this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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My producers dragged me to see 'Barbie' and it was one of the most woke movies have ever seen. My ful review of this flaming garbage heap of a film will be out on my YouTube channel tomorrow at 10am ET.

I normally post news on here but this picture is legit hilarious. Mods feel free to delete if not appropriate 😹

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[–] cpw@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm a fifty year old man. Definitely not in the demographic. But I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I took my young adult daughters because we wanted to do barbenheimer together. I loved to messages of family and trying to improve yourself. My daughters obviously connected in a way that I didn't but that's not a problem.

In summary: Ben Shapiro is a twat.

[–] TheOakTree@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

You must not be a man anymore, did you not take notes on how you didn't connect to the movie in the same way as your daughters?

/s

[–] reverendsteveii@beehaw.org 9 points 1 year ago

It was one of the most woke movies I have ever seen

translation: as a straight white dude this is Ben's first experience not being the target audience for something

[–] DASEIN@waveform.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I feel like this fits nicely here :

[–] Arkham@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

"Woke is when I hate something, and the more I hate it, the more woke it is"

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[–] bentsea@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I will take this as a very high endorsement of the film! Very much looking forward to it!

[–] SlamDrag@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean it's still a soulless piece of corporate propaganda.

[–] bentsea@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

But, have you ever thought about death?

[–] esaru@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

He doesn't care what people say about him, as long as they keep talking about him. You can make a lot of money by being a controversial figure nowadays. Being popular by being controversial is the business model.

And it works obviously. I didn't know this guy until this post.

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[–] Joker@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

What is wrong with this dude? Going to a movie you don’t want to see and taking notes about it so you can complain about it online when you get home. It’s so pathetic I almost feel bad for him.

[–] Uniquitous@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't feel bad for him, this is how he gets paid. He's a professional asshole.

[–] Space_Jamke@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

An asshole who primarily courts right-wingers an inch to the left of Neo-Nazis by making them feel logical and superior for denying basic facts about reality, while the mask-off Neo-Nazis repeatedly send death threats to his family because they're culturally Jewish.

I don't pity him. He dug his hole by choice, and it is a very comfy hole in upper-class Los Angeles where he won't experience the consequences of societal collapse that he encourages poorer right-wingers to spread around. Tough for his kids, I'd imagine, since they'll be growing up in a world with all those oven-fanatic redcaps crawling out of the woodwork that their dad turned a blind eye to for clout.

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[–] BillyTheSkidMark@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I remember when he was first becoming "popular" and his whole schtick was "facts don't care about your feelings" and not wanting to get into "identity politics", as a reaction to socially progressive movements and "lefties being triggered"... Till he realised he and his whole fan base live for identity politics and care more about their feelings than facts.

So now, here he is, getting mad at a movie not targeted to him because it triggers his feelings about "patriarchy good, feminism bad"

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 year ago

Yep. He would say it was just for a review, but if you already made your mind up that you wouldn't like it before you went in, it's not a review. He creates dishonest trash, and that's what his (extremely stupid) viewers want. They want everything to conform to the beliefs they already hold, and anything that doesn't is just proof other people are wrong, not them.

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[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Is he ever happy with anything? Like, I'm not even here to debate his views. He just seems so miserable all the time, as if he can't find any joy in life.

[–] hanni@lemmy.one 4 points 1 year ago

It’s hos job to be upset. He is happy with the money that he makes from the attention.

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[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is the epitome of "conservatives" today: unhappy, vengeful, trying to destroy things for other people, and only focused on nonsense culture-war stuff.

[–] astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

Which is really sad. What "conservatives" are representing isn't even conservative at all; it's just regressive, authoritarian non-sense. Conservatives (real ones) have an important part to play in a properly working political system (which we don't have in the United States). Ideally, we'd have a a progressive party and a conservative party; the former looking for reforms anywhere they can, even to the point of burning down the system, and the latter urging caution and ensuring the stability and safety of the system. Instead, the U.S. has a conservative party (Democrats) and a fascist/regressive party (Republicans). So, instead of moving forward with caution, we're moving backward.

[–] UngodlyAudrey@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It makes me sad. If they just spent a fraction of the effort they use to tear things down to build something worthwhile up instead, we'd be much better off.

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[–] HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is the "take a joke" and "don't let your feelings intrude on my humour" guy right?

This is the guy getting all pissy at a movie about dolls?

[–] TerryTPlatypus@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Welp, I wasn't even going to go see Barbie, but now I'll go to watch it just out of spite lol.

[–] shiveyarbles@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

Hopefully nobody mistakes this pussy as being an example of manhood.

[–] Butterbee@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

This is great news for the Barbie Movie

[–] mateomaui@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Must mean it’s great, can’t wait to see it, which is not something I expected to say.

[–] loobkoob@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I saw it this afternoon, I had a great time! It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, although I can't say I know exactly what I was expecting going into it... It was a lot more political than I expected, and a lot more thoughtful.

It certainly lacks subtlety, and beats you around the head with its themes (feminism, toxic masculinity, the patriarchy, empowerment, finding and accepting yourself). To be clear, I don't think it lacking subtlety is a bad thing at all; it makes it very clear what points it's addressing, and doesn't leave anything down to personal experiences, or interpretations of nuanced lines. And it has a lot of fun with it!

Apparently right-wing people are upset with it, though. Because of course they are. It's about Barbie being a strong, independent woman. It's got a lot of diversity, and it's not shy about the fact that its diversity is because Barbie dolls themselves have a lot of diversity, so yes, it's very deliberately forced diversity. It has a trans actress in - I didn't even realise she was trans until a few minutes ago when I was looking up why right-wing people are upset, but apparently it's a terrible thing. It doesn't peddle any propaganda about traditional family values either, if you can believe such a thing (which is particularly upsetting to Matt Gaetz' wife for some reason).

