Nevermind... we ARE at war!

Valerie Gorham: Foreign.
Valerie Gorham: Welcome back.
Valerie Gorham: Welcome back to another episode of More than you think.
Valerie Gorham: I am Valerie, your host.
Valerie Gorham: And as always, this is a podcast about how political, social and economic events affect and are affected by pop culture.
Valerie Gorham: Today we are going to talk about how last time I was talking about how we are in a pre war, pre recession era.
Valerie Gorham: Actually, no, we're actually.
Valerie Gorham: I was wrong.
Valerie Gorham: We're actually in a war and the inflation is up, up.
Valerie Gorham: It's our moment.
Valerie Gorham: Yes.
Valerie Gorham: So that's cool and fun.
Valerie Gorham: So we are at war with Iran.
Valerie Gorham: The gift gas prices are through the roof.
Valerie Gorham: And if that isn't classic usa, well, I don't know what is.
Valerie Gorham: But we are going to talk about how art is affected by war and we are going to start with the Oscars.
Valerie Gorham: If you watched the Oscars the way I did, first of all, you probably got a free trial for DirecTV that you canceled right after the Oscars.
Valerie Gorham: Because that is what I did because I thought it was going to be on Disney plus.
Valerie Gorham: And then when I went on Disney plus, it cut off the stream after the red carpet.
Valerie Gorham: So that was really disappointing even though I have the freaking Hulu Bundle.
Valerie Gorham: But whatever.
Valerie Gorham: Screw it.
Valerie Gorham: Screw you guys.
Valerie Gorham: Disgusting greed.
Valerie Gorham: Anyways, I went ahead, got a free trial for DirecTV, canceled it right after the Oscars.
Valerie Gorham: And I thought, you know what, they'll probably let me keep the free trial for the five days.
Valerie Gorham: No, they cut off the services immediately.
Valerie Gorham: So screw you as well DirecTV.
Valerie Gorham: But yes, we are going to start with the Oscars and how the two movies that were the most awarded movies of the night, if you know, Sinners and One Battle after another, are actually very appropriately awarded for the point in time that we are in right now with everything going on in the country, it makes a lot of sense that those two movies are the winners and the ones that resonated most with the Academy voters.
Valerie Gorham: So let's get into it.
Valerie Gorham: Well, yes.
Valerie Gorham: Okay.
Valerie Gorham: So I had a podcast episode about Marty supreme where at the end I was like, I hope Timothy wins that Oscar.
Valerie Gorham: Right?
Valerie Gorham: Yeah, well, he didn't.
Valerie Gorham: Boo hoo.
Valerie Gorham: And a lot of people think that it's because of his comments that he made about opera in ballet.
Valerie Gorham: Well, first of all, honey, you don't say that stuff when you're trying to win an Oscar.
Valerie Gorham: But it looked like that comment that he made about opera and ballet actually didn't really gain too much traction until after the voting for the Oscars closed.
Valerie Gorham: So I actually don't think that's why he lost at all.
Valerie Gorham: Even though he was projected to win a few weeks ago.
Valerie Gorham: I don't think he was ever going to win.
Valerie Gorham: Instead, the big, strong, handsome, and also talented and much more reserved Michael B. Jordan was the winner.
Valerie Gorham: And here's why I think he won and why I think Timothy was actually never gonna win.
Valerie Gorham: I watched Marty supreme before.
Valerie Gorham: I watched Sinners in One battle after another.
Valerie Gorham: And now I realize why they would win over Marty, especially in the world we're living in right now.
Valerie Gorham: Marty supreme is about a young man with big dreams and a bigger ego and a very small frontal cortex.
Valerie Gorham: And it's a great movie about the dangers of living too fast and wanting too much and being young.
Valerie Gorham: And it's still a really important cautionary tale for young people.
Valerie Gorham: But there's not much political commentary in the movie.
Valerie Gorham: Whereas Sinners and One Battle After Another, which of course were the two most awarded films of the night, were both stories about privilege, rage, politics, and what happens when people believe that a certain genetic or economic or religious component that they have makes them somehow more valuable than other people.
Valerie Gorham: So a little bit of spoilers ahead for Sinners and One Battle After Another.
Valerie Gorham: But if you haven't watched them, they're really good movies, especially Sinners.
Valerie Gorham: I loved Sinners, okay?
Valerie Gorham: I thought it was amazing.
Valerie Gorham: One Battle After Another, I didn't really appreciate until later.
Valerie Gorham: So.
Valerie Gorham: So I'll talk about that in a second.
Valerie Gorham: But yes, spoilers ahead.
Valerie Gorham: Watch them if you haven't yet.
Valerie Gorham: Two really great films.
Valerie Gorham: Don't watch them with your parents.
Valerie Gorham: I didn't.
