Unlike Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and John Oliver who cannot bear to poke fun at the foibles of the left, Ricky Gervais, Bill Maher and Dave Chappelle are equal opportunity comedians. That’s why they are consistently funny and the others are not.
The left has always been fertile ground for comedians who can see through their self righteousness and hypocrisy. It’s just that those comedians aren’t welcome on the platforms the left consume.
If it’s any consolation, I heard executives are terrified of the woke mob coming after them. Once you’ve been cancelled, you’re blacklisted from the industry forever. I distantly know some of these executives personally. One of them has a special needs child to support with very expensive medical bills. They’re not as well-off as you think.
james, have you seen his other film "what is a woman?" i haven't seen this new one yet but from your description, he has found his style. in "woman" he just let these idiots talk and they all hung themselves. he asked them deadpan earnest questions which they "answered" with their large meaningless vocabularies of canned woke phrases. they were doctors, college professors and politicians and they all revealed in their own words the insincere fraudulence at their core.
finally, he visited a tribe of africans who know exactly what a woman is, what a man is and how they are different.
I liked “ What is a Woman” better, but this one shows the grifters who are making lots of money telling white people how racist they are.
I felt a little bad for those who were being duped by Walsh…not the grifters, who deserve that, but by ordinary people who are actually being duped into thinking they’re racist
my BF liked What is a Woman better too (we just got back). i loved WIAW but i don't remember laughing out loud. then again, we watched it on a large computer screen in our sun room and this evening, we went to an actual movie theater with an audience of other people who were laughing out loud. both are important films for exposing the scams of our era
It's a natural question! I went to an afternoon screening opening weekend, and there were about 20 of us--a mix actually, a few older folks like me (we were the laughers), and a mix of 20-somethings, racially mixed. The reactions during the film were genuine and there was plenty of mirth--but when the lights came up, they all looked around to see who had laughed and applauded the most. That was me; but then, hey--as a white cisgender patriarchal oppressor, what can you expect??
I would like to think there are those with rational, fair minds and reasoning skills. There are legions of young adults coming out of schools and colleges, however, who have been indulged to shout down that which challenges them, to get fired those whose ideas require them to question their own; they’re encouraged to consume only the content, literature and media that align with those ideas and the algorithm, combined with peer pressure, assures they’re never exposed to other points of view. So much for diversity.
this is such a great question and i wish i could answer it. i asked my BF the same question as we were leaving. the theater was one of those massive faux deco buildings that had been cut up into 15 tiny theaters, ours had maybe tops 50 seats?
everything about the place was hyper souped up, like a penny arcade on steroids. the seats were right out of Wall-E, just missing a built in microwave and a steady supply of food like substance snacks.
by the time we got into our theater (the 15th out of 15) i was pretty much blinded and in shock by how low brow the entire place was. then the 30 - 40 minute pre-show "entertainment" where you can't even tell what products they are trying to advertise. obviously i haven't been to a movie in quite a while.
so of course, i should have been noticing the demographics of the audience but i failed. sorry
we're going to see it tonight. i don't really feel sorry for the griftees. i feel sorry for all of us who see through the grift but have to live in the country these people are creating
I think you’re right, but some of the people who are in the film genuinely buy the idea that being white , somehow they have racist feelings that they’re not aware of..so they really want to do some good. At one of the sessions that Walsh leads, it becomes obvious to a few that this is all bullshit.
