Current Events > Early MCU was so violently neoliberal / right-wing

(+) Yeah! (+)

• Portryaing regulation as inherently bad
• legitimizing what would become the 'deep state' narrative with Hydra
• how could we forget "I've successfully privatized world peace!"

Aged like milk.

I don't give enough of a shit about the MCU to think critically about if your read is correct, but I'm still interested enough to read arguments about it.

"how could we forget "I've successfully privatized world peace!"

Didn't that end up literally destroying a country and lead to the breaking up of the avengers though?

Unsuprised_Pika posted...

"how could we forget "I've successfully privatized world peace!"

Didn't that end up literally destroying a country and lead to the breaking up of the avengers though?

Like three movies later. But initially it was portrayed as good.

BlackOmnimon posted...

legitimizing what would become the 'deep state' narrative with Hydra

I mean....a bunch of Nazis infiltrating the U.S. government definitely checks out though

lol the whole thing is. Remember the ending to Black Panther?

Everything mainstream in the US is neo-liberal / right wing, so, yeah.

BlackOmnimon posted...

Like three movies later. But initially it was portrayed as good.

I'm pretty sure nothing in early Tony life was intended to be good.

Like, he said that and then took one of his own missiles to the face in maybe five minutes.

murrica posted...

Like, he said that and then took one of his own missiles to the face in maybe five minutes.

That quote is from Iron Man 2

GATTJT posted...

That quote is from Iron Man 2

My mistake, thought it was in the Jericho scene.

Point withdrawn.

Early MCU was so violently neoliberal / right-wing

If the movies bother you then Id recommend you dont read the actual Marvel comics.

MrMojoRising posted...

lol the whole thing is. Remember the ending to Black Panther?

Isn't the ending of Black Panther about the most privileged country helping raise up others in the world instead of hoarding its wealth to itself?

Bass_X0 posted...

If the movies bother you then Id recommend you dont read the actual Marvel comics.

Wat? Since when are the comics right-wing?

I too like to politicize anything and everything I can. I like to be miserable you see.

VeggetaX posted...

I too like to politicize anything and everything I can. I like to be miserable you see.

Movies about the military industrial complex and a guy called fucking Captain America are political, yes.

Or maybe it's just stupid Hollywood action popcorn and you can shut off your brain and enjoy it for what it is.

Doe posted...

a guy called fucking Captain America are political, yes.

Isn't Captain America as a character, himself, very not political, in the movies? He's mostly just "I punch the bad guys." I think the most political he gets is "whoa hey there government overreach, no thanks" and that's like one movie.

VeggetaX posted...

Or maybe it's just stupid Hollywood action popcorn and you can shut off your brain and enjoy it for what it is.

...which is a POLITICAL spy thriller.

VeggetaX posted...

Or maybe it's just stupid Hollywood action popcorn and you can shut off your brain and enjoy it for what it is.

Don't like the topic, don't enter the topic.

25 years later and CE still has yet to achieve media literacy.

RchHomieQuanChi posted...

...which is a POLITICAL spy thriller.

I'm sure you reached hard to label this as is. I won't, though. I mean, it makes you happy to right? Why act all offended?

Doe posted...

Isn't the ending of Black Panther about the most privileged country helping raise up others in the world instead of hoarding its wealth to itself?

lol they put a building in Oakland and had Wakanda join the UN.

They didn't address the conflicts that led to Killmonger becoming who he is. It's all "look, you have to just be chill and vote"

HashtagSEP posted...

Isn't Captain America as a character, himself, very not political, in the movies? He's mostly just "I punch the bad guys." I think the most political he gets is "whoa hey there government overreach, no thanks" and that's like one movie.

Defining who "the bad guys" are from a state's point of view is a political action, first of all. Saying "Nazi Germany are bad guys" is a political statement. Alternatively, if Captain America faithfully follows the orders of his government to do whatever, that is also a political action. What is more political than government decision making?

Winter Soldier and Civil War are both about Steve having to make intrinsically political decisions and stands, using his own conscience and moral compass.

When people say these movies aren't political i need to ask what do we think political means anymore? Even if it's defined as not exercising a political consciousness as your post seemed to imply, that's not true of these movies.

Doe posted...

Saying "Nazi Germany are bad guys" is a political statement.

Not particularly.

HashtagSEP posted...

Isn't Captain America as a character, himself, very not political, in the movies? He's mostly just "I punch the bad guys." I think the most political he gets is "whoa hey there government overreach, no thanks" and that's like one movie.

Only in the sense that Cap's core beliefs don't really fit squarely into the modern U.S. political spectrum.

He's a libertarian type, but also doesn't appear to be overtly pro-capitalism.

Unsuprised_Pika posted...

"how could we forget "I've successfully privatized world peace!"

Didn't that end up literally destroying a country and lead to the breaking up of the avengers though?

Yeah that's kind of the whole point of Tony's arc is that he way in way over his head, which is why he sided the way he did in CW.

Doe posted...

Defining who "the bad guys" are from a state's point of view is a political action, first of all. Saying "Nazi Germany are bad guys" is a political statement. Alternatively, if Captain America faithfully follows the orders of his government to do whatever, that is also a political action. What is more political than government decision making?

Winter Soldier and Civil War are both about Steve having to make intrinsically political decisions and stands, using his own conscience and moral compass.

Do Fast and Furious next.

murrica posted...

Not particularly.

