I was very young during most of the Bush years but the era was during my formative years. The old sub had some conversations about how the Bush years were even more fucked than the last 4 years. I looked back and realized how homogenous entertainment and culture was.

For example, there was a very macho edge to a lot of the TV programming back then (Spike TV, WWE was still really popular, a ton of over the top action movies). It seems like everything on TV was focused on objectifying “babes”, explosions, dangerous events, and being traditionally masculine. Michael Moore got booed at the Oscars for criticizing Bush, Bill Maher’s first show was cancelled for calling the US military cowards, and the Dixie Chicks got destroyed. You either rode the way of Patriotism or was outcasted. MAGA tried to revive this macho nationalism but it rang hollow and never took hold.

It was also the time Christian evangelicals (Jesus Camp) became a potent political force for the GOP.

In the background of action movies and manly TV shows, there was the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan. I feel like toughness and masculinity injected into the public by way of the entertainment industry was a way to inflate nationalism.

Do any older chapos have any specific memories of this time or recommendations of this era to watch?