Chewing Up the Social Justice Warriors

So, Eli Roth wanted to sock it to Social Justice Warriors with his new flick the Green Inferno.  He claims the kids in the film represent SJW, whom he characterizes as not actually doing anything other than re-tweeting “this is wrong” or posting memes on Facebook.

This is not an uncommon accusation… SJW are usually lumped in with “Hash Tag Activism”.  The problem is, this criticism is oddly over confident.  It presumes that Eli Roth and other critics know the truth about what people really do.  I think to a certain extent, this is projecting.  People who do not do anything resent being told they should care, and they decide that, like them, the person re-tweeting actually is not doing anything to make the world a better place.

The irony in this of course is that his characters are trying to do something to improve the world.  They are active, not just re-posting stuff on face book.  His movie is about young people trying to do good and then dying horribly for it.  Funny enough, there is probably room for an argument that his film is an indictment of self righteous white imperialism (one of those things SJW like to complain about, amiright?!).  Or white liberal guilt…but the idea that it is condemning people who just re-tweet stuff?  Seems a lot shakier.

I am honestly not sure about this film.  For one, I am not a huge fan of the whole Cannibal Horror Genre to begin with.  And honestly, I am not sure I can see what Eli brings to it that makes it worth sitting through.  This is not a slam on Roth…I cannot really see what can be brought to the genre that is giving us a new option.  But that may not be Eli’s goal.  And it may certainly be I am wrong and the film is an intense and terrifying trip.  I am open to being wrong in my expectations.