some straw argumentation. You could have written your own Benedict Option book this way, but I think by now Rod's got the jump on you. But maybe a book on something else? Remember, you don't have to know a bit about your subject until the contract is inked.

Brendan Eich on the Benedict Option

Brendan Eich is quoted here refusing to play the victim. (I capitalized the Theological Virtues; I don't think Mr. Eich will mind.) Excerpt:

On Obergefell and the inevitable SSM story, I do wish Rod [Dreher] would not drop my name so much, because while I did lose my job, and also FYI I did have to face a blackball-dropping event at one other Valley big company, I’m not a martyr. We should all pray for greater Faith, Hope and Charity, and stop whinging about SSM or the US-based global elite that’s pushing it as just one step along a revolutionary road. More and worse is coming, and complaining is far from being ready. Pulling out of society also isn’t going to work, or satisfy Christ’s injunction to be “salt and light” to the world.

Emphasis mine. I would like to point out that Eich's attitude is very close to my own, and perhaps he is expressing it better than I ever have when he states "More and worse is coming, and complaining is far from being ready." It's not denial nor defeatism. It's not a shrug nor is it a shriek. It's the happy warrior mentality, and it is attractive and contagious.

“Pulling out of society also isn’t going to work, or satisfy Christ’s injunction to be 'salt and light' to the world.” Loved that remark; frankly I didn't realize that Eich was a Christian. I guess I didn't pay a lot of attention when all that was going on, only to assume that the man was brilliant and wouldn't end up on the street.

I have to mention that I find Dreher's Prufrockian comment about Brendan Eich's view of the Benedict Option totally hilarious, even though it's hardly the first time we've heard it. [H]e’s not a fan of the Benedict Option, though I don’t think he understands what it is." Join the very large club, Mr. Eich. None of us quite understands what it is. We have many divergent theories, all useful to some degree.

Rod Dreher, Culture Warrior - against his family

As I mentioned in my Ace post, sometimes it behooves conservatives to look in the mirror and realize the phone call from the killer is actually coming from inside the house.

As Dreher blogs whatever alternative gets him the most culture war blog hits on any given day - Miraculé! In the wake of the pushback he's received from David French, Glenn Reynolds and others, today's entree du jour now offers fighting back - now "here’s what the Benedict Option is not":

1) a counsel to run for the hills and to build a fortress where the outside world cannot get in; or

2) advice to quit fighting entirely, and to abandon the battlefield

and

For all that, I do not blame ordinary people, people who are not as privileged as Robby George, Ryan Anderson, and I, for not wanting to rush out and volunteer to die on every hill,

let's review what our extra-ordinary, privileged warrior knight has used his place of privilege to attempt to publish for millions of ordinary culture warriors to read and take fighting heart from. Feel free to look up the links yourself; I'm not Dreher's publicist.

Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, Gun-Loving Organic Gardeners, Evangelical Free-Range Farmers, Hip Homeschooling Mamas, Right-Wing Nature Lovers, and Their Diverse Tribe of Countercultural Conservatives Plan to Save America (or At Least the Republican Party)

Okay, so maybe this whole culture war thing started some time after way back nine years ago in 2006 when granola-chomping Crunchy Cons was published. But as soon as it did, Rod strapped on culture war fighting sword and buckler and waded in full-tilt, right? With

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming

about his sister's death and how, returning to their home town, he was forced to confront their very different views of life and their very different ways of regarding each other. Our host Pauli reviewed the book here. His home town residents, those most familiar with him, continue to review Rod himself here.

Okay, so he took some up front R & R home before battle. But, then, immediately onward and into the fray, right? With

How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History's Greatest Poem

Oh, dear, maybe not yet.

It seems moving home and encountering how his family and friends really feel about him once again threw our culture warrior into a "dark wood" of depression, which in turn caused a debilitating flareup of what he claims to be a persistent mononucleosis infection.

Fortunately, his wife, completely exasperated at his interminable sleeping, finally forced him to seek a professional psychotherapist for his mental and subsequent physical problems. During that process he also discovered Dante.

From the post I quoted from at the outset, it seems he's on leave from the culture war once again today to promote that book and its issues as well as the general welfare of TAC, where he works.

But hope endures! Only yesterday our brave knight promised us

I am writing the book proposal this week. Things are moving very fast. People need to wake up. You can have St. Benedict, or you can have Dr. Berman. If you don’t choose, do not doubt for a second but that the choice will be made for you.

That was, of course, a full 24 hours ago, ages before today's call to arms quoted at the top of this post.Tomorrow, who knows? Maybe sprinkles!

The problem in producing the long talked about emperorographic next volume in question, of course, is that from the beginning his shapeshifting Benedict Option has depended entirely on what can only be described as "crowd-sourced principle": Rod can't finally decide what the Benedict Option principle actually is until he hears from what enough people who want to pay for him writing a book about something actually want it to be about.

Maybe, just maybe, although the next book will now inevitably reflect the eclectic composition of granola itself, it will actually have our knight waging culture war on our behalf on a battlefield larger than the urban chicken coop, his bed, or his therapist's couch and will engage foes more formidable than the family and neighbors who know him best.

Rod Dreher, Culture Warrior

In the meantime, dealing with the culture war on our own, without the helpful intelligence guidance of a Curveball, might actually be an asset, not a liability.

UPDATE (as they say): In contrast to Curveball and his "strategic withdrawal", above, here's what true culture warriors look like:

"We will not obey.".

Muslim Cleric: Saying Merry Christmas is worse than murder

Hat tip Creeping Sharia.

Nolen's Mosque Teaches "Jihad for the Sake of Allah"

From an eyewitness to Islam. You can't trump this.



You can deny the authenticity of it, of course. But it all rings true and fits everything else we know about the inherent violence of Islamic teaching.

