Tag Archives: macho

Non Western

We join Thaddeus and Nanci, a Native / Non Native Montanan couple, in the lead up to their wedding, as they face their biggest challenge yet. Thaddeus wants Nanci to convert to his Cheyenne way of life even if it forces Nanci into a subordinate role.

Both Nanci and Thaddeus were adopted as teenagers by families with different ethnicities: Thaddeus by a white Christian family, and Nanci by the Lakota tribe. It’s no coincidence they have sought shared experience and understanding in one another.

Thaddeus believes in returning to his Cheyenne culture and through running sweats he finds peace from the PTSD he suffers. Nanci wants to please him, to find a balance between life in the modern world and her Native traditions even if that means denying her independence.

Under the strain of trying to co-habit and survive together, we see the cracks in their values showing through. Cracks which reveal not just the trauma they suffered growing up, but the chain of oppression endemic in Montana.

Conspiracies Against Men

Is there a conspiracy to shrink men’s penises, destroy their sperm, and feminize America’s macho dudes? Well, a range of right-wing conspiracists claim “traditional men” are under attack, poisoned, and brainwashed in a plan to weaken them. According to them, the vehicles of this alleged mass emasculation vary widely, from soy products to COVID vaccines. Despite a lack of supporting evidence for these conspiracies against men, they might contain a grain of truth — believers point to studies in complicated, evolving areas of science, on the effects of chemicals like phthalates.

While not a globalist plot, the use of endocrine-disrupting substances in packaging and industry could have a real impact on male reproductive health. The Internet has ushered in an era of information overload, but it comes at a cost and ‘the truth’ is more subjective and contested than ever before. In ‘Alternate Reality’, we examine corners of the internet where conspiracy theories about the world have started to have a real impact on society.