How Popular Culture Empowers The Joe Wilsons Of This World

In politics, in life and in the movies, whatever happened to the idea of good fellowship and manners?

The whole flap with Joe Wilson made me ashamed to be a fifty year-old white guy. Did anyone hear Mark Shields (someone who makes me feel considerably better about being a fifty year-old white guy) on Friday’s Jim Lehrer NewsHour program?

Referring to the Wilson incident, Shields said it reflected a “coarsening in our political and national life." Linking how we act with what we see and hear, he then referenced the sour, cynical, base tone of much of today’s film and TV entertainment as being either contributors to, or outcomes of, the same troubling condition (take your pick).

Shields makes a worthy and salient point regarding the link between the plummeting standards in both our national discourse and our popular culture.

Before hearing his words, I might have said that I prize classic black and white movies because they tend to feature better scripts and stories. I now also realize I love them because they actually comfort me, taking me back to a friendlier, more innocent time when good manners and thoughtful conduct were actually revered and practiced in day-to-day life.

(And just notice: even the villains wore ties then, were well-groomed, and could summon up twice the vocabulary of today’s drooling, psychopathic bad guys!)

Yes, I think in the current climate we have something to learn from the good old days, and a long-unavailable title brought it all home to me. Through Warner’s new on-demand Archive Collection, I just screened a film called The Magnificent Yankee (1950) about the early twentieth century Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Recreating his Broadway triumph in the title role is Louis Calhern, a smooth, patrician actor I’ve admired since seeing him in Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), as Cary Grant’s C.I.A handler, and most impressive, as the doomed crook leading a double life in John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle (1950).

“Yankee” is that lost relic: an unapologetically sentimental depiction of one man’s ascension to the nation’s highest court late in life, set against a tender love story of an adoring marriage.

In these cynical times, the film will seem corny to many people, but I adored it. Specifically, I was captivated by the sweet, gentle way this devoted nineteenth century couple treated each other. In the light of Joe Wilson, I realize I wanted to bask in that time when two married people could go a lifetime without exchanging profanities.

And surveying this loftier, more idealized world makes it only more evident that we must take a sobering lesson from the likes of Wilson, one of those mediocre, small men who have always occupied the fringes of influence but to whom, in bygone days, it would never have occurred to insult a sitting President.

Mark Shields is right: our mainstream movies and TV do project a jaded, aggressive, and negative tone. The idea of portraying authentic role models in film has receded so that now, too often we see only types, and not very inspiring ones at that, propped up by hyper-adrenalized violence and special effects.

Disturbingly, all this is particularly evident in media aimed at our kids. Meanwhile, stories that reinforce positive human values and interactions seem significantly harder to find. (And I should know -- I spend my life looking for them!)

Now I am neither a closet evangelist nor a moral beacon. But essentially, I still like the idea of being a gentleman, or at the very least striving to be one most of the time.

And I’d greatly appreciate more movies that help me teach and reinforce this fundamental idea to my children. Otherwise, we risk growing into a nation of Joe Wilsons, do we not?

When last night, I finally viewed Carlos Reygadas’s sublime Mexican film Silent Light (2007), I was reminded there is still hope. Here is a film about passion and adultery that nevertheless concerns love more than sex; a film that uses technology to create images of poetic beauty without resorting to special effects; a film made with non-actors who give distinctive, wrenching performances; a movie that evokes deep and universal human conflicts with grace and subtlety, rather than the blunt hammer we too often use in this country.

Rather than deal solely with our worst impulses, "Silent Light" depicts essentially kind, principled human beings who must still traverse the messy, unpredictable business of being human. Thus, “Light” conveys a deep and profound truth about life while affirming the basic good intentions, even nobility, of mankind.

If we ever needed to re-discover our “better angels”, that time is now, as the troubling state of our politics, our nation, and our popular culture attests. And this vital challenge to raise and then maintain a higher standard of discourse in this country will remain long after Joe Wilson has returned to his richly-earned obscurity.

