American Super Hero movies as propaganda?

[wolverine]

I thought this post was pretty interesting and was wondering what others thought about super hero movies being an American propaganda phenomenon. I don't really have anything to add at this point but wanted to see what you guys thought. I read this on the imdb message board for Edge of Tomorrow (sorry it is kind of long):

**NOTE: Spoilers for the movie Edge of Tomorrow**

Initial post: I thought the ending of this movie was brilliant. He emerges as the triumphant hero, the complete opposite of who he was in the beginning of the film, and nobody can ever really know it.

Response: I think there's a disturbed ideology behind Hollywood's super hero movies.

They all have the same recipe:
1. the hero is initially a coward, a wimp, a socially inept, a loner with low self esteem.
2. a radioactive spider bites him, or an alien's blood gets into his veins, or a radiation from a green broccoli hits him in the brain.
3. the hero picks up the gun, and becomes brave, confident, decisive, resourceful, skilled, attractive, while he gives those criminals justice.
4. the hero remains anonymous, not getting credit, but gets the girl.

The superheroes movies I think, show how systematic indoctrination destroys a community.
It should be obvious that the Oligarchy needs to brainwash its subjects, controlling their state of mind, and manipulating their image of the world.
The image the Oligarchy wants for its subjects, is that the Oligarchy are "fathers of the nation", like they care and keep watch over the nation.
But there's external enemies, who want to destroy the wonderful world that the Oligarchy had built.
And for that, uncle Sam wants you! Yes, you, maggot! You are a bad dog, for avoiding to join the army!
Things are bad because you're a coward and refuse to join the army /police /secret service.

So, in order to get their subjects to adhere to its structure, the Oligarchy has to persuade its subjects that they're going to be happier if they try to be what the Oligarchy wants needs them to be - obedient worker / soldier drones.

This is where Edward Bernays comes in. The Oligarchy is using psychology, subliminal stimuli, to condition your responses. It's the monstrous advertising technique, of associating Sex with the Product you want to sell.

So, in every superhero movie, the "reluctant hero" finds Love, once he accepts to be a hero - that is, cooperate with or join the army /police /secret service.
Just as important, the "reluctant hero" is free to be the prosecutor, judge and jury, basically, if he decides some guy is a criminal, he punishes him on the spot. As long as he doesn't go against the highest ranks of the army /police /secret service. The highest ranks are good. The lower ranks yes, might be corrupted blah blah. But not the institution's head /spine /foundation!
Think of those advertisements for beer or cars. Once the guys in the ad buy the beer or the car, beautiful ladies appear out of nowhere, eager to be with those guys. Beer, nice lady. Car, nice lady. Beer, nice lady. Car, nice lady. Army, nice lady. Army, nice lady. Join the army, nice lady. Join the army, nice lady.


Generations of emotionally damaged kids, grow up with this twisted concept that turning vigilante and anonymously punishing criminals, is glorious. And Hollywood is cultivating these immature fantasies, since these movies sell best.

Then you have kids grabbing guns and massacring their peers.
You have police killing unarmed civilians.
And legions of soldiers bombing millions in countries across the world.


This movie doesn't even show you how does Tom Cruise transform from the coward and the blackmailer and the wimp that he is in the beginning of the movie, into a fighter, willing to risk his own life in order to save the people he didn't care for yesterday. How does he transform from a despicable person, into a likeable one, so that Emily Blunt could find him attractive?

He just snaps from being a wretched maggot, to being a respectable warrior.

Hollwyood is only concerned with making money. They'll take money from the Army to advertise for them. And they'll take money from You, to feed you immature fantasies.

And one day, you might get out of America, and meet the rest of the world, and you'll be hurt, not comprehending why does the rest of the world dispises you, and your country?

Link to whole thread on imdb

[The King in Black]

Then Rom-coms must be aliens trying to communicate with us

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Except this wasn't a superhero movie, at least not as we currently define them. And the critique was kind of all over the place. I don't think that too many folks are signing up for the military to "get the girl".

