The Old Timer lives to rock his chair another day. In the latest of Cracker Barrel’s many reversals, the company assured customers the old interiors were here to stay. The physical has triumphed over the digital, the "realer" country store representation retained over gray-washed abstraction, and America is quite pleased. The country has managed to hold onto a facsimile of its tangible past, and this is not nothing. Or is it? We are nostalgic for being able to engage in the present sufficiently that we create memories.The controversy over the Cracker Barrel logo reflects a new mood of victory on the resurgent New Right. A sense of humiliation felt over a decade of brands going woke has been replaced by a feeling of power that this pattern is being reversed. But what is the real meaning of this kind of social media activism? Is it really a victory, or rather a victory lap?Pessimistically, one might say concern over corporate iconography testifies to a form of nostalgia shading into what writer Mark Fisher called Disneyfication. Analyzing Philip K. Dick’s novel "Time Out of Joint," Fisher quotes Fredric Jameson’s "Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism": "the peculiar ache of nostalgia that 'Time Out Of Joint' engenders, a nostalgia for the present, which Dick achieves by constellating stereotypical images of the decade he was writing at the end of: 'President Eisenhower's stroke; Main Street, U.S.A.; Marilyn Monroe; a world of neighbors and PTAs; small retail stores (the produce trucked in from outside); favorite television programs; mild flirtations with the housewife next door; game shows and contests; sputniks directly revolving overhead, mere blinking lights in the firmament, hard to distinguish from airliners or flying saucers.'"Cracker Barrel, though presenting itself as a portal to some bygone poultry farmer’s smoking lounge, now actually offers "a nostalgia for the present." It offers this via immediacy, personal memory, and normalcy. RELATED: Cracker Barrel caves even further to anti-rebrand outrage Photo by Bloomberg / Contributor via Getty ImagesThe optimistic perspective on this Disneyfication? Digitality is defined in a sense by its lack of presentness. Time-stamped posts position the viewer in an exact relationship to the past, old thoughts bombarded constantly by new ones. One is constantly aware that they have missed something and always reminded they are about to miss even more (or encounter and quickly forget). Cracker Barrel, as a restaurant primarily reserved for family gatherings and social affairs, necessitates that one wipe his blue-light bleary eyes and look up. This immediacy separates it from the YouTube-fare of many other chains and accordingly sees us clinging to it all the more. Presentness is a requirement to actually engage with the past. Our digital moments seldom become memories, and even more infrequently, memories we bother revisiting. By virtue of Cracker Barrel being an accessible space with an architecture of interaction (wall-items to discuss, games to play, widely palatable food, et cetera), it enables fond family-memory formation. We are nostalgic for being able to engage in the present sufficiently that we create memories.America is now packed to the gills with all forms of unfamiliar tongues, peoples, and pastimes. Cracker Barrel stands out as a shelter with which the present can be fully enjoyed, removing the diner from recriminations over a Main Street now unrecognizable and inuring us against the tornadic spasms of culture outside its thick double doors. It is a bubble, which, in its wobbly fragility, serves as a funhouse mirror, reflecting a present that could be simple, light, and normal. Inside this sudsy salon is a miniature Target clad in kitsch, a menu that does not embarrass you to order from, and an encampment wherein deleterious social change seems to vanish. It answers a prayer that the country, right now, could be so clean-cut and corralled.The New Right’s push to retain spaces like Cracker Barrel may blossom into a proper creative drive. Perhaps this is not actually required — it may just need to keep clutching the rocking chair tightly. As many feel their professional and personal lives slipping into the virtual, culturally designated "real world" oases will abound. But the simulacra of these spaces will proliferate, too. Perhaps the restaurant is a welcome reprieve from screen-world. In fact, it may be the definitive escape from the digital world. Or maybe it is just the digital world at an earlier stage of development, repackaged as a comforting and familiar experience.