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Comments

[juhar]

FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS - This is the product that American (US) culture is spreading to the world. It is flooding over on Youtube, Facebook, and Myspace but it is at its worst on TV reality shows.

I forget which country but my mind keeps thinking Denmark where a TV really show as a woman who wanted a baby - I'm paraphrasing - I want your sperm but not a father for my baby or a husband for me.

The fact that the Republican Party self proclaims itself to be the party of Family Values - means there are no value left in our country.

[ElvisGump]

As much as I want to agree, I have to remind Mr Farr that as much as I love old black & white movies too, that wasn't a gentler time - it just looked like one.

While Bogart was wooing Bacall, outside in living color it was a world of separate & unequal where men could still get lynched for looking at someone the wrong way. While Bogart was saying "Here's looking at you kid" Fascism was rolling across Europe getting sandwiched between us & those amusing Reds led by Uncle Joe. While black & white movies were the norm this wasn't some land of chutes & ladders - it was politics which had racist Dixiecrats handing the political fortunes to the Republicans for the next 60 years by and large.

The old movies were great, the world outside called the guys that wrote 'em commies, threw 'em in jail & blacklisted them. Good night & good luck indeed!

There is no golden time in American history. There have never been 'good old days', there was never 'morning in America again'. It's always been a knock down drag out fight of greed & double dealing & lying & backstabbing. America is a great nation, but face it - it has always been a colossal mess too.

[fredjernig]

President Obama is a gentleman. He is an example for us all.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

thank god he at least sets a behavioral example.

[c curtis dillon]

This blog is so connected with an article by Chris Hedges at TruthDig.com. He talks about the emotional trauma soldiers experience in war and the heavy toll they carry upon their return to civilian life. What strikes me is the connection between the real violence and deprivation they experience and the pseudo-violence we see on TV every day. Our kids play violent video games and watch so much mayhem on TV and yet our popular culture tells us that there is no real impact on their fragile psychology. How can it be that we acknowledge such tremendous damage from war and yet gloss over the impact simply because it is on a TV/computer screen. Our culture glorifies violence and yet we talk about a Christian society (that too may be an oxymoron based on the evangelical distortions of Christian teachings) which is caring and communal. Obviously there is a disconnect somewhere that we are all missing. When people experience violence they carry a shadow of the incident with them forever. When a child sees violence over and over it has to have an impact. What we see in society today ... all the anger and threats ... it has to have a genesis somewhere.

[Steamboater]

That genesis though of violence etc usually starts in the home and not from a TV set. An alcoholic parent, a wife abuser, parents constantly arguing in front of the kids, sexual abuse etc. All these things didn't start with the advent of fim and television and they impact the futrure of children raised among such conditions. You have to be taught and kids learn how to deal with others from the way their parents treat others. Sure, violent video games etc have an impact but it's parents who don't monitor their kids play time or couldn't care less that are the real enablers.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

agree but glorifying and exploiting these corrosive elements only aggravate the problem.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

no doubt...and what might a higher percentage of positive, intelligent content that enlightens and educates do for our kids, one wonders.

[texterdexter]

Yeah, Wilson's rabid barking has to do with recent movies and TV. Probably has nothing to do with Glenn Beck or Fox News or non-stop hate and disinformation on right wing talk radio. It's the "popular culture." If you mean "popular Republican culture," you'd have a point.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

fox is still pop culture- one of its coarser elements I'd say...

[offred]

I want to suggest two new verbs for the next edition of Webster's Dictionary:

To "Wilson" means to experience an episode of explosive public verbal diarrhea.

To "Kanye" means to embarass oneself publicly by assuming that everything all the time is always about oneself; to assume mistakenly that anyone cares what you think.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

love it!

[Steamboater]

Well, it's Sunday night and the weather has turned from a perpetual oven to even chilly. There's a stew on the stove and the house is warm and comfortable so I'm going to watch a good old fashioned movie like one of the Weissmuller Tarzan films and forget all the nastiness of today.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

bring back maureen o'sullivan!

