Movies and TV Shows

I agree with you and I think there is even more to evaluate in Ken’s search for meaning.

Remember that he’s ultimately lost even in the real (“mans”) world.

There are two things here:

1. Feminism left men behind. “Maybe every night didn’t have to be a girls night.” And we have a lot of catching up to do on both sides to bring parity to the situation.

2. Ken expresses his exhaustion at having to be in control of everything. Much of his anxiety is rooted in a patriarchal worldview that makes him responsible for everything due to the lie that men must control the world.

As a man, husband and father myself I can so identify with that journey. I was abused in my career by managers that wanted me to fight my friends for promotions and I’ve burned out several times due to unrealistic expectations that I had of myself which were ingrained in me by a patriarchal culture. It’s very tiring to be ‘the boss’ and I’ve learned that sharing the load does not weaken me, it makes me stronger,

I think that the film is actually very kind to men. It’s saying: ‘You don’t have to do everything alone.’

I honestly wonder if women are ready though. Like I said and like the movie illustrates: there is a lot to do on both sides. Equity has a cost and I know many women who still find sanctuary in the slipstream of the men in their lives because taking that step out of the shadow takes as much bravery as admitting that you can’t be in control of everything all the time.

The movie posters that I've seen literally say that in two sentences. Even the song says she's a Barbie girl in a Barbie world.

All of this. I'm not pro third wave feminism but I absolutely loved the messaging about the toxic state of Ken.

I haven't watched it yet, but knowing his past work I can already say: his profit motive may suggest otherwise. Engagement culture works for an extremely wide audience, and his base seems to be people that get pissed off by the things that he says, to some large measure potentially purely b/c it pisses them off? That is to say that it is hard to convince someone of something when their job depends on them not understanding it. Okay, now I am ready to go watch it!:-D

I watched him 10 years ago when he was slightly more middle just edgy. Goddamn is he gasping to stay relevant, who the hell watches him anymore? Just an annoying douche now.

Maher completely lost focus after T**** was kicked out of the White House. Last I checked, he was obsessed with GOP culture war nonsense (woke, gen z, etc). Spends valuable time on show whining about personal problems (like his mansion's solar panels). Increasingly out of touch, or unable to care about important issues. Needs to be liked more than ever (esp. certain celebs, see Musk interview). Extremely sensitive about his age. He'll be off HBO soon, unless daddy CEO loves him.

That's how most of these guys are. Zero perspective. They weight things poorly. It's why a simple scenario showing what's actually happening vs the vague and hard to define thing they're all angry about gets them dismissive as soon as you point that out.

Right? Patriarchy is male supremacism. It should be hated.

Talk about fragile masculinity. Girls have a movie that they like and is empowering and fragile idiots like this melt down. You know what manly men do? They let people enjoy things. Hell, they dress up in pink and go with their friends and enjoy it, and don't get triggered so easily.

Interesting how Maher shows how much closer he is to being Ben Shapiro than being someone worth paying attention to.

The movie also isn't even Boyz Drool, it's a critique of radicalization that can occur to aimless men, and ends with the message that equality is preferred over a matriarchy or patriarchy.

You might as well go right back to Gilgamesh, literally the earliest written saga ever discovered, predating the Iliad by at least 1200 years.

It's funny as hell too, I was cracking up all movie. Really fun ride.