2.14.25 Institutions reacting to cultural pressure, a review of two sequels at the boxoffice, and Word Play with George Grant

Summary

Episode Summary: The World and Everything In It – Episode 2.14.25

Release Date: February 14, 2025

In Episode 2.14.25 of "The World and Everything In It", WORLD Radio delves into the intricate dynamics of institutions under cultural pressure, offering insightful reviews of recent box office sequels, and exploring the evolution of language with George Grant. Hosted by Lindsay Mast and featuring discussions with experts like John Stonestreet, Nick Eicher, and Colin Garbarino, this episode provides a comprehensive look at current societal trends through a biblically grounded lens.

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1. Introduction and News Highlights

The episode opens with a brief overview of the day's topics, setting the stage for in-depth discussions on leadership, artificial intelligence, cultural shifts, and cinematic releases.

[00:05] Lindsay Mast introduces the main themes:

"Today on Culture Friday, the high cost of anxious leadership and the challenges of new technology."

2. Institutions Reacting to Cultural Pressure

John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center and host of the Breakpoint Podcast, leads a segment on "anxious leadership", a term coined by Pastor and Scholar Joe Rigney. Anxious leadership prioritizes cultural approval over organizational mission, leading to compromised institutional integrity.

Stonestreet uses the recent controversy at Wheaton College as a case study:

"Just two years ago... it's a viral ad that cost a lot of money... But how could you? How dare you? He works for Trump."
[09:05] John Stonestreet

He highlights the rapid retraction of Wheaton’s congratulatory message for Russ Vogt, who secured a position as President Trump's budget director. This incident underscores the vulnerability of institutions succumbing to online outrage and the erosion of institutional backbone.

Nick Eicher expands on the broader implications:

"I think it's endemic in the evangelical institutional space on an institutional level... they punch right in college, middle left."
[10:54] Nick Eicher

Stonestreet and Eicher discuss the difficulty evangelical institutions face in maintaining doctrinal integrity amidst shifting cultural norms, emphasizing the urgent need for resilient, mission-focused leadership.

3. The Paris AI Summit and Technology Ethics

The conversation shifts to the Paris AI Summit, where Vice President JD Vance emphasized a balanced approach to artificial intelligence:

"We refuse to view AI as a purely disruptive technology that will inevitably automate away our labor force."
[13:35] Nick Eicher

Eicher analyzes a recent Family and Technology manifesto signed by over 30 conservative leaders, addressing concerns from AI to digital addiction. He argues that the real issue lies not just in ethics lagging behind technology but in a deeper cultural shift that devalues human exceptionalism:

"We lost human exceptionalism... technology can't fulfill that meaning gap."
[14:25] Nick Eicher

The discussion underscores the necessity for a cultural and ethical reckoning to ensure technology serves humanity without eroding intrinsic human values.

4. Secret Service Commercial and Cultural Narratives

A critique of a new Secret Service commercial produced by Michael Bay reveals a resurgence of traditional masculine ideals:

"America was founded on an idea... Protectors are born, they're not made."
[17:43] Kristen Flavin

Eicher contrasts this with recent cultural events like the controversial halftime performance, suggesting a cultural pushback against skewed representations of greatness:

"We just kind of all going, no, that's just not. I don't buy that anymore."
[18:02] Nick Eicher

This segment highlights the tension between modern cultural narratives and traditional notions of heroism and masculinity.

5. Sanctuary Cities and Local vs. Federal Policies

The episode examines Worcester, Massachusetts's declaration as a sanctuary city for transgender individuals, opposing President Trump's executive orders on gender definitions. Eicher emphasizes the importance of local engagement:

"Salvation is not going to come from Air Force One or from the Supreme Court, you know, for our state."
[20:36] Nick Eicher

He advocates for grassroots involvement, arguing that sustainable cultural and political change must originate at the local level rather than relying solely on federal mandates.

6. Box Office Reviews: Paddington in Peru and Captain America: Brave New World

Colin Garbarino, WORLD Arts and Culture Editor, provides reviews of two major film releases:

Paddington in Peru

Garbarino praises the latest installment for maintaining the franchise's charm:

"Paddington in Peru bears a striking resemblance to 2019's Dora and the Lost City of Gold... plenty of feel-good entertainment."
[25:22] Colin Garbarino

The film is lauded for its British humor and family-centric themes, though noted as somewhat derivative of established adventure plots.

