Can pop-culture influence the way our society talks about social issues like climate change?
By: Piram Singh
I recently watched Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Nolan brings an non-obvious perspective to the creation of the atomic bomb After watching this movie, it got me thinking about how the impact of Dr. Oppenheimer’s work is applied to the world today and the ongoing conversation of alternative energy sources. Recent articles provide conflicting descriptions of the film’s impact. The guardian.com said “Anti-nuclear groups welcome Oppenheimer film but say it fails to depict true horror” while other sources from MarketWatch are publishing articles titled “Modern-day Oppenheimers see the future of nuclear energy - and it’s mobile”. The article by MarketWatch goes on to use the film and other pieces to argue that the future of nuclear power will be delivered on a truck and be at a commercial scale. The fact that there are different articles being published with opposing views about the real-life man, politics, and its economical impact proves that the art is having an effect on our society. To answer the bigger question - lets look at another film that had historical relevance - Black Panther - A black led superhero film released in a politically turmoil America where racism was a huge issue on the ballot. That film went on to be Marvel’s highest grossing movies. So while the two films deal with completely different plot lines, themes, and messages - they sparked discourse in communities, which is the first step in enacting change in our society.