So Hollywood Hates Rich People Now?

A journey through performative art.

- Emma Baty

You have probably noticed that lately, all the content dominating your ‘Wow, you really need to watch this’ convos includes a specific theme: main characters who are rich beyond reason. See, if you will, the people in The White Lotus, Class, Death On the Nile, Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. And while such onscreen opulence—their clothes! their food! their boats!—is nothing new, here’s what is: this time around, we, the viewers, are supposed to laugh at how disconnected these not-so-fabulous wealthy people are from reality. We are supposed to scorn, even pity, them and think big thoughts about how our society would benefit from far fewer obscenely well-off individuals. Except...I am not buying it. Whatever lesson we are supposed to be learning here feels hollow as hell.