Wallen and the Anglerfish

The new Captain America explores moral grey areas, young people prefer lowercase text, and an anglerfish has captured the internet’s heart. Plus, to hear Evan argue that the tale of the anglerfish was actually a comedy, make sure to listen to this week’s Culture Translator Roundtable! But first:

Song of the Week: “I’m the Problem” by Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen’s newest song is a petty examination of a failing relationship. Wallen spends the song highlighting the ways that his unnamed partner has inspired his own poor behavior, like his drinking. While that may sound like par for the course for Wallen, many listeners clearly find something cathartic about his specific brand of bitter, relational lyrics. Musically, the song is a quiet country song, with a finger-picked acoustic guitar driving the track. You can see the full lyrics here.

And now for our three conversations…

1. Who Captains America?

What it is: Captain America: Brave New World examines whether people who work as instruments of powerful institutions can ever really be “the good guy.”

What’s different about it: In a similar fashion to the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, this new film questions how sure we should be about who is innocent, and who is guilty. Anthony Mackie, who has played Sam Wilson/Falcon in previous Marvel films, took firm steps toward this role in the Disney+ series, which aired in 2021. But now, there’s no ambiguity: Sam Wilson is Captain America, now with wings (from Wakanda). So far the movie seems to be making more money than critics projected. Expect the typical amount of Marvel violence—head bashing, machine gunfire, and a depiction of suicide onscreen.

Continue the conversation: Do you prefer characters to be clearly good/bad, or somewhere in between? Why?

2. the case for lowercase

what it is: many young people prefer lowercase text to sentences with capital letters.

why it matters: for many teens, lowercase letters feel more informal, relaxed, and conversational. even though most smartphones start with auto-capitalization turned on, teens often disable this feature in order to avoid seeming too formal in their texts to friends and family. as gen zer maelle kouman puts it, “lowercase feels like an ongoing conversational tone without a start or end. it removes the serious tone certain texts can exude, without even trying.” gen z artists like olivia rodrigo reinforce this trend with lowercase song titles like “drivers license” (although others, like billie eilish, have resorted to all-caps titles like “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”). in professional relationships and environments, many teens still opt for standard capitalization, and this is sometimes equated on tiktok with growing up.

continue the conversation: what do you think about sentences that use capital letters as opposed to being all-lowercase?

3. Angling Toward the Light

What it is: A doomed anglerfish swimming from the dark depths to the sunlit surface of the ocean has captured the internet’s heart this week.

Why it’s connecting with people: The tale almost writes itself: an anglerfish, knowing her end is near, chooses to reject the darkness of her home and, as her final act, swims to the surface to see the sun for the first and final time. The light hitting her face—a face some might consider horrifying—is maybe the only “true” light she has ever seen. The internet’s telling of the tale has been poignant, beautiful, and with a hint of tragedy. Of course, a variety of things could’ve motivated the fish’s final exodus, but that doesn’t change the empathy the doomed anglerfish is inspiring in others.

Let’s translate this one further…

Human beings use stories to make sense of the world—and some of the most enduring stories are tragedies. Orpheus goes to hell and back to rescue Eurydice, only to lose her at the last moment. Romeo and Juliet love each other but can never truly be together. An anglerfish quietly swims to see the sun as its final act.

Tragedies remind us that our time on earth will, eventually, come to an end—but despite being a stark reminder that our lives are a “mist” as James describes, tragedies also remind us that what we do with that limited time has deep significance. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo begins to realize that his story may end in tragedy, and in a moment of honesty, he laments to Gandalf:

“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”

You may be thinking that this is an overly dramatic way to talk about a tiny, dying anglerfish—an anglerfish who, whether because of a malfunctioning swim bladder, a misfiring instinct, or some other reason, left her perpetual darkness to spend her final moments in the light. But even a tiny, seemingly insignificant anglerfish can remind us of our hope. That even when the “nations rage” and tragedy strikes—even when life seems dark, we can still choose to follow after “the light of the world.” And the difference is that instead of tragedy, the Christian’s story ends with everything sad coming untrue.

For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are three questions to spark conversation with your teens:

PS: Know someone who could use our conversation starters with their teens? Share the CT with a friend!