Whether it’s Barbie or the Trump prosecutions that have brought about what feels like the a sea-change in the American zeitgeist — or the combination of them both around the same time — I’ll take it!
What we may also be witnessing is that we have a Presidential administration that displays understanding that change and transformation do not occur in a 24-hour news cycle. I would see the Barbie moment more as a catalyst of that larger conversation rather than its cause.
A hallmark of the Trump-Putin administration was the transactional nature of virtually everything. Such thinking and running after "quick hits" are often disastrous. The heavy costs are evident from mistakes such as trying to solve a 3-year pandemic cycle in a few weeks to thinking starting a war with Europe's largest country would be over in 72 hours.
We certainly have a long way to go to get beyond the addition to the 24 hour news cycle. Maybe this is a start for a conversation on that need!
"...Increasingly, pastors are speaking out against Trump and hate..."
They are not speaking out against the hatred of women which they are firmly behind (for the most part - there are exceptions). They got what they wanted out of Trump, a SCOTUS that is putting the breaks on female freedom and autonomy. They can speak out against Trump all they want. I know who they are and their end goal.
Not mentioned were a few of Michael Moore's or Ken Burns' documentaries, the Dixie Chicks, the Beatles, and any number of others. Culture is surely the most effective tool in the culture wars and one of the best in advancing social and political change. But I have to ask. Do we just want a truce in the culture wars or do we have to settle for a swing in the pendulum back in a more sensible direction? Wouldn't it be great to have a paradigm shift toward a more stable and mature democracy? If we are going to engage in wishful thinking, could we possibly think about changes on a larger scale or at a more fundamental level? It will be wonderful to see Moscow Mitch fade into oblivion. But what will it take for MTG, Bobert, and some of those fanatics to be rendered powerless and totally anachronistic? What needs to change for the undercurrents of fear and superstition to be significantly lessened?
The movies these days and for quite some time like superwoman and so many more the hero's are women and fight right along with the men and usually win.
As one who played "Barbie Airplane" with my young daughter with one eye peeled on my watch, I never ever thought I'd find anything redeeming in the little perfect plastic doll, let alone a plausible source of national-level cultural/political transformation!
I'm somewhat less sanguine than Thom, only because: a) I'm a catastrophist by nature; and b) I believe the far-right GOP/MAGA plan is not to win hearts and minds so as to prevail democratically, but rather to degrade and destroy democracy and bring us into violent conflict; and I believe that fall can be precipitated by a relatively small but determined (and well-armed, if not well-trained) minority.
That said, there do seem to be positive developments, if not yet a full-blown sea change, and that has to be for the good. I think many of us were beginning to wonder whether that particular hateful worm would ever turn.
BUT, Mattel has been brilliant with their diverse and encouraging Barbie brand since the movements in the sixties and seventies came along. Women mostly control household budgets, so all that was great marketing.
Turns out you can make a buck and help us advance socially at the same time. In fact, with the myriad of problems we have to tackle, isn't that the way it should be? It is critical that we continue to push for wage increases so people can AFFORD to help.
The pandemic, the climate crisis, and Trumpism have shined a light on the path that Barbie wants us to take. We all look pretty in pink!
Does anyone else see Kelly Anne Conway behind this Barbie movement - that is her picture at the head of the article, isn't it? I wonder if she's gearing up to make a run for president? Whatever happened to her, and why isn't she being held accountable for her share of the misdeeds?
Warning: here comes the Grinch. Do not proceed if you wish to retain your pink happy-face. The event horizon is still in our rear-view mirror as we are sucking into the black hole of fascism. Yesterday the "Supreme" Court affirmed racist gerrymandering in Miami. Day before, Appeals Court set requirements for multiple in-person visits and outlawed mailed Mifepristone. RaffensPurger and his ilk continue to purge, calculate elimination of drop-boxes and all that: Thom and Greg Palast and Stacey Abrams followers know the drill. Tuberville is obviously enjoying the hell out of his 15 minutes as there seems to be no obstacle to it turning into "stay tuned." Kamala Harris is still the presumptive successor, and if there's quiet in MagaMedia, it's because they are squirming with anticipatory delight that they will make a nice meal out of her maybe soon. Whew! I'd apologize but I warned y'all.