Captain America: Brave New World

In contrast, Garbarino criticizes the new Captain America film for its lack of depth and departure from the beloved character Steve Rogers:

"This film feels like loosely connected leftovers from other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe... more time on the story."
[30:09] Colin Garbarino

He expresses disappointment over Sam Wilson replacing Steve Rogers, citing a tedious narrative and unengaging character development, despite Harrison Ford's commendable performance as Thaddeus Ross.

7. Word Play with George Grant: Navigating Language Evolution

The episode concludes with George Grant exploring the rapid evolution of the English language amidst digital communication:

"Neologisms like Bougie, Riz, Busen... extend vocabulary by means of native derivational morphology."
[30:52] George Grant

Grant discusses the balance between linguistic growth and maintaining stability, cautioning against fleeting fad words that may lack longevity:

"Beware of all the slippery new fad words they rarely endure. Ah yes, reality check."
[35:04] George Grant

He underscores the importance of understanding and adapting to language changes without losing the essence of effective communication.

8. Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with acknowledgments to the production team and a biblical closing, reinforcing WORLD Radio's mission of providing biblically grounded journalism:

"Go now in grace and peace."
[35:48] Lindsay Mast

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Notable Quotes:

• John Stonestreet on anxious leadership:

  "This is the price of leadership that merely reacts to pressure from the culture when it places that fear above mission."
  [09:05]

• Nick Eicher on AI and humanity:

  "We have to have a reckoning with it. Will we? I don't know."
  [14:25]

• George Grant on language neologisms:

  "They rarely endure. Ah yes, reality check."
  [35:04]

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Conclusion

Episode 2.14.25 of "The World and Everything In It" offers a nuanced exploration of how institutions navigate cultural pressures, the ethical implications of technological advancements, and the enduring impact of language evolution. Through expert analysis and critical reviews, WORLD Radio provides listeners with a thoughtful examination of the forces shaping contemporary society.

Transcript

[Lindsay Mast]

Good morning. Today on Culture Friday, the high cost of anxious leadership and the challenges of new technology.

[Nick Eicher]

We refuse to view AI As a.

[John Stonestreet]

Purely disruptive technology that will inevitably automate.

[Nick Eicher]

Away our labor force.

[John Stonestreet]

We'll talk about that and more. John Stonestreet is standing by for Culture Friday. Also today, new films coming to theaters this weekend, Paddington in Peru and a new Captain Americ.

[Kent Covington]

You're not Steve Rogers.

[Nick Eicher]

You're right. I'm not.

[John Stonestreet]

And later, George Grant with wordplay.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Friday, February 14th. This is the world and everything in it from listener supported World Radio. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[John Stonestreet]

And I'm Nick Iker. Good morning.

[Lindsay Mast]

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

[Kristen Flavin]

Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

[Nick Eicher]

Please.

[Kent Covington]

President Trump stood shoulder to shoulder with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House last night. Addressing reporters in the East Room, Trump said the two nations are deepening their ties.

[Kristen Flavin]

Starting this year, we'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars.

[John Stonestreet]

We're also paving the way to ultimately.

[Kristen Flavin]

Provide India with the F35 stealth fighters.

[Kent Covington]

India is a key partner in the Indo Pacific in efforts to counter China's military buildup and aggression in the region. For his part, Modi, heard here through.

[Nick Eicher]

An interpreter, added, we have also set ourselves the target of more than doubling our bilateral trade to attain $500 billion by 2030.

[Kent Covington]

But on trade, Trump said there is still work to be done to erase a trade deficit with India. And hours earlier, Trump announced new reciprocal trade tariffs on imports from many different countries.

[Kristen Flavin]

For many years, the US has been treated unfairly by other countries, both friend and foe.

[Kent Covington]

The president says to level the playing field, he's imposing tariffs on imports to mirror what US Producers are charged to ship their goods overseas, no more, no less.

[Nick Eicher]

In other words, they charge us a.

[Kristen Flavin]

Tax or tariff and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff.

[Nick Eicher]

Very simple.

[Kent Covington]

And Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick told reporters, we are going to address each.

[John Stonestreet]

Country one by one.

[Colin Garbarino]

But here's the key.

[Kristen Flavin]

They'll get an invitation to trade with.

