Why Hollywood has become a joyless, depressing echo chamber

It’s all so depressing. And, perhaps, not surprising: Pop culture, after all, reflects our mood at any given moment, and right now that mood is best described as anxious, depressed, scared, angry. The country is shot through with pessimism — over President Trump (whether you’re for or against), over climate change (the current face of which is a very angry 16-year-old girl), over mass shootings, “fake news,” terrorism, recession fears, immigration.

Jennifer Lopez’s infamous interview with Movieline resurfaced this week — and you know what — it was fun.Jennifer Lopez’s infamous interview with Movieline resurfaced this week — and it was fun.Getty Images

As Steven Pinker wrote in his recent book “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress,” we, as a planet and a people, are better off than at any time in history. Technology is helping even the poorest gain access to better, more financially beneficial lives. The worldwide trends for peace, prosperity, safety, lifespans, health and, yes, happiness all go in one direction: up.

So why can’t we have joy in the one place we typically seek it — Hollywood? Even the year’s biggest Marvel movie ended (spoiler alert) with the death of Tony Stark.