R Magic Brow

On May 15, Gen Z director Curry Barker’s “Obsession” hit theaters. The psychological horror film follows a young man whose wish for his longtime crush to love him comes true in far more intense and unsettling ways than he had hoped.The film was an instant box office phenomenon, grossing over $285 million worldwide despite its humble $750,000 budget. Its popularity is driven largely by Gen Z viewers; audience data shows roughly 75% of ticket buyers are ages 18-34.Dubbed a “Gen Z Fatal Attraction,” the mainstream take is that the movie resonates because it warns against toxic “nice guy” dynamics. In Zoomer internet culture, “nice guys” are men who believe they deserve romantic interest simply because they’re polite and friendly. When rejected, they grow resentful and angry, convinced they’re entitled to a woman’s affection. Their niceness is viewed as a manipulative tactic rather than an offer of genuine friendship.In the film, protagonist Bear is hopelessly in love with his longtime friend Nikki. Mainstream critics see him as the classic “nice guy” who turns to manipulation — snapping a "one wish willow" to force her affection, making the story catnip for a generation that loves to call out such behavior.But BlazeTV host John Doyle argues this surface-level reading misses what is really drawing young people to “Obsession.” On this episode of “The John Doyle Show,” Doyle unpacks the film’s true cultural power. In the film, Bear asks his friend Ian for advice on confessing his feelings to Nikki.“He's immediately told by Ian that he's just, you know, too real, man. He's too authentic about all of it. And because he's so authentic about it, it's coming off cringey and weird,” says Doyle.This is exactly what keeps so many young people single and lonely today, he argues.“We literally will not do anything at all,” Doyle says. “We will just, you know, sit there in the corner with our cool cards until we die.”Or they’ll resort to “epic [pickup artist] tactics” like “negging” — dishing out backhanded compliments or subtle insults in hopes of making the romantic target seek the negger’s approval. But never authenticity.This outright refusal to be authentic is portrayed in the film when Nikki point-blank asks Bear if he likes her, to which he replies “as a friend.”“He failed to be authentic. He was too afraid,” says Doyle, rejecting the mainstream narrative that “Obsession” is about “nice guys trying to exercise control over women.”“['Obsession'] is, I think, just about that inauthenticity, and I think it ultimately is telling you the truth.”To hear more, watch the episode above.Want more from John Doyle?To enjoy more of the truth about America and join the fight to restore a country that has been betrayed by its own leaders, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

For generations, Democrats have portrayed themselves as the party of ordinary Americans — factory workers, waitresses, truck drivers, police officers, construction workers, and middle-class families trying to get ahead. Yet one of the most striking features of modern American politics is how often Democratic leaders, activists, and media allies seem genuinely baffled by the very people they claim to represent.The latest example comes from Washington Post columnist Monica Hesse, whose reaction to President Trump’s appearance at a packed UFC event on the White House lawn last weekend revealed a familiar pattern among America’s cultural elites. Time and again, Democrat leaders appeared surprised that Americans cared more about grocery prices and border security than about the priorities emphasized by elite institutions.To tens of millions of Americans, UFC is simply entertainment. It is competitive, exciting, patriotic, and increasingly mainstream. To Hesse and myriad other journalists and political commentators, however, its popularity seems to require explanation — as though they are studying the customs of a distant tribe.That reaction says far more about elite America than it does about UFC fans, and few institutions better embody elite opinion than the modern Democratic Party.The inability to understand ordinary Americans has become a recurring problem for Democrats. Consider one of the most famous campaign images in modern history. In 1988, Democrat presidential nominee Michael Dukakis climbed into a tank in an effort to project foreign policy credibility. Though the campaign intended the image to demonstrate Dukakis’ strength and command in order to reassure wary voters, the photograph instead became a political disaster.To many Americans, Dukakis did not look like a commander in chief — he looked like Alfred E. Neuman from Mad magazine, wearing an oversize helmet and generally appearing out of his element. The embarrassing image became iconic because it captured something larger than a single campaign mistake: a cohort of American elites — consultants, strategists, and media professionals — who apparently thought the photo was a good idea.The same kind of blindness occasionally appears among