Disney still prints money, but creatively it feels like a company on borrowed time. Marvel and Star Wars once powered revenues, yet a collapse in quality and a relentless release schedule have dulled both brands. The animation studio that set the global standard now leans on sequels and live-action remakes.Worse, Disney struck a devil’s bargain by cultivating the “Disney adult.” By chasing the childless consumer, the company bought short-term profits while starving its future. At this rate, the company will have no next generation to buy into its nostalgia-based market.Disney once sold childhood to children and, by doing so, sold a future to parents. By pivoting to the childless super-consumer, it sold out both.Walt Disney’s dominance came from talent and timing. He had a gift for stories that delighted children and amused their parents. He also built in an era when mass media suddenly reached every living room, the postwar baby boom swelled the audience, and families had disposable income for the first time. Walt converted that moment into a network of theme parks that became rites of passage. In America, childhood meant Disney, and Disney meant childhood.The empire grew after Walt’s death. Parks multiplied. The company expanded into television, music, sports, and games. Disney stretched its reach to older kids and teens, building an ecosystem where a child could live almost entirely inside one brand. That was the genius: Every formative memory wore a set of mouse ears, and nostalgia was guaranteed on the back end.But invention is hard. Replicating Walt’s spark isn’t a system you can scale. Disney wanted every demographic and every dollar. Children had been the untapped market, but kids don’t control income; parents do. Marketing directly to adults looked unrealistic — until executives realized nostalgia could do the work.Nostalgia as strip mineNostalgia feels like striking gold. You don’t need to create; you need to repackage. Decades of artistry built so much goodwill that the faintest echo could trigger warm feelings: a musical cue, a costume redesign, a cameo. For young adults who discovered the world is harsher than childhood promised, revisiting Disney’s stories and parks delivered comfort on demand.That same generation had fewer children, often none. The old route — enchant the kids to unlock the parents’ wallets — narrowed. Disney pivoted. Sequels, reboots, and remakes pushed out originality. Marvel briefly rescued the strategy, but social justice sermons plus a firehose of content burned out the audience. Lucasfilm looked like another bottomless mine, yet once the initial excitement faded, fans saw the studio couldn’t craft new myths. The product kept coming; the magic didn’t.From children’s parks to adult playgroundsThe parks followed the money. Regular attendance became a status symbol among young adults eager to flaunt luxury consumption online. Disney obliged, hiking prices and layering on exclusive experiences squarely aimed at childless visitors with cash to burn. Elite dining clubs, after-hours parties, and “premium” line-skipping converted nostalgia into a subscription lifestyle. Even Walt’s no-alcohol rule vanished. Spaces designed for families became curated playgrounds for nostalgic adults.Nothing exposed this shift like the Star Wars hotel. The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser promised full immersion — actors in character, missions, staged set pieces, and themed cabins — at an eye-watering starting price of $5,500 for two nights for two people, but often much more. Families had no chance. The corridors filled with adults paying thousands for a few days of role-play and an Instagram dump. When the novelty faded and the numbers stopped working, Disney shuttered it.RELATED: Disney's woke 'Snow White' on life support Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicEating the seed cornFor a while, the nostalgia economy worked. Remakes still posted strong weekends. Parks extracted more revenue per guest. But the company stopped enchanting children. Re-skinning "Beauty and the Beast" or "Aladdin" keeps cash flowing for a season; it plants nothing for the future. You can only harvest memories if children are making new ones now. Disney has been eating seed corn instead of planting for tomorrow.That creative retreat shows up in the audience. The company trains adults to consume experiences rather than build households. Disney adults don’t just buy tickets and merch; many postpone or abandon the basics of civilization — marriage, kids, a home — so they can keep chasing the next “exclusive.” Some even treat continuing their bloodline as evil. Disney is not solely to blame for this wider phenomenon, but it reinforces it and profits from it.None of this means Disney’s executives are uniquely foolish. They followed the incentives. The audience that most reliably spends money was the one you made last generation: the kid who grew up inside Disney’s ecosystem and never left it. Social media turned that audience into free marketing. Wall Street demanded predictable growth, and nostalgia delivered on time. The trap is that nostalgia always cannibalizes tomorrow to feed today.The moral is bigger than one company. A civilization that feeds on recycled memory while sneering at renewal is a civilization drifting toward hospice. Disney once sold childhood to children and, by doing so, sold a future to parents. By pivoting to the childless super-consumer, it sold out both.

Learning from Charlie Kirk: Let me begin by saying this: As far as I know, with the 7000+ articles on CultureWatch, never before have I penned seven pieces in a row on the same person or the same event.…

This week is probably not going to be a good one for FBI director Kash Patel. Mr. Patel is set to be grilled by members of Congress in the coming days over concerns about his handling of the investigation…

In 2012, a teenager named Charlie Kirk made his live TV debut on “Fox & Friends.” That morning, the 18-year-old sat across from Ainsley Earhardt and announced he had launched a group where young Americans concerned about the direction of the country could find a home. The group was called...

