Ghostbuster Debacle: Microcosm of Modern Liberalism’s Troubles

by Terence A. Anthony


If the internet is any sign, writing a bad review for the new Ghostbusters movie mean you are a misogynist. “How dare do you hate this movie that portrays the empowerment of four women? How dare you insult women that hold significant roles?”

It seems like critics are afraid of the witch hunt and the questions that come with it. But what if I were to tell you that there are legitimate reasons to hate the movie (and even how insulting the idea is?) What if I told you that the women were not the problem in the movie? What if the movie was just an extension of typical Hollywood greed? What if they just pull up whatever IP they have on the shelf and dust it off?

We saw it happened to the horrendous Michael Bay influenced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The most frightening rumour right now is that the Back to The Future is about to be remade. God, Krishna, Jesus and Allah help the person who’s going to be responsible for that. We can accept that this trend is receiving negative backlash. So why can’t we extend it to the Ghostbusters?

The answer is simple. Sony, the studio behind this remake realized the negative feedback they received.

Were there misogynists spouting hateful comments? Especially in what was the most dislike youtube video ever? Yes. Were there people who hated the movie, not because of its artistic merits, but based on the women in it? Yes. Were there fragile men who rejected the idea of women becoming Ghostbusters? Yes.

Sony saw this opportunity to spam our newsfeed. So they do that by associating everyone who gave negative reviews, with misogyny. Anyone who didn’t to be on the wrong side of history was quick to gobble all that up. According to Sony, you’re not a liberal or a progressive if you hated this movie. Sony refused to debate against these critics on the merit of their film. Instead, they redirect the attention towards how hateful you are towards these women. Therein lays the problem with a lot of liberals today.

This problem isn’t exclusive to the entertainment industry. In politics, liberals tend to use this dogmatic approach. Especially when they refuse to debate on many legitimate issues.

Are there a lot of legitimate racists out there? Yes, there are. But you are only fuelling the racist base of politicians like Donald Trump if the focus is quick to be racism. Look at the Brexit debate. A video of a man on Channel 4 who cited immigration as why he voted leave went viral. All leave voters were then associated with that one man.

So what happens to people who hold conservative views but are not racist then? They will then tune out from any arguments from liberals as they get associated. They perceive liberals as people who only name call and not debate.

According to them, liberals are running away from the debate. This creates a cultural war that encourages them to attack political correctness. This was despite its merits on proper decorum. They see the cultural war as a misdirection to shut down any opposite views.

It’s not like I’m saying that we should ignore racist taunts. It’s tempting to just shout out racist or bigot! But to not touch the underlying issues is dangerous. Take for example the lack of control leave voters felt over the EU parliament. To them, the EU is just a bureaucratic mess that isn’t democratic enough. Liberals didn't propose reforms or assure their fears losing control over policies.  Instead, a huge chunk of focus for the “remain” campaign was on xenophobia.

It isn't any different across the Atlantic. Anyone who opposes the Mexican immigration & the fear of them taking their jobs is a bigot. That’s what’s going on with the Hillary campaign now. All she is saying “at least I don’t hate Mexicans.”

Yes, there are people who hate Mexicans with a passion. Yet the underlying reason for this hate is not addressed. To me at least, ignoring the fear that their jobs will "stolen" is a tad bit elitist. While it’s true the there is an exaggeration, liberals still need to quell these fears.

This the same demographic that have their jobs taken away due to the shut-down of coal mines. They fear that they lose their manufacturing jobs  China. But the true answer was automation.

Liberals could address these issues with ideas. Ideas like retraining these workers and transitioning them into non-fossil fuel industries. They could've kept their jobs instead of importing it overseas. If they protected their unions of course. They could argue for a minimum wage. Then force companies to obey to those standards. Just like how in past we imposed standards that seem common sense today.

We no longer have 10 year-olds working in 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and “demeaning”). Instead, we insisted they went to school. We no longer allow any random person to run dangerous machines. Instead, we get companies to get only licensed operators run these machines.

In traditional left-leaning parties, the working class is the base of their votes. Just like how in the past rural England used to be the basis for Labour votes. Now any conflict between immigrants and the working class are automatically shut down.

The misdirection used by Sony isn’t something unique to Ghostbusters. But something that has been the characteristic of modern liberalism. Have you wondered why the right seemed obsessed in fighting political correctness? You have your answer here.