[Steve Brant]

As much as I talk to friends about classic motion pictures teaching me values as a child ("To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" being two examples), I urge you to consider that the nature of today's culture is not the result of a single cause.
A culture is a sociological phenomena resulting from all the activities - entertainment, politics, family life, actions by the business world, and others - taking place both currently and in recent times. (The 9/11 atttack has had a profound effect - the terrorism mentality - that may or may not be permanent.)
In my opinion, there are inspiring movies being made today (2007's "Bucket List" is one I saw recently).
I hope you'll give today's entertainment world another chance to be part of the solution. I believe it can still be.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

I know it can be, and noone wants to see it more than I do...also agree on other factors. But the media we consume helps either reinforce or ameliorate those other root causes, I think

[earlyautumn]

The air waves should be the source of enlightenment, education, and inspiration to our people. Instead, they serve only to make large sums of money for the most avaricious, money grubbing, irresponsible corporations in our society. General Electric owns NBC, produces weapons of war, and gave a big boost to the criminals Bush and Cheney to take us to war. It's not only the films, but the music (loud and louder trash with little harmonic content, and often zero melodic content). And TV is the absolute worst and it is an embarrassment to sit through both the programs and the commercials. Popular culture not only creates the Joe Wilsons and Joe the Plumbers of our society, but the George W. Bushes and the Dick Cheneys and the Newt Gingriches of our society. Walk past the check-out counter of your grocery store and look for a magazine with some depth. It's god-awful depressing.

[dogdiva]

"Popular culture not only creates the Joe Wilsons and Joe the Plumbers of our society, but the George W. Bushes and the Dick Cheneys and the Newt Gingriches of our society."

Our culture allows them to thrive. It is the audience that has been dumbed down. One obnoxious 'reality' show after another creates the perfect atmosphere and acceptance of vicious, unthinking, 'go to any lethgths' kind of thinking. Bigger atrocities attract bigger audiences, both on American Idol and Fox 'news'. We extol the virtues of American Idol and yet the real reason people tune in is to hopefully see a train wreck...someone who embarrasses themselves or a judge who does it for them. What passes for a sitcom these days is almost always built around someone who behaves badly or has a friend (or a poor excuse for one) every week who behaves badly. Why should we worry about others or about being 'decent' when nothing in our culture supports it. "Outrageous!" "Obnoxious!" Now those character attributes to build a nation on!.

If you look at the TV and movies we are exposed to, is it any wonder that we prefer cable 'news' shouting lies back and forth to productive debate. Where's the 'action'...where's the 'a$$' factor in intelligent people debating reasonable solutions? It takes some personal responsibility to consciously avoid a downward spiral to the bottom.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

interesting how obama said: "we have to make civility interesting."

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

consumers need to seek out the good stuff. in the realm of film, I try to help.

[Deli]

Your wife is a lucky woman.

Society has abandoned the care and feeding of our youth to Madison Avenue, so that the predominant images are assorted girls gone wild and young men taught they must be into beer and porn by puberty to be men. I feel so sorry for girls who now feel pressured to be nude on the internet by 17 or risk not being accepted. A recent documentary about a venereal disease outbreak in the Atlanta area revealed a horrible reality of our youth resorting to meaningless drunken group sexual activity, not because "norms change" but because their parents are non-existent in their lives.

People fail to understand the scientific fact that what you see and hear actually enters your brain and subconscious and affects you, even if it is passive in the background. TV, films, and print media has gotten progressively more biting, violent, and sexual. So the explosion of violence, child exploitation, and general demise of our society has resulted. No wonder other cultures demonize us.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

thanks, and I'll pass it on to my wife.
you are so right.
but in the end, we made the mess, and only we can change it.

[JShankel]

End of the day?

Obama speaks for 47 minutes and four days later we're still wondering whether Democrats will do anything as a result.

Joe Wilson shouted two out-of-order words and already got the bill changed.

So you tell me who's crazy.

