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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 13, 2023

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Yes!! What you describe is what, to me, should be the platonic ideal of narrative media. There's something almost deliriously wholesome about discovering a shared tenet of an alien human culture. The purposes here isn't to cement a permanent kumbaya sentiment, but solely to be reminded of how predictable we humans can be despite the kaleidoscope of superficial cultural differences we conjure up. The real differences are important as well, and highlighting both aspects is foundational to presenting a rich palette of human experience.

I don't want to experience a story (movie, tv, books, whatever) where the "diversity" of characters is just an algorithm that goes through the finished script and randomly assigns different identities, with no regard for how their experience changes.

There are so many other media examples that come to mind. One is the Isreali TV show "Shtisel" which depicts a strict ultra-orthodox Jewish community. I know nothing about their lives, but I absolutely resonated with and understood the main character's experience, as he struggled to balance familial obligations while chasing after romantic infatuation. And the differences were illuminating as well. I would notice innocuous details that were not remarked upon by the characters (such as the separate beds for husband and wife) and it would only pique my curiosity to figure out why.

Another is the Australian Aboriginal movie Ten Canoes (2006) [full movie link]. It's a simple story, set in an authentic ancient aboriginal past, and refreshing to me just how funny it can be despite the enormous cultural gap inherent.

Imagine how deprived, how barren, any of this would be if the only difference was a superficial adornment to meet a diversity quota.