Popular Culture Part 22
It's time to mention many of the facts on popular culture again. I haven't done this series in a while now, so it is definitely exciting to be back here showing controversial views and having no apologies about it. After all of these years, more people have woken up about how popular culture really is. As more people wake up, some people have shown hatred against anyone who presents conspiracy-related research. There has been an increase of people who not only disagree with people who believe in God. Some want to mock people who believe in God as being ludicrous while claiming to be so tolerant. These hypocrites forget that we have the freedom of speech, and the freedom of speech dictates that I have every right to believe in God. I have every right to research conspiracy-related information and show it to the world. Therefore, I feel like we should do more apologetics in defending our views with sources, great research, examples, and truth. The paradox of our generation is that we have more access to information than at any other time in human history, but some claim to have an image of godliness but never come around to embracing the knowledge of God. Some just deny the power of God thereof under the guise of being just "spiritual" without a foundation or code of conduct. It is not enough to be spiritual. You have to test what you believe in, prove what you believe in, and follow what you believe in without apology.
Modern-day popular culture has existed for over one century. We know of the stories of many people in the industry with drug addiction, reckless behavior, bigotry, and anger that ruined so many lives like Howard Hughes, John Wayne, James Stewart, William Frawley, Walter Brennan, etc. There are countless victims of the industry being exploited and harmed (there are tons of people in the industry who were victims of abuse). Not to mention that we realize that not everyone in the industry is monolithic. There is still a remnant of people, even in Hollywood, who sincerely embrace the truth, fight back against oppression, and desire a society filled with justice. One example is how Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee fought for black freedom for decades. Denzel Washington and his wife have worked in charities saving lives for decades. That fact should not be underestimated. The common myth promoted by some is that any believer in God (and especially a Christian) is some money-lusting, materialistic bigot who doesn't know complicated thought or philosophy. Typically, these haters cite scandals as an excuse for them to advance their lies about believers. The truth is that there are tons of people who are religious or not with understanding about the false doctrines found in the Prosperity Gospel, who believe in the rights of black people, who love truth, who want living wages plus economic justice, and who want a separation of church and state (in fact, many early Baptists were jailed and assaulted for believing in the separation of church and state during the 18th century), and seek a cleaner environment. These same hypocrites claim to be so tolerant, but they have an intense hatred of those who have a different point of view. That is why cancel culture advocates should allow people the opportunity to redeem themselves and be better people if desire to. If that person refuses to wake up, then so be it (and those who refuse to wake up should be canceled).
For the record, I reject xenophobia and any form of bigotry. Unjust hatred, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and injustice against human beings have no place in the Universe. The censorship agenda in Youtube is ever real. Many pro-black voices are censored in Youtube, but those who speak hate speech against black women like Jaye De Black (including Fresh and Fit, etc.) and those who speak hate speech against black men (like Cynthia G, who wanted all black boys to not exist, and she said that she is not pro-black. Cynthia G disrespected Stevie Wonder, Fantasia, and other black people for years now), are not censored in Youtube. Many evil people want racism and gender war strife instead of solutions. I am clear to reject the views of the xenophobe and sexist Tariq Nasheed and the late sexist Kevin Samuels. Generations change all of the time. We are near the year 2030 now as time is ever going fast. I remember 1992 and 1996 just like it was yesterday. Yet, the same power of truth remains the same after thousands of years of human history. Like previous works, this is a controversial work. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and that's fine. I stand on my views, and it is part of living life. To be free is to make people uncomfortable, and I have no regrets about embracing my core convictions.
Hollywood and Racism
It is easy to prove racism in Hollywood back then and today. For over 100 years, many stereotypes and anti-black images have been part of Hollywood's atmosphere. Numerous scholars who have written and spoken on this issue are author Donald Bogle, Ossie Davis, and the late Melvin Van Peebles (whose documentary about racism in Hollywood called Classified X which came out in 1998 will open anyone's eyes). Donald Bogle is one of the best writers on the history of black Hollywood. I read his books, and his literature is thorough, exciting, eloquent, and gives a full picture of the diversity of black actors and black actresses. Donald Bogle's book entitled, "Hollywood Black: The stars, The Films, the Filmmakers" with the Foreword by John Singleton was one of the greatest books that I read in my life. I read the whole book, and it has given me even a greater understanding of racism in Hollywood. Back in the day, there was a film called Birth of Nation. It was directed by D. W. Griffith. It's basically a white reactionary false view of American history from the Civil War to the end of Reconstruction. The film viewed the Klan as heroes which is a ludicrous view. It pictured black Americans as rapists, intellectually inferior, and immature. There is no ambiguity about the vicious aspects of the movie (which was released in 1915). That is why the NAACP rightfully boycotted it nationwide. The movie had white actors in blackface, it said that Lincoln was a friend of the South, and it was probably the most racist film in history. Griffith responded to the criticism by directing the film Intolerance in 1916 (in showing stories about anti-Semitism, etc.). Anti-Semitism is always evil and wrong.
To his death, Griffith never apologized for the evil film of Birth of a Nation. He hypocritically claimed that his critics were intolerant, but we have the freedom of speech to criticize racist media. Therefore, the film Intolerance was made out of disingenuous motivation. The first-ever movie to utilize sound was caled The Jazz Singer — featuring plenty of people in blackface. The first-ever Technicolor Western was called Under a Texas Moon — portraying Mexicans so poorly that New York Latinos led by Gonzalo Gonzalez protested its release. Police later killed Gonzales. The 1939 film of Gone with the Wind is self-explanatory. The film portrayed the racist myth that the Confederate forces had a legitimate cause and slavery wasn't all that bad. It showed black people just love working in oppression, and Hattie McDaniel (to her credit) stood up to people in the film. The maid stereotype was still prominent in the film. In actuality, the Confederacy was a treasonous, terrorist movement that promoted slavery in their own Constitution. Slavery was an abomination that caused families to split, brutal violence, rape, and death. In real life, Hatti McDaniel was a loving person, worked in charities, and loved black people. So, I want to make that perfectly clear. Film critic Todd Boyd told the truth that Hollywood is far from progressive historically:
"There are liberal people in Hollywood for sure, but Hollywood itself is far from liberal. The history of Hollywood is filled with examples of racism, perhaps none more lethal than consistent toxic stereotypes like Mammy and others that have polluted the minds of those who accept Hollywood fiction as historical fact."
Cartoons from Disney, Warner Brothers, and to other formats had overtly racist imagery during the first half of the 20th century. It was so bad that many are trying to destroy such cartoons, but their images are found all over YouTube. In Lady and the Tramp, there are anti-Asian stereotypes shown in the characters of Si and Am. There are dogs with stereotypes of Mexico and Russia. In Dumbo from 1941, we know of the crows showing stereotypical anti-black voices. The lead crow is called Jim Crow. He is voiced by the white actor Cliff Edwards. In the Jungle Book of 1968, black accents are mocked by King Louie. Racism against Native Americans is shown in 1953's Peter Pan. The Song of the South in 1946 advanced the myth of black slaves being happy in the cotton fields. Back in the day, many African American actors and actresses had very limited roles, so many of them had no choice but to play certain roles. That is why Hattie McDaniels and Mr. Robinson weren't race traitors to me. They performed charities and worked hard in their craft of acting. We understand this and the complex lives of black people back then. Also, there were always black people who fought back to promote more non-stereotypical roles back then (during the early to mid-20th century) like Paul Robeson, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Canada Lee, Elizabeth Welch, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and other heroes who wanted excellence and dignity involving the art of acting. Now, with the advent of the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power, many actors and actresses fought for more militant roles on screen. There was the films of Nothing But a Man in 1964 showing black people being courageous (starring Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Julius Harris, Yaphett Kotto, and Gloria Foster) and the 1968 film Uptight made to show the feelings of black Americans immediately after the assassination of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We have Pam Grier being in Coffy and other films like Foxy Brown outlining a heroic, superhero image of black women in the 1970's (just like other actresses like Tamara Dobson, Denise Nichols, Marlene Clark, Gloria Hendry, , and Vonetta McGree). You have Shaft, Sweetback, and other films. Some films of the 1970's had powerful, positive images of black people and other images were stereotypical with pimps, violence, drugs, and other themes. Likewise, even today in our time, racism is found in Hollywood. Not everyone in Hollywood is racist, but racism still exists. One example in modern times revolves around the recent emails revealed about some Sony executives being disrespectful to Kevin Hart back in 2014. The emails involved Sony executives Michael Lynton, Clint Culpepper, and Amy Pascal. Culpepper said that Hart was the w word. Pascal issued her apology. Many films now in Hollywood are not overt, but they show covert racism. There are examples of this. In Crash, the movie showed black men as cowardly, unable to stand up against injustice, and ignorant. Many modern day films show black men in false, offensive stereotypes being the "magical person", a thug or gangster, hyper aggressive, hyper sexual, or outright corrupt. Many modern day films show black women in offensive, false stereotypes as the token best friend, "sassy," hyper aggressive, hyper sexual, etc. Therefore, there is an industry of underground black directors showing black people as complex, complicated human beings with intellects plus desires just like anyone else of any color. That diversity of the black experience should be cherish and respected.
