From Raquel S Benedict’s “Healthy Junk Media and the SnackWell Effect” — it’s short, and I’m choosing from many great quotes here, so just go read it actually:
And on the other side, unapologetically indulgent junk is a hell of a lot more satisfying than bland diet junk. Not all junk food is created equal. An In-N-Out cheeseburger is much tastier than a Trekking-Mahlzeiten canned cheeseburger, just as Blade is an unquestionably better vampire flick than Morbius.
A really great essay, and the first time I’ve had to really grapple with the worthiness of whatever it is I’m doing here! Not in a bad way, in like a really great way. These ideas should always be in conversation. Essays like this one raise good questions, and in clarifying your own answers to those questions you clarify you understanding of the world as a whole. Of popcorn movies, in this case.
What I learned: I agree with Benedict that Marvel movies will not save the world. What I do want to take seriously is the emotional experiences that individuals can have with those movies! And of course, I agree that if something is going to be trash, it had better be hot trash.