Since 2016, stand-up comedy has become a recurring battleground in the never-ending jobs program that is online culture war discourse. Comedians who once sought laughter now chase applause, pandering to their audience’s sensibilities and falling into the hackiest, laziest tropes.
In 2020, Tim Heidecker released an hour-long YouTube special that took the idea of bombing and stretched it into an art form. By delivering a performance filled with forced crowd work, hack premises, and faux-political grandstanding, he exposed the formulaic nature of modern stand-up. What does this say about the state of comedy, and why did an intentionally bad special feel more honest than most real ones?
Originally considered a throwaway creepypasta, Sonic.exe has grown in a way many couldn't have conceptualized upon its first upload. What began as another cheesy story of a cursed game cartridge has become a notable part of the Sonic legacy. How did Sonic.exe escape it's roots as a somewhat obscure internet myth to into a staple in gaming culture, and why does it continue to captivate and evolve within the public imagination?
On Cinema is a review series that first started in 2011 as a podcast and then pivoted into video before ending up on Adult Swim.com In its 15 years of running the show has maintained a startling consistency with regards to the characterization of it's two leads. While mainstream critics debate objectivity and audience reviewers chase engagement, On Cinema sidesteps the entire conversation by embracing cluelessness. Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s arbitrary ratings, personal vendettas, and refusal to engage with films meaningfully feel like an exaggerated version of real-world criticism.
From YouTubers like Nostalgia Critic, who's reviews serve almost as lackluster replacements for Hollywood films, to Chris Stuckmann and Jeremy Jahns, who prioritize likability over depth, and even to culture war-fueled channels like The Critical Drinker, On Cinema unintentionally mirrors how film discussion online is often more about branding and personality than actual analysis. How does the show’s absurd approach expose the flaws in modern criticism?
Rugrats (1991), Ren and Stimpy (1991), Pinky and the Brain (1995), Hey Arnold (1996), and Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999) all have moments or episodes with disturbing themes in them, such as Hey Arnold's train ride to the underworld, Archie needing surgery on his sinuses in the Rugrats, or Fred the hairdresser in Courage the Cowardly Dog, for examples. The topic taker should take the time to analyze some of these episodic themes and detail how, despite their disturbing nature, they might help viewer cope with their own complicated feelings around things like having a surgery, encountering an abandoned train, or getting a bad hair cut, though Fred seems to also serve as a message about boundaries and consent as well. Following that, the topic taker could also examine whether these disturbing themes had the opposite effect on viewers. In addition to this, the topic taker is free to also consider the psychological impact disturbing scenes like these might have on younger viewers, to better determine whether these themes are helpful, harmful, or somewhere in between when it comes to children's developing understanding of the world.
Delving into the history of the time and what may have influenced the developers of the show to create such imagery and disturbing elements into their shows could also inform the intent behind certain episodes' existences. Taking a brief historical view could also bring some of the potential global current events of the time into focus and allow parallels to be drawn between those events and the show as well, which could provide an interesting lens into what American media was trying to say about the event. Also, having a holistic view of the cartoons mentioned could also shed light on what, exactly, the show was aiming to convey and why those disturbing episodes are important to the plot.
Of course, the topic taker is free to examine shows outside of the ones mentioned, so long as they are an American production and were created in the 90s. However, it is advised that the topic taker consider how the breadth of additions could detract from the depth of the piece and the focus of the article.
Wikipedia to Ren and Stimpy: (link) YouTube analysis on Rugrats: (link) Wikipedia to Hey Arnold!: (link) Courage the Cowardly Dog Fandom Wiki: (link)
This is so in depth but most of these shows, I just watched carefree, cause I was a child obviously but it nice to look back at thoughtful analysis – Karena1 day ago
Generally speaking, swimming pools are modern status symbols. They represent wealth, freedom and control. In movies and TV shows, this symbolism is often exploited for various purposes. In coming-of-age movies, for example, swimming pools can help portray youth and fun. However, sometimes a swimming pool can also symbolize decadence and abandonment (if it’s dirty or contaminated, or even if it’s empty). In “Breaking Bad”, for instance, people piss, vomit or bleed out in pools. Walter spends a lot of time cleaning his pool, but nobody actually swims or has fun in it. What movies or TV shows use swimming pools to represent deterioration, corruption or even sin? This topic should focus on the ominous side of swimming pool representation.
Swimming pools often serve as powerful visual metaphors in film and TV. In The Great Gatsby, the pool symbolizes Gatsby’s wealth and ultimate downfall, as it becomes the site of his tragic death. Similarly, Sunset Boulevard uses a pool to reflect faded glory and despair. Your mention of Breaking Bad is spot on—Walter’s pool is a constant reminder of his moral decay. Any other chilling pool scenes come to mind? – danielledunham4 days ago
Sleep and dreams are central motifs in Shakespeare's Macbeth, symbolizing guilt, psychological turmoil, and the disruption of natural order. Throughout the play, sleep represents peace and innocence, but as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become consumed by ambition and crime, their ability to sleep is gradually undermined, reflecting their deteriorating mental states.
Explore the significance and role of sleep and dreams in Shakespeare’s Macbeth
How does *Moby-Dick* explore queer themes? Look closely at the closeness between Ishmael and Queequeg, the tension in Ahab’s relationship with Starbuck, and the way the all-male crew interacts. What does the story say about breaking norms, hidden desires, and finding yourself in a world that forces everyone into the same mold?
The topic taker should examine both the DCU Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, the topic taker should consider the ways in which the handling of adapting comics to film or broader mediums brings attention to the superhero genre. For example, Spider-Man (2002) is considered to be a major success for a superhero movie, following the success of X-Men (2000). Does the attention that a cinematic universe creates gain new audiences for certain characters, regardless of the franchise, or is a divide created between the film adaptation and the comics? Are there aspects of the DCEU and the MCU that keep the superhero movie franchise fresh, or is the genre stagnating? Specifically, consider how Marvel's multiple phases might actually be daunting for a newcomer to the superhero franchise. The topic taker should dig into these questions, reviews of major movie entries, and should also consider what could be done to improve how superhero stories are told.
While a theory about the newly announced Superman movie, this seems to bring up some interesting points on the direction DCU may be taking, and hints at some thoughts surrounding the superhero movie genre: (link)
While potentially biased, this Wikipedia page has a discussion board on the reception of the MCU, and may prove to be a decent starting point into understanding how the MCU performs: (link) article: List&text=The films within the franchise,14 Hugo Awards, winning two.
Just to note, the DCU and DCEU are two distinct cinematic universes with different continuity. DCU is a soft reboot of the DCEU. – Sunni Rashad3 weeks ago