The film of Demolition Man
The 1993 movie of Demolition Man was more than a film about the future and advanced technology. Much of the things found in the movie are found throughout 2022 in modern-day society. Back in 1993, I was 10 years old. Today, I am almost 40 years old, and things have massively changed in almost 30 years since the movie came about. The film starred Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Marco Brambilla directed the film. The film also stars Sandra Bullock and Nigel Hawthorne. Stallone plays John Spartan, who is a police officer fighting against the crime leader Simon Phoenix, who is played by Wesley Snipes. They are both sentenced to be cryogenically frozen in 1996. They come back in 2032 which is only 10 years from now. Spartan wants to arrest Phoenix. Phoenix harms California, especially after society is much more politically correct in the film by 2032. In the film, Stallone rebels against a society going over the line in trying to control crime. Snipes knows martial arts in real life, so he shows his martial arts skills in the film too. At the end of the film, Spartan defeats Phoenix in a final battle. The film has allusions to various works including Aldous Huxley's 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World and H.G. Wells's The Sleeper Awakes. There are certainly themes about control, authoritarian governments, and technological advancements. The film was released in the United States on October 8, 1993. It earned $159 million worldwide.
Symbolism is found all over the film. The movie deals with an oppressive society that a tyrannical doctor managed to control after an epidemic and social unrest. The movie depicts a brave new world society under the guise of "peace and security." Yet, the movie shows a society so rigid that hardly any freedom remains in it. Marco Brambilla also directed the symbolism-filled Power video of Kanye West. After Phoenix and Spartan (who was accused of involuntary manslaughter) wake up in 2032, they see people in robes. Spartan goes about to disagree with the new police force. Society fines people for certain speech like profanity, which is similar to how many in the establishment suppress thoughts that deal with real conspiracies, rejection of imperialism, and other forms of alternative thought. In the film, Spartan has a microchip sein into his skin without his consent. The chip is used to buy things or enter one's home. Today, there are microchips everywhere, and some people want microchips in passports. The film shows Los Angeles merging with Santa Barbara and San Diego into a city of San Angeles. Dr. Cocteau controls it all. Profane language, caffeine, contact sports, meat, chocolate, gasoline, etc. are illegal. Even physical contact among humans is forbidden. The film shows VR devices that didn't exist in 1993 on a wide scale. We have this technology on a wider scale now in 2022. The film Demolition Man makes a satire of how extreme political correctness can harm society overall. People, who rebel against Cocteau's society, live in sewers and underground tunnels. There are self-driving electric cars in the film that Telsa has promoted in our time. It has people conversing with Alexa/Siri-type machines, use of artificial intelligence, monopolistic chains, and other things. Therefore, it is fine to have justice and equal human rights. Yet, we should also have freedom of thought and make sure that society doesn't go into complete authoritarian fascism. That is the point of this groundbreaking film.
The 2022 BET Awards
The BET Awards in 2022 took place on June 26, 2002. Like many awards, many people in music, sports, television, and movies were awarded and celebrated. The host was Taraji P. Henson. It took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Henson would promote Black Unity among black men and black women. Also, Henson publicly spoke out against the recent Supreme Court striking down Roe V. Wade that effectively divided America into states with abortion bans and other states without it. There were tons of artists who performed like Brandy, Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, etc. Muni Long, Ella Mai, Babyface, Latto, Mary J. Blige, Shyne, Bryson Tiller, Faith Evans, Giveon, Chloe, and other artists have displayed their talents on the BET stage too. Many winners have shown political views on the issue of abortion. Kirk Franklin wanted the older generation to pass the torch to the younger generation of gospel artists. The winners were diverse. The Video of the Year was Family Ties with Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The album of the year was An Evening with Silk Sonic done by Silk Sonic. Latto won the Best New Artist award. Best Women R&B/Pop Artist was Jazmine Sullivan, and the Best Man R&B/Pop Artist was The Weeknd. The best Men and Women Hip Hop Artist Awards were sent to Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion respectively. Silk Sonic won Best Group. Best Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award came for Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby's "We Win." Mary J. Blige won the BET Her Award for her song of Good Morning Gorgeous. That song celebrates the glory and beauty of women. King Richard won Best Movie, and Zendaya won Best Actress. Marsai Martin won YoungStars Awards, and Will Smith won Best Actor. The Lifetime Achievement Award was won by Sean Combs.
Beyonce's Renaissance
Beyonce's seventh studio album of Act 1: Renaissance is highly popular in 2022. It's an album that takes huge risks, but it's filled with a mixture of old school and new school sounds. It is right to comment on the album from an unbiased perspective. This is about the music and its content. It was released to the general public on July 29, 2022, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. After years of waiting, Beyonce fans love it when this new work has been shown to the world. This album is one of her trilogy project involving diverse music. Beyonce, at this time, has nothing to prove. She is the most influential musician of the 21st century and one of the greatest artists of our time. This album deals with the time of reflection involving COVID, family, and life in general. Writing and producing on the album came from her, Nova Wav, The Dream, Tricky Steward, Hit Boys, No I.D., etc. Beam, Grace Jones, and Tem are guest vocalists. Beyonce recorded the album in Atlanta, New York state, Connecticut, North Hollywood, and Jamaica. The album has a mixture of dance, house, disco, pop, and R&B. The break-out single was Break My Soul which was released on June 20, 2022. The song reached number one on many charts worldwide, including the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Beyonce, Trickey Stewart, The Dream, Jens Christain Isaken, and Jay Z. It was produced by the former four. It samples Big Fredia's 2014 bounce song Explode, written by Big Freedia and Adam Pigott including Robin S.'s house song Show Me Love (written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane). American singer Crystal Waters, who helped to make house music mainstream in the 1990's, said that she was ecstatic when she heard Break My Soul and showed gratitude for Beyonce for helping shine a light on underappreciated house singers. Former President Brack Obama featured the song as the first track on his Summer 2022 playlist. Beyonce wanted her new album to have a time of joy and escape from the injustice and isolation that happened over the year. She dedicated the album to her children, her husband Jay Z, and Uncle Johnny, her late gay cousin who battled HIV. Jonny was the nephew of Beyonce's mother Rina. Beyonce and her sister Solange called him "Uncle" He inspired Beyonce to learn about the house and dance music found in the Renaissance album.
Beyonce was on a horse on the album cover. The horse looks crystal. Some people say that it's similar to John Collier's 1897 painting Lady Godiva and to the photographs of Bianca Jagger riding the horse. There is another cover image with Beyonce atop the same horse with a white cowboy hat with a silver headpiece. Renaissance is unlike any album that Beyonce has done. It has beats and sounds from Chicago house, electro house, Afrobeats, disco, R&B, etc. It's an album that celebrates black culture and it has elements of escapism, confidence, sexual expression, and pleasure. It merges the sexual freedom of the album Beyonce mixed with the introspection about life found in Lemonade. Most critics have loved the album. Early on, there have been the Kelis and J. Lo issues. Kelis has gotten what she wanted, and that controversy is over. As for J. Lo, I will say that Beyonce has made Lemonade. J. Lo has never made anyone close to Lemonade artistically or lyrically. J. Lo is the person who said All Lives Matter, and she has used black culture for a long time and later moved on to mainstream society. To me, Renaissance is a hybrid, experimental album that some folks will like or not. It depends on your taste. It is her bravest work that she ever released, and she went totally left in terms of the sonic content. You can tell that she has a love for disco and house music, including dance music too. Dance music is one of the most underrated genres in the world. Beyonce also eliminated an ableist slur from the album. The album honors black LBGT+ culture and it shows a new generation of the diverse aspects of black music in general. Much of the songs like I'm That Girl and Cozy shows her confidence. Church Girl is a song that focuses on the experiences of black people in the church. Many black people party and go to church, and other black people live a more conservative life and go to church. Virgo's Groove is one of her best songs on the album vocally. Renaissance will be debated for years and decades to come. What is true is that Beyonce hasn't stopped in her goal of being the best of what she can be.