Valerie Gorham: And yeah, it's just a little inappropriate, personally.
Valerie Gorham: Side note, I don't like freaky scenes in movies.
Valerie Gorham: I don't like them at all.
Valerie Gorham: I just feel like they're annoying and they're pointless and boring.
Valerie Gorham: Okay.
Valerie Gorham: I just feel like, boo, get that out of my face.
Valerie Gorham: So when that happens, I just skip.
Valerie Gorham: I just press this ten second skip button.
Valerie Gorham: Boo.
Valerie Gorham: Lame.
Valerie Gorham: Okay, so back to the topic.
Valerie Gorham: Sinners.
Valerie Gorham: Sinners is a movie about the American South.
Valerie Gorham: It actually takes place in North Carolina.
Valerie Gorham: Wow.
Valerie Gorham: That's where I live.
Valerie Gorham: North Carolina.
Valerie Gorham: Yeah, because the KKK was in the movie.
Valerie Gorham: Oh, are you celebrating now that it was in North Carolina?
Valerie Gorham: I don't think so.
Valerie Gorham: But yeah, it's a movie about race, which isn't necessarily what we're going to war for currently, but it still ties in with current international events.
Valerie Gorham: The war we're going through right now is more of just like a privileged man ideological.
Valerie Gorham: I'm better and I deserve things.
Valerie Gorham: War.
Valerie Gorham: But it still has themes related to Sinners.
Valerie Gorham: We've got a President who thinks that it's fine and dandy to kill not only Iranian civilians, but also our own American soldiers.
Valerie Gorham: Oh, why did I sound like Tucker Carlson?
Valerie Gorham: What are we doing?
Valerie Gorham: What's going on?
Valerie Gorham: What's going on?
Valerie Gorham: Yeah, so our soldiers are going out and dying for a war that really does not need to be happening.
Valerie Gorham: And it's all just rooted in, like, bigotry, entitlement, and us and our.
Valerie Gorham: Our ally, mostly.
Valerie Gorham: Mostly our ally feel entitled to that land in that area.
Valerie Gorham: It always reminds me of how in the freaking icarly series, they were always talking about the Middle east and how there was never peace in the Middle East.
Valerie Gorham: Does anyone else remember that?
Valerie Gorham: Like, Carly was always telling Sam, like, Sam was always like, oh, don't you believe me?
Valerie Gorham: Don't you trust me?
Valerie Gorham: And then Carly was always saying, like, I wouldn't even trust you if you somehow found out how to get peace in the Middle East.
Valerie Gorham: Like, that was always something that they would say.
Valerie Gorham: Like, they would say every few episodes.
Valerie Gorham: Like, I don't know.
Valerie Gorham: They were always talking about that.
Valerie Gorham: But anyways, we.
Valerie Gorham: We have people in power who believe that, you know, their lineage or their religion or their.
Valerie Gorham: Their ancestry or whatever it is entitles them to control land and people.
Valerie Gorham: But, like, no.
Valerie Gorham: Like, no.
Valerie Gorham: Heck no.
Valerie Gorham: Especially not at the cost of innocent lives.
Valerie Gorham: Like, can we not.
Valerie Gorham: Can we not do this?
Valerie Gorham: Like, hello.
Valerie Gorham: Oh, can we not, please?
Valerie Gorham: But now back to those two words I was using before, which are bigotry and entitlement.
Valerie Gorham: So those are two very important themes in the movie Sinners.
Valerie Gorham: Obviously, Sinners is about racism against black people in the American South.
Valerie Gorham: In the United States, North Carolina.
Valerie Gorham: Yay.
Valerie Gorham: Boo.
Valerie Gorham: Okay.
Valerie Gorham: But it's the same for every bigot.
Valerie Gorham: Self entitlement and hatred, you know, so of course this story is going to resonate with people right now.
Valerie Gorham: It always should.
Valerie Gorham: Because racism is like an age old theme and prejudice is an age old theme.
Valerie Gorham: But obviously the academy voters are going to feel the feels for Sinners over Marty Supreme.
Valerie Gorham: Of course.
Valerie Gorham: Also, it's just a really good movie.
Valerie Gorham: Sinners was so good.
Valerie Gorham: The music, it was really good.
Valerie Gorham: And the performances also were really good.
Valerie Gorham: I teared up.
Valerie Gorham: Oh, and that one guy, the Irish fella who played the vampire.
Valerie Gorham: No, because I would have gone outside or I would have let him in my house too, because he was charming.
Valerie Gorham: He was a charming man.
Valerie Gorham: And his hair, he did need to wash it.
Valerie Gorham: But I think, like, with the banjo and the music, I think I would have let him in my house.
Valerie Gorham: That would not have been good.
Valerie Gorham: Like, I Would not have done a good job.
