I definitely have a hard time consuming media now that I can see the ideology it subtly yet effectively espouses, especially anti-communism. And now that I am outside that, I see how the labor aristocratic people around me basically center their lives around propagandistic fiction and I can’t help but see it as disgusting. So certain things like that, I don’t think I will ever be able to engage with again and will always call out the politics involved.
I feel like part of being critical of propagandistic fiction is being willing to allow yourself enjoy and especially create alternatives to it. If you say “Marvel movies suck because they’re an extension of the military industrial complex”, you’ll get a few people agreeing with you, but others will just shut down and refuse to listen.
On the other hand, if you say “oh yeah, that movie had cool special effects I guess, that reminds me of the story I’ve been reading about revolutionary super heroes killing slave owners in the civil war”, people will think you’re quirky and cool (and anyone who complains is immediately outed as an annoying slave-owner defending nerd)
You can even criticize things while still participating in them to an extent (you can still talk about the latest Marvel movie with your friends, bring up the interactions between Marvel and the military industrial complex, and continue with talking about the movie, all in a seamless part of the same conversation. Bring it up as a “scary fun fact”.)
I definitely have a hard time consuming media now that I can see the ideology it subtly yet effectively espouses, especially anti-communism. And now that I am outside that, I see how the labor aristocratic people around me basically center their lives around propagandistic fiction and I can’t help but see it as disgusting. So certain things like that, I don’t think I will ever be able to engage with again and will always call out the politics involved.
I feel like part of being critical of propagandistic fiction is being willing to allow yourself enjoy and especially create alternatives to it. If you say “Marvel movies suck because they’re an extension of the military industrial complex”, you’ll get a few people agreeing with you, but others will just shut down and refuse to listen.
On the other hand, if you say “oh yeah, that movie had cool special effects I guess, that reminds me of the story I’ve been reading about revolutionary super heroes killing slave owners in the civil war”, people will think you’re quirky and cool (and anyone who complains is immediately outed as an annoying slave-owner defending nerd)
You can even criticize things while still participating in them to an extent (you can still talk about the latest Marvel movie with your friends, bring up the interactions between Marvel and the military industrial complex, and continue with talking about the movie, all in a seamless part of the same conversation. Bring it up as a “scary fun fact”.)
Solidarity comrade.