Will Smith
The experience of Will Smith is part of the human experience. Humans go through ups and downs, and here is the man who the public once saw as a clean-cut, stable black man. Underneath the surface lies a man filled with emotional pain, a victim of lies and innuendos, and a person with imperfections. Therefore, it is right to evaluate Will Smith, because he is among the leaders of popular culture in the modern age. Long before the slap, Will Smith was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where many of my cousins live to this day). He is extremely intelligent and was involved in some of the biggest blockbuster films of our generation like Bad Boys (1995), Independence Day (1996), Men in Black (1997), Enemy of the State (1998, which is one of my favorite movies as it deals with technology and the debates on civil liberties), Ali (2001), Men in Black II (2002), I Robot (2004) Bad Boys II (2003), Men in Black 3 (2012), Bad Boys for life (2020), etc. He has been married to Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997. He has been a leader in Black Hollywood and ran into prominent circles for years and decades. Now, his whole livelihood is threatened by a serious mistake that he made. There are 2 extreme views that I reject. One extreme view is that Will Smith must relinquish his livelihood and his career must be over without redemption, without a chance to make amends, and without any form of opportunity for change. The other extreme view is that Will Smith was completely right for what he did period. I reject those lies, as I believe that Will Smith was wrong to slap Chris Rock, but I understand where Will Smith was coming from in trying to defend the dignity of his wife. There are many men who allowed their wives to be cursed out by many evil people without saying a syllable. It is honorable for any man to defend his wife, but you have to do it in the right way without unjust violence. What Will Smith did has nothing to do with self-defense. Also, Will Smith had a very successful rap career with albums and classic songs like Summertime ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff (who is one of his best friends). His show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of the most popular shows of the 1990s as his character combined intellect, humor, street smarts, and a personality that everyone respected.
The 2022 Academy Awards started off normally with interviews, presentations, and hip hop being shown by Megan Thee Stallion. The Oscars was historic in the sense that it came being produced by black people. Will Smith's film King Richard (2021) had him winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, a Golden Gloe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild ward. During that time, Chris Rock made a joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, about her hair. At first, Will Smith played it off and laughed. Jada Pinkett Smith was clearly not feeling the joke. Chris Rock tried to tell the couple that the joke wasn't that serious. Later, Will Smith came up to confront Chris Rock. At first, I thought this was a skit or a work, not being real. Then, he slapped Chris Rock. Even at that time, I thought it was a skit being part of the show. Will Smith came to his seat and said repeatedly to Chris Rock to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. There was a block of the words meaning that Will Smith used profanity. Lupita was in shock, and everyone was in shock. Immediately, Denzel Washington and other people tried to comfort Will Smith. Will Smith later knew the severity of the situation and his error. That is why Will Smith resigned from the Academy, and the Academy banned him from attending all Academy functions, including the Oscars for ten years. Will Smith was very lucky that Chris Rock refused to press charges on him. Immediately, people picked sides without understanding the nuisance of the situation. Some downplayed the incident, and others compared Will Smith to a murderer which is silly. The truth is more nuisance. There is absolutely no justification for Will Smith to slap Chris Rock period. You handle words by using your words, not with your fists or your hands. You use wit and commentaries to refute people without violence, and that lesson should be taught to anyone.
Also, it is clear that Will Smith had a nervous breakdown after years of pain. This isn't some spontaneous event. For decades, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been the subjects of tons of rumors. Some of those rumors are true, and some of them are false. We know what those rumors are. Also, Chris Rock has gone through similar pain during the duration of his life long before the slap. He was born in Andrews, South Carolina, and he was raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. As a child filled with humor, he was gifted in expressing himself in comedy. He went to a school so racist as a child, those white racists would call him the n word every day. This refutes the myth that the North is some racial Utopia. Later, he was inspired to do comedy more by Eddie Murphy and other talented people. He made comedy albums, toured the world, and his brother is a well-known comedian too named Tony Rock. Chris Rock is not without controversy. Many of his skits tell the truth about racism and injustice. His other skits show problems in the black community that black people talk about in private. His other skits overexaggerate or have anti-black undertones in my view. He expressed all of these views all in the open with his albums like Bigger and Blacker. Also, Chris Rock made a controversial joke that black folks were "too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer." He is refuted by many reasons. First, black folks back then both fought rape, lynching, and racism in the movie industry at the same time. You can do multiple things at once. He disagreed with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars in 2016. The traumatic experience of Chris Rock being slapped should be reckoned with, and empathy should be sent to Chris Rock as a victim of assault. Also, that empathy doesn't mean that we agree with all of Rock's jokes though. One of the biggest mistakes of Chris Rock is when white comedians were saying the n word in a meeting with him, and Chris Rock says nothing to them. He doesn't even walk away from them. Jerry Seinfeld (who once defended the racist Richards) had the decency to say that he refused to say the n word. The white folks saying the n word are Louis C.K and Gervais. This came from the 2011 HBO special called Talking Funny. C.K. said that he's basically the n word with the -er at the end because of his actions. I have noticed many in the P.C. crew haven't criticized massively Louis C.K. and Gervais for their usage of the n word. I wonder why? We all know the reason why. Chris Rock should have checked them on the spot. Chris Rock is a comedian who mixes a "conscious" exterior with problematic, anti-black statements.
Chris Rock said that a black woman shouldn't be a First Lady, he wanted Barack Obama to get a white woman (because a white woman would play her position. So, he lied about black women), and he made other self-hating jokes about black people. Chris Rock said that black people are more racist than white people in his joke routine, he joked about joining the Klan, and other stereotypical jokes about black people. Chris Rock said that the Oscars shouldn't be boycotted years ago. Even Mario Van Peebles's father (Melvin Van Peebles) documented the racism found in the Hollywood atmosphere for decades. Now, there are many people using the imperfections of Jada Pinkett Smith to blame Jada for the slap. I don't agree with that either. A lot of the anger against Jada is not about legitimate critique but misogynoir as others have accurately mentioned. Jada is wrong for cheating on her husband with August. Jada is not perfect. Yet, Jada never slapped Chris Rock. Will Smith did it, and Will Smith has taken accountability for his actions. Will Smith apologized for his deeds (even apologized face to face to Hubert for his mistreatment of the actress Hubert), and he is willing to take a break to improve his life. Some Hoteps, respectability politics types, and even some liberals claim that Will Smith's error is a stain on all black people. This is silly as one person's actions are never representative of every black person on Earth. We don't blame the actions of Dylann Roof on all white people. We blame his evil, murderous, and racist actions on Dylann Roof alone. Therefore, the truth is that this incident is complex. What Will Smith did was wrong, but Chris Rock has a long history of making problematic jokes against black people, especially against black women. If I know all of this information, the establishment in the industry knows this information too. While we have empathy and sympathy for Will Smith's and Chris Rock's humanity, we will not agree with their errors or mistakes. That is why both Will Smith and Chris Rock should have an opportunity to heal and make better their own lives.
The film of Elvis (2012)
The 2022 film of Elvis is a biographical musical drama film directed by Baz Luhrmann. He co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. Elvis Presley is known for his role in rock and roll. Also, the film focuses on Elvis and his manager Colonel Tom Parker. The film has Austin Butler as Elvis, Tom Hanks as Parker, and Helen Thomason, and Richard Boxburgh as co-stars. The film was started to be created by 2014. Luhrmann wanted to direct an Elvis Presley biopic. The trailer of the film has been emotional. Before going and evaluating the elephant in the room, it's time to give a summary of the film. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2022 and was released in Australia on June 23, 2022. America saw the film released on June 24, 2022. The film has many fashions, and some people questioned the historical accuracy of Elvis. People have praised Butler and Tom Hanks' performances in the film. It has grossed $261 million worldwide making it the second highest-grossing music biopic of all time behind Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). The film starts in 1997 when Elvis Presley's former manager, Colonel Tom Parker is on his deathbed after suffering a stroke. He looks back on the life of Elvis fighting his gambling addiction. He was destitute. Elvis started out living his childhood in the poorest areas of Mississippi raised by his mother Gladys.