Valerie Gorham: Like, I would have.
Valerie Gorham: Bad things would have happened to me.
Valerie Gorham: And I don't know.
Valerie Gorham: I. I mean, he.
Valerie Gorham: He just.
Valerie Gorham: He seemed nice.
Valerie Gorham: He seemed nice, and he was just like, you know, he.
Valerie Gorham: He.
Valerie Gorham: That shirt fit him really well as well.
Valerie Gorham: The outfit he had on, it was very simple.
Valerie Gorham: But effective.
Valerie Gorham: Well, yes, but, yeah, bottom line, I. I wouldn't have survived anyways, one battle after another, so.
Valerie Gorham: Didn't love this movie when I first watched it, but once I heard Paul Thomas Anderson making a speech at the Oscars, talking about how the movie is, about how parents are guil their troubles down onto their kids and having faith that the next generation will be the ones to create the positive change, I appreciated the movie more and I was like, oh, okay, that's what this movie is about.
Valerie Gorham: Because when I watch it, I was like, okay, there's just a bunch of weird stuff going on.
Valerie Gorham: And then, like, Leonardo DiCaprio is crashing out and Chase Infinity is like.
Valerie Gorham: She's just kind of nonchalant.
Valerie Gorham: I don't know.
Valerie Gorham: It's.
Valerie Gorham: You know, I. I first didn't really care that much about the movie.
Valerie Gorham: I was like, okay.
Valerie Gorham: Like, it was a little boring and obviously, whatever.
Valerie Gorham: But then when he made that speech, I was like, okay, I get it now.
Valerie Gorham: I get it.
Valerie Gorham: Like that.
Valerie Gorham: What's that?
Valerie Gorham: Danny DeVito.
Valerie Gorham: Danny DeVito meme.
Valerie Gorham: Anyways, one battle after another directly addresses people like our current leaders.
Valerie Gorham: They are elites who believe that it is their divine right to have power over other people.
Valerie Gorham: They believe that they are, like, genetically superior or something, or religiously superior or superior because they're men.
Valerie Gorham: And when I say superior, I also mean that, like, these people really believe that they believe themselves to be more important or, like, more valuable people, and they think that their lives are more important.
Valerie Gorham: Like, it's narcissism, you know, it's.
Valerie Gorham: It's mental illness.
Valerie Gorham: People like this, they become rich and powerful, but they.
Valerie Gorham: I mean, their heads are filled with delusion.
Valerie Gorham: It's, you know, the delusion that they matter more because of whatever reason.
Valerie Gorham: And that's literally like psychosis.
Valerie Gorham: Like, it's mental illness.
Valerie Gorham: They're sick.
Valerie Gorham: And I kind of feel bad for them.
Valerie Gorham: You know, it's just like.
Valerie Gorham: Like they're not seeing the pearly gates, you know.
Valerie Gorham: Oh, that's.
Valerie Gorham: Well, in one battle after another, there is, like, the secret racist society, which I'm sure there's stuff like that out there in the real world.
Valerie Gorham: And those folks are the antagonists of the film.
Valerie Gorham: And, you know, just like, we've got in real life.
Valerie Gorham: Only difference being in real life, they don't actually hide it, our political leaders.
Valerie Gorham: But again, the Academy voting members are obviously going to feel like this story deserves its attention and that's why it won best Picture, because it was a very relevant story.
Valerie Gorham: It's, you know, themes are resonant with what's going on in the world right now.
Valerie Gorham: And a lot of people might be like, oh, the Academy voters are all elites.
Valerie Gorham: These are rich people, film people, Hollywood people who are just as bad as like our world leaders and their super rich and privileged.
Valerie Gorham: But actually a lot of them aren't.
Valerie Gorham: So the Academy, although like some swaying here and there can be done.
Valerie Gorham: The voting committee is made up of over 10,000 people.
Valerie Gorham: I think it's over 10,100 people.
Valerie Gorham: So that can range from people like Taylor Swift to like independent filmmakers, screenplay writers and studio owners.
Valerie Gorham: You know, people who love making movies.
Valerie Gorham: They have to be invited.
Valerie Gorham: So it is like a kind of who you know, thing.
Valerie Gorham: But it doesn't necessarily mean that they're elites.
Valerie Gorham: It just means that they have like a lot of credits in the industry or that they were nominated by someone who also is a member, a voting member.
Valerie Gorham: So I mean it could be like your neighbor who owns a film studio and you know, has gotten some connections.
Valerie Gorham: You know, it doesn't mean that it's like DiCaprio and all of his weird friends who date 19 year old.
Valerie Gorham: It's, it still has integrity.
Valerie Gorham: So we're good.
Valerie Gorham: But those are just some examples of how art is being affected right now, how pop culture is being affected, what types of art are being given more spotlight because of the current events that are happening in the world right now.
