Alric Hart pens a scathing rebuke of current pop culture and correctly points out that, as much as you might want to, you can’t save everyone from the Pop Cult.
We are constantly stormed by product of bad quality and malicious intent. Turn on your TV, and wait for something that is relatively interesting, something which picks your genuine attention and not your demand of gossip (that is, no news, no reality TV, etc.). Personally, if I did this, I’d wait for hours, at least until after dinner, to have a chance at finding a good show. And, who’d have guessed, it would generally be old movies.Try radio and go through hours of useless talking, interrupted by a couple minutes of the same shitty five songs big labels want you to listen. Videogames? Most of the “tripul A” industry costantly releases the same game with different skins. And let’s not touch books, or this rant will be too long; go to a bookstore and see for yourself.I am aware and sure that these industries are either tanking or stagnating, one more than the other. In truth, what I really want to talk about is the fact that a part of the public has been boiling inside that old pot for so much time that is incredibly hard to pull it out of the hot water. Be it the middle-aged lady watching soap-operas all day, or the comic book nerds that just can’t stop simping for Marvel and DC, these guys will continue drowning in the quicksand that is the current entertainment industry.
Sad to say, a not inconsiderable slice of the population, mostly hailing from Generation Y, willingly chooses to stay in the Cult.
They really have enshrined Brand X at the center of their lives, where God should be. This decision was not made rationally, and there’s no reasoning them out of it.
There’s a darker side to so many people betting all their chips on progressively rising material prosperity. As the standard of living in the West declines to third world levels, and the flow of bread and circuses dries up, ever more lost souls will seek death to relieve what they see as meaningless pain.
But Christians know that temporal suffering is a chance to cultivate virtue and an invitation to unite our sorrow with Christ’s saving Passion.
Now that the political window for reversing the decline has closed, our top priorities as Christians should be growing in holiness–which should always be job one–and bringing as many others into the fold as God permits.
And now, more than ever, it’s crucial to not give money to people who hate you.
Find out how. Read now.
No we can't save everyone but we should keep trying. Our enemies are also fellow children of God and we should never give up on them. Even into our dying breath.
I agree!
We are commanded to preach the Gospel in and out of season.
It's entirely Gen Y, at this point. They were trained well by their boomer parents (see my comment from yesterday's post) to consume to fill the holes in their hearts. They don't understand basic human relationships.
The best way to reach Gen Y is to be their trusted friend and show them the value of human relationships. Talk to them and lead them to the truth bit by bit. Eventually they will figure it out for themselves. They just need something better to attach themselves to. Show them that something better. They just need someone to trust.
It's not a guaranteed fix, but it is the best thing we can do for them.
This is really good idea. The "socially awkward" of gen Y were especially susceptible to all of this. When you're inside that world all by yourself, it can seem impossible to ever break out into normal, healthy relationships with others even if you know on some level that you need to. Show them that they've sold themselves a lie that it's hard to do that.
David Stewart's 5 Phases of Corporate IP Ownership got me to thinking of a supplemental Five Stages of Consumer Grief:
Denial: “So what if the lead developer is calling everyone racists on Twitter? It doesn't have any bearing on the product and it isn’t even out yet! Give it a chance!”
Anger: “Not buying it just means you are as bad as cancel culture!”
Bargaining: “As long as they don’t mess with Venom, I’ll keep supporting Marvel because I’ll always move the needle!”
Depression: https://youtu.be/w_ewUvSNT3w
Acceptance: “Meh. Maybe with all this new found free time I’ll practice my instrument, learn a new language, or read a book published before the 20th century.”
That list is spot-on.
I'm not sure anyone is still left in denial. Gamers are still in the anger phase. Comic readers are in bargaining. Book readers are in depression. Music aficionados are in acceptance.
tbf to the last category, we gave up over a decade ago. The rest of them still have a ways to go.
Pattern recognition is a hell of a thing. I went through every phase for Star Wars during and after the prequels. When TFA came out, I was excited. When TLJ came out, I basically went "Well, I know where this is going." A bunch of my friends went to see Solo, and I couldn't dissuade them, so I made BINGO cards full of fan wank and cliches. They thought it would be fun and they were right. We didn't see the last one.
When Marvel hit Infinity War, I predicted it would peak with Endgame (quality-wise, it had already peaked, so I was unspecific as to how it would peak). Now most of my friends are done with Marvel, as I primed the pump to prepare them for the nonsense that would follow Endgame.
I posted this elsewhere and someone replied with a Star Wars version.
Denial: "TFA wasn't that bad, they were just playing it safe because of the prequels. The next two will fix it."
Anger: "Rey is no more a Mary Sue than Luke you manbabies!"
Bargaining: "They can soft-retcon the sequels with The World Between Worlds and give Filoni/Favreau control. It's fixable."
Depression: "The Star Wars I knew and loved no longer exists."
Acceptance: "Imma go read Lord of the Rings."
Malchus,
Very interesting. In my case, English isn't the language of home, I was fortunately totally assimilated by the pop cult. I guess because I was reading other books as well as familiarizing myself with Spanish and Catalan classics and reading French language BDs in my early years onwards, I found a balance. I enjoyed Star wars and some of the extended universe, I liked the Star treks and read many novels of the Next generation but I didn't base my identity on those brands. SO while I lament their destruction I'm indifferent.
xavier
unassimilated. Freudian slip 🙂
xavier
I can relate to the gen Y's stuck in the cult. I was there myself. I more or less wasted a decade of my life being a good consumer of mainstream pop cult video games, TV, and movies, while patting myself on the back for being engaged because I also consumed the product of Conservative, Inc.'s grifters. I never fully turned away from God, so I knew on some level this would lead nowhere, and one day my eyes were fully opened to the hollowness of what I had, but in a way that gave me determination to improve instead of despair. I can't explain it, but I'm convinced God gave me what I needed to save myself though I certainly didn't deserve it.
If He can do that for me, He can do it for the others that are out of our reach. This post is a great reminder that we should be praying for these people.
Ys come in two types:
>Those who lost a decade to nostalgia-fueled consumerism before they grew up and joined the human race
>Those who are so wrapped up in the Pop Cult that only a disaster or a miracle will get them out
Hello brian
Sorry to be anonymous but i had a personal question and could not figure out how to contact you other than posting a comment here.
What i wanted to ask is what do you think it means if you experience external attacks about twice a year ,but, remember having it happen more often as a kid?
Use the "Send me an email" button at the top of the right sidebar or the contact form in the left sidebar.
It's sure going to be interesting in the next decade. The Christian Church is itself, in bad straits. Mega churches entertain and schmooze rather than lecture the Word of God.
People go to church, ask for forgiveness, then move on to the next week. Jesus himself told the adultress, "go forth and sin no more". Today's christians continue sinning then next weekend, they are forgiven. Are they?
Forgiveness for serious sin requires true sorrow for having offended God and a firm purpose of amendment.