{"id":30740,"date":"2023-07-24T10:03:17","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T14:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=30740"},"modified":"2023-07-24T16:32:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T20:32:37","slug":"am-i-the-only-one-put-off-by-the-barbenheimer-meme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2023\/07\/am-i-the-only-one-put-off-by-the-barbenheimer-meme.html","title":{"rendered":"Am I the only one put off by the “Barbenheimer” meme?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 07\/24\/23<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"barbenheimer\"
\nImages from Warner Bros. & Universal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crass appeal.<\/strong> As the seemingly perpetually offended continue to snipe at just about everything – even popular hits like the anti-child sex trafficking movie Sound of Freedom<\/strong><\/em> (projected to tally a nearly $125 million total cumulative box office total in its the third weekend of domestic release) and Jason Aldean<\/strong>‘s anti-violent crime song Try That in a Small Town<\/strong><\/em> (as of this writing still #1 on iTunes<\/strong><\/a>), I’m somewhat amazed the weekend’s Barbenheimer<\/strong><\/em> phenomenon is escaping the criticism it so deserves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Barbenheimer<\/em>, in case you missed the buzz, is a social media meme encouraging theatergoers to view the big screen premieres of the uber-frothy comedy Barbie<\/strong><\/em> (based, of course, on the iconic Mattel<\/strong> doll) and Oppenheimer<\/strong><\/em>, director Christopher Nolan<\/strong>‘s historical drama about scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer<\/strong><\/a> and the events leading up to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the Second World War at the estimated cost of between 110,000 and 210,000 Japanese lives<\/a>. Now, whether you think the decision to drop the bombs was morally justifiable or not, there really can be no denying that the event represents an enormous human tragedy – one that should be beyond lah-di-dah memes about the supposed fun of pairing of such thematically opposite films. Yet, a New York Times columnist giddily gushes about how supposedly\u00a0 “glorious”<\/a>\u00a0 it is.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there’s this paragraph from CNBC<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone could have reasonably predicted this kind of confluence between \u2018Oppenheimer\u2019 and \u2018Barbie,\u2019\u201d said Shawn Robbins<\/strong>, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com<\/strong>. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to a theater right now, the communal experience is reminiscent of major Marvel<\/strong> and Star Wars<\/strong> films, but without those franchises remotely involved.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah, except we’re not talking about the coupling of Marvel and Star Wars<\/em> movies. We’re talking about the supposedly delightful pairing of a plastic toy that has become the very symbol of frivolity and one of the most tragic events in human history.<\/p>\n

If Christopher Nolan’s film was titled Tuskagee<\/em><\/strong> and chronicled the CDC<\/strong> syphilis study which ran for 40 years (from 1932 to 1972)<\/a> and allowed over 100 black men to die after the federal government intentionally decided not to treat them even though a cure (penicillin) was widely available since 1947, would we we now be giggling about a Barkagee <\/em>double-feature? If it was a dramatic telling of Upstairs Inferno<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, the gripping 2015 documentary that recounted the story\u00a0 of a 1973 arson fire at a gay lounge considered to be one of largest mass murders against the LGBT community in U.S. history, would we be tittering about Barbferno<\/em>? If it was about 9\/11 would we consider BarbiEleven to be really amusing and just what’s needed to “reinvigorate the domestic box office”<\/a>? I think not just social media but all of America would be quite rightfully aghast at such insane insensitivity. Yet, CNN <\/strong>quotes National Association of Theatre Owners President Michael O’Leary<\/strong> as calling Barbenheimer “an exciting cultural event.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not putting down either movie individually. Barbie<\/em> may, in fact, be a breezy, fun summer movie and Oppenheimer<\/em> looks like a worthy Oscar<\/strong> contender. I may end up seeing both of them – but not together as part of a concocted and, yes, crass social media craze.<\/p>\n

BTW, while the hype helped propel Barbie<\/em> and Oppenheimer<\/em> to the top two slots on the weekend box office chart<\/a>, Sound of Freedom<\/em> is holding strong in the #3 spot – ahead of both the rapidly fading Mission: Impossible<\/strong><\/em> and Indiana Jones<\/strong><\/em> sequels which came in at #4 and #5 respectively.<\/p>\n

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God. <\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Encourage one another and build each other up – <\/span><\/em>1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 07\/24\/23 Images from Warner Bros. & Universal Crass appeal. As the seemingly perpetually offended continue to snipe at just about everything – even popular hits like the anti-child sex trafficking movie Sound of Freedom (projected to tally a nearly $125 million total cumulative box…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAm I the only one put off by the "Barbenheimer" meme?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2023\/07\/am-i-the-only-one-put-off-by-the-barbenheimer-meme.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Am I the only one put off by the "Barbenheimer" meme?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 07\/24\/23 Images from Warner Bros. & Universal Crass appeal. 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He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media & Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations & Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. 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