The movie showed Elvis reading the comic book adventures of Captain Marvel Jr. He moves with his parents in Memphis, Tennessee. Some of his peers criticized him for loving the African American music of Memphis' Beale Street. Parker back in the day was a carnival person who wanted to be a modern-day P.T. Barnum. Although Parker is partnered with country singer Hank Snow, Parker immediately realizes Elvis' crossover potential when he hears the white artist sounding unique on the groundbreaking single, "That's All Right." That night, he sees Elvis at a Louisiana Hayride performance, finding him a talented musician with charisma.
Parker persuades Elvis to let him take exclusive control of his career, beginning a meteoric ascent that sees the Presley family lifted out of poverty. Ordinary Americans are divided as to their opinions on the singer, with Southern Democrat-minded citizens (including segregationist Mississippi Senator Jim Eastland) worried that his music will corrupt their children and calm racial hostility. Eastland calls Parker to an informal hearing, during which he questions Parker about his mysterious past. Back in the 1950's, the country was much more conservative, so Elvis's dancing was considered too controversial by many back then.
After Elvis' charged dance moves at a concert, the singer finds himself facing potential legal trouble. Parker persuades the government to draft Elvis into the US Army instead to avoid any legal entanglements. During his military service in West Germany, Elvis is devastated by his mother's alcoholism-induced death. He only recovers when he meets Priscilla Beaulieu. After his discharge, he resumes his movie career, and years later, he married Priscilla.
As the popular culture of the 1960s passes him by, Elvis is heartbroken by the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Although he wants to become more politically outspoken in his music, Parker only allows him to release frivolous feel-good songs. Elvis eventually decides to revamp his image with the help of an outside group of consultants, hijacking a Christmas special by recording various political and emotionally-charged songs. Network sponsors are infuriated and threaten litigation, while Parker is disgusted, believing Elvis to have been "brainwashed by hippies." Regardless, Elvis’s instincts are proven correct when the show is a massive hit.
After the special, Elvis headlines at the largest showroom in Las Vegas, the International Hotel, and then resumes concert tours. Parker's control of Elvis' life becomes even stronger as he refuses Elvis' request for a world tour and tricks him into signing a contract for a lengthy Las Vegas casino residency. Elvis discovers that Parker cannot travel abroad because he is a stateless illegal immigrant; having surrendered his original Dutch citizenship, he would not be able to return to America after leaving. When he attempts to fire Parker, the manager responds by suing him for an impossibly large sum of money. They argue, and Parker convinces Elvis that the two need each other. They rarely see each other afterwards, though Parker continues in his role as manager.
Elvis' behavioral issues and prescription drug addiction overtake him, and a despondent Priscilla divorced him in 1973, taking their daughter Lisa Marie with her. Elvis continues a rigorous schedule of shows that leaves him increasingly exhausted. Shortly before his death in 1977, Elvis expresses his greatest fear to Priscilla: that no one will remember him after he is gone.
The movie ends with real-life footage of Elvis at one of his final shows. Elvis (who has massive health issues by the 1970's) sings "Unchained Melody". He ends the performance triumphantly, to thunderous applause. As he finishes his recollection, Colonel Parker dies, impoverished and alone, while Elvis is beloved worldwide and is the best-selling solo artist in history. The soundtrack of the movie of Elvis is diverse from his music, Big Mama Thorton, Doja Cat, Eminem, CeeLo Green, Stevie Nicks, Jack White, Swae Lee, and other artists. The truth about the film Elvis is that it showed his complex life. Elvis was a very talented person with flaws and a sense of trying to adjust to changing times in America. Lisa Marie Presley or the daughter of Elvis praised the film as "nothing short of spectacular." Priscilla or Elvis' ex-wife praised the film too including Elvis' granddaughter Riley Keough (who is an actress and filmmaker).
Elvis Presley's life represents a transition from the old school music of the early 20th century to the explosion of rock and roll during the 1950's and the 1960's. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Halberstam observed: “In cultural terms, [Elvis’s] coming was nothing less than the start of a revolution” (Halberstam, The Fifties). When Elvis appeared on the Milton Berle Show in April 1956, he was watched by more than 40 million viewers, one out of every four Americans. Elvis was raised in the First Assembly of God Church in East Tupelo, Mississippi. By high school, Elvis didn't sing or attend church regularly. Elvis, as a child, would try to pray to his dead twin brother Jesse. Also, Elvis would curse and blaspheme God behind his mother's back. B.B. King knew Elvis as Elvis learned the blues from black people on Beale Street in Memphis. Elvis loved to perform and record gospel songs, but he embraced New Age beliefs later in his life. Pastor Hamill, former pastor of First Assembly of God in Memphis, says that Presley visited him in the late 1950s, when he was at the height of his rock & roll powers, and testified: “Pastor, I’m the most miserable young man you’ve ever seen. I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need to spend. I’ve got millions of fans. I’ve got friends. But I’m doing what you taught me not to do, and I’m not doing the things you taught me to do” (Steve Turner, Hungry for Heaven, p. 20). Ultimately, drug abuse, unfortunately, contributed to Elvis Presley's passing. He used amphetamines, Benzedrine, LSD, marijuana, and other drugs including pills. The life of Elvis shouldn't be mocked or ridiculed. We learn lessons in life, and in our lives we learn about human lives in order to better our own lives. We can't let our mentalities be just about ourselves alone. Life is about caring about others too.
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul
When I saw the controversial trailer for the Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul movie, I thought it would be just a satirical, P.C. comedy type of film. I was mistaken. It is a much more controversial film that uses satire from a mockumentary format that has been around for decades. First, I will give an introduction about the film, then I will show what I agree with the film on and what I disagree with film on. Lastly, I will give a conclusion about the film. First, the film was written, directed, and produced by Adamma Ebo in her feature directorial debut. It is the feature-length adaptation of Ebo's 2018 short film of the same name. It stars Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown. Other producers of the movie are Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele. The movie also starred Austin Crute and Nicole Beharie. The movie had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23,2022. It was released theatrically and streaming on Peacock on September 2, 2022 by Focus Features. Many people love it, and many people didn't like it. The film has comedy and seriousness mixed into it. Director Adamma Ebo is overt with her intentions in the film. At least she never lied about her intentions. She said that the film wants to critique certain aspects of what she views of the black church. She says that she is spiritual, not religious. Sterling K. Brown has said the same thing that he is spiritual, not religious. Brown's mother is very religious and fears for his soul. Regina Hall 's grandmother went to a Baptist church in Georgia. She attended Catholic schools and experienced the Catholic church. Regina Hall considered being a nun twice, but it didn't work out. The film is definitely influenced by the fraudulent preacher Eddie Long, who died years ago as a product of an illness. The film starts Trinitie Childs starring Regina Hall and Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs played by Sterling K. Brown. They are the leaders of a Southern Baptist megachurch. The film has Childs experiencing a scandal of him cheating on his wife with younger people in a predatory way. The scandal is so bad that people leave the church in droves. Pastor Childs and First Lady Trinitie Childs try their comeback by trying to set up a new church. They compete against Pastor Keon Sumpter and Shakura Sumpter with their new church. The Childs invites a documentary crew to film the weeks leading up to their grand Easter Sunday reopening.
The Childs suffer turmoil, pain, and hurt. The First Lady Trinitie Childs have a complex relationship with the blatantly narcissistic, corrupt pastor in feeling emotional hurt over betrayal by her husband, but she continues to be with him. Even the New Testament says that divorce can come when one partner commits adultery or infidelity. Yet, First Lady Trinitie Childs persists with her charities, ceremonies, and supporting Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs. At the end of the movie, the First Lady has an emotional breakdown and confronts the pastor over his many evil deeds. The movie delves into many issues, namely the black church. The end of the film shows a mystery on whether the couple remains, whether their church continues, and what will the future brings. The movie is unlike any film in our generation in my opinion. It's not a religious film per se. It's a satirical film that deals with critiques of institutional religion. The film mixes humor and serious issues. Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall gave powerful performances. The director Ebo said that she made the film because she loves Harry Potter (while witnessing a pastor saying that Harry Potter glorifies witchcraft) along with her disagreements with mainstream Christianity.