Valerie Gorham: But I also want to use a historical example.
Valerie Gorham: So the 70s, yes, we all know about the Vietnam War and how there was like the hippie movement in that point in time.
Valerie Gorham: Because like the war we're at now, many Americans did not agree with that war and believed it was incredibly unnecessary.
Valerie Gorham: And still to this day, it is kind of looked back on as an unnecessary war that we did not have to partake in.
Valerie Gorham: So at that time there was the hippie movement.
Valerie Gorham: I already said that.
Valerie Gorham: But the hippie movement was, you know, all about peace, love.
Valerie Gorham: And again, a lot of drugs were being done at the time.
Valerie Gorham: And that is something that I kind of didn't really mention in my last podcast.
Valerie Gorham: But again, like with clubbing culture and partying, drugs do become like sort of a fun thing that I guess people do.
Valerie Gorham: I don't know I don't do drugs.
Valerie Gorham: That is true.
Valerie Gorham: I have been seeing those like Jacob Elordi euphoria memes where it's like how I feel after taking a Tylenol to stop my period cramps.
Valerie Gorham: And he's like, they're like tweaking or like being weird or whatever.
Valerie Gorham: And, and that's kind of like me, like whenever I take like an Advil to like stop any pain in my body, I feel like I've done drugs.
Valerie Gorham: I. I really need to get out more, honestly, not to do drug.
Valerie Gorham: Experience the world and like, see what I'm actually like dealing with here because I feel like I've.
Valerie Gorham: I've not been exposed to much in my life.
Valerie Gorham: Anyways, let's get.
Valerie Gorham: Anyways enough about me.
Valerie Gorham: Yeah, well, but basically what I'm trying to say is like, you know, when stuff like that happens, a war that nobody agrees with in the country except for like the people in power, that starts to evoke like a new attitude it has.
Valerie Gorham: It changes the attitude of the population, it changes the overall culture.
Valerie Gorham: It makes people, you know, it makes people want to enjoy their lives more because the effect that it has is just like, you know, people see how frivolous and fleeting life is and then they're like, well, screw it.
Valerie Gorham: I'm just gonna enjoy my life because I might die at any moment because everyone else is dying apparently, you know, and then they start doing random stuff, trying to experience everything, trying to just have fun, you know, relax and just like take pleasure in life, you know.
Valerie Gorham: So that again, similar to the 1920s, that does cause recession.
Valerie Gorham: But in the 70s it was different because the hippies weren't as materialistic.
Valerie Gorham: Like they didn't like material things.
Valerie Gorham: They were more about spiritual stuff and of course drugs.
Valerie Gorham: But they were more into like just they, they actually like enjoyed being like non materialistic and like they actually, I don't know, it was kind of monkish.
Valerie Gorham: Like they were like, you know, let's not revolve our lives around money or objects.
Valerie Gorham: Let's just enjoy human connection.
Valerie Gorham: So that might be something that we see as well.
Valerie Gorham: And that's kind of cute.
Valerie Gorham: Aw.
Valerie Gorham: Of course, that did lead to some epidemics in drug problems and overdoses and of course, STDs.
Valerie Gorham: Luckily we are in a slightly more advanced medical age for that situation.
Valerie Gorham: But drug addiction is something that's still very difficult for anyone to combat.
Valerie Gorham: So hopefully we don't see too much of a spike in the those two things again.
Valerie Gorham: The seventies and the hippie movement were very important in causing these two things to rise.
Valerie Gorham: But then they continued on into the 80s and got even worse.
Valerie Gorham: So I just.
Valerie Gorham: I hope everyone is being careful with their health, because these times like these really do have a mental effect on people and culture, and sometimes it's not that good.
Valerie Gorham: So, yes, that is how war affects pop culture and just culture in general.
Valerie Gorham: Well, I hope that really inspired you today.
Valerie Gorham: I hope that you can go away from this podcast feeling inspired and happy.
Valerie Gorham: Seriously, let's all be careful.
Valerie Gorham: girl, I'm so bored.
Valerie Gorham: Let's all be careful with our health.
Valerie Gorham: Anyways, tune in next week when I talk about, again, the Oscars.
Valerie Gorham: But not just the Oscars, just red carpets in general and how women are disappearing into skin and bones and how it's.
Valerie Gorham: It's all rooted in misogyny and how the phrase let's not talk about women's bodies is also rooted in misogyny.
Valerie Gorham: All right, I will see you next time.
Valerie Gorham: And thank you for listening.
Valerie Gorham: I hope you enjoyed again.
Valerie Gorham: I am Valerie.
Valerie Gorham: This is more than you think.
Valerie Gorham: Love you.
Valerie Gorham: Thank you for listening.
Valerie Gorham: Bye.