The Grievance Ol' Party can't stop complaining

The Privilege Industrial Complex wants to rule the world

Earlier this week, my wife and I started watching “Brats,” the new documentary about eighties-era “Brat Pack” actors. Given how impactful these movies—St Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High—were to my childhood, I was excited to revisit former times and learn about an aspect of the industry I know little about: the plight of young actors navigating Reagan-era America.

The plot: on June 10, 1985, The New York Magazine writer David Blum published a scathing critique of Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Andrew McCarthy (among others), calling them unserious actors. He coined the term “Brat Pack” to describe their role in modern cinema, which signaled to Hollywood that they’re not to be taken seriously. He predicted a flash-in-the-pan moment. The name stuck—it went viral in pre-internet times—and, from that day forward, these actors were marked.

So the documentary begins. In reality, some of the actors thrived and others faded into obscurity, as one would expect. This isn’t to belittle the impact that the term had at the time. But, as Blum says in the documentary, he doesn’t regret coining “Brat Pack.”

The young actors who were part of the Brat Pack had to grapple with the term that defined their careers when they were just starting out in Hollywood. Even though David Blum might not have understood why the actors were not thrilled by the nickname, there is no denying that the term had some repercussions, especially because his article seemed to imply that they were interchangeable. The members of the Brat Pack were mostly upset by being labeled in a way that they did not want to be labeled.

I didn’t see Blum grapple with the term in the film; we tapped out early on. While the opening montage was informative, filling me in on their career trajectory (or lack thereof), it quickly became apparent that “Brats” was McCarthy’s grievance film.

While the actors involved in the documentary expressed varying levels of dismay (evidenced in old interview clips in the opening scence), the film is McCarthy’s brainchild. He tried to corral them all—some agreed, some refused—and get them to side with him.

McCarthy visits Estevez first. A few minutes into his kitchen, I looked at my wife and said I was done. Listening to actors complain about what did or didn’t happen in their careers was not a compelling story; McCarthy seemed relentless in expressing his frustrations. She agreed.

Here’s the thing: if there’s one term that defines American culture right now, it’s grievance. So perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that it dominates so much of the discourse.

Especially when it comes to politics.

Not like us

My social media feed was dominated by Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out yesterday. Sure, that’s grievance too. The man sold out The Forum to perform a Drake diss tape with dozens of guests in front of tens of thousands of people. Rap battles aren’t what I’m talking about, however. Performance as sport is something humans excel at; hip-hop gladiatorship is part of the culture. Grievance isn’t always a dirty word.

But sometimes it is.

Because this appeared in my feed as well, wedged in the middle of the barrage of Kendrick posts.

A picture that tells a million words. We don’t know what political party these homeowners are affiliated with, but we can make an educated guess, given that the Republican nominee for president is on a perpetual grievance tour. If ever the notion of being “mostly upset by being labeled in a way that they did not want to be labeled” applied to any group, it’s the modern American right.

Trump’s rallies echo Lenny Bruce’s final days, when the once-great comedian was reduced to reading court proceedings against him on stage to dwindling audiences. At least Bruce was wrongfully accused; he really was the victim of censorship.

With Trump, it’s the opposite: being held accountable is for other people. The party of law and order is fine with unjust punishment provided it’s not just punishment directed at them. Suddenly, law and order becomes oppressive, authoritarian, and they just can’t stop telling you about it.

As much as Trump fans attempt to wave away his grievances, which results in statements like being a dictator “on day one” being treated as “just being Donald,” we must take the man at his word.

Plus, his influence is immeasurable. Grievance politics has always played well for the American public. Now, though, it’s possible to pin every failure, piece of bad luck, or impossible yearning on forces that had nothing to do with your situation. An entire right-wing media monetizes this sentiment. Nuanced arguments are impossible in such an environment.