You know--life is hard and scary and we know we are all gonna die. Human beings crave a sense of meaning, and we often seek it in bizarre and sometimes deeply wrongheaded ways, and there are always false prophets, quacks, con artists and cultists ready to profit from that. I went through a series of spiritual and philosophical explorations in my 20s and 30s, from Landmark Education (which I suspect many of the DEI people have done), to meditation and chanting, to creative visualization and The Secret. But whether or not I had learned to tap into Universal forces of manifestation or not, these inquiries did no harm; on the contrary, they gave me a feeling of purpose and empowerment that yielded gains. The DEI people certainly are there to give white people who are stressed out in this racially charged cancellation culture, where they're being vilified from all sides for being THE PROBLEM, affirmation that they are indeed THE PROBLEM. But what they don't offer is ABSOLUTION, and this is what people seek. Instead, they instill DESPAIR. They diagnose the inherent evil, manipulate confessions out of them while humiliating and breaking them down, never to build them up again because "the work" has no end, and offers no escape. So why do people keep going in for this stuff? It's a warped reason, but I think it's the reason: they get to be a part of the community of penitent, progressive whites, all calling themselves out for their bias for each other, and signaling their alignment with leftist activist groups and causes, while pandering to BIPOC folks--and channeling the frustration and rage underneath it all into tearing down those who refuse to join the cult. This gives them lots of smug righteousness to ping off each other on social media. I liken this movement to the Temperance crusaders in the early 20th century--a bunch of moralizing, puritanical white moral reformers bullied their way into every corner of society..leading to Prohibition, which, far from eradicating drunkenness and immorality, resulted in an epidemic of alcoholism and the rise of organized crime.
luckily (or unfortunately) i was fired from my job of 40 years over the vaccine nonsense so i never was asked (or required) to attend one of those struggle session BS things. i'd be the first to walk out, assuming i agreed to attend in the first place, which is a pretty big assumption.
i did see one on a ZOOM call. my BF was the department head of a major Bway hit show and during the shutdown, the producer tried to keep "the family" together by having ZOOM meetings.
the first one quickly dissolved into a racial grievance session. my poor BF. when i couldn't take it anymore, i walked out and gardened for an hour. when i got back in, he was still at it!
eventually the producer was bullied into donating money to some victim celebrating charity and hired a race huckster, a woman with a PhD in complaining. i sat through her introductory ZOOM lecture with my BF, the mute button on so that they couldn't hear me screaming. total fraudster.
when Bway reopened, between the inconsistency of performances (every time someone sneezed, the covid police could shut down the show for a week), the fear of the audiences (haven't theater goers always sat packed in with strangers of unknown health status?), and all the extra hires (the natural hair specialist in addition to the wig guy who was already on the payroll doing the job), the POC movement coach (because the regular choreographer can't possibly know how POC people move), the DEI musical director (the actual musical director offended one of the cast by telling her how he wanted the music sung!) and the PhD with her mandatory lectures (which everyone was paid to attend), the show collapsed under the weight of all that apologizing.
So glad you jumped right in by watching the opening and writing this excellent review.
The Rotten Tomatoes side of the roll out of this film is the tell.
My adult children are all struggling from one degree to another with this swill.
My oldest son who just turned thirty has had to navigate this DEI hellscape at the University of Michigan where he is finishing up his PhD in Computational Chemistry.
His final semester just began and I encouraged him to end with a “sprint”.
U of M has more DEI Staff on payroll than any other school.
He has handled all of the many pressures with kindness and grace, but I am peeved that he even had to deal with the toxic environment at his school while working diligently to care for his wife and two children.
I had so much respect for all of the white males who have navigated the equity grift at school, work, and in the business world.
OK well I don't want to be *that* person but I think you are. And I say that in total allyship (to use a currently vogue phrase) with your views. I say this in the sense of "Be prepared."
I think your advice is wise! I think there is something to the fact that people are increasingly able to speak out and push back…but perhaps I’m just a cockeyed optimist…
That is great. But the actual institutionalization of the forces of "woke" continue apace. Soon states will be able to take mentally ill children away from parents to mutilate them.
Thanks, James, for the scouting report. I was reluctant to plunk down the bucks, but based on your endorsement, it sounds like it’s a worthy investment. I head to Europe in a few days and will spend a month finishing a stage script at an Artists’ community. Although I detect whiffs of DEI nonsense in online resident profiles, I’m most grateful the selection committee invited an old white American guy such as I. If they insist I share my pronouns, I’ll have to hide out in my bedroom, the local woods, and the Finnish sauna!
I'll take issue with no thing said here apart from the right isn't funny. We are actually downright hilarious, but the left is often the butt of the joke and so goes our devious hilarity, summarily dismissed by those who inspired it. So much of the comedy of the left falls similarly on deaf ears, I'm sure. You've got a new sub, sir, looking forward to reading more.