[Steamboater]

It's because due to the Bush years, we live in a time of fear too and the democrats have fallen whole hog for it. They're not crazy, just political cowards.

[dogdiva]

Eventually we have to assume that no matter what the atmospherics are in Congress, it must be financially worth it to get reelected term after term. Not one Congressman (Republican or Democrat) will stand up and say "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" and tell the truth about what happens there. (I'm talking about someone who has a seat at risk...not Sanders or Kuchinich) What else explains all that 'testosterone' on the left sitting there year after year being treated like dung on the bottom of a shoe. What could possibly make it worth staying in the 'kicked dog' position for 9 years now? I don't advocate just flinging the mud back at them, but by god what does it take to say "Enough is enough!" and focus yourselves on framing and fighting ignorance?

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

thank you! and hear, hear!

[Steamboater]

You're so right John. Just look at HuffPost's Home page and you see an article about Kanye West storrming the stage and taking the mike and humiliating Taylor Swift after she won an MTV video award and over Beyonce who West thought should have won. No matter what anyone thinks of Swift, thats something you just don't do. It's crass and makes West as repulsive as Wilson.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

and how about serena williams?

[SonofLiberty1]

The lesson of history is that you never take anything out of context..."Sterilization" of those who are retarded might have once been common sense.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

well said, and I agree.
very easy to condemn in hindsight.
we can never fully recognize what a different time it was.

[tatianalensky]

maybe coincidence, but while I was running today, was thinking how much film and tv have influenced us all over these past decades. So much of what we know, how we act, comes from that. Of course books, news etc. But I expect more from moving pictures. And for some reason, with rare exceptions, its coarse hammer on the head stupid trash. Leaving nothing to the imagination, nothing to ponder over.

The mystery of life cannot be wrapped up in a neat package. Sure, some films are intentionally feel-good escapism. But most are really just awful. Lazy laughs for a quick gazillion have ousted the hard work of clever dialogue and interesting real characters.

And thats what our kids are inundated with.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

this constitutes my life's work- to somehow address this problem in a positive way.

[tatianalensky]

you have ; )

[Rogan]

Have you read Beyond Life by James Branch Cabell? A lengthy but vastly entertaining essay, that, to oversimplify, argues all fiction exists to morally educate. I consider it a book in my personal bible, as a film critic and screenwriter - a screenwriter considering learning a whole new language, just to work in as a writer, because the American cinema, high and low, far and wide, seems so unreceptive to any writing with any depth, or responsibility, in any sense, in the last several years. I do hope for a better cinematic future for Hollywood, but lately, it's been so dreadful and so dismal. And, if you look at our current cinema from that viewpoint of considering movies as potentially uplifting and educating, it's downright frightening, what's been going on in our movies.

[thucy3]

As much as I like Mark Shields, and as much as I might agree with your general point, I found the hero worship of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. a bit much. I suppose it's my background that does it, as someone involved in the American disability rights movement. Holmes wrote the majority opinion in the infamous Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision, which in 1927 concluded that the forced sterilization of people with disabilities was no big deal--certainly not a violation of our constitutional rights. The case led to a plague of forced sterilizations across the country--all in the name of "eugenics"--which any thinking person now knows is bogus science in the service of a reactionary (and racist) political agenda. It wasn't until the 1970s that state laws allowing for forced sterilizations of people with disabilities were over turned.

In defense of Holmes, I'm sure he wrote many fine decisions. But for me, this one decision taints his entire career. For Americans with disabilities, Buck v. Bell is an analogue to Dred Scott, which makes Holmes our Roger Taney.

And "Native Son," by the way, is a great book, and a fine way to measure the progress we've made in the past fifty years. Just as "Elmer Gantry" (the book, not the movie) tells you how some things seem never to change.

I will now step down from my soapbox.

Best wishes.

[John Farr - Huffpost Blogger]

thank you for this. interesting how good men make lousy decisions sometimes, more out of prevailing ignorance of the time than any evil intent.