The mother of one of Bryan Kohberger's victims understands that vengeance is God's alone. Cara Kernodle's daughter Xana was killed by Kohberger in November 2022, along with three other University of Idaho students in the town of Moscow, Idaho. In July, he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences. Kernodle...

The city of Philadelphia is once again making national headlines, and for all the wrong reasons. A woman was executed in broad daylight, but prosecutors have decided it wasn’t a murder. Philadelphia NBC affiliate WCAU-TV reported the district attorney’s office dropped the murder charge against a man named John Kelly,...

In all facets, the military under President Donald Trump is prioritizing lethality over performative, nonsensical measures that do not make our country safer. Actor Tom Hanks was poised to attend a ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Sept. 25 where he would be receiving the Sylvanus...

Vice President J.D. Vance announced he would host ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ on Monday to pay tribute to the Turning Point USA founder. “Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend,” Vance said. The show will stream on Rumble at 12:00pm ET Monday. Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend. 12:00PM EThttps://t.co/oemvxJ18Mq pic.twitter.com/eSMpx8xE3X — JD Vance (@JDVance) September 15, 2025 More from the New York Post: Vance and Kirk were close friends for many years – long before the now-VP was even involved in politics. In a letter penned to Kirk that was shared after he was shot and killed at Utah Valley University, Vance reflected on their time together. He noted that Kirk was one of the first people he reached out to when he decided to run for the US Senate in 2021, and that Kirk helped connect him with others who could help shape his campaign – including Donald Trump Jr. He added that Kirk was one of his most dedicated advocates over the years, and even guided Trump’s VP selection until they landed on Vance. The vice president learned that Kirk had been shot over text during a meeting in the West Wing. Some of those messages were in groups where Kirk was included, and many were reaching out to let him know they were praying for him. Vance posted a lengthy tribute to Kirk on X, reflecting on their friendship. “A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today,” Vance said. A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today.… — JD Vance (@JDVance) September 11, 2025 Full text: A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today. Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind. Like me, he was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Like me, he came to see President Trump as the only figure capable of moving American politics away from the globalism that had dominated for our entire lives. When others were right, he learned from them. When he was right–as he usually was–he was generous. With Charlie, the attitude was never, “I told you so.” But: “welcome.” Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. I was interested but skeptical there was a pathway. We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr. “Like his dad, he’s misunderstood. He’s extremely smart, and very much on our wavelength.” Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him too. Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks. He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I’d go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent. He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man. When I became the VP nominee–something Charlie advocated for both in public and private–Charlie was there for me. I was so glad to be part of the president’s team, but candidly surprised by the effect it had on our family. Our kids, especially our oldest, struggled with the attention and the constant presence of the protective detail. I felt this acute sense of guilt, that I had conscripted my kids into this life without getting their permission. And Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers. Some of our most successful events were organized not by the campaign, but by TPUSA. He wasn’t just a thinker, he was a doer, turning big ideas into bigger events with thousands of activists. And after every event, he would give me a big hug, tell me he was praying for me, and ask me what he could do. “You focus on Wisconsin,” he’d tell me. “Arizona is in the bag.” And it was. Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith. We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions. Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him. Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he’d encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas. Charlie had an uncanny ability to know when to push the envelope and when to be more conventional. I’ve seen people attack him for years for being wrong on this or that issue publicly, never realizing that privately he was working to broaden the scope of acceptable debate. He was a great family man. I was talking to President Trump in the Oval Office today, and he said, “I know he was a very good friend of yours.” I nodded silently, and President Trump observed that Charlie really loved his family. The president was right. Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father. And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family. Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he’d always have their backs. And because he was a true friend ,you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to. So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government. I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that’s how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in. God didn’t answer those prayers, and that’s OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I’ll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly. You ran a good race, my friend. We’ve got it from here. “JD Vance and Marco Rubio would be one of the most formidable presidential tickets ever assembled,” Kirk said in August. Let's stay focused on the work in front of us, but I'll say this much for now… JD Vance and Marco Rubio would be one of the most formidable presidential tickets ever assembled. Okay, back to work. Onward! pic.twitter.com/VJiSQdOFik — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 5, 2025 The Hill noted: On Thursday, Vance and second lady Usha Vance flew to Utah to bring Kirk’s family and his casket home to Phoenix on Air Force Two. Andrew Kolvet, a producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” hosted Friday’s program, joined by alongside Kirk’s friends Tyler Bowyer, Jack Posobiec and Blake Neff, NewsNation reported.