Even during the Soviet era, one of the best ways to fight against left wing absurdity was to mock it. Humor was, and is a powerful weapon; nothing hits harder than making people think that the Marxist intelligentsia are fools and grifters. The Soviet Union attempted to combat this by invoking Article 58, which accused someone of “counterrevolutionary activity,” and threw thousands of people in prison just for telling a joke. Even in America we have cancel culture and forced conformity but the first amendment is a counterweight, for now anyway.
- A man in the Soviet Union went to the KGB to report that he had lost his pet parrot. The KGB officer told him to get lost, “we don’t handle that, go to the local police.” The man told the KGB, “yes comrade I know that but I want you to know that I officially disagree with everything my parrot has to say!”- Soviet joke.
Excellent review. I’ve only seen the trailer and not the full film, but I would like to point out that in the clip with DiAngelo, Walsh introduces himself to her as his real name Matt and not the pseudonym. Yet she still didn’t get that she was being played until after.
I guarantee you, she didn’t know Matt Walsh, disguised or not. This is why he was able to gain access, I’m sure. People like Diangelo only listen to themselves and other cult members.
Me too! It was funny, when the houselights came up in the theatre, I was the only one applauding…and a bunch of 20 somethings stared at me with this weird expression, because I could tell they’d enjoyed the film too and were wrecked trying to decide if that was okay or not. Poor unfortunate souls.
Thanks for this review Jamie - I've been with you since your first posts - you are an important voice of sanity and art to so many of us - we are scattered but appreciative. Someday we'll all gather in a warm NY bar to toast you ...!
Thank you for the review. It sounds hilarious. And yes there have been 'right wing' comedians in the past, for example Bob Hope I believe one could argue was Establishment. They did fall out of favour in the 1980s/90s and people forgot that the young are not naturally left or right, but do have a tendency to be anti-establishment.
It is just that DEI has reached such a sacred cow status for such a long time. It shows in many ways that DEI/ anti-racist is no longer counter-culture but establishment and thus fair game. I think the reaction shows that the high priests and priestesses lack a certain sense of humour, but then they are fanatics. One bit of advice I remember from a talk Madeline L'Engle gave back when I was at college in the early 80s was -- never argue with toddlers or terrorists (aka fanatics). They are best treated in the same way. The advice formed part of my parenting and held me in good stead (or at least I think as my lot as gainfully employed in careers of their choosing)
You’ll be able to cope with the douchy, especially since he’s so smart…and no one on the planet is douchier than Saira Rao, so she wins biggest douche in this film!!
We were astonished to find Am I Racist playing in San Francisco theaters since we had to go to Bakersfield to watch the incredible documentary on Clarence Thomas. We had already enjoyed What is a Woman and agree with one of your posters that Matt Walsh may indeed have found his method.
I, too, am saddened that those who most need to have their eyes opened to the endless grift these people are perpetuating won’t see it. I’m also stunned by the level of self-hatred from these terribly sad people who have allowed real haters to define them as shameful based on their skin color.
The bikers and the black community were incredible, honest moments as well.
We have a long way to go. Professional critics refuse to review the film, even though it finished it’s opening weekend in the top 5 at the box office, exceeding its production budget in ticket sales.
Hi James! This is my first encounter with your substack, and I very much enjoyed this excellent review, all the more so because you’re clearly not a fan of the Daily Wire, and thus evaluated the movie on its own merits. I haven’t seen it yet but am hoping to soon. I did discuss it with one black friend of mine, who is also curious to see it, since we agree that DEI is nothing but a ridiculous grift.