I wonder. It'll take a while to get some perspective on the Barbie whoop-de-do, but at the moment I'm perplexed by the pundits who write as though Barbie was a near-universal experience for girls of the baby boom generation. I never had or wanted a Barbie, and I don't recall any of my friends having them either. Are we being pink-washed or what?
According to the astrological alignment of the planets, positive change is coming. There will be turmoil as the dying gasps of the old order desparately try to hold onto power. The positive changes will be coming faster in 2024.
The drift in your piece here toward “end of hate” politics doesn’t fully grasp the other point about patriarchy. Whether with hate or love (and those fundamentalists do lots of loving, not just fake love either) women are meant to be controlled or serve the supremacy of masculine values (eg guns, anti-abortion, predator competition) so embedded in American individualism. If the positive political value is solidarity with all people, all members — as in fight for someone you don’t know—how does that translate ?. Protection for the vulnerable and power equally distributed may be where many Barbie fans draw the line. The depoliticizing of American ideals in order to avoid conflict and encourage conformity along with denial of difference and inequality is repeated in so many ways. Reagan loved “The House I Live In” a left-wing ode to the people not the nation state . This is the difficult needle to thread. How to keep the cultural win from being co-opted and disempowered (Summer of Love ends up with w everyone wearing tie dye and going back to work for the system) is the hard part.
Did Barbie Speed Up the Collapse of Trump’s Macho-Based Hate Movement?
Well, this was a breath of fresh air. Thank you Thomm
What we may also be witnessing is that we have a Presidential administration that displays understanding that change and transformation do not occur in a 24-hour news cycle. I would see the Barbie moment more as a catalyst of that larger conversation rather than its cause.
A hallmark of the Trump-Putin administration was the transactional nature of virtually everything. Such thinking and running after "quick hits" are often disastrous. The heavy costs are evident from mistakes such as trying to solve a 3-year pandemic cycle in a few weeks to thinking starting a war with Europe's largest country would be over in 72 hours.
We certainly have a long way to go to get beyond the addition to the 24 hour news cycle. Maybe this is a start for a conversation on that need!
"...Increasingly, pastors are speaking out against Trump and hate..."
They are not speaking out against the hatred of women which they are firmly behind (for the most part - there are exceptions). They got what they wanted out of Trump, a SCOTUS that is putting the breaks on female freedom and autonomy. They can speak out against Trump all they want. I know who they are and their end goal.
Not mentioned were a few of Michael Moore's or Ken Burns' documentaries, the Dixie Chicks, the Beatles, and any number of others. Culture is surely the most effective tool in the culture wars and one of the best in advancing social and political change. But I have to ask. Do we just want a truce in the culture wars or do we have to settle for a swing in the pendulum back in a more sensible direction? Wouldn't it be great to have a paradigm shift toward a more stable and mature democracy? If we are going to engage in wishful thinking, could we possibly think about changes on a larger scale or at a more fundamental level? It will be wonderful to see Moscow Mitch fade into oblivion. But what will it take for MTG, Bobert, and some of those fanatics to be rendered powerless and totally anachronistic? What needs to change for the undercurrents of fear and superstition to be significantly lessened?
Something different was happening in the Barbie movie audience I noticed. Lots of camaraderie and cheering.
I think it’s definitely having an impact on society.
The movies these days and for quite some time like superwoman and so many more the hero's are women and fight right along with the men and usually win.
They show women as strong and as heroes.
Gives me hope.
As one who played "Barbie Airplane" with my young daughter with one eye peeled on my watch, I never ever thought I'd find anything redeeming in the little perfect plastic doll, let alone a plausible source of national-level cultural/political transformation!
I'm somewhat less sanguine than Thom, only because: a) I'm a catastrophist by nature; and b) I believe the far-right GOP/MAGA plan is not to win hearts and minds so as to prevail democratically, but rather to degrade and destroy democracy and bring us into violent conflict; and I believe that fall can be precipitated by a relatively small but determined (and well-armed, if not well-trained) minority.