It's fun. It's funny. It's thoughtful. And Ryan Gosling is fantastic in it. (Margot Robbie is very good, too, but her character is a little less colourful). It won't be something that will change your entire outlook on life, or that you'll be thinking about every day for the next six months, but it's a solid ~8/10, and unless you froth at the mouth at the idea of women having shudder aGeNcY, you'll probably have a good time with it!

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's preachy, but only because Barbie is preachy. It fits the source material perfectly. All the characters are literally Barbies you have been able to buy for 50 years, so I don't know how people could be upset. Mattel is run by all dudes, and Ken is a himbo. All of these things are quintessential Barbie for decades.

It's like a comedy version of the matrix, if that makes sense. In one scene Barbie has to choose whether to stay in Barbieland or go to the real world. Instead of a red or blue pill, she has to choose between a high heel or a Birkenstock sandal.

It's actually a pretty inoffensive mirror to society without many plot holes. Not like Lord of the Rings. Why don't the eagles just drop the ring in the volcano?!?

[–] mateomaui@reddthat.com 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

honestly lmao at Ben being dragged in, beaten and preached at for nearly two hours with all of this. just perfect, I approve already.

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[–] acastcandream@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It’s about Barbie being a strong, independent woman.

What interesting is it's actually everyone else who is being strong and independent! You'll notice Barbie is not actually doing anything. All of her problems are either purely internal (existential crisis that she is navigating by observing others) OR completely external but she can't solve them herself. The mom/daughter and Ken are the ones experiencing autonomy and self-actualization, they are the ones taking direct action and driving the plot forward. Barbie is a catalyst.

Barbie is - wait for it - an accessory to help them with their personal growths! And by participating in this, Barbie is not only helping everyone else, but becoming a "real" multi-dimensional character in her own right.

I really enjoyed this movie, sorry to dig this weeks old post up lol

[–] loobkoob@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Don't apologise for digging it up, it's a really good comment! Barbie being an accessory to other people's growth is a brilliant way of framing it that I hadn't considered - I love that!

I also like framing it that, at the beginning of the film, everyone's identity is somewhat defined by Barbie (as a concept - not the character):

  • Barbie is obvious - she is just living the "dream" Barbie life and doesn't know anything outside of that. She struggles when she starts to gain humanity because she feels inferior to the other, more accomplished Barbies (doctor Barbie, president Barbie, astronaut Barbie, etc);
  • Ken - his entire life revolves around being "and Ken"; He exists to be Barbie's mild love interest, and is basically irrelevant when Barbie's not around;
  • The mother is basically clinging onto childhood optimism and better times by playing with Barbie. She's using Barbie as an escape, but she's also warping the concept of Barbie with her depression;
  • The daughter is wholly and actively rejecting Barbie (and her and her friends are also references to Bratz - the "anti-Barbie"), to the point where she's overly cynical, tough, bitter, and not empathetic enough.

By the end of the film, I think everyone ends up empowering and being empowered by the ideals of Barbie (the concept) while also rejecting the relationship they had with the concept at the start of the film:

  • Barbie learns to be human. She gains empathy. She sees the value in women having roles like doctor, president, astronaut, etc, but realises it shouldn't be an expectation for every woman and that she's not inferior for not having one of those jobs;
  • Ken starts his journey of discovering his own identity, rather than just being an extension of/accessory to Barbie;
  • The mother and daughter repair their relationship and the mother (we can assume) stops her "depressed Barbie" creations as her life improves.
  • The daughter realises some parts of Barbie's message are positives - that it's meant for empowerment rather than to set unrealistic expectations. So in some ways, she embraces the concept of Barbie, which is a rejection of her previous relationship with the concept.
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[–] pizza_rolls@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Well Barbie is an accomplished woman with a bajillion jobs so it's not surprising the movie is "woke". Barbie was "woke" for her time.

I bet they make a fuck ton of money off this movie, once again disproving "go woke go broke"

Woke is here to stay, it's called human rights

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[–] Nobug404@geddit.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ben is just Ken, spelt wrong.

[–] ApeNo1@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

β€œShe’s everything. He’s just Ben”

Dude legit turned up in kids sized Chuck Norris Action Jeans and took notes in a Barbie movie. Took notes in a Barbie movie.

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[–] peanuts4life@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The best thing about Ben Shapiro is that each day I share on this planet with him is one less day I need to coexist with Ben Shapiro.

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[–] storksforlegs@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What kind of Barbie movie did he want exactly?

[–] VoxAdActa@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

The kind where Ken goes off on a super-badass special forces mission and says "Take a bullet for ya, babe," as he leaves the house.

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[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

An hour+ long toy ad from a multinational corporation is "woke"... oookie-dookie...

[–] AcidOctopus@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Imagine being outraged and miserable for a living.

I've not even seen the movie, but Jesus fucking Christ.

[–] Wolfpanther@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I recommend the episodes of the Behind The Bastards podcast where they read through Ben Shapiro's novel, they are hilarious.

[–] Housecarl@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 year ago

They do his novel, his short stories, and excerpts from his books about sex. The episodes are fantastic. The writing is appalling.

[–] Iwasondigg@lemmy.one 2 points 1 year ago

What a fragile snowflake.

[–] Electricorchestra@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

This movie perfectly demonstrated being a dude. All the Kens becoming day drinking degenerates without Barbie around is literally what I did last weekend when my girlfriend went to a wedding.

[–] blindbunny@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Anyone else ever notice dweebs always what to tell men how to be men?

[–] trashhalo@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

For completeness. This is the video thumbnail for the review he posted from these notes.

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