Alright, so everyone and their dog seemed to be yapping about Saltburn, especially all the chatter around, you know, the ‘gay’ bits. I’m the kind of person who likes to get to the bottom of things, or at least try. I don’t just want the surface-level stuff. I thought, okay, I need to really dig into this, see what the actual big deal is beyond just watching the movie itself.
So, what did I do? I didn’t just sit there and passively consume reviews. Nope. I decided my ‘practice’ for the week, or however long it took, was to jump right into the thick of it. I’m talking online forums, those mega-threads on social media, comment sections that scroll on for days. My plan was to engage, to actually talk with people, see different viewpoints, maybe even figure out if my own take on it made any sense to anyone else. Sounded like a decent plan, right? Get a real feel for the whole phenomenon.
Well, let me tell you, that was an experience. And not really in a good way. It was like wading into a swamp. You’d try to make a point, something you thought was pretty reasonable, like “Hey, that scene could be interpreted a few ways,” or “Interesting how they explored obsession there.” And boom! Instant dogpile. People weren’t there to discuss, not really. It felt more like everyone had already picked their side, their one true interpretation, and if you weren’t chanting the same exact tune, you were basically the enemy. Or an idiot. Or both.
I’d spend time typing out what I thought was a nuanced comment, trying to be respectful and all that. What did I get back? If I was lucky, a one-word dismissal. More often, it was someone twisting my words or accusing me of not ‘getting it’ with this weird, almost aggressive passion. It was honestly exhausting. It felt like a lot of folks were more interested in being ‘right’ in a very loud way, or being part of some in-group that ‘truly understood Saltburn’s gay heart’ or whatever, than actually exchanging ideas. I saw people getting vicious over the smallest things. Absolutely wild.
After a few days of this, I just felt drained. My head was spinning. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t insightful, it was just… noisy and kind of toxic. So, I pulled the plug on my little experiment. Decided my sanity was worth more. I learned something, alright. Learned that some conversations, especially online about super-hyped things, are just not worth the energy. You can’t really ‘practice’ understanding in a battlefield.
Now? I’ll still watch movies, think my own thoughts. If I want to talk about it, I’ll grab a coffee with a friend. A real one. That whole online deep-dive thing for every hot topic? Nah, I’m good. Some things are better left to the professionals, or maybe just left alone. My practical takeaway: not every discussion needs me in it, especially if it’s just folks screaming into the void. My brain cells are thanking me for it.