I think anyone sensible can see that this grift is ridiculous as well as corrosive and dangerous--and the film makes both things crystal clear. For clarity on my view of The Daily Wire...I'm not not a "fan"--I don't think I'm a fan of any political commentary network, nor should I be. It's the "fan" thing that gets us all in trouble--if we get hooked on the personalities and messaging on either side, and derive satisfaction from being in that echo chamber, it's impossible to step back and see the big picture. Doing this Substack, I've made a point of absorbing content from the right, left and center--and if I am a "fan," it's of those writers and thinkers who are more centrist, like me; disillusioned and concerned liberals who recoil from the extremes of the modern activist left, as well as conservatives with nuanced views who wish to preserve the ideals and traditions of the West, as I do. Konstantin Kisin, of Triggernometry, calls himself "politically non-binary," and I identify with that. I watch him and Francis Foster a lot. I watch Daily Wire a lot--I think Ben Shapiro is a brilliant debater, and I agree with his views on Israel; Matt Walsh clearly has views I totally support and I believe his concerns for our kids and our country are legit. Others I listen to and read: Bari Weiss, Andrew Sullivan, Andrew Doyle, Douglas Murray (a personal hero), Megyn Kelly, Bill Maher, John McWhorter and Glenn Loury. I enjoy the panelist throwdowns on Piers Morgan; I love the long form content from UnHerd and The Spectator. Before and during the Trump presidency, I devoured MSNBC content ravenously, and since opening my eyes to a broader sweep of the discourse, I find most of what I see on that network insanely biased, inflammatory--the "TDS" is real! There are, to borrow a loaded phrase, "fine people on both sides" of the national conversation and we'd all do well to step back and listen to the nuances to be found by absorbing all kinds of views. My intention on The Cornfield, initially, was to call out the nastiness and politically/culturally dangerous machinations of DEI and its proponents, and the rise of antisemitism, pro-terrorist, anti-white racist movements on campuses and in our streets. No one is off limits as far as I'm concerned, but if anything, I tend to call out the left more than the right because I can't be associated with so much of the leftist agenda and I think true liberalism and sense are under attack. I also think lousy behavior and idiocy should be called out at every possible opportunity and I love to use my voice here to do so! I think people like me end up here on Substack because its the only place left for contrarians and politically non-binary people to say what they think and feel. I don't get invested in the personalities--they're performers selling products. It's dangerous to give 100% credence to anything they broadcast, especially when we agree with it! Bullshit is bullshit, right? The extreme polarization of our country will only change if we stop shrieking at, or de-platforming each other and begin to LISTEN.
This is such a wonderfully thoughtful, rich, and detailed reply. Much appreciated. I agree with so much of what you are saying.
Case in point on TDS: at a family party last weekend, someone said that Trump was an antisemite. I pointed out that he has Jewish family members, and she said it didn't matter. "So," I asked her, "what has he said that was antisemitic?" She started ranting about Charlottesville, and I mean she was practically foaming at the mouth. I politely pointed out that the "fine people" in question were the ones debating monument removal; that he had denounced the neo-Nazis; and that even Snopes had debunked the "fine people on both sides" hoax. She spat, "I don't believe it!" and walked out of the room. I'm no fan of Trump as a person, but good lord—to REFUSE to even entertain the idea that he's anything less than Orange Hitler—even in the face of solid evidence—baffles me.
Like you, I appreciate hearing intelligent, fact-based and nuanced debates from all sides, and many of the people you list are ones I admire and listen to as well.
I am glad I discovered your substack and look forward to adding you to that list!
Unlike Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and John Oliver who cannot bear to poke fun at the foibles of the left, Ricky Gervais, Bill Maher and Dave Chappelle are equal opportunity comedians. That’s why they are consistently funny and the others are not.
Agreed!!
The left has always been fertile ground for comedians who can see through their self righteousness and hypocrisy. It’s just that those comedians aren’t welcome on the platforms the left consume.
If it’s any consolation, I heard executives are terrified of the woke mob coming after them. Once you’ve been cancelled, you’re blacklisted from the industry forever. I distantly know some of these executives personally. One of them has a special needs child to support with very expensive medical bills. They’re not as well-off as you think.
Actually Jon Stewart has been dipping his toe in the water. Some of it has been very funny.
james, have you seen his other film "what is a woman?" i haven't seen this new one yet but from your description, he has found his style. in "woman" he just let these idiots talk and they all hung themselves. he asked them deadpan earnest questions which they "answered" with their large meaningless vocabularies of canned woke phrases. they were doctors, college professors and politicians and they all revealed in their own words the insincere fraudulence at their core.
finally, he visited a tribe of africans who know exactly what a woman is, what a man is and how they are different.