Here are things that I do agree with the film on. I agree with the film exposing the Prosperity Gospel. Liberals like Adamma Ebo underestimate how many conservative Christians agree with them on disagreeing with the materialism, consumerism, egoism, and corruption found in the Prosperity Gospel. In fact, many Christians are some of the biggest critics of the doctrines of the Prosperity Gospel as wealth doesn't determine your character. Also, the film is right to expose hypocrisy and corruption among some people who claim to be clergy (like the late Eddie Long who abused his power to harm human beings). Being a preacher is a calling, and I do advise any man or woman to take time to meditate and get things in order before being a clergyperson. That carries a huge responsibility. I agree with the film on making sure that people condemn hypocrisy and abuse. As a people, there is no excuse for abuse period. The pastor forces his wife to wear white mime makeup to attract a crowd to their church. Many black churches have voluntary mime celebrations to promote the worship of God. That is part of our black culture. I agree with the film giving a voice to the First Lady of the church as many First Ladies haven't been given a prominent role in film that much.
Here are some things that I disagree with the film. Many parts of the film view the black church collectively as too monolithic, narrow-minded, and ignorant. There is a lack of nuance in the film about the complexities found in the black church. In other words, the film doesn't delve into the black church members who are helping the community, who are promoting therapy, and who are using charities to help the poor. Everything in the black church isn't negative. Adamma incorrectly said in an interview in Rolling Stone that the black church doesn't have a conservation about truth. The reality is that tons of black churches have political and social discussions about truth spanning centuries in America alone. In fact, American black churches were home to political organizing involved in the Civil Rights Movement, labor rights movements, and other movements for social change (back in the day and today to be honest). Many black churches do realize that life is complicated and can be messy. The truth is also that Christianity or belief in God isn't about being messy. It's about cleaning up the mess and improving souls. For the record, I don't believe that women and any human being of any background should be called slurs, discriminated against, assaulted, or oppressed. All people should have life, liberty, and justice in our world. Many people in the church should speak up more about standing up for the dignity and rights of marginalized communities. Tons of churches do embrace asking questions, but there are moral absolutes in the Universe. There is no question that life is sacred, murder is wrong, and integrity is important to advance. Many people who say that they are spiritual, not religious follow New Age views. Moral relativism doesn't work. Also, many people are saying comments like folks are mad in the Christian church over the film. No, we aren't mad.
We have the free speech right to critique. See, the real hypocrites want to blame the church and believers in God for everything under the sun, but they get mad when people who are believers show their free speech right to show their doctrines about salvation, repentance, and righteousness in public. Freedom of speech is a two-way street. Many hypocrites believe in the lie that the film Honk for Film is immune from any critique. No film is immune from critique. I am not keen on the movie showing overt blasphemy, excessive profanity, and overt stereotyping of many Christians as brainwashed bigots who need more "enlightenment." The movie is not for kids as many scenes in the film have sexual content. My view of the film Honk for Jesus is that it's a worldly critique of the megachurch culture and the Prosperity Gospel. I have no problem with the movie exposing materialism, sexism, religious hypocrisy, and the prosperity gospel. I have no quarrel with that. I do have disagreements on its stereotypes (in promoting the myth that Bible Believing Christians collectively accept the prosperity gospel with earnest when that isn't the case. Many religious Christians condemn the heresies found in Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland, and other prosperity preachers for years and decades) and other parts of the film that I don't agree with.
So, this movie represents a turning point where I do believe that more believers have to use apologetics to defend our faith peacefully and never back down when people slander our faith. Many people in this generation don't know about the Virgin Birth, the resurrection, Secret Societies, MK Ultra, radiation, and other real topics of the world. Christians are oppressed worldwide (for real in China, Nigeria, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Russia, etc.), and we should stand on our doctrinal views. The first Christians were persecuted by the vicious pagan Roman Empire, and today Christians still flourish regardless of the dirt being shown upon the name of Christians. I know tons of Christians who represent honor, truth, and joyful living. Being spiritual is fine, but spirituality without righteousness is falsehood. The truth is that we have to be righteous and stand for justice in being real about truth. We can all agree that we want solutions to problems (not just criticizing something). Regardless if someone is a believer or not, it is important to create solutions (like developing systems of accountability, inspiring clergy people to stand up for justice, ethics workshops, promoting therapy, endorsing apologetics, and reaching souls out of sincerity without excessive, greedy materialism). That is certainly real talk.
Freemasonry and Popular Culture
This is a controversial section, but you have to show the truth rather people agree with you or not. Freemasonry and popular culture go hand in hand. It is no question that researchers have learned a great deal about Freemasonry for decades and centuries now. One of the easiest links to know this link is understanding the Hollywood Masonic Temple. It was used by Freemasons until 1982. It is now a theater and nightclub. It's owned by Walt Disney Company's Beuna Vista Pictures Distribution in 1998 for Buena Vista Theaters, Inc. Walt Disney was part of the Masonic group called DeMolay when he was a child. DeMolay is named after Jacques DeMolay, who was a Knights Templar burned in France for being accused of many things, including blasphemy. To his dying day, DeMolay denied the charges against him. The Masonic Temple had a neoclassic style. Many old-school Hollywood stars are well- known Freemasons like Oliver Hardy, Hardol Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, W.C. Fields, Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry. Masonic membership has reached its peak by the late 1950's and early 1960's. Masonic membership is much lower now than back then, but many Freemasons have a great influence on Hollywood culture. For example, the National Treasure movie series glorifies Freemasonry as just a great group sent out to preserve the treasures of the world.
Also, it is important to get a summary of Freemasonry's origins. Freemasonry is a fraternal organization which is traced to the guilds of Europe. Back in the day, the guilds built buildings like churches, castles, and other items in Europe. Some group of guilds just built things. The other groups of guilds wanted to build buildings and add philosophical teachings too. By the 1500's, parts of modern Freemasonry developed like the speculative Lodge of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel). No. 1. of 1599. The first Grand Lodge of London and Westminster was formed on St. John's Day on June 24, 1717. From 1717, Masonry has grown to what it is today globally. Regular Freemasonry has each member must profess a belief in God, have a volume of scripture in a Lodge, and discussions of politics plus religion are banned. Continental Freemasonry is more free-spirited with fewer restrictions. Freemasonry use rituals as lessons in a story of morality in their group. Freemasonry has low-level degrees of the three degrees with stories about Solomon's Temple including Hiram Abiff in their rituals. The Blue Lodge represents those three degrees. The Scottish Rite has 33 degrees, and other Masonic groups have a different number of degrees too. Very few women are Freemasons, except in Continental Freemasonry. Many Roman Catholics disagree with Freemasonry over issues of rationalism and naturalism including theological reasons. Many Protestants, Baptists, and other Christian groups disagree with Freemasonry over theological reasons too. Masonic apologists believe that Freemasonry doesn't teach religion or the doctrines of religion. Yet, Freemasonry does have teachings of an esoteric nature.
After all of these years, you already know my stance on Freemasonry. To me, I don't agree with Freemasonry because of numerous reasons. I don't agree with calling a grown man Worshipful Master, I don't agree with Masonic oaths, and I don't agree with numerous Masonic precepts too. The Lord Himself said of the religious title Master: “Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” (Matthew 23:10). It is no secret that many Freemasons are in many churches too, and many churches have been courageous to disagree with Freemasonry too. In real life, I have debated many Freemasons on the Internet. I know what it is, and I know its doctrines fully. As Albert Pike, Manly P. Hall, and other high-level Masonic scholars have mentioned, Freemasonry is influenced by the ancient pagan Mysteries of Babylon, ancient Egypt, Chaldea, Greco-Roman mysteries, and the Druids. I'm not just saying these words. It's proven by their own sources (as documented in the book "Gods of the Lodge" by author Reginald Haupt, Jr.). Jesus Christ gave the example of not doing our actions in a secret order: "I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing." (John 18:20). Masonic oaths are filled with references to death, but Jesus Christ forbade his followers to swear any oath as found in Matthew 5:34-36: "...Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." One Masonic oath is the following: "Obligation and Penalty of an Entered Apprentice Mason: 'I will ... ever conceal and never reveal, any arts, parts, or points of the hidden mysteries ... under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and my body buried in the rough sands of the sea." [Duncan's Masonic Ritual, p. 34-35, with the picture of this sign on p. 17]. This is offensive and very evil, even if the oath isn't to be taken literally.
