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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 20, 2026

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Cultural war and cultural revolution continues, as it should.

Revolution has a beginning, but it has no end.

And the newest battle is the most ancient, Homer's - and Christopher Nolan’s - Odyssey.

Many are happy, many are unhappy, and among the latter is world's richest man, as expected.

Elon was unhappy so much that he promised to rifle through his pockets for some spare change and give Mel Gibson $100 million to remake Odyssey in fully authentic and historically accurate way, with Greek actors and spoken in proper Homeric Greek.

Then, the next day, he changed his mind. Directors - and actors - are as obsolete as draft horses, Grok can do it all alone and cheaper.

If it happens, would it make a difference? Elite Mottizen human capital had been talking and daydreaming for a long time about potential of money to change the world. If only we were rich men!

The real life billionaire and centi millionaire activism is not encouraging but we can always dream how we will do it right!

edit: links

One thing about the casting that I have seen very few people commenting on is just how weird the ages of all the actors are. I understand there are 10 years of war, then 10 more years of travel, but Matt Damon as a 40 year old at the beginning is not plausible, he only seems aptly cast for the end of the movie. Also why is he older than Agamemnon? Why is his wife so much younger than him? Did he have a child bride, knock her up then go off to war?

If Penelope was much older than 40 then it wouldn't make sense for her to have so many suitors.

A ten year age gap is plausible. Matt Damon is 55 and Anne Hathaway is 43. If Odysseus left for Troy when he was 30 and his wife was 20, then he would return when he is 50 and his wife is 40.

If Penelope was much older than 40 then it wouldn't make sense for her to have so many suitors.

Typically when this is acknowledged it's explained in one of two ways:

  1. People lasted longer then, among the heroes it wouldn't be unusual for her to still be beautiful and fertile at 40 or 50

  2. This is precisely what makes the suitors evil, that Penelope is old/infertile, their intention is purely negative, to marry her and become king of Ithaca, but not to produce anything.

People lasted longer then, among the heroes it wouldn't be unusual for her to still be beautiful and fertile at 40 or 50

What is the mechanism of action here? They didn't have sunscreen or dentists

Magic? Idk similar to whatever mechanism by which the heroes in the Iliad frequently toss large stones at each other "such as would take five men to lift in these degenerate times."

It's pretty well attested in mythology from China to Israel that the earlier generations of humans were longer lived and generally better than the modern breed.

Oh neat I didn't know that - thanks for sharing