Smite at their necks (47:4).

"So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure their bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah - never will He waste their deeds."

Just saying

Here's a guy who supports so-called Same-sex Marriage and Arizona SB 1062. Reading through it, it seems like he lives in Happytown, USA where we can all just git along fine, garsh-dangit, if we just try real hard. But he makes good points. And it's interesting to me that a Cato Institute dude like Ilya Shapiro, i.e. probably not a social conservative, can have a supportive view of a bill supporting religious freedom instead of grumpily ceding the argument like Douthat and others. Is this because some of these people like the concepts of religion and morality but wince at the word freedom? And are these types only focusing on how freedom may be misused instead of how it makes a good people great by allowing them to practice religion without fear?

#DumpStarbucks

Starbucks has now come out vociferously against the traditional marriage. Read all about it here. A priest friend of mine sent me info on this, so hat tip goes to him. Here's the email he forwarded:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012

Dear Marriage Supporter,

We are urging consumers across the globe to "Dump Starbucks" because the massive international corporation has taken a corporate-wide position that marriage between one man and one woman should be eliminated and that same-sex marriage should become the norm. As such, Starbucks has declared it will use its influence and resources in a culture war against at least half its US customers, and against the vast majority of its international consumers who do not share Starbucks' position.

On January 24, 2012, the Starbucks corporation issued a memorandum to all "US Partners" declaring that same-sex marriage "is aligned with Starbucks business practices" and "is core to who we are and what we value as a company."

In addition to declaring its corporate-wide position in support of gay marriage, Starbucks also used its resources to participate in a legal case seeking to overturn a federal law declaring marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

In taking these actions, Starbucks has declared a culture war on all people of faith (and millions of others) who believe that the institution of marriage as one man and one woman is worth preserving.

NOM does not take this step lightly.

Unlike our opponents, we would never take action against a corporation because of the statements of one of its executives. However, Starbucks has declared gay marriage to be a corporate value and has intentionally inserted itself into the debate. Furthermore, NOM officials attended a meeting of the Board of Directors of Starbucks to bring this issue to their attention, and they did nothing.

This is why we must urge all consumers to "dump Starbucks," as well as Seattle's Best Coffee and Evolution Fresh juices, which are owned by Starbucks.

A portion of every cup of coffee purchased at a Starbucks anywhere in the world goes to fund this corporate assault on marriage. Voters in thirty US states have voted to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. No state vote has ever supported gay marriage.

In many areas of the world where Starbucks does business, the concept of "gay marriage" is unheard of and deeply offensive to cultural, moral and religious values. We urge consumers across the globe to join the "Dump Starbucks" campaign.

By going to www.dumpstarbucks.com, you can sign our petition, and take action to contact Starbucks directly. You can also see places near you where you can buy coffee rather than patronize Starbucks. Let your local Starbucks manager and the corporate leadership know that you've joined the Dump Starbucks campaign, and tell them where you'll be going instead to buy coffee.

Please sign the Dump Starbucks petition to register your protest of Starbucks waging a culture war against its customers who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown
Executive Director
NOM Education Fund

Like everything Maggie Gallagher does, the National Organization for Marriage website is done very well. You can like the NOM on Facebook, check out their blog, follow them on Twitter and sign an online boycott pledge against Starbucks here.

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You can subscribe to updates like this one from The Cardinal Newman Society by going to this link and filling in your email on the left hand side. This newsletter and the site are both very informative about what is going on in the cultural battles at Catholic universities. I've been subscribed for some time now.  I hope they don't mind me posting the entire content of a newsletter to demonstrate how useful the content is. Please consider subscribing.

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I feel honored to have been one of those folks who listened to Patrick and realized, in the early days of his work, that somebody had to get a handle on Catholic bastions of higher education..." Students Still Pushing for Gay Club at Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame student newspaper kicked off a three-part series highlighting the experience of LGBTQ students on campus in light of the fact that the university has refused to grant official club status to a gay-straight alliance despite numerous requests since 1986. Religious Liberty Amish Yes. Catholics No. Why are the Amish exempted from Obamacare entirely, but when Catholic institutions seek an exemption from just one regulation, the Obama administration adamantly refuses?  That's the question posed by Sister Mary Ann Walsh, Director of Media Relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, at the USCCB blog.  Read more... 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ADF Email: Ninth Circuit Hits the Brakes

Just got the following in an email from Alliance Defense Fund:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit Monday put the brakes on an Aug. 18 implementation date for U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker’s order overthrowing the will of 7 million California voters with regard to marriage.

The court granted a motion filed by the ProtectMarriage.com legal team, including attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, that asked the court to stay the judge’s Aug. 4 decision in Perry v. Schwarzenegger until the appellate court has time to hear the case.

“It made no sense to impose a radical change in marriage on the people of California before all appeals on their behalf are heard, so the 9th Circuit’s decision is clearly the right call,” said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Jim Campbell. “Refusing to stay the decision would only have created more legal confusion surrounding any same-sex unions entered while the appeal is pending. This case has just begun. ADF and the rest of the legal team are confident that the right of Americans to protect marriage in their state constitutions will ultimately be upheld.”

As part of its order, the 9th Circuit also issued an expedited appeal schedule in the case, with the opening brief due Sept. 17 and oral argument to be heard the week of Dec. 6.
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ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy training funding and litigation.

Copyright © 2010 Alliance Defense Fund. All Rights Reserved 15100 N. 90th Street Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Here's ADF's pitch for a donation:

Your prayers and financial support enable ADF to fight – and WIN – in the battle to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Please continue to join us in prayer and consider giving a generous $35, $50 or $100 donation to help preserve marriage and religious freedom in America.

Here's ADF's donation link.