Now, I got my receipts now. 33rd degree Freemason Albert Pike believed in the lie that religion must be mixed with error for human beings: "Religion ... must needs be alloyed [mixed] with an amount of error [lying] ... the religion of the many must necessarily be more incorrect than that of the refined and reflective few." (Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry", p. 224, Teachings for the 14th Degree). Pike also states that lying is necessary, on page 102, Teaching for the 3rd Degree. "A spirit ... that loves wisdom and contemplates the Truth close at hand, is forced to disguise it, to induce the multitudes to accept it ... Fictions are necessary to the people ..." Albert Pike is one of the most prominent members of Masonry and his Morals and Dogma book is highly praised by Scottish Rite Freemasonry. In the teaching of the 28th Degree, Pike states, "Masonry is identical with the ancient Mysteries". (Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry", p. 624). Some Masons praise Lucifer: "When the Mason learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands." [Manly P. Hall, 33rd Degree, K.T., The Lost Keys of Freemasonry or The Secret of Hiram Abiff , Forward by Reynold E. Blight, 33rd Degree, K.T., Illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp, 32nd Degree, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Company, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, p. 48].
At its core, Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that mixes teachings from the Mysteries, has teachings on philosophical principles, and is a worldwide movement heavily influential in modern popular culture, even today. To the ancient pagans, one of their goals was to promote the belief that human beings via initiation, rituals, and ceremonies can achieve godhood. The symbolism of Masonry like the bees, like the Square and Compass, goes back a long time teaching many lessons. For example, the Square and the Compass in Masonry isn't just about a morality teaching in Masonry. The compass makes a circle, and the square is a square. To the esoteric crowd and to Masonry, it represents the unity of the body and the soul: “There is one sign which has never changed its meaning anywhere in the civilized world—the Compass and the Square. A sign of the union of the body and soul.” (Deman Wagstaff, Wagstaff’s Standard Masonry (1922). According to J. S. Ward in his "Interpretation of Our Masonic Symbols,“…the compasses stand for…the spiritual side of man, while the square appertains to the material world…the square represents matter. In the case of the compasses… they represent…the Spiritual.” That is why Albert Pike in his Morals and Dogma book stated that, "The Compass, as the Symbol of the Heavens, represents the spiritual portion of this double nature of Humanity…and the Square, as the Symbol of the Earth, its material, sensual, and baser portion.”
Therefore, in the occult/pagan tradition, to them, human souls have pre-existence and came from the spiritual world into the body. They believe that initiation can cause humans to recapture the divine spark to be like God or as a god. This teaching is found in many ancient Greek philosophers too. This teaching is found in Freemasonry, Spiritists, Gnostics, Theosophists, and Rosicurcians. Therefore, one of the biggest secrets of paganism is that their belief that man has a body and a soul and using rituals can free humans into the divine. That is why many in the Inquisition killed pagans. In contrast, monotheists believe in the power of human ingenuity and intellect, but they believe that human beings can't be equal to or be like God Almighty.
Megan Fox and Rituals
More and more celebrities openly admit that they do various rituals to represent their personal belief systems. Megan FOX admitted in an interview with Glamour magazine that she drank blood for "ritual purposes." This is not shocking to most of us who researched what celebrities do behind closed doors, but this is very well shocking to many ordinary people in the world. Her boyfriend is the hip-hop artist and now rocker Machine Gun Kelly (who is from the Midwestern city of Cleveland, Ohio). The couple is very transparent and honest to the public about what they do in America and overseas. MGK's video called Bloody Valentine showed MGK's love for Megan Fox. Megan Fox is a famous actress who has been part of tons of films during the 21st century. MGK said in an Instagram post from 2021 that he wears Megan Fox's blood on his neck (with emojis representing a knife and a drop of blood). Megan Fox admitted that in July 2020, the couple was under the banyan tree asking for magic. Megan Fox wrote that they drank each other's blood. Megan said in the Glamour Unfiltered that they drink a few drops of each other's blood. They do it for ritual purposes only.
This information about some celebrities doing occult, pagan, or magic rituals is not some conspiracy theory. It's real. Eyes Wide Shut didn't lie about how some in the elite or the industry act behind closed doors now. The elite has made it known about its obsession with cannibalism and drinking blood. Another example of this is how the New York Times recently printed an article glorifying cannibalism which is sick. Megan also said that they consumed ayahuasca in the jungle. Fox said that the experience is like an actual demonic spirit hovering over him. The couple are friends with Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian. Kourtney and Travis wrote on IG about sucking blood. Fox in the interview of Glamour spoke of her being a "Feminist icon who fought the patriarchy." The entertainment industry may claim to be progressive and on the cutting edge. Yet, many people in it follow the same paganism, occult, and other rituals that the elites have done for centuries.
Music Videos Analysis
The music video Sweetie Pie by Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa has tons of symbolism. I can't ignore it. The song is more than about sexuality. It is obvious what sweetie pie in the song stands for. In the music video, both Megan Thee Stallion and Du Lipa play the role of cannibalistic witches who lure men into their den to team them. This video is heavily inspired by Hansel and Gretel, an ancient fairy tale that is still highly relevant today. Hansel and Gretel is a story about children being lured into the witch's gingerbread house. Many fantasy stories are just fiction. Some are related to occultism or based on some factual events. This fairy tale Hansel and Gretel came from Germany. Hansel and Gretel, in the story, are children of a poor woodcutter. Famine comes over the area. The woodcutter's 2nd wife wants him to leave the children in the woods to avoid starvation. The stepmother hates them. Hansel and Gretel go into the woods and see the cottage made of gingerbread, cookies, cakes, and candy. The children eat the rooftop of the house. Later, an old woman comes about to lure them inside with promises of soft beds and delicious foods. They enter, and they didn't know that the hostess is a cannibalistic witch who built the house to attract children in order to eat them. The children escape and reunite with the father. The stepfather died, and the family lives happily ever after.
This story deals with witchcraft, cannibalism, and preying on children that many elites have participated in for centuries and thousands of years. The Sweetest Pie music video retells the Hansel and Gretel story in a new school way. The video has 2 men wandering the woods looking for something. The house has Megan the Stallion and Dua Lipa waiting for them. It is not a gingerbread house, but it's a house shaped like a vagina. It's built to lure thirsty men. The entrance has teeth made of human legs. The dentata symbolism is in the video too. These men enter the home. There are women in outfits shaped like tables in the house. The men eat cake. This is ironic, because many establishment figures claim to be about women empowerment, but the director of this video allows 2 women to be dehumanized, subjected to torture, and turned into human furniture. This is not about equality. This is about how the leaders of the music industry use women and men to control, dominate, and pursue exploitation. The 2 men are thrown in boiling water. The cauldron is at the center of a maze motif. We know that maize and labyrinths in the occult are places of initiation. Manly P. Hall in his The Secret Teachings of All Ages wrote about the labyrinth of Crete where the Minotaur is in the center of it. Later, Megan is dancing around demons in the videos. The horned demon with green eyes shows a ritual taking place. Fingers point at one man. Du Lipa removed a slick of pie form her face.
Later, the men rebel and stand up against the witches. Many people tie up the witches and burn them at the stake. The video focuses on the elite-generated gender war agitation when men and women live in the same world. Men and women share hardships and represent the human family. It is true that misogyny and the exploitation of women are very real in society. Later, the entire world is burned into ashes in the video. Men are dropping in the sky and buried into the ground. Megan levitates while facing a snake. She is under the spell of the snake. Levitation is related to the occult. The snake is using its tongue to give pleasure to Megan in the video. We know what the snake represents. This certainly isn't a video for kids. Sweetie Pie is one of the most overtly symbolic videos around. Megan Thee Stallion denies anything satanic about the music video by saying on Twitter that, "There is nothing satanic about my music video, people don't know that I'm a fan of horror movies." She may think that her music video isn't satanic, but the directors, producers, and creative designers of these videos know the deal. It promotes the myth that we must use hatred and witchcraft to make the world better. The video advances submission to the elite as the elite promotes witchcraft, hatred of the sexes, and submission to the occult for generations now. The hypocrisy is that the video claims to be about women's empowerment, but it shows women as being treated like a table in a disrespectful way. Videos like these have nothing to do with loving women. I love women forever from their pheromones to their phenotypes and their intellects. It has to do with a new generation of tactics seeking to manipulate society into embracing conformity to an anti-human agenda.