establishment Republicans as well. George H.W. Bush’s comments upon seeing a new and improved grocery store scanner became a symbol — fairly or unfairly — of a politician disconnected from everyday life. But while both parties have produced elite figures detached from ordinary concerns, the problem is far more pronounced today on the left.Indeed, many of the institutions that now shape Democratic politics are populated almost exclusively by people who live, work, and socialize within a remarkably narrow slice of America. They attend the same universities, read the same publications, and live in the same metropolitan areas. They follow the same social media accounts. Their children attend the same schools, and their friends share the same political and cultural assumptions.And increasingly, they seem unable to comprehend how other Americans think.When Hillary Clinton dismissed millions of voters as a “basket of deplorables,” many Americans viewed the comment not as a gaffe but as a rare moment of honesty. It reflected a prevailing attitude among Democrats, and elites more broadly, that disagreement could be explained only by ignorance, prejudice, or moral deficiency.President Biden repeatedly displayed a similar tendency. During the 2024 campaign (before he was ousted), he and his allies often portrayed concerns about illegal immigration, inflation, crime, and cultural change as either exaggerated or illegitimate, even as polling showed those issues dominating voters’ concerns. Time and again, Democrat leaders appeared surprised that Americans cared more about grocery prices and border security than about the priorities emphasized by elite institutions.Vice President Kamala Harris often suffered from the same disconnect. Her public appearances frequently projected the impression that she was speaking to an audience of policy experts rather than to working Americans — when she was not donning fake accents, that is. Her campaign’s struggles were not merely ideological; they were cultural. Many voters simply concluded that she did not understand their lives.The pattern extends well beyond politicians.RELATED: Who wants to eat a trillionaire? Leon Neal/Getty ImagesMillions of Americans attend NASCAR races, pack country music concerts, and watch UFC fights. Elite commentators scoff and express bewilderment in response. Millions more display American flags, fill church pews, and worry about rising crime and open borders. Too often, the response from elite circles is not curiosity but contempt.The Democratic Party once excelled at connecting with ordinary Americans precisely because it better understood their views. Franklin Roosevelt, known as a “traitor to his class,” spoke the language of workers because he wanted them to be part of the Democrats’ coalition for generations. Harry Truman connected with voters because he shared many of their instincts. Even Bill Clinton possessed an intuitive feel for middle-class anxieties and aspirations.Today’s Democrat coalition increasingly draws its leadership from elite universities, media organizations, nonprofits, foundations, government bureaucracies, and professional-class enclaves. These institutions exercise enormous cultural influence, but they are not representative of America as a whole.As a result, Democrats increasingly mistake the views traded in faculty lounges, newsroom editorial meetings, and Washington policy conferences for the views held around kitchen tables. That confusion helps explain their shock at one political surprise after another, especially Trump’s victories in 2016 and 2024.Democrat strategists express astonishment after yet another batch of election results defies their expectations. Panels of “experts” search for explanations, and reports are circulated that blame political circumstances or voters’ various “isms.” But the possibility that the Democrats have lost touch with ordinary Americans is rarely, if ever, considered.RELATED: The left’s icons keep face-planting in public Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty ImagesA political movement cannot represent people it does not understand. And it cannot understand the views of many Americans whom it increasingly views with a mixture of confusion, suspicion, and disdain. For a party that still considers itself the party of the people, that is a major problem it has yet to reckon with.And it is also a problem for America as a whole. A healthy republic depends on officeholders who can understand — and respect — the culture and traditions of their fellow citizens, even when they do not share them. When America’s governing and cultural elites lose the ability to see the nation as it actually is, they make poorer decisions, deepen political divisions, and erode the mutual trust on which self-government depends. A republic cannot long endure if those who wield influence come to view ordinary Americans not as fellow citizens to be understood but as strangers to be belittled and ignored.Editor’s note: This article appeared originally at The American Mind.

