Hallmark movies are fascist propaganda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This coming on the heels of the shakeup in the Romance Writers Association over accusations of racism by a demi-Chinese writer is a bit much. I may have to take to my bed with the vapors.

There is a Romance Writers Association? So. Many. Questions.

Yes. Interesting piece on NPR today about it. Romances are the most profitable genre in book selling. Big schism and big concerns. It is a fascinating piece.

[Anonymous]

I turned to Hallmark movies a couple times this holiday season because my 11yo wanted to watch tv with me and most of what I watch isn’t geared toward children. Even she now laughs at how formulaic and bland these movies are. It’s not much of a movie if the entire plot is outlined in the cable guide description. You can tune in 30 minutes into the movie and turn it off 30 minutes before the end of the movie without feeling like you missed anything. DD and I have never watched a Lifetime movie together, but we do enjoy scrolling through the guide to read the titles of their movies. So overwrought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, FFS. Salon never makes "excellent points." They are there to incite controversy.

My bet is that 95% of the people reading this board have never watched the Hallmark channel or any of the movies.

They're just another Huff post.

[Anonymous]

Fascist? Not white propaganda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fascist? Not white propaganda?

The article referenced Nazis so I am sure that is the real point. Charming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This coming on the heels of the shakeup in the Romance Writers Association over accusations of racism by a demi-Chinese writer is a bit much. I may have to take to my bed with the vapors.

There is a Romance Writers Association? So. Many. Questions.

Yes. Interesting piece on NPR today about it. Romances are the most profitable genre in book selling. Big schism and big concerns. It is a fascinating piece.

Thanks for the heads up - I saw something about it on Twitter a few days ago, but not enough to piece together what was happening.

[Anonymous]

I had a friend years ago who read really terrible Barbara Cartland romance novels. She said she read them because she didn't have to think after a stressful day at work. The formula for Cartland novels makes Hallmark movies look like War and Peace. It's escapism from the real world. Harmless.

[Anonymous]

I have a cousin who is the only liberal in her large evangelical Christian family. She went to law school in the 90s at the age of about 45, separated from her husband, practiced for a couple of years, then went back to her husband and took up writing romance novels for a couple of years. I think anyone can be an escapist. Last I heard, Hallmark was not overseen by a branch of government. Anyway, we have Little Women!

[Anonymous]

Love this thread. Interesting and fun comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.salon.com/2019/12/25/hallmark-christmas-movies-fascist-propaganda/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Which is, of course, laughable to anyone who has even glancing knowledge of the channel's offerings. Running down this year's schedule of Christmas movie offerings is like a trip into an uncanny valley of shiny-teethed, blow-dried heteronormative whiteness, with only a few token movies with characters of color. It's like watching "The Stepford Wives," but scarier, since the evil plot to replace normal people with robots is never actually revealed.

None of this should be a surprise, because Hallmark movies, as cloying and saccharine as they are, constitute the platonic ideal of fascist propaganda.

There's plenty of reason that empty-headed kitsch fits neatly in the authoritarian worldview. It's storytelling that imitates the gestures of emotion without actually engaging with real feeling. The Hallmark movie steers clear of the real passion or deeper emotion that tends to be the engine driving more artful fiction. Characters who have real feelings, after all, can prompt empathetic reactions in the audience, and empathy for others is the greatest single threat to the authoritarian mindset. And so schmaltz walks through the paces of "love" without touching on any of the messy but compelling realities of it.

Salon brings up excellent points.

Did you know Party of Five is being remade with five Latino kids trying to hold together after their parents were deported? How ‘in your face’ stupid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.salon.com/2019/12/25/hallmark-christmas-movies-fascist-propaganda/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Which is, of course, laughable to anyone who has even glancing knowledge of the channel's offerings. Running down this year's schedule of Christmas movie offerings is like a trip into an uncanny valley of shiny-teethed, blow-dried heteronormative whiteness, with only a few token movies with characters of color. It's like watching "The Stepford Wives," but scarier, since the evil plot to replace normal people with robots is never actually revealed.

None of this should be a surprise, because Hallmark movies, as cloying and saccharine as they are, constitute the platonic ideal of fascist propaganda.

There's plenty of reason that empty-headed kitsch fits neatly in the authoritarian worldview. It's storytelling that imitates the gestures of emotion without actually engaging with real feeling. The Hallmark movie steers clear of the real passion or deeper emotion that tends to be the engine driving more artful fiction. Characters who have real feelings, after all, can prompt empathetic reactions in the audience, and empathy for others is the greatest single threat to the authoritarian mindset. And so schmaltz walks through the paces of "love" without touching on any of the messy but compelling realities of it.

Salon brings up excellent points.

Did you know Party of Five is being remade with five Latino kids trying to hold together after their parents were deported? How ‘in your face’ stupid

I think you mean “made topical by the GOP.”

[Anonymous]

https://mobile.twitter.com/JulieSLalonde/status/1214236556724178945

So everybody’s minimizing OP’s point, but there are cases of the way we depict things, even in fluff rom coms, changing how we perceive behavior. Propaganda works best when it”s well done. Or at least watchable, as the cultural phenomenon of Hallmark movies seem to be. https://mobile.twitter.com/JulieSLalonde/status/1214236556724178945

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://mobile.twitter.com/JulieSLalonde/status/1214236556724178945

So everybody’s minimizing OP’s point, but there are cases of the way we depict things, even in fluff rom coms, changing how we perceive behavior. Propaganda works best when it”s well done. Or at least watchable, as the cultural phenomenon of Hallmark movies seem to be. https://mobile.twitter.com/JulieSLalonde/status/1214236556724178945

Propaganda goes both ways. It's a bit telling to be accusing Hallmark of propaganda but a woke movie isn't

[Anonymous]

Nostalgia is a helluva drug.

[Anonymous]

I am guilty. I am a liberal Democrat and I tuned into Hallmark a week before Christmas and watched all of the Hallmark movies. I told my dd and she screamed at me and asked why I was "watching Trump TV"? The reason is I used to watch MSNBC 24/7 and I just can't stand to even hear Trump's name uttered anymore and I'm tired of all of the stupid tweets he sends. I think MSN should stop covering Trump at all...he just wants attention.

So, yes, Hallmark is a total escape and I was astounded at how very white it is. I did think it was crazy that they didn't have a single Jewish movie about Hanukah or even one about everyone celebrating whatever religious holiday they happen to celebrate.

The movies are like the Stepford wives. All of the women look the same. I got addicted just as I did to the Home Shopping Network when I was in law school. The shows lull you into thinking about a relaxing "good old days" environment (even though "the good old days" were not good at all for women or blacks or Jewish people, etc.

Hallmark must know what they're doing and I can see where it could be likened to Nazi propaganda. Scary. The Christmas movies ended last night ... so that's my Hallmark fill for the season.