No, Brainwashing Isn’t a Thing. So I Guess Your Problems Are Your Own Fault.
If anyone could engage in brainwashing, it’s the God of the universe, and he doesn’t. Which probably tells you . . . something.
Why Were Comic Books So Bland and Silly in the 1950s? Moral Panic, Obviously.
Stories that pretend horrifying, disturbing, and immoral things simply don’t exist tend to ring hollow.
In 2000, the Internet Was the Future, until Every Internet Company Went Broke
Nobody really had the answers to these questions about the internet, but it was clear there was a lot of venture capital to be raised by pretending you did.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recap: Brick by Brick (Episode 6)
As a Black man, Sam Wilson carries the lineage of America’s broken promise, by both heritage and by lived experience.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recap: Deconstructing America (Episode 5)
“I owe you an apology,” the Winter Soldier tells Sam. “I’m sorry.”
Blood on the Shield: The Importance of Acknowledging the Complicated Narratives of American Heroism
We don’t do “once upon a time,” and we don’t get to ask for a fairy godmother to save us; in America, we save ourselves.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recap: A Truer, Better Captain (Episode 4)
It is not normal for those with power to lay it down for another’s sake. To those insecure in their power, this feels like surrender. It feels like shame. Humiliation.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recap: The Bad Guy Roundup (Episode 3)
That’s the thing about this show. Unlike WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s mysteries are probably the least interesting thing about it.
I Promised Myself I Wouldn’t Talk about “Cancel Culture” Here, but Then Crime Scene Happened, so I Guess I Have To
The reality is that the whims of the internet mob are, at best, only occasionally guided by moral clarity and a sense of true justice.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the Ship of Theseus, and Creative Vision
If a character or a story is the Ship of Theseus, how much needs to be reshot, re-edited, cut, arranged, and composed before the original story no longer exists?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recap: Black Falcon, White Wolf (Episode 2)
If Steve was wrong about Bucky, then it means all the hard work of amending for his former murderous self has been a waste. And it’s only a matter of time before Bucky snaps again.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Recap: Pledge of Allegiance (Episode 1)
Sam is, by every measure, the living embodiment of American excellence and all the ideals for which the shield stands. But he’s not just any man. He’s a Black man.
Kilroy Was Basically Everywhere, at Least until World War II Ended
Kilroy graffiti was something of a liturgy: a ritual that reshaped hearts and minds into parallel forces striving toward the same goal.
Thinking Christianly about Telling Stories
Stories aren’t “Christian” or “not Christian.” They either tell the truth or they don’t.
WandaVision Recap: Wanda All Along (Episode 9)
Agatha asked Wanda, “Do you think maybe this is what you deserve?” That’s the question that poisons all our hearts.
We Never Quite Figured out What “Political Correctness” Is, but We’re Still All Pretty Sure It’s a Bad Thing
By the late eighties, though, the American right had discovered political correctness, and—well—that crowd has never met a phrase it couldn’t turn into an insult.
