In his recent appearance on Lex Friedman’s podcast, Yuval Noah Harari makes this point again and again: storytelling is the most powerful tool we have.
"The story of the two films combined speaks to a frivolous, consumer-based lifestyle lived out in the context of an overshadowing impending doom. It’s the experience of scrolling through Instagram and seeing hot models in bikinis juxtaposed with war images from Ukraine. It’s a fancy cocktail served poolside juxtaposed with an image from a funeral."
Suzanne Collins flipping through TV channels and seeing war reporting next to frivolous game shows inspired her to write Hunger Games. Barbenheimer is another iteration of that it seems.
Maybe the best we can do is embrace the pairing ironically? Otherwise we don't acknowledge it at all. Also AMC Stubs making puns in their marketing emails like offering "explosive bonus points" for Oppen tickets is pretty dystopian given the implications of the movie and all.
That’s fascinating about hunger games--makes sense that was an inspiration. ... I’m terms of the cynical marketing: I feel like people (myself included) have a secret death wish for the Barbie world. It’s just inherently too perfect and plastic. Even if Greta Gerwig created some real “problem” in the movie (which apparently she did a good job doing), still, the whole Barbie world is something I think would be cathartic to see blown to smithereens. So those fan art images with the mushroom cloud in front of Barbie... I think people unironically want to see that happen.
Jul 20, 2023·edited Jul 20, 2023Liked by Peter Clarke
Oppenheimer first. Once you've done that job, reward yourself with a light dessert.
You might say the connection between the two is that the grim 40s-based Oppenheimer paved the way for the economic explosion and consumer society of the 50s-60s, which birthed Barbie.
"The story of the two films combined speaks to a frivolous, consumer-based lifestyle lived out in the context of an overshadowing impending doom. It’s the experience of scrolling through Instagram and seeing hot models in bikinis juxtaposed with war images from Ukraine. It’s a fancy cocktail served poolside juxtaposed with an image from a funeral."
Suzanne Collins flipping through TV channels and seeing war reporting next to frivolous game shows inspired her to write Hunger Games. Barbenheimer is another iteration of that it seems.
Maybe the best we can do is embrace the pairing ironically? Otherwise we don't acknowledge it at all. Also AMC Stubs making puns in their marketing emails like offering "explosive bonus points" for Oppen tickets is pretty dystopian given the implications of the movie and all.
That’s fascinating about hunger games--makes sense that was an inspiration. ... I’m terms of the cynical marketing: I feel like people (myself included) have a secret death wish for the Barbie world. It’s just inherently too perfect and plastic. Even if Greta Gerwig created some real “problem” in the movie (which apparently she did a good job doing), still, the whole Barbie world is something I think would be cathartic to see blown to smithereens. So those fan art images with the mushroom cloud in front of Barbie... I think people unironically want to see that happen.
Lol let's nuke Mattel. Where can I buy a t-shirt?
Oppenheimer first. Once you've done that job, reward yourself with a light dessert.
You might say the connection between the two is that the grim 40s-based Oppenheimer paved the way for the economic explosion and consumer society of the 50s-60s, which birthed Barbie.
I love that connection! I almost went way more into the idea that money was behind both the doll and the bomb. I could have totally used that thought.