US was neutral before Pearl Harbor with congress being divided with isolations.

Nazis were allowed to gather and hold rallies such as one in Madison Square Garden in 1939.

murrica posted...

Not particularly.

Nazis, a famously apolitical phenomenon that everyone in the modern US agrees about regardless of political inclination. Right?

Were you not there for the release of Wolfenstein 2?

Funny how some people can't grasp the grade school level politics of a children's movie franchise. Just turn off your brain and enjoy the pretty colors I guess.

doesnt neo liberal just vaguely mean "person I don't like"

kinda like when a girl calls someone a narcissist except the neckbeard version of it

name_unknown posted...

US was neutral before Pearl Harbor with congress being divided with isolationists.

Nazis were allowed to gather and hold rallies such as one in Madison Square Garden in 1939.

Cool, it's not 1939.

Doe posted...

Nazis, a famously apolitical phenomenon that everyone in the modern US agrees about regardless of political inclination. Right?

Were you not there for the release of Wolfenstein 2?

I don't particularly give a shit about people who clutch pearls for Nazis.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

There's a difference between the sociopolitical standing of a group before they commit a genocide and after they commit a genocide.

"Fuck Nazis" shouldn't be considered a political statement, it should be a facet of reality.

BlackOmnimon posted...

Portryaing regulation as inherently bad

The problem here is it doesn't originate from the MCU, it originates from the comics that happened 10 years before the movie. It was heavily inspired by 9/11, since the origin of Civil War was Speedball blowing up an American town by accident and the US government wanting to control super heroes.

The giant flaw with Civil War in the MCU was how public the identities of the MCU heroes was. In the comics, it makes a lot more sense, one side wanted to keep identities secret, the other didn't. The comic heroes are also a lot more powerful, so a government wanting all that power makes the stakes quite a bit higher.

What isn't right-wing to some of you weird ass people? Every tiny little thing you don't like or disagree with is "right-wing/MAGA/alt-right/Nazi/whatever stupid nonsense word". Go touch grass and give your Twitter brain some sunshine.

PesticideDream posted...

What isn't right-wing to some of you weird ass people? Every tiny little thing you don't like or disagree with is "right-wing/MAGA/alt-right/Nazi/whatever stupid nonsense word". Go touch grass and give your Twitter brain some sunshine.

early 2000's account

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Got the whole Bingo card in one go

Did da MCU predict da future????

PesticideDream posted...

What isn't right-wing to some of you weird ass people? Every tiny little thing you don't like or disagree with is "right-wing/MAGA/alt-right/Nazi/whatever stupid nonsense word". Go touch grass and give your Twitter brain some sunshine.

Generally, media reflects the dominant ideology of the society and time when it's made. That is unless the authors are ideologically aware and go out of the way to make it not so.

UndefeatedGOAT posted...

doesnt neo liberal just vaguely mean "person I don't like"

kinda like when a girl calls someone a narcissist except the neckbeard version of it

Nah, neoliberal means to be against government/state intervention, and for companies to take over what would have been responsibility of the government/state.

PesticideDream posted...

What isn't right-wing to some of you weird ass people? Every tiny little thing you don't like or disagree with is "right-wing/MAGA/alt-right/Nazi/whatever stupid nonsense word". Go touch grass and give your Twitter brain some sunshine.

You're my favorite spineless drive by chud shitposter.

Doe posted...

Defining who "the bad guys" are from a state's point of view is a political action, first of all. Saying "Nazi Germany are bad guys" is a political statement. Alternatively, if Captain America faithfully follows the orders of his government to do whatever, that is also a political action. What is more political than government decision making?

Winter Soldier and Civil War are both about Steve having to make intrinsically political decisions and stands, using his own conscience and moral compass.

When people say these movies aren't political i need to ask what do we think political means anymore? Even if it's defined as not exercising a political consciousness as your post seemed to imply, that's not true of these movies.

Fair enough, don't really disagree with anything here.

BlackOmnimon posted...

Nah, neoliberal means to be against government/state intervention, and for companies to take over what would have been responsibility of the government/state.

isnt that libertarian?

Neoliberals think free markets creating wealth is the best way to run an economy, but they are fine with attempting government intervention as a means to an end of preventing negative externalities, EG carbon taxes on a private energy industry. Neoliberalism doesn't have opinions on social issues or how they should be enforced.

Libertarianism has clearer ideological motivation and thinks something like government intervention is bad on principle rather than due to being good or bad policy. Libertarians also care about social issues and any kind of 'freedom' or 'liberty' that might be at stake concerning the government's powers.

A neoliberal opposes Medicare for All style policy because they think hospitals and insurers in the free market will be more efficient, and figures some regulatory oversight will stop the market's selfish inclinations from screwing over the little guy. A libertarian opposes Medicare for All style policy because they think a doctor's paycheck or ability to practice being inescapably controlled by the government is literally a form of slavery.

Doe posted...

Libertarians also care about social issues and any kind of 'freedom' or 'liberty' that might be at stake concerning the government's powers if it will directly effect them.

FTFY.

They don't give a shit unless it's causing them some kind of static.

murrica posted...

FTFY.

They don't give a shit unless it's causing them some kind of static.

Well I am talking in theory, not in practice. In practice, neoliberals under-regulate (or have to create so much bureacratic red tape that they prove it never should have been privatized at all), while libertarians skew toward siding with the social-authoritarian party of the US for the sake of regressive tax policy.