Something Is Shifting: On Metamodernism and the Return of Sincerity (also Superman)

I hope to write this as coherently as I can while being slightly sleep deprived and very eager to just get my thoughts out there. This entry is just a scream from my soul. Also, I'm not putting this into the Movies and TV category because despite how much I talk about Superman, it's not about that.

Blog slop, but it's from my heart <3

I went to see the Superman movie with my family this weekend. Since this post is not about Superman, I won't go into detail about what I thought of it, but I can express these thoughts in a way that's more telling than an in-depth review: I was left uncontrollably sobbing when the credits started to roll. Which is surprising, because I don't enjoy superhero movies.

Superheroes were always meant to be a symbol of hope. Of course, some had other purposes, like Captain America and the anti-Nazi sentiment he advertised, but I'm pretty confident in saying that superheroes were made to encourage hope. Not only do they provide protection to those who need it, especially in situations which are beyond the victim's control, but some superheroes give the reader or viewer hope that they can become something. Spiderman was created to show that anyone could be under the mask, any kid who wanted to do good. Anyone can do good. Unfortunately, when Marvel and DC started making movies, this sentiment got lost along the way. When I watch the Avengers or Man of Steel, I don't feel hopeful. I get a show. Superheroes, while maybe being role models of some sort, are now tools to create a show for the viewer and show just how strong they are, how many enemies they can kill. They always helped the people in the end, but it never felt hopeful.

It might be unfair of me to speak on this, because, as I said before, I don't enjoy superhero movies. But I think this fact shows how different the new Superman movie is. It was the first superhero movies I've seen where the superhero just wanted to do good. He just loves humanity. The move itself struck me very deep, but what fascinated me most was the reaction to it. Sure, there were a few fans who said that David Corenswet, the actor of Superman, was not as buff as Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, that he was a lot lamer than him (which really shows how people started viewing superheroes because of their movies), but so many people adopted the movie's sentiment. I have never seen such a surge of "kindness is the new punk rock." I think it's very beautiful.

But this isn't about superheroes. What I want to focus on is that shift to appreciating kindness and sincerity. Even before the new Superman came out, I noticed the internet space shifting. Maybe it's because of the content I interact with, since algorithms push what I like on my timeline a lot faster, but I truly believe society has been changing. The nihilistic views of Postmodernism are starting to disappear. Memes are a great example of this. I see less and less content that is making fun of something or underappreciating something's value. It shifts more towards appreciating nature, expressing love for one's friends and family, recognizing one's personal weaknesses and intimate concerns without underselling their importance. Empathy is no longer viewed as a weakness by so many people, but instead it is valued and encouraged. Not by everyone, of course--it's never everyone--but the change is very clearly seen. The Superman movies just seemed to have pushed people over the edge, for one reason or the other. I haven't given much thought to its writing to determine how much of a role it played in this change, maybe it's the movie's soundtrack, or the acting, it could be anything. But something about its sentiment made people incredibly hopeful. 

One thing this movie brought out is a sentiment I find very, very important, one that has not been said in these exact words but echoed on the internet for the past few years: being human is very different from having humanity. There are many humans on Earth that lack humanity. Dictators, murderers, bigots. There are humans who don't recognize the value of another human life, despite valuing their own. This has, unfortunately, been an epidemic in the past. Wars are very inhuman, as they rid the human life of value--everyone is killed all the time, and it's up to the people to decide which life means something and which doesn't, despite all of them being human lives. Bigotry of any form propagates the fact that one human life can be inferior to the other simply for being different from "the norm", if such a thing even exists. Murderers, those who push wars forward directly or otherwise, also rid the human life of value by making the choice to kill another human being, by giving themselves the authority over another life they aren't supposed to have. Even simply making fun of someone with bad intentions, not just in good fun, creates an impression that one human could be inferior to the other. But that is not the truth. Having humanity and loving the human race is the most important thing a person can choose to do. Having humanity brings people together, saves lives, and makes lives better. If humanity was had on a large scale, there would be fewer wars, fewer murders, less bigotry. People would be happier. And humanity is something that has recently started coming to the frontlines. People recognize the need to be kind, to break cycles of abuse and encourage people to help each other, to stop wars, to change one's outlook and understand that no human is lesser than you. The lack of humanity is the only thing that can make one lesser, but even then their life has weight, no matter how difficult it is to admit this.

In a world where empathy is seen as a weakness, being kind is a show of rebellion. This is crudely paraphrased from a non-specific source, probably a combination of things I've heard around, but I find it beautiful. And more people are saying it. Postmodernist apathy is yielding to Metamodernism. It's hard to say exactly what Metamodernism is (I'm pretty sure not even the most avid speakers for Metamodernism have a full understanding of it), but I think it is the rediscovery of sincerity. There is still a twinge of Postmodernist irony we haven't yet unlearned, but we try to open our hearts and become kinder. The love for Superman shows that something is shifting, and maybe we are entering the Metamodern period. Are we really? That's difficult to say. Trying to really understand Metamodernism is opening a whole can of worms that I am not ready for in my current state of mind, and maybe no one is, as even the huge book about Metamodernism seems to be contradicting itself, at least from what I hear. But with the little understanding that I have, I can feel it. I can see the internet becoming kinder. Considering that the internet is one of the most unforgiving and cruel places, I'd say that's very, very telling.

Kindness is punk rock!!