[Nick Eicher]

The greatest consumer economy in the world.

[John Stonestreet]

And in exchange, you have to treat.

[Nick Eicher]

Us the way we're going to treat you.

[Kent Covington]

When asked if consumers could face higher prices as a result of the tariffs, President Trump said, not necessarily. And he added that the move will bring in a lot of jobs to the US as more companies decide to build in the United States to avoid tariffs. And on the topic of perceived fairness, the Trump administration is applying heavy pressure to European allies on defense. U.S. defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told leaders at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

[Nick Eicher]

Leaders of our European allies should take primary responsibility for defense of the continent, which means security ownership by all allies, he said.

[Kent Covington]

Other NATO allies need to spend more on defense and regarding the war in Ukraine, Hegseth said, While in Brussels, I.

[Nick Eicher]

Had the chance to brief allies on President Trump's top priority a diplomatic, peaceful.

[Lindsay Mast]

End to this war as quickly as.

[Nick Eicher]

Possible in a manner that creates enduring and durable peace.

[Kent Covington]

While President Trump has started talks by making direct contact with Vladimir Putin, Hegseth said, Ukraine and NATO leaders will be a part of those negotiations. And in the Middle East, Hamas appears to have had a change of heart. Earlier this week, the terror group said it would not release three Israeli hostages over the weekend as required by the terms of an ongoing ceasefire, and Israeli military spokesman David Mentzer said Thursday we have already amassed forces inside and surrounding Gaza, so if those three are not released, if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intense fighting until the final defeat of Hamas. After Hamas initially said it was halting the further release of hostages, President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a new ultimatum. They said if Hamas did not set all of the hostages free by noon on Saturday, the war would resume. But Israel now says that provided Hamas honors the original terms of the agreement by releasing three more captives on Saturday, the ceasefire will remain in place. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is the new Secretary of Health and Human Services.

[John Stonestreet]

I, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear.

[Kent Covington]

Kennedy has vowed to fight chronic disease and clean up the ingredients at American Foods. Democrats expressed strong objections to Kennedy over his past remarks, voicing skepticism about vaccines. Kennedy, though, made a series of assurances to assuage the concerns, at least of Republicans on that matter. Also on Thursday, the A's are 72.

[Nick Eicher]

The nays are 28 and the nomination of Brooke Rollins is confirmed.

[Kent Covington]

Brooke Rollins is the new secretary of Agriculture. Following that vote, a federal judge has blocked President Trump's executive order aimed at protecting children from transgender procedures. World's Kristen Flavin has more.

[Lindsay Mast]

District Court Judge Brendan Hurston in Baltimore, a Biden appointee, said in his view.

[John Stonestreet]

It seems the president's order is trying to deny this population exists.

[Lindsay Mast]

Trump's order says federally run insurance programs.

[Nick Eicher]

Cannot pay for potentially life altering interventions.

[Lindsay Mast]

Like puberty blockers, cross sex hormones or.

[John Stonestreet]

Surgeries to alter a child's anatomy.

[Lindsay Mast]

Attorneys for some parents who claim their children are transgender say Trump's order is unconstitutional.

[John Stonestreet]

They argue, among other things, that his order tries to withhold funds already authorized by Congress.

[Lindsay Mast]

The Supreme Court is currently considering a.

[Colin Garbarino]

Tennessee law that bans the performance of.

[John Stonestreet]

Transgender surgeries on children. For world, I'm Kristen Flavin.

[Kent Covington]

And I'm Kev Covington. Straight ahead, Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus a look at a couple new films in theaters this weekend. This is the WORLD and Everything in It.

[Nick Eicher]

Foreign.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's Friday, 14th February. Glad to have you along for today's edition of THE WORLD and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Lindsay Mast.

[John Stonestreet]

And I'm Nick Eicher. Just a quick reminder, there's a special offer for World listeners through next Tuesday. That'd be the 18th. We are making available a free three month trial of our daily video news for students. It's called World Watch.

[Lindsay Mast]

It's a fantastic 10 minute daily program. Not only does it keep families up to speed on current events, but it's full of engaging features and stories from a Christian worldview. All of this together provides lots of opportunities for meaningful dinner table conversations.