There have been numerous studies in recent years highlighting correlations between political affiliation and mental health.A 2021 study published in the journal SSM-Mental Health, for instance, concluded — on the basis of an analysis of depressive attitudes among conservative and liberal 12th graders from 2005 to 2018 — that "conservatives reported lower average depressive affect, self-derogation, and loneliness scores and higher self-esteem scores than all other groups."'These findings have far-reaching consequences.'A 2023 study conducted by Gallup on behalf of the Institute for Family Studies found that adolescents with "very conservative parents are 16 to 17 percentage points more likely to be in good or excellent mental health compared to their peers with very liberal parents."A 2025 study published in the journal PLOS One found that "even after accounting for a variety of other factors, there is a clear propensity of conservatives to provide more positive assessments of their mental health in comparison to liberals" — although the researchers ultimately attempted to credit this tendency to stigma or survey terminology.The American left's mental health issues show no signs of clearing up. In fact, while conservatives continue to enjoy relatively superior mental health, the sickness on the other side appears to be attracting sufferers into a political identity all its own.In a study strongly recommending "replication and further exploration" that was recently published in the journal Political Behavior, Lauren Van De Hey of Utah State University found that "mental health identity has begun to function as a political identity for some individuals," particularly among "younger (Gen Z) and more liberal Americans."RELATED: Actress Elliot Page mocked ruthlessly after trying to define 'healthy masculinity' Samuel Corum/Getty ImagesUtilizing data from the national Cooperative Election Study administered by YouGov in 2022, the Utah researcher determined that a great many people now "categorize themselves as having had a mental illness, the vast majority of whom view mental illness identity and mental illness alienation as important to their sense of self.""People who have experienced mental illness feel close to others who have experienced mental illness," wrote Van De Hey. "They are also likely to self-categorize as having or having had a mental illness, share a sense of group consciousness with others who have or had mental illness, and recognize the need to work together to change laws that are unfair to people with mental illness."This obviously has political implications, explained the researcher, as it correlates with "support for increased state spending on health care, education, and welfare."The study cited Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) as an example of a political elite for whom mental health appears to have become a "politicized identity."Smith has on numerous occasions discussed her past experiences with depression, grouped herself with sufferers, and identified "mental health parity" as a legislative priority."Those more likely to categorize as having a mental illness are more likely to have a college degree; be a Democrat, liberal, and white; and have slightly lower family income," said the study. "For both the [Mental Illness] Identity and [Mental Illness] Alienation scales, the only consequential variable is ideology: Those with higher MI identification or MI Alienation are more likely to be liberal."Van De Hey concluded, "These findings have far-reaching consequences for mental health advocacy and the role mental health identity will play in the political sphere — especially as Gen Z matures as a cohort."Dealing with a sample of 860 respondents, Van De Hey found that 26% categorized themselves as having had a mental illness in their lifetime, 22% categorized themselves as having had a physical disability, and 168 categorized themselves as having had a serious chronic physical illness.Of the 220 respondents who said they had mental illness in their lifetime, 70% identified as "liberal" or "very liberal," 24% identified as "moderate," and 32% identified as "conservative" or "very conservative."Of the same 220 respondents, about half stated that their identity as a person with a mental health illness was "important" or "very important to them."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An LGBTQ+ advocacy group for a small town in central New York says it is canceling a scheduled Pride parade after its founder was arrested on child sex-messaging charges.New York state police claimed 46-year-old Travis J. Longo of Cazenovia had a pattern of sending the sexually explicit communications to a child under 12 years old.'This decision follows serious criminal charges against Travis Longo, the founder of Cazenovia Pride Fest and a longtime figure in our organization.' Astoundingly, Longo was elected in 2024 to the Cazenovia School District Board of Education and, as of Friday afternoon, continues to be a member of the board.Longo was charged with four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Police have released few details about the alleged communications but are asking the public for any information that might aid their investigation.The group Longo founded said in a post on Facebook that the parade planned for June 27 has been canceled and the group is dissolving."Cazenovia Pride Inc. is canceling this year's Pride Festival and all associated events, and we are dissolving as an organization," the post read."This decision follows serious criminal charges against Travis Longo, the founder of Cazenovia Pride Fest and a longtime figure in our organization," the post added. "Travis Longo has no further affiliation with Cazenovia Pride Inc."Longo had apparently performed as a drag queen under the name "Anita Buffem."An Instagram appearing to belong to Longo as the drag queen persona has dozens of posts. Buffem is also listed as a "hostess" at the first Pride festival in Cazenovia in 2021 that was organized by Pride Cazenovia.RELATED: California city mayor pro tem calls for end of Pride Month observation, and outrage ensues "We are deeply sorry for the pain and disappointment this causes our community," concluded the statement from the Pride group. "The years of support, love, and solidarity you have shown us have meant everything. Thank you."Cazenovia is a town of about 6,700 residents in Madison County.Neither Longo nor the board of education responded to a request for comment from Blaze News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!