I liked “ What is a Woman” better, but this one shows the grifters who are making lots of money telling white people how racist they are.
I felt a little bad for those who were being duped by Walsh…not the grifters, who deserve that, but by ordinary people who are actually being duped into thinking they’re racist
my BF liked What is a Woman better too (we just got back). i loved WIAW but i don't remember laughing out loud. then again, we watched it on a large computer screen in our sun room and this evening, we went to an actual movie theater with an audience of other people who were laughing out loud. both are important films for exposing the scams of our era
Any persons of color in the theatre?
(not trying to be a smartass here...genuinely wonder what folks, white and otherwise, think of the 'material' being exposed)
It's a natural question! I went to an afternoon screening opening weekend, and there were about 20 of us--a mix actually, a few older folks like me (we were the laughers), and a mix of 20-somethings, racially mixed. The reactions during the film were genuine and there was plenty of mirth--but when the lights came up, they all looked around to see who had laughed and applauded the most. That was me; but then, hey--as a white cisgender patriarchal oppressor, what can you expect??
Hmmm. I often wonder, about ppl under 40 mostly, if anyone knows HOW to think? Or only WHAT to think?
I would like to think there are those with rational, fair minds and reasoning skills. There are legions of young adults coming out of schools and colleges, however, who have been indulged to shout down that which challenges them, to get fired those whose ideas require them to question their own; they’re encouraged to consume only the content, literature and media that align with those ideas and the algorithm, combined with peer pressure, assures they’re never exposed to other points of view. So much for diversity.
this is such a great question and i wish i could answer it. i asked my BF the same question as we were leaving. the theater was one of those massive faux deco buildings that had been cut up into 15 tiny theaters, ours had maybe tops 50 seats?
everything about the place was hyper souped up, like a penny arcade on steroids. the seats were right out of Wall-E, just missing a built in microwave and a steady supply of food like substance snacks.
by the time we got into our theater (the 15th out of 15) i was pretty much blinded and in shock by how low brow the entire place was. then the 30 - 40 minute pre-show "entertainment" where you can't even tell what products they are trying to advertise. obviously i haven't been to a movie in quite a while.
so of course, i should have been noticing the demographics of the audience but i failed. sorry
we're going to see it tonight. i don't really feel sorry for the griftees. i feel sorry for all of us who see through the grift but have to live in the country these people are creating
I think you’re right, but some of the people who are in the film genuinely buy the idea that being white , somehow they have racist feelings that they’re not aware of..so they really want to do some good. At one of the sessions that Walsh leads, it becomes obvious to a few that this is all bullshit.
You know--life is hard and scary and we know we are all gonna die. Human beings crave a sense of meaning, and we often seek it in bizarre and sometimes deeply wrongheaded ways, and there are always false prophets, quacks, con artists and cultists ready to profit from that. I went through a series of spiritual and philosophical explorations in my 20s and 30s, from Landmark Education (which I suspect many of the DEI people have done), to meditation and chanting, to creative visualization and The Secret. But whether or not I had learned to tap into Universal forces of manifestation or not, these inquiries did no harm; on the contrary, they gave me a feeling of purpose and empowerment that yielded gains. The DEI people certainly are there to give white people who are stressed out in this racially charged cancellation culture, where they're being vilified from all sides for being THE PROBLEM, affirmation that they are indeed THE PROBLEM. But what they don't offer is ABSOLUTION, and this is what people seek. Instead, they instill DESPAIR. They diagnose the inherent evil, manipulate confessions out of them while humiliating and breaking them down, never to build them up again because "the work" has no end, and offers no escape. So why do people keep going in for this stuff? It's a warped reason, but I think it's the reason: they get to be a part of the community of penitent, progressive whites, all calling themselves out for their bias for each other, and signaling their alignment with leftist activist groups and causes, while pandering to BIPOC folks--and channeling the frustration and rage underneath it all into tearing down those who refuse to join the cult. This gives them lots of smug righteousness to ping off each other on social media. I liken this movement to the Temperance crusaders in the early 20th century--a bunch of moralizing, puritanical white moral reformers bullied their way into every corner of society..leading to Prohibition, which, far from eradicating drunkenness and immorality, resulted in an epidemic of alcoholism and the rise of organized crime.