A bill proposed by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would allegedly give Secretary of State Marco Rubio the power to revoke U.S. passports. Critics claim the bill’s vague language could allow Rubio to revoke U.S. passports from citizens who criticize Israel. Congressman Brian Mast has introduced a bill that would allow the State Department to revoke the passports of Americans who oppose Israel. Under the legislation, anyone the State Department determines has “knowingly aided, assisted, abetted, or otherwise provided material… pic.twitter.com/1ogy1zq7oy — AF Post (@AFpost) September 13, 2025 “A new bill in Congress could let Sec. Rubio revoke U.S. passports from citizens who criticize Israel, the Intercept reports. The proposal comes after Rubio already revoked visas and green cards of foreign nationals, including a Turkish student who wrote an op-ed against Israel,” Mario Nawfal wrote. “The bill cites ‘material support for terrorism,’ but critics warn this vague language could be twisted to punish speech, protests, or even journalism. Civil liberties groups say the move risks turning political dissent into a crime and creating a ‘thought police’ system that silences critics of U.S. allies,” he continued. U.S. LAWMAKERS PUSH BILL TO STRIP PASSPORTS OVER ISRAEL CRITICISM A new bill in Congress could let Sec. Rubio revoke U.S. passports from citizens who criticize Israel, the Intercept reports. The proposal comes after Rubio already revoked visas and green cards of foreign… pic.twitter.com/SNulDgpY0W — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 13, 2025 The bill is part of a larger State Department reorganization and is set for a hearing on Wednesday. “As Chairman, I made a promise to restore command and control-and this legislation delivers. It ensures every dollar and every diplomat puts America First and is accountable to the president’s foreign policy. It also prevents ideologues masquerading as diplomats from using their posts to push left-wing agendas instead of America’s interests. This bill is not just a reform for today, or for President Trump; it is a lasting framework that will strengthen the State Department and benefit every commander-in-chief who follows,” Mast said. More from The Intercept: Mast’s legislation says that it takes aim at “terrorists and traffickers,” but critics say it could be used to deny American citizens the right to travel based solely on their speech. (The State Department said it doesn’t comment on pending legislation.) Seth Stern, the director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said the bill would open the door to “thought policing at the hands of one individual.” “Marco Rubio has claimed the power to designate people terrorist supporters based solely on what they think and say,” Stern said, “even if what they say doesn’t include a word about a terrorist organization or terrorism.” Mast, for his part, has publicly voiced his support for “kicking terrorist sympathizers out of our country.” At the time, he was talking about deporting Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian green-card holder who the Trump administration detained and attempted to deport based on what critics of the move said were his pro-Palestine views. Mast’s new bill claims to target a narrow set of people. One section grants the secretary of state the power to revoke or refuse to issue passports for people who have been convicted — or merely charged — of material support for terrorism. (Mast’s office did not respond to a request for comment.) Kia Hamadanchy, a senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said that language would accomplish little in practice, since terror convictions come with stiff prison sentences and pre-trial defendants are typically denied bail. “Authorizes the State Department to revoke passports to any individual who been charged, convicted, or determined to have knowingly aided, assisted, abetted, or otherwise provided material support to a foreign terrorist organization,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee stated in a press release. Mast, who formerly volunteered alongside the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), received immense criticism for wearing an Israeli military uniform on the House floor. Republican Congressman Brian Mast wearing an IDF uniform tells you what? Brian Mast served in both the US Army & The IDF. What happens when members of Congress and our government hold dual citizenship US/Israel? What happens if something is not in America’s best interests.… pic.twitter.com/761E6h18vz — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) August 6, 2025 The Hill reported in 2023: Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) arrived Friday on Capitol Hill wearing his military uniform from his service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in a display of unity with the country following the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s surprise attack last weekend. “As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel,” Mast wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, alongside several photos of him wearing the uniform Friday. Mast similarly invoked his IDF service in a post on X immediately following the attack on Hamas, writing at the time, “As the only Member of Congress who has worn the uniform of both the U.S. Army and the Israeli Defense Forces, I know that those on the ground are willing to give their last breath for their country and for their friends, family, and neighbors. My prayers are with them.” Read the full press release from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.