Hollywood is spending a lot of timeAnd money in its effort to steer around the culture wars, but some contend it’s a hopeless mission: A growing sector of society is so polarized that “left” and “right”they have blurred into one another. So, they had a similar-sex kiss. Lightyear power rangers stirs angst in Florida and bans in the Middle East, while Elon Musk goes viral when he confusingly announces he’s no longer “a liberal” (he’s still the world’s richest man).
Although studios have begun to hire consultants such as Culture House and Color of Change to help them identify areas of high risk, danger still exists. Even branches of the Motion Picture Academy that represent the crafts – the working people of Hollywood – will confront political issues in coming weeks that they’d urgently prefer to avoid (see below).
Hollywood’s founders would be appalled by these firestorms. A new book entitled The Disney Revolt reminds us that Walt’s father called himself a socialist and that Walt himself was a Democrat until his top animators joined a union. Jake S. Friedman reports that the wounds were finally healed after the 50th anniversary celebration was invited to by the rebel animators. Snow White.
Walt surely would also be perplexed by the reactions to Disney-Pixar’s animated Lightyeardue to corporate efforts culturally to find a middle path Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not yet given his cinematic assessment but had earlier revoked Disney World’s special tax designations.
DeSantis camp believed that Hollywood product was embodied in its current or historical form. “a liberal mythology”It was disputed this Week by New York TimesA.O. Scott, who argued “The people who make movies may skew progressive in their beliefs but the movies themselves tell another story.” To Scott, Tom Cruise’s Maverick: Top GunIt reflects the Hollywood tradition of creating. “a nearly frictionless world of camaraderie and courage.”
The drive to remain frictionless will be challenged in the coming weeks as the various Academy branches — cinematographers, art directors, etc. – confront a chain of challenging decisions as the Academy’s governors have prodded branches to expand their membership in recognition principally of gender and race (total membership has soared to 10,665).
Oscar inclusion quotas for nominated movies should be established. What penalties would be triggered if a film was deemed not inclusive? “If my movie is disqualified for Best Picture because I didn’t meet, say, 50% inclusion, I see troubled waters,” one Academy governor declares.
The Academy’s new policies on ethics and morals could cause some controversy. Roman Polanski, for instance, was expelled from membership but his legal situation will be reviewed in light of recent court rulings.
“The Academy’s job is to judge movies, not members,”One member will be a long-term one
In dealing with these issues, one Academy leader fears his institution could succumb to the sort of polarization gripping society as a whole – identification of being “right”Or “left”It no longer has relevance. The fact that Bill Kramer, the Academy’s new CEO, represents a cool, friction-free management style, unlike his predecessor, is welcomed by some members.
A new book is now available The Myth of Left and RightVerian Lewis, Hyrum Lewis (both political scientist) argue that “leaders who define themselves as liberal or conservative have made such sharp swerves on key issues that they’ve left their followers in confusion.”Donald Trump is the only person who redefined “redefining” “conservative”To become “nationalist, nativist and isolationist,”They write. Progressives have, however, blurred the lines between what constitutes and what is not. “left.”
The bottom line: The left-right model reflects “tribal hostility”They advocate for policy shifts that are more important than making major policy shifts.
Hollywood wants to choose its tribe. Its denizens will be there.