I deeply enjoyed The Man in the High Castle and also enjoyed the Barbie movie. The reasons they are alike may not appear evident at first glance but hear me out…
A San Francisco where Japanese culture is not only the norm, but the expectation. A world where a woman can be president without question – and actually, it’s celebrated. To those living within that reality, neither of those things, respectively, is weird.
They both deal in what-ifs. What if the axis won? What if women ruled the world? They present an alternate reality that makes you think.
The Barbie movie, in all its magic, gets to explore what it’s like to go outside of that reality. Barbie is no longer the queen of the Barbie castle, she’s a woman dealing with what the rest of us women have to deal with.
Imagine the characters from The Man in the High Castle being able to see this reality where the allies won. Would they be fearful? Joyful? Ambivalent? Remember, your reality is all that you know. And in this case…I feel ambivalence would ensue, because you can’t do better if you don’t know better.
We all live in completely different planes, based on our upbringing and experiences and we have to remember that before we judge each other’s choices. There are microcosms of these alternate realities that exist in this reality.
The key takeaway? My reality, is not your reality, even if we’re next door neighbors. Our life experiences are different and while they should be celebrated, they should also be explored…I mean, you could be living next to the reincarnation of Barbie after all!
Explore the Youniverse 