30th Year Anniversary of Malcolm X
This year is the 30th year anniversary of the iconic movie Malcolm X. It was directed by Spike Lee, one of the greatest movie directors in human history. The movie Malcolm X is one of my top 3 favorite films in my life. It certainly educated and inspired me in my life. Spike Lee had to sacrifice and gain tons of resources in order for the movie project to exist as a reality indeed. It stars some of the greatest actors and actresses in history like Denzel Washington playing Malcolm X, Angela Bassett playing Betty Shabazz, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., and Delroy Lindo. The film was a community affair with appearances from Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seal, Rev. Al Sharpton, and the late, great Nelson Mandela. It was produced by Spike Lee and Marvin Worth. The movie is based heavily on the moderate Republican Alex Haley's 1965 book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Malcolm X worked with Haley from 1963, and Haley completed the book after Malcolm X's death. The movie was about the evolution of a black man in a racist society in America. It goes from Malcolm X's youth, his criminal past, his incarceration, his conversion to the view of the Nation of Islam, him leaving the NOI, him going into Sunni Islam, and his passing. With action, powerful dialogue, and flashbacks, the film was a classic display of human artistic expression. It was released on November 18, 1992 when I was in the 4th grade of elementary school. Denzel Washington won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Such a film was planned for decades, even back in the 1960's. Worth wanted novelist James Baldwin to create a screenplay about Malcolm X's life. Yet, Baldwin died in 1987. Baldwin developed his work on the screenplay into the 1972 book One Day, When I Was Lost: A Scenario Based on Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Several authors attempted drafts, including David Mamet, David Bradley, Charles Fuller and Calder Willingham. Once Spike Lee took over as director, he rewrote the Baldwin-Perl script. Due to the revisions, the Baldwin family asked the producer to take his name off the credits. Thus Malcolm X only credits Perl and Lee as the writers and Malcolm X and Alex Haley as the authors of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
The production was hard, because even in the early 1990's, many people hated Malcolm X because of his revolutionary, noncompromising views. Today, more people see Malcolm X in a more positive light. Before the movie was released, copies of The Autobiography of Malcolm X increased by 300 percent. Jewison was about to direct the film, but Spike Lee did it because Malcolm X was such a hero in the black community. Many black nationalists back then were afraid that the film will show a sanitized version of Malcolm X. Amiri Braka back then was one who was worried. There were 200 plus people protesting in Harlem. Yet, Spike Lee pressed on. Denzel Washington was the perfect man for the role of Malcolm X. No other actor in human history would capture the essence of Malcolm X, other than Denzel Washington. Spike Lee had trouble securing a budget powerful enough to fund the film. Lee found that the Completion Bond Company refuse to approve any more expenditures for the film. The company didn't want the film no longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes in length. The film was saved by many prominent black Americans funding the film who were: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Janet Jackson, Prince, Bil Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Tracy Chapman, and Peggy Cooper Cafritz, founder of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Their contributions were made as donations; as Lee noted: "This is not a loan. They are not investing in the film. These are black folks with some money who came to the rescue of the movie. As a result, this film will be my version. Not the bond company's version, not Warner Brothers'. I will do the film the way it ought to be, and it will be over three hours." The actions of such prominent members of the African American community giving their money helped finish the project as Lee envisioned it.
Warner Brothers didn't like how Spike Lee funded the film by completing it with the help of his African American friends. So, Warner Brothers blocked out Lee from being involved in the development of Space Jam, as Lee talked to Joe Pytka about polishing the film's script. Spike Lee wanted black journalists to interview him about the movie. Lee clarified that he was not barring white interviewers from interviewing him, but that he felt, given the subject matter of the film, that black writers have "more insight about Malcolm than white writers."
The request was turned down by the Los Angeles Times, but several others agreed including Premiere magazine, Vogue, Interview, and Rolling Stone. The Los Angeles Times explained they did not give writer approval. The editor of Premiere noted that the request created internal discussions that resulted in changes at the magazine: "Had we had a history of putting a lot of black writers on stories about the movie industry we'd be in a stronger position. But we didn't. It was an interesting challenge he laid down. It caused some personnel changes. We've hired a black writer and a black editor." The film had involvement from Dr. Betty Shabazz and the Fruit of Islam provided security for the film. Denzel Washington read books and articles about Malcolm X and read Malcolm X's speeches to gain insight into the character. Although they had different upbringings, Washington tried to focus on what he had in common with his character: during the making of the movie Washington was close to Malcolm X's age when he was assassinated, both men were from large families, both of their fathers were ministers, and both were raised primarily by their mothers. Malcolm X is the first non-documentary, and the first American film, to be given permission to film in Mecca (or within the Haram Sharif). A second unit film crew was hired to film in Mecca because non-Muslims, such as Lee, are not allowed inside the city. Lee fought very hard to get filming in Mecca, but Warner Bros. initially refused to put up the money for location shooting. New Jersey was considered for filming the Mecca segments. In the end, Lee got money and permission together for filming in Mecca. The film had Christopher Plummer, William Kunstler, and other people. Nelson Mandela ended the film to quote Malcolm X saying: "We declare our right on this earth, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being, in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary." The soundtrack of Malcolm X had jazz, hip hop, and other forms of music. Some of the music came from Malcolm X's time and modern music too. Arrested Development's Revolution was an anthem of hip hop. The soundtrack had Big Joe Turner, Lionel Hampton, The Ink Spots, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltraine, and other legendary musicians.
Since Malcolm X was political, it is important to show the political aspect of Malcolm X. The greatness of the film is that it has great dialogue, showed emotion, dealt with controversies, and focused on the evolution of the thinking of Malcolm X. The film didn't delve into the politics of Malcolm X involving the OAAU, Pan Africanism, and things of that nature. Malcolm X explicitly said in a 1965 interview, that, “It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody’s blood. But now it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, then capitalism has less victims, and it becomes weaker … It’s only a matter of time before it will collapse completely.” Malcolm X grew up in poor communities seeking to be a lawyer. He turned away from a racist education system and struggled to survive in an imperfect, economically exploitative world. After joining the Nation of Islam, he wanted to further fight for justice for black people using political activism. He left the Nation of Islam because of the limitations of the separatist movement. Malcolm X wanted a revolutionary struggle against racism using self-defense. While the Nation of Islam wanted Malcolm X to abstain from nonviolent demonstrations, Malcolm X desired to use armed black people, if necessary, to protest non-violent civil rights workers in the South. That is why he told the Neo-Nazi Lincoln Rockwell via telegram to leave Dr. King and others alone or face maximum self-defense from people not handcuffed by nonviolent pacificism. In 1964, Malcolm X was in contact with diverse revolutionaries.
Some were African liberation fighters, some were socialists, and some were nationalists. The Malcolm X film also is critical of Elijah Muhammad as Malcolm X accused Elijah Muhammad of sexual exploitation of young NOI women (when Elijah is a grown man. To this day, NOI members deny this allegation. The film didn't show Malcolm X accursing the NOI of secretly negotiating with the Klan for land in America from his February 15, 1965 meeting of the Organization of Afro-American Unity). It is important to note that Malcolm X was in total political, and ideological evolution. Many members of the NOI didn't like Malcolm X going into a more progressive direction of supporting gender equality, being engaged with SNCC to fight for voting rights in Selma, and uniting with diverse revolutionary movements for real change. Malcolm X wanted justice for everyone and in 1965, he always said that he rejected racism in all of its forms. Malcolm X made anti-capitalist statements, and he opposed imperialism (like his opposition to the Vietnam War and the Western imperialistic efforts in Congo). Evil people were jealous of Malcolm X, because Malcolm X was an independent thinking black man who thought for himself and changed to gain more insights into how the world works. The Malcolm X film does expose the truth that the FBI and the CIA monitored Malcolm X worldwide. We know of the NYPD's BOSSI program monitoring Malcolm X too. The fact of the film Malcolm X not winning any Academy Award is wild and inappropriate in my view. Malcolm X was uncompromising to criticize both Democrats and Republicans as racist. Therefore, Malcolm X was a revolutionary black international freedom fighter who desired justice for our black people and the rest of humanity. The film Malcolm X continues to this day to stand the test of time as a form of outstanding cinema.