[John Stonestreet]

Pay a visit to Worldwatch News Radio to find out more after that three month period is over. Well, it's just $6.99 a month to keep the program going. And I'm confident after that trial period, you'll wonder what in the world did we do without this? Worldwatch News Radio.

[Lindsay Mast]

And now time for CULTURE Friday. Joining us is John Stonestreet, president of the Colson center and host of the Breakpoint podcast. John, good morning.

[Nick Eicher]

Good morning.

[John Stonestreet]

Well, John, I wrote a piece in the new issue of World magazine. It's online this morning. I'll have a link in the program transcript in the column I bought, borrow a term from pastor and scholar Joe Rigney about anxious leadership. He's written a couple of books on the topic. It's the kind of leadership that prioritizes cultural approval over mission. Now, I've got lots of examples from churches and academia, but also in the wider culture. No doubt you remember this one from just a couple of years ago. Just two years ago. It's a viral ad that cost a lot of money.

[Kent Covington]

Hi.

[Lindsay Mast]

I got some Bud Lights for us.

[Nick Eicher]

So this month I celebrated my day, 365 of womanhood and Bud Light sent.

[Lindsay Mast]

Me possibly the best gift ever, a.

[Colin Garbarino]

Can with my face on it.

[John Stonestreet]

Love ya.

[Kent Covington]

Cheers.

[Nick Eicher]

Go team.

[John Stonestreet]

All right. That's a $27 billion ad. And I mean billion with a B. By which I don't mean the cost of talent and production. I mean that's how much market cap that Anheuser Busch InBev over this Dylan Mulvaney catastrophe. They've been trying to win back lost market share ever since. But let's fast forward to Super Bowl Sunday a week ago.

[Nick Eicher]

Cul de sac party, party at Sack.

[John Stonestreet]

This is incredible.

[Kristen Flavin]

How many Bud Lights can you fit in that puppy?

[Nick Eicher]

As many Bud Lights as it takes.

[John Stonestreet]

All right, well, you can read the column for yourself, but the idea here is this is the price of leadership that merely reacts to pressure from the culture when it places that fear above mission. And we see that big time in the evangelical world. Recent example, John, the short lived congratulations on social media to a Wheaton College alumnus. Russ Vogt had just won Senate approval to be President Trump's budget director. And Wheaton put up a nice message on a Friday. But then a bunch of people got all bent out of shape. How could you? How dare you? He works for Trump. And it wasn't even a day, it wasn't even into Saturday afternoon before Wheaton took it down. And I did try engaging with the school. I was only able to get an emailed statement back. No answers to any of my questions. So I am assuming, John, you saw the Wheaton College dust up. What do you think that it reveals about the broader challenge of institutional backbone in an age of online outrage?

[Nick Eicher]

I did. I think obviously there's some guilt to be claimed by leaders, but this is endemic in the evangelical institutional space on an institutional level. And I think it's especially true when it comes to evangelical institutions of higher learning. Can you, for example, imagine Wheaton, who certainly from some of their alums would have caught some flak had they celebrated on X or Instagram or something like that, an alum appointed to the Biden administration. Can you imagine them ever pulling that because of the complaints of those on the right? Now, maybe I'm wrong, maybe it would go a different way than I'm predicting, but I just can't imagine that from any of these institutions. Part of this is the idea that many have noted that we punch right in college, middle left, and that that's kind of an evangelical tendency. I do think it's kind of built into the missiology of evangelicalism, which has really been infected by this desire to be palatable, to be relevant, to be accepted, and it just doesn't go anywhere. And that does create a high level of anxiety, to use the word that you use there in the question, because you can't keep up with what it takes to be palatable. Cultural norms move so fast. Pretty quickly you find yourself off orthodoxy without Even noticing it. Look, I think the slippery slope fallacy is indeed a fallacy, but this is one of those examples where it always tends to work out the other way. I've talked about the slippery slope reality of doctor assisted suicide, Right. That, okay, it might be a fallacy on a purely logical set, but culturally speaking, if the slope is slippery, you're going to end up at the bottom. And this is another. You know, you don't see these institutions becoming more conservative. You don't see the institutions, for example, suddenly turning around, going, you know what? I went too far. It just keeps going in that direction. Maybe there are some exceptions to that. I can think of a couple, for example, evangelical colleges that I think have moved further away from the slide that they have taken. But it just seems to be the narrative, you know, to the point that this is endemic of leadership. I think it is, but I think it's also of institutions. And I think it's something within the evangelical world that is such a reality that it has to be dealt with at some point.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, John, let's turn to the Paris AI Summit. Vice President JD Vance spoke there this week about the Trump administration's approach to artificial intelligence, framing it as a tool to improve quality of life, not something to replace humans. Let's listen.