luckily (or unfortunately) i was fired from my job of 40 years over the vaccine nonsense so i never was asked (or required) to attend one of those struggle session BS things. i'd be the first to walk out, assuming i agreed to attend in the first place, which is a pretty big assumption.
i did see one on a ZOOM call. my BF was the department head of a major Bway hit show and during the shutdown, the producer tried to keep "the family" together by having ZOOM meetings.
the first one quickly dissolved into a racial grievance session. my poor BF. when i couldn't take it anymore, i walked out and gardened for an hour. when i got back in, he was still at it!
eventually the producer was bullied into donating money to some victim celebrating charity and hired a race huckster, a woman with a PhD in complaining. i sat through her introductory ZOOM lecture with my BF, the mute button on so that they couldn't hear me screaming. total fraudster.
when Bway reopened, between the inconsistency of performances (every time someone sneezed, the covid police could shut down the show for a week), the fear of the audiences (haven't theater goers always sat packed in with strangers of unknown health status?), and all the extra hires (the natural hair specialist in addition to the wig guy who was already on the payroll doing the job), the POC movement coach (because the regular choreographer can't possibly know how POC people move), the DEI musical director (the actual musical director offended one of the cast by telling her how he wanted the music sung!) and the PhD with her mandatory lectures (which everyone was paid to attend), the show collapsed under the weight of all that apologizing.
Oh, I cannot wait to see this Jaime!
So glad you jumped right in by watching the opening and writing this excellent review.
The Rotten Tomatoes side of the roll out of this film is the tell.
My adult children are all struggling from one degree to another with this swill.
My oldest son who just turned thirty has had to navigate this DEI hellscape at the University of Michigan where he is finishing up his PhD in Computational Chemistry.
His final semester just began and I encouraged him to end with a “sprint”.
U of M has more DEI Staff on payroll than any other school.
He has handled all of the many pressures with kindness and grace, but I am peeved that he even had to deal with the toxic environment at his school while working diligently to care for his wife and two children.
I had so much respect for all of the white males who have navigated the equity grift at school, work, and in the business world.
May the diversity Gods die an inglorious death!
Jenny Hatch
Article just came out verifying the insanity at U of Michigan.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/university-michigan-use-500000-anti-racism-projects-/26299
I grew up about thirty minutes from Ann Arbor, so this is so difficult to see in my home state.
If you think we've reached peak woke you're wrong.
We ain't seen nothing yet.
Maybe it's wishful thinking.
OK well I don't want to be *that* person but I think you are. And I say that in total allyship (to use a currently vogue phrase) with your views. I say this in the sense of "Be prepared."
I think your advice is wise! I think there is something to the fact that people are increasingly able to speak out and push back…but perhaps I’m just a cockeyed optimist…
That is great. But the actual institutionalization of the forces of "woke" continue apace. Soon states will be able to take mentally ill children away from parents to mutilate them.
Sadly, I agree. There is way too much profit in this industry!
Thanks, James, for the scouting report. I was reluctant to plunk down the bucks, but based on your endorsement, it sounds like it’s a worthy investment. I head to Europe in a few days and will spend a month finishing a stage script at an Artists’ community. Although I detect whiffs of DEI nonsense in online resident profiles, I’m most grateful the selection committee invited an old white American guy such as I. If they insist I share my pronouns, I’ll have to hide out in my bedroom, the local woods, and the Finnish sauna!
I’ve decided that my new response, if asked for pronouns, is “that’s for me to know and you to find out!”
I’d also add: do you need glasses? I can get you to a competent Opthalmologist.
I'll take issue with no thing said here apart from the right isn't funny. We are actually downright hilarious, but the left is often the butt of the joke and so goes our devious hilarity, summarily dismissed by those who inspired it. So much of the comedy of the left falls similarly on deaf ears, I'm sure. You've got a new sub, sir, looking forward to reading more.
