Hamilton and Our Current Socio-Political State

I heard about Hamilton and its hype, obviously, and when I saw a sample song during the Tony's, I was disappointed. Just like I couldn't process all types of modern Verona Beach pedestrians speaking Shakespearean, I couldn't process people in 18th-century garb rapping and break-dancing. Some creative anachronisms work; others don't.

But, according to Alex Nichols, there's even more to dislike about Hamilton, and the cultural ramifications of its content and reception are a bit disturbing.

Given that Hamilton is essentially Captain Dan with an American Studies minor, one might wonder how it became so inordinately adored by the blathering class. How did a ten-million-dollar 8th Grade U.S. History skit become “the great work of art of the 21st century” (as the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik says those in his circle have been calling it)?

To judge from the reviews, most of the appeal seems to rest with the forced diversity of its cast and the novelty concept of a “hip-hop musical.” Those who write about Hamilton often dwell primarily on its “groundbreaking” use of rap and its “bold” choice to cast an assemblage of black, Asian, and Latino actors as the Founding Fathers.

You can read the rest (with some caution, as there's some PG-13 language).

HT: Alex Nichols of Current Affairs