Greer Funeral

James Earl Jones, Eternal Memory

The sad news broke on Monday that beloved entertainer James Earl Jones died at his home, aged 93. Having won more accolades than most performers could dream of, the US Army veteran and Shakespearean actor profoundly influenced several generations and built a legacy that will continue for generations to come.…
September 10, 2024
R. Buckminster Fuller

Brand Evangelism: Consuming Our Way to Meaning?

In today’s extremely online world, we see branding going beyond just selling products. From tech giants to entertainment companies, corporations are deploying “brand evangelism” to create devoted followings with cultish loyalty. This phenomenon has turned product consumption into a substitute for deeper, more meaningful pursuits—and for many fans, it's become…
September 6, 202410 Comments
20th Century Crumbling

The 20th Century Is Over, Act Accordingly

Such is author JD Cowan's appraisal of Current Year science fiction and fantasy: The elephant in the room is that “Science Fiction” is modernist heresy in print form, which can only survive in a late 19th to late 20th century climate where Hard Science is purely material and not only…
September 4, 202412 Comments
Zoomer Science Fiction

Is Science Fiction Doomed After Generation X?

As the literary landscape shifts, we might be witnessing a significant transition in genre dominance. Science fiction, once a staple of speculative fiction, may be losing ground to fantasy, particularly among younger readers like Generation Z. The unique cultural and societal factors shaping Gen Z suggest that science fiction’s popularity…
September 3, 202418 Comments
Kevin Murphy

MST3K’s Kevin Murphy Notices Movie Ground Zero

Hollywood product has degraded to the point that hardly a day goes by without someone noticing Cultural Ground Zero. Valued neopatron, DJ, and fellow ex-movie theater employee Scott Waddell brings up this book, wherein MST3K's Kevin Murphy notices movie ground zero. Dial around your radio and you’ll sometimes hear a…
August 20, 202411 Comments
Marble Hornets

The Link From Gen Y Nostalgia to Gen Z Horror

Our recent post on analog horror brought out a lot of folks to comment. It was especially edifying to get more of the Millennial view on the genre. Related: Analog Horror: The Past as Nightmare, Not Nostalgia The most copious treatment of the subject comes from commenter Rudolph Harrier: This…
August 14, 202410 Comments
Analog Horror

Analog Horror: The Past as Nightmare, Not Nostalgia

In recent years, a fascinating trend has emerged within the horror genre that has captivated the imaginations of Generation Z: analog horror. Cribbing the aesthetics of VHS tapes, public access television, and other analog media, this subgenre is the opposite of retrowave. Becauuse instead of eliciting nostalgia for simpler times,…
August 13, 20249 Comments
Online Nostalgia

Millennial Online Nostalgia

Around here we've spent a great deal of time detailing generational tendencies. When it comes to nostalgia for their long-gone childhood years, Gen Y is notorious for living in the past, while Millennials are notorious for consigning anything from the before time to the memory hole. But recently, a new…
August 7, 202415 Comments
abused generation

Failed Generations Are Abused Generations

Adjacent to discussions of Cultural Ground Zero theory is speculation as to what went wrong. Generation X was passed over for any position of authority. Gen Y creatives can only churn out shallow pastiches of superior 80s and 90s entertainment. It's an open secret in the video game industry that…
July 31, 202417 Comments

Zoomer Uses 1980s Technology for a Week

Stop the press. The haywire internet algorithms' varioius malfuncitons aligned in such a way as to make a useful suggestion. This digital miracle occurred over the weekend, when YouTube recommended a video wherein a Zoomer uses 1980s technology for a week. For over fifteen minutes, I watched enrapt as YouTuber…
July 29, 202416 Comments