Sorry MAGA, Turns Out People Still Like 'Woke' Art

"He was joking (don't come for him!) but his quip highlights a pretty stark dichotomy. Last year, as everyone from President Donald Trump down harped on about the perils of DEI, the biggest cultural breakthroughs- Sinners, KPop Demon Hunters, Heated Rivalry, One Battle After Another -all showcased diversity in fresh ways. And it succeeded. These works weren't just popular among leftists or critics, they were bonafide cultural phenomena."

"Sinners, a horror movie set in the Jim Crow South, used vampires as a metaphorical device to explore systemic racism and cultural theft-and director Ryan Coogler scored a feat in his deal with Warner Bros. that gives him the rights to the film in 25 years. KPop Demon Hunters, a story by a female Korean-Canadian director who'd been waiting over a decade for her chance to direct a feature, placed a huge emphasis on authenticity"

Sinners earned 16 nominations and mined Jim Crow-era horror to examine systemic racism and cultural theft, while Ryan Coogler secured long-term rights in his Warner Bros. deal. KPop Demon Hunters, directed by a Korean-Canadian woman after a decade-long wait, emphasized authenticity and expanded K-pop's mainstream presence. Heated Rivalry, a Canadian series on HBO, subverted hockey tropes via a closeted-pro-players romance. One Battle After Another presented nuanced views on motherhood and activism while satirizing an ICE-like antagonist. These projects achieved wide cultural impact even as the White House and major studios moved to scale back DEI programs.

Read at WIRED