American culture and the movies

Re “Oscar misses the big picture,” Opinion, March 2

Why does every movie have to appeal to the mindless, the ill-informed, the indifferent? Our culture has been dumbed down enough by the tasteless, witless character of television sitcoms; by the feel-good, don’t-worry, touchy-feely character of television news; by the mind-numbing idiocy of the right-wing talk shows and a value system that celebrates consumerism above everything else in life.

Our kids cannot read because they do not read, which means they cannot think or analyze. Only about a quarter of our population knows anything about the Constitution or the Bill of Rights and therefore is incapable of grasping the slow, steady erosion of our republican form of government that is unfolding before us.

Thank God for “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Munich,” “Capote,” “Crash,” etc. We need more of them, not fewer.

They represent an island of thoughtfulness in this sea of blandness that distinguishes too much of our nation today.

GERALD E. KERNS

Loveland, Ohio

*

Richard Schickel has it right when he suggests that there is a growing gap between what Hollywood is offering and what the mainstream movie audience consistently wants to see. But I think he misses the bigger context of why this is happening.

Countries, like the people in them, have moods, and the United States is having a major identity-crisis mood. It’s a sad fact that the United States is more polarized today than at any period in recent history, even more so than during the Vietnam War.

Schickel indirectly recognizes this when he brings up the red versus blue states, but he could have made the connection between this divisiveness and the mood in the movies.

It’s hard for the country to be in the mood for a romantic fluff piece like “Titanic” when people are bitterly divided over safety versus freedom, religion versus science, conservative versus liberal -- and worse, when people are more interested in digging in their heels than building consensus.

When the mood passes, I’m sure we will see a return to light entertainment at the Oscars.

BILL GERVASI

Ladera Ranch