30th Year anniversary of Just Another Girl On the IRT
Now, it's the 30th year anniversary of the film Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. This film is years ahead of it time in describing the lives of black youth in urban areas. It is a movie about a black teenage girl surviving in the New York City projects. It deals with a wide spectrum of issues like poverty, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, abortion, and family. It was directed by Leslie Harris. The teen is played by actress Ariyan A. Johnson. Other people starring in the film are Kevin Thigpen and Ebony Jerido. It was released on September 17, 1992, at the Toronto Film Festival and on March 19, 1993, in America. IRT refers to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway system. The film received funding via grants from National Endowments for the Arts, American Film Institute, New York State Council on the Arts, the Brooklyn Arts Council, and it was distributed by Miramax on 200 screens in America and in 20 other countries worldwide. Airyan plays Chantel Mitchell who is a 17 year old African American junior who lives in Brooklyn, NYC. Chantel is carefree, has wit, is very smart, and goes about her dream to go to college and desire to be a doctor. Chantel wants to be seen as more than just a teen in the subway. She wants to develop her legacy. She lives with working-class parents and her two younger brother. Chantel looks out for her brothers. She has mostly As and Bs in high school. Hip hop is in the movie with Chantel dancing in a party. By the early 1990's, hip-hop music dominated youth culture.
She wants to graduate early, but her teachers disagree with her. Her boyfriend Tyrone (played by Kevin Thigpen) becomes romantic with her. She becomes pregnant, and she has an abortion. She has it secretly to prevent her parents to know about it. Afterward, she wonders what her future holds. The film was shot in its entirety in New York City. The film was shot in just 17 days with a budget of only $100,000. Tons of people love the film. The film helped to show the life of black Americans in an honest, raw, and vivid form. It didn't sugarcoat issues, and it expressed the everyday life of urban life. One critic said that Just Another Girl on the IRT helped to set the stage for future projects like Crooklyn, Akeelah and the Bee, and The Hate U Give. The complex life of black teenage girls is fully outlined in this movie along with the pressures from society. Leslie Harris wanted black women to be in the camera and behind the scene behind the camera too. Director Leslie Harris is a black woman who would go on to film other projects, and she was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She wanted films to capture the life of young African American teens and women. By 2022, Leslie Harris said that she had completed a screenplay for a sequel to the film.
A Different World's 30th Year Anniversary
This year is the 35th year anniversary of A Different World. It all began in 1987. A Different World was unlike any show in television history. It was a show that was ahead of its time. I always mentioned that this show certainly inspired me to be more socially and politically conscious about the world. It still is one of my favorite TV shows in my life. The greatness of the show was it presented to the world a diverse amount of black people personality wise and social-wise. In real life, we know people who act like a Dwayne Wade, a Whitley Gilbert, a Ron Johnson, a Jalessa Vinson-Taylor, a Kimberly Reese, or a Freddie Brooks. The series started to center around Denise Huxtable (played by Lisa Bonet) in its first season. Its story focused on Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in Virginia. The show inspired people at HBCUs for years and decades to come. Many of my relatives have gone into HBCUs. After Lisa Bonet left the series in the first season, the remainder of the series focused on many cast members like Whitley Gibert-Wayne (played by Jasmine Guy) and math genius Dwayne Wayne (played by Kadeem Hardison). The action, the comedy, the drama, and the dialogue remain pristine, eloquent, and powerful.
The show was spin-off from The Cosby Show. A Different World made it clear that it was going into go into issues about race and class issues, sexual assault, the Equal Rights Amendment, and HIV/AIDS. Marisa Tomei was in the first season. By the 2nd season, Debbie Allen (who is an alumna of Howard University) changed the whole show to make it more realistic. She was the chief creative force. Debbie Allen was an expert dancer who wanted diverse black human beings to be included in the television show. Denise was pregnant by the summer of 1987 as she was dating Lenny Kravitz back then. By the 2nd season, Cree Summer and Charnele Brown came on the show Marie-Alise Recasner was in the first season. Legendary people like Glynn Turman, Sinbad, and Lou Myers were anchors on the show for years. Many celebrities on the show were Kim Wayans, Jenifer Lewis, Diahann Carroll, Patti LaBelle, Roger Guenveur Smith, Rosalind Cash, Ron O'Neal, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Halle Berry, Richard Roundtree, En Vogue, Heavy D, Jesse Jackson, Trina McGree, David Alan Grier, and other human beings.
By the end of the show in July of 1993 (near the start of my 5th-grade year), I was near the end of my time in elementary school. From tackling more issues like poverty, apartheid, the 1992 Los Angeles rebellion, sexism, rape, domestic violence, colorism, and the issue of music, A Different World stands on its own as a classic television show. I like the Wedding episode, the episode exposing racism after the football game, and the new characters coming up during the show's last two seasons too. Debbie Allen helped to re-invent the show to make it more realistic and honest about the multifaceted black American experience. It gave an eye-opening look at HBCUs too. A Different World contributed to an increase of black people going into Historically Black Colleges and Universities too. As part of my childhood, A Different World was one of the greatest television shows in human history.
Inspiration for the Future
Popular Culture has been around for a long time. During ancient times, many people did plays and other ceremonies about acting. Today, we have more sophisticated technology to describe stories, show entertainment, and deal with other aspects of human lives. Nowadays, Tik Tok among the youth can show dances and other forms of entertainment. Presently, advanced smartphones can create movies by themselves with cinematic, digital devices. We have Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO Max, and other companies having their own TV shows and movies for the people. The more facts that we know, the more insights that we know. I want to make the following point too. Crowder's disrespect of the quarterback Russell Wilson as "lame" (when Crowder talks about Wilson like that, he wants to dismiss Russell's manhood) is silly by him. That view represents the view of some in the world. The truth is that Russell Wilson is a man who takes care of his kids, stands up for his wife, loves his family, and goes out of his way to provide for people. Russell Wilson is a role model that real men should respect not downgrade. Only an insecure person would disrespect a man taking care of his business involving his family. Also, we should be wise not to be naive. There are many people who are non-black either saying the n world, exploit black people for prestige, or are involved in many scandals like Michael Rappaport (who mocked black women journalists, disrespected Janet Jackson, Kenya Moore, and Spike Lee before), Amber Rose, Dani Leight, Fat Joe, Cardi B, and other people. We should not justify those people's actions.
Many people are talking about this Andrew Tate person. He is being banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok because of making misogynistic statements. The more that I research him, the more that I found that he is part of the manosphere movement. The manosphere movement is a sexist movement that wants to falsely blame women for basically nearly everything under the sun from relationship issues to other social problems. He used to kickbox. Tate is so extreme that he said that victims of sexual assault share some responsibility for the assaults. Tate in 2017 said that depression is not a real illness. He has been known to have acquaintances with far-right extremists like Paul Joseph Watson, Jack Posbiec, and Mike Cernovich. By 2022, he has a cult-like following among incels and women haters. Tate said that men can't have feelings or show emotions which is a lie. Recently, Tate has denied any involvement in human trafficking and rape allegations. So, Andrew Tate has no character and is no role model. Also, Andrew Tate had posts having racial slurs on his Twitter page, so he is a racist. Many defenders of Tate talk about free speech, but those platforms are private corporate spaces that can ban people (who make sexist and bigoted comments on them) from them if they desire. He is typical of the new generation of wicked people whose views that we should reject 100 percent.
Also, we know of the massive symbolism and occult influence found in Hollywood. One example is the racist L. Ron Hubbard invented Scientology. Scientology is a controversial group that believes that humans are immortal alien spiritual beings (a thetan) trapped on planet Earth in a physical "meat body." They claim that going through the process would allow people to gain spiritual strength. Margery Wakefield's 1991 work called, "What Christians Need to Know About Scientology" documents the heresies, blasphemies, and deceptions found in Scientology too. He lived in Jack Parsons' home for a time. Jack Parsons was obsessed with magic, sex rituals, the occult, and the views of the occultist and sexist Aleister Crowley. Jack Parsons founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an organization that paved the way for much of the research found in NASA. We know that it is evil in the world. Yet, we have to know about the good news. The good news is that many people are waking up and rejecting the Crowleyan sick ideologies. There is a remnant of human beings in the world who care for the sick, defend the rights of the poor, promote human rights for black people, care for women, and believe in the creed of justice for all.
By Timothy
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