If you’re like me, you’re thinking of Casablanca, an amazing movie which also took Best Picture award in this crowd. But there were lots of contenders, many, unsurprisingly, with war- or Nazi-related themes. Ones you may have heard of include Mrs. Miniver, The Magnificent Ambersons, All Through the Night, Woman of the Year, The Talk of the Town, plus some lighter fare such as Yankee Doodle Dandy, Holiday Inn, and For Me and My Gal.

We’ve been watching more “old” movies due to the writers’ strike, and last night we stumbled onto another gem from 1942, Keeper of the Flame. It’s a Hepburn/Tracy thriller about a war hero who dies tragically, with wide-ranging impacts felt globally. There’s twist that is intended, perhaps, as a critique of the Third Reich, but feels au courant for those of us living through 21st century propaganda campaigns. I found it completely engrossing, intelligent, and meaningful.

I’m not purposefully surrounding myself with material that speaks to my times, the times of burgeoning authoritarianism, narcissism, runaway greed, and misanthropy, but a lot of authors of both fiction and non-fiction are presenting work that comments on these issues, for obvious reasons. I’m about one-third of the way through Alex Ross’ new book Wagnerism, and although Ross is best known as a music critic, this book casts a wide net around Wagner and his influence in the spheres of politics and culture as well as music and the arts, with a hint of lessons-to-be-learned in every chapter.

I continue to ponder the outsized effects of some persons on history. It might seem logical that someone like me would enjoy pulling threads together, but I am definitely a splitter in the sense that I only award expertise where it seems due. No matter how much I might love Wagner’s music–it’s a bad example really, because I’m not a huge fan, but this is a thought experiment–it would never occur to me to take what he says about politics or genetics seriously, at least not unless he could legitimately claim some acumen in those areas. In fact, I am quite able to actively disagree with an artist while appreciating their work, or a politician while appreciating their efforts to improve people’s lives, or a scientist while admiring their discoveries. I naturally compartmentalize.

I have to acknowledge my use of the singular “their” in the previous paragraph. I have converted on this point, partly because of the singular “you” and partly due to laziness.

I feel like most people do not do this, and it makes me feel a little sad, like being the person on the edge of the group who is watching everyone else scream and dance but not getting why they feel that way. It is easier to follow an idol perhaps, but I would be a narcissistic misanthrope were I to conclude that most other people are not thinking as hard as I am. Maybe it’s just my skepticism, which puts me at odds with other things that most people embrace, such as religion.

Religion actually may offer a hint. As far as I can see, there are So Many Religions that it must serve some evolutionary purpose, and of course for such social animals as us it isn’t hard to think of one of two. Maybe that it is the secret behind following certain compelling figures as well, which makes us part of a fangroup, which can easily lead to a freindsgroup, especially in the age of social media. Being part of a group also boosts oxytocin, a powerful hormone indeed.

Having circled around to this, I feel readers are emitting a resounding, DUH! I’m not part of many popular groups of today, but happily there are still a lot of movies I can watch.