[Lord Syv Aldlark]

O.o

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

I'm tired and read the title as "American Sniper movie as propaganda?" I was thinking about making that topic, but didn't want to start a shitstorm.

[Igziabeher]

Wasn't The Winter Soldier basically a metaphor for government overreach and anti post patriot act government spying?

[red snow]

I'm tired and read the title as "American Sniper movie as propaganda?" I was thinking about making that topic, but didn't want to start a shitstorm.

You're not the only one who read that.

I get the impression most films follow this style of story though so if there were any social engineering going on it's fare more far-reaching.

[AverageGuy]

Too hard to reply to individual parts on a phone, but sounds more like a problem with the concept of the Everyman than supeheroes specifically.

Also, recent superhero movies very rarely feature anonymity. No marvel movies I can think of.

[RedEyedGhost]

O.o

Exactly. imdb comments are almost as bad as youtube comments. I made it about halfway through the post before stopping, because all of their sweeping generalizations are wrong.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Wolverine,

That's a rather sinister and conspiracy minded take on superhero films. Is that really more likely than Hollywood just likes movies that are easy to write, have ready made sequals to dive into if the first film does well, and that offer what many audiences are willing to pay for, spectical, pathos, and lots of explosions?

[The Human Abstract]

I think they're a sinister plot to make money, capitalizing on nerd wish-fulfillment fantasies.

[Fez]

Transformers 4 was definitely propaganda, but it was pro-China not pro-America.

[S John]

I think they're a sinister plot to make money, capitalizing on nerd wish-fulfillment fantasies.

agreed.

[Castel]

I think they're a sinister plot to make money, capitalizing on everyone's fantasies.

[Civility Reigns]

I, for one, thought that the Oligarchy wasn't mentioned enough.

[wolverine]

Wolverine,

That's a rather sinister and conspiracy minded take on superhero films. Is that really more likely than Hollywood just likes movies that are easy to write, have ready made sequals to dive into if the first film does well, and that offer what many audiences are willing to pay for, spectical, pathos, and lots of explosions?

There is more to it in the actual discussion in the thread. I was a little intrigued by the guy making the argument claiming that superhero movies of the ilk he describes are exclusively American. I definitely thought he was reaching with his assumptions.

I also think it is strange that he uses the popularity of superhero movies as an explanation for why Americans are despised.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Wolverine,

Americans tend to be less Statist than other parts of the world, look at my thread on free speech and the division that crops up there regarding support for State regulation of speech based on content as an example. We don't like being told by "authority figures" how to deal with our own problems. We don't like having our hands tied by procedure when we "know what needs to be done". We like the rugged individual who handles it themselves. On the level of generality I think these statements tend to be true.

Whether Americans are "despised" world wide, or whether that feeling is derived from our tendancy to fetishize individualism is unclear at best.

[Castel]

Wolverine,

Americans tend to be less Statist than other parts of the world, look at my thread on free speech and the division that crops up there regarding support for State regulation of speech based on content as an example. We don't like being told by "authority figures" how to deal with our own problems. We don't like having our hands tied by procedure when we "know what needs to be done". We like the rugged individual who handles it themselves. On the level of generality I think these statements tend to be true.

Whether Americans are "despised" world wide, or whether that feeling is derived from our tendancy to fetishize individualism is unclear at best.

Funnily enough, it's exactly this sort of rugged individual, who pops up in superhero films and all sorts of procedurals, that needs to be stopped. People always complain when these "HARD MEN MAKING HARD DECISIONS!" do a bunch of unsavory shit in the real world, but then go watch works that glorify them and paint the systems that would presumably hold them in check as mere obstructions.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Castel,

That's why, in my opinion, "Red Son" was such an interesting exploration of one of the logical extremes of "Hard men making hard decisions".

[Castel]

Castel,

That's why, in my opinion, "Red Son" was such an interesting exploration of one of the logical extremes of "Hard men making hard decisions".

Red Son was great.