Thank you, Jay! I totally get your point!
You bet, and it was a point made in jest, if that wasn’t clear (so maybe you are right about us after all!).
I got the jest. We need to make fun of ourselves in general, and with good spirit!
Indeed.
Movie was great! And I am a new sub as well!
Even during the Soviet era, one of the best ways to fight against left wing absurdity was to mock it. Humor was, and is a powerful weapon; nothing hits harder than making people think that the Marxist intelligentsia are fools and grifters. The Soviet Union attempted to combat this by invoking Article 58, which accused someone of “counterrevolutionary activity,” and threw thousands of people in prison just for telling a joke. Even in America we have cancel culture and forced conformity but the first amendment is a counterweight, for now anyway.
- A man in the Soviet Union went to the KGB to report that he had lost his pet parrot. The KGB officer told him to get lost, “we don’t handle that, go to the local police.” The man told the KGB, “yes comrade I know that but I want you to know that I officially disagree with everything my parrot has to say!”- Soviet joke.
Excellent review. I’ve only seen the trailer and not the full film, but I would like to point out that in the clip with DiAngelo, Walsh introduces himself to her as his real name Matt and not the pseudonym. Yet she still didn’t get that she was being played until after.
I guarantee you, she didn’t know Matt Walsh, disguised or not. This is why he was able to gain access, I’m sure. People like Diangelo only listen to themselves and other cult members.
I laughed out loud in the theater! So did everyone else.
Me too! It was funny, when the houselights came up in the theatre, I was the only one applauding…and a bunch of 20 somethings stared at me with this weird expression, because I could tell they’d enjoyed the film too and were wrecked trying to decide if that was okay or not. Poor unfortunate souls.
There was a coupe sitting next to me drinking red wine during the movie.
Hey, did you stay after the credits to see the funny bookstore skit?
No, and I’m furious that I missed it!! I will definitely see the film again.
I didn’t know there would be a skit after the credits.. can someone describe it?
Me too!
Thanks for this review Jamie - I've been with you since your first posts - you are an important voice of sanity and art to so many of us - we are scattered but appreciative. Someday we'll all gather in a warm NY bar to toast you ...!
YES PLEASE! Thank you Dex!
Thank you for the review. It sounds hilarious. And yes there have been 'right wing' comedians in the past, for example Bob Hope I believe one could argue was Establishment. They did fall out of favour in the 1980s/90s and people forgot that the young are not naturally left or right, but do have a tendency to be anti-establishment.
It is just that DEI has reached such a sacred cow status for such a long time. It shows in many ways that DEI/ anti-racist is no longer counter-culture but establishment and thus fair game. I think the reaction shows that the high priests and priestesses lack a certain sense of humour, but then they are fanatics. One bit of advice I remember from a talk Madeline L'Engle gave back when I was at college in the early 80s was -- never argue with toddlers or terrorists (aka fanatics). They are best treated in the same way. The advice formed part of my parenting and held me in good stead (or at least I think as my lot as gainfully employed in careers of their choosing)
Mostly what has put me off is the douchiness you refer to, but I’m more willing to give it a try now.
You’ll be able to cope with the douchy, especially since he’s so smart…and no one on the planet is douchier than Saira Rao, so she wins biggest douche in this film!!
We were astonished to find Am I Racist playing in San Francisco theaters since we had to go to Bakersfield to watch the incredible documentary on Clarence Thomas. We had already enjoyed What is a Woman and agree with one of your posters that Matt Walsh may indeed have found his method.
I, too, am saddened that those who most need to have their eyes opened to the endless grift these people are perpetuating won’t see it. I’m also stunned by the level of self-hatred from these terribly sad people who have allowed real haters to define them as shameful based on their skin color.
The bikers and the black community were incredible, honest moments as well.
Thanks for your review!
The emperor’s nakedness is exposed, now hopefully people will start to call it out as clearly as you and this film.
We have a long way to go. Professional critics refuse to review the film, even though it finished it’s opening weekend in the top 5 at the box office, exceeding its production budget in ticket sales.