That said, there do seem to be positive developments, if not yet a full-blown sea change, and that has to be for the good. I think many of us were beginning to wonder whether that particular hateful worm would ever turn.
It is never one thing.
BUT, Mattel has been brilliant with their diverse and encouraging Barbie brand since the movements in the sixties and seventies came along. Women mostly control household budgets, so all that was great marketing.
Turns out you can make a buck and help us advance socially at the same time. In fact, with the myriad of problems we have to tackle, isn't that the way it should be? It is critical that we continue to push for wage increases so people can AFFORD to help.
The pandemic, the climate crisis, and Trumpism have shined a light on the path that Barbie wants us to take. We all look pretty in pink!
Bob Hirschbuehler
Your column is like a deep brath of fresh air. This gives me hope for a better future for our country and my children, one of whom is gay.
Does anyone else see Kelly Anne Conway behind this Barbie movement - that is her picture at the head of the article, isn't it? I wonder if she's gearing up to make a run for president? Whatever happened to her, and why isn't she being held accountable for her share of the misdeeds?
Warning: here comes the Grinch. Do not proceed if you wish to retain your pink happy-face. The event horizon is still in our rear-view mirror as we are sucking into the black hole of fascism. Yesterday the "Supreme" Court affirmed racist gerrymandering in Miami. Day before, Appeals Court set requirements for multiple in-person visits and outlawed mailed Mifepristone. RaffensPurger and his ilk continue to purge, calculate elimination of drop-boxes and all that: Thom and Greg Palast and Stacey Abrams followers know the drill. Tuberville is obviously enjoying the hell out of his 15 minutes as there seems to be no obstacle to it turning into "stay tuned." Kamala Harris is still the presumptive successor, and if there's quiet in MagaMedia, it's because they are squirming with anticipatory delight that they will make a nice meal out of her maybe soon. Whew! I'd apologize but I warned y'all.
Finally some good news. Onward!
I wonder. It'll take a while to get some perspective on the Barbie whoop-de-do, but at the moment I'm perplexed by the pundits who write as though Barbie was a near-universal experience for girls of the baby boom generation. I never had or wanted a Barbie, and I don't recall any of my friends having them either. Are we being pink-washed or what?
According to the astrological alignment of the planets, positive change is coming. There will be turmoil as the dying gasps of the old order desparately try to hold onto power. The positive changes will be coming faster in 2024.
Coincidence, since I labeled my main post last night the "doomsday" post. Today: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/19/upshot/poll-republicans-democrats-pessimism.html?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAQ8561x7SApon5ARiWqo6DzITIvb8BKg8IACoHCAowjuuKAzCWrzw&utm_content=rundown&gaa_at=g&gaa_n=AfHvTEuDJka3m80CfNz-wm3mAAwLivxDGUTRnCg9DQXbXV_3aDcgJNx44xazHhWZIdolwANsJxQ-T342fV-Ubaa5Y-BD&gaa_ts=64e14621&gaa_sig=KlqStG213-ZqDBtQOxFMw-4RlNp9JECNw7fhG71IVOZsOFqgW9lzbJ8GCaOq0e-e6amYSLvp33qfu_j9xRq1cA%3D%3D
Sad that I am not alone. Times sub-headline: "In a Recent poll, some Democrats and most Republicans Share a Sense of Doom."
Barbie has her work cut out for her, but Thom's right there's power in art.
The drift in your piece here toward “end of hate” politics doesn’t fully grasp the other point about patriarchy. Whether with hate or love (and those fundamentalists do lots of loving, not just fake love either) women are meant to be controlled or serve the supremacy of masculine values (eg guns, anti-abortion, predator competition) so embedded in American individualism. If the positive political value is solidarity with all people, all members — as in fight for someone you don’t know—how does that translate ?. Protection for the vulnerable and power equally distributed may be where many Barbie fans draw the line. The depoliticizing of American ideals in order to avoid conflict and encourage conformity along with denial of difference and inequality is repeated in so many ways. Reagan loved “The House I Live In” a left-wing ode to the people not the nation state . This is the difficult needle to thread. How to keep the cultural win from being co-opted and disempowered (Summer of Love ends up with w everyone wearing tie dye and going back to work for the system) is the hard part.