Imagine Magazine Question For 8/19

[Comicality]

As wonderful and liberating as it feels to now live in an age when it's not so 'weird' or 'controversial' to represent certain points of view in the stories we read, the movies we watch, or the music we listen to...do you ever stop to think or wonder wha the big 'goal' is behind the people who put out the content that we enjoy so much?

NOT that it's a bad thing! If anything, I'd love to think that it's a great service that the entertainment industry is putting forth a decent effort to represent different people, cultures, and points of view, in the tidal wave's worth of information that people absorb on a daily basis. BUT...let's be honest here for a moment, here...

A corporation's ONLY motivation is to make money. That's it. Nothing else. We're not consumers...we're targets. If "Wonder Woman" just pulled in a billion dollars at the box office? You'd better believe that 'female empowerment' is the next trend for all of the studios to follow. If "Black Panther" gets major praise, if "Love, Simon" wins awards, if Lil' Nas X makes it high enough on the music charts...expect the greed and patronizing business to go chasing after it to bring us all more of that over anything.

The question this time around is...do you ever feel like you're merely being 'spoonfed' what these people think you want to see? What you want to hear? Is 'queer baiting', 'race baiting', 'feminist baiting', a thing that they use to practically rip the money from your pockets when you least expect it? Think about that for a moment.

AND...if so...does that bother you? Maybe you're being used. Maybe you're being catered to for one reason or another. But at least you get some representation out of it that might actually do some good out there in the world, right? You're getting a diversity of thought and emotions put out there for the world to see...even if it's being put out by people who, at one time, might have thought such topics were too scary to touch with a ten foot pole if they weren't making tons of money off of it.

What do you think! Let us know when you get a chance! I'd love to hear what you have to say! Seezya soon!

[Comicality]

Honestly...I don't think the higher ups at these corporations have any really moral compass at all. It's just not a part of their DNA. In fact, you can't even GET to the higher levels of the industry by caring about other people...which is sad, but I really think it's true.

Putting a rainbow pair of Nike sneakers or claiming to support voting laws in the South for a few weekends or pushing forward a female lead character in your next movie franchise does NOT act as proof that some of these people are pieces of shit once the money well runs dry.

However...what I can appreciate about this whole 'movement' is that those same people are completely inept at creating the kind of impact that they want their form of entertainment to have on their own. And what happens is...they have to go out and hire people who really have something to say. Who have a personal experience or a unique and honest take on the subject matter. And that's why I support the idea...even though I keep my eye out for the folks who are faking it for the sake of a profit.

I'm not looking for the voices of people who are completely out of touch to bring me a gay romance film and not have it be some detached, stereotypical, take on something that we've all seen before. But if they give a talented gay author/writer/actor a chance to bring some realism to the big screen and have it be something 'special' for gay kids and teens to look up to? I don't mind the corporations getting rich off of it. I think it's a blessing! I really do!

I mean...eventually, releasing a movie or TV series with gay characters, strong females, black characters, Muslim actors, can become the norm. And not something that seems 'shocking' or controversial.

I grew up in the 80's, so I remember people saying things like, "The Cosby Show" has a happy black family who's successful???" Or "'She's The Sherriff'? A WOMAN sheriff???" And anybody being gay...? HA! I was in COLLEGE by the time "Queer As Folk" became a huge controversial series on cable television!

So yeah...I wish that corporations really shared the same kind of enthusiasm for the content of their shows as they do for their profit margin. And I've been baited many times before by gay themes (Or by cute boys! Hehehe!), but if it moves the whole world narrative forward, thanks to the writers and directors who are really to bring some real life experience to the table, then I don't mind people getting rich off of it. They're indirectly making things better for all of us. Whether they know it or not! So 'spoonfeed' away! I love it!