I can't wait to see it but it's funny-not-funny for me since the so called anti-racist grift has dominated the last 3 years of my work life.
I feel you, Brigid! Trust me, it will be cathartic.
Hi James! This is my first encounter with your substack, and I very much enjoyed this excellent review, all the more so because you’re clearly not a fan of the Daily Wire, and thus evaluated the movie on its own merits. I haven’t seen it yet but am hoping to soon. I did discuss it with one black friend of mine, who is also curious to see it, since we agree that DEI is nothing but a ridiculous grift.
I think anyone sensible can see that this grift is ridiculous as well as corrosive and dangerous--and the film makes both things crystal clear. For clarity on my view of The Daily Wire...I'm not not a "fan"--I don't think I'm a fan of any political commentary network, nor should I be. It's the "fan" thing that gets us all in trouble--if we get hooked on the personalities and messaging on either side, and derive satisfaction from being in that echo chamber, it's impossible to step back and see the big picture. Doing this Substack, I've made a point of absorbing content from the right, left and center--and if I am a "fan," it's of those writers and thinkers who are more centrist, like me; disillusioned and concerned liberals who recoil from the extremes of the modern activist left, as well as conservatives with nuanced views who wish to preserve the ideals and traditions of the West, as I do. Konstantin Kisin, of Triggernometry, calls himself "politically non-binary," and I identify with that. I watch him and Francis Foster a lot. I watch Daily Wire a lot--I think Ben Shapiro is a brilliant debater, and I agree with his views on Israel; Matt Walsh clearly has views I totally support and I believe his concerns for our kids and our country are legit. Others I listen to and read: Bari Weiss, Andrew Sullivan, Andrew Doyle, Douglas Murray (a personal hero), Megyn Kelly, Bill Maher, John McWhorter and Glenn Loury. I enjoy the panelist throwdowns on Piers Morgan; I love the long form content from UnHerd and The Spectator. Before and during the Trump presidency, I devoured MSNBC content ravenously, and since opening my eyes to a broader sweep of the discourse, I find most of what I see on that network insanely biased, inflammatory--the "TDS" is real! There are, to borrow a loaded phrase, "fine people on both sides" of the national conversation and we'd all do well to step back and listen to the nuances to be found by absorbing all kinds of views. My intention on The Cornfield, initially, was to call out the nastiness and politically/culturally dangerous machinations of DEI and its proponents, and the rise of antisemitism, pro-terrorist, anti-white racist movements on campuses and in our streets. No one is off limits as far as I'm concerned, but if anything, I tend to call out the left more than the right because I can't be associated with so much of the leftist agenda and I think true liberalism and sense are under attack. I also think lousy behavior and idiocy should be called out at every possible opportunity and I love to use my voice here to do so! I think people like me end up here on Substack because its the only place left for contrarians and politically non-binary people to say what they think and feel. I don't get invested in the personalities--they're performers selling products. It's dangerous to give 100% credence to anything they broadcast, especially when we agree with it! Bullshit is bullshit, right? The extreme polarization of our country will only change if we stop shrieking at, or de-platforming each other and begin to LISTEN.
This is such a wonderfully thoughtful, rich, and detailed reply. Much appreciated. I agree with so much of what you are saying.
Case in point on TDS: at a family party last weekend, someone said that Trump was an antisemite. I pointed out that he has Jewish family members, and she said it didn't matter. "So," I asked her, "what has he said that was antisemitic?" She started ranting about Charlottesville, and I mean she was practically foaming at the mouth. I politely pointed out that the "fine people" in question were the ones debating monument removal; that he had denounced the neo-Nazis; and that even Snopes had debunked the "fine people on both sides" hoax. She spat, "I don't believe it!" and walked out of the room. I'm no fan of Trump as a person, but good lord—to REFUSE to even entertain the idea that he's anything less than Orange Hitler—even in the face of solid evidence—baffles me.
Like you, I appreciate hearing intelligent, fact-based and nuanced debates from all sides, and many of the people you list are ones I admire and listen to as well.
I am glad I discovered your substack and look forward to adding you to that list!