Part 6/13:
An overarching theme is how modern entertainment and social practices reflect a cultural evolution—or devolution—into superficial and performative activism. The discussion about the VMAs illustrates how celebrities emulate 2000s pop aesthetics and behaviors, such as provocative makeup, drag influences, and performances laden with political messaging. The hosts critique this as a commercialization and “ghettoization” of woke culture, which once was about genuine social change but now seems subsumed into spectacle.