[Nick Eicher]

We refuse to view AI as a purely disruptive technology that will inevitably automate away our labor force. We believe and we will fight for policies that ensure that AI is going to make our workers more productive, and we expect that they will reap the rewards with higher wages, better benefits, and safer and more prosperous communities.

[Lindsay Mast]

Now, we also recently saw a Family and Technology manifesto from more than 30 conservative leaders. It covers everything from AI to reproductive technologies and digital addiction. It's a pretty comprehensive list of concerns about ethics keeping pace with rapid tech advances. So is this a sign we're getting serious about preventing technology from outpacing morality? And if so, how do we ensure it's more than just talk?

[Nick Eicher]

Yeah, that's a great question. I don't know if I have the answer to that, but I do think we're seeing something new. And I think it has more to do than just the technology outpacing our ethics. As the statement that you referred to earlier, which I signed as well, I didn't agree with each and every policy proposal all the way down the line, but I did think that just the thoughtfulness of it warranted attention in this way, that our real challenge with technology is not just because we have ethics lagging behind, although that's certainly the Case, but I think that's the fruit, not the root. At the end of the 20th century, there was an article in Time magazine talking about technology and where it was going to go and what it meant. And you know, interestingly enough, this manifesto written back then said that the great irony is that secular humanism never gave us humanism. That basically our techno scientific, technocratic way of thinking about life in the world, which of course has only accelerated since then, dramatically. Basically what it did is it reduced humans down to just being part of the machine. So we lost human exceptionalism. We lost an understanding of what gives humans value. This is obvious in how humans think about work, particularly Western Americans. This is why we had the great resignation. This is what David Bonson has written about in his wonderful book Full Time, about what the connection, as he puts it in the subtitle, between work and the meaning of life. And so what happens is we try to fill that God shaped hole with convenience and efficiency and choice. So that's what drives technology. But it can't fulfill that meaning gap. And pretty soon as that statement says that we can't have this technology at the cost of our humanity. And when you start looking at which technologies are dehumanizing us, well, you got to go to artificial reproductive technologies and you got to go to how screen time has interrupted the family. And you've got to go to artificial intelligence and the holistic approach that both Vice President Vance took in that speech that was taken in this statement are both warranted. We have to have a reckoning with it. Will we? That's your, I think your last question, or some form of it. And this reminds me of the opening dialogue of Saturday Night Live. There was a comedian who made this observation. Do you know how much time we spend proving to robots that we're not robots? You know, and, and that was five years ago, right? When, you know, we had to open every website the way we kind of just take as normal. Are you a robot? No. And how do we prove ourselves? Look, there's an awful lot of unraveling to do. Will we be able to do it? I don't know. Are the threats as real as the statement? I think so. And I think that statement is worth everyone's read.

[John Stonestreet]

I don't know. There are some days I'm not sure I could pass the test of I'm not a robot. But John, we need to switch gears here and I want to ask you this question. Did you happen to see the Secret Service commercial that aired during the Super Bowl?

[Nick Eicher]

I did not See that one?

[John Stonestreet]

Well, happy for you. I have a copy of it right here. This was produced by Michael Bay, that's the Hollywood producer who is well known for big budget action movies. Check this out.

[Kristen Flavin]

America was founded on an idea. Our heroes are humble, Protectors are born, they're not made. America's Secret Service protecting this super bowl is asking a few more to step forward.

[John Stonestreet]

You know, it sounds like one of those old NFL films narrations. That is pretty good stuff. Clearly a return to the classic masculine ideal. Facing fear, defending others. I can hardly wait to see the new military recruitment ads. But you know, even without them, recruitment is way up. And I think having a war fighter at the helm of the Pentagon probably doesn't hurt that. Now, John, you have said that politics is downstream of culture, but sometimes it seems that the political scene can also shape the culture. There's kind of a symbiotic relationship there. Do you agree with that?

[Nick Eicher]

Well, you need cultural change in order to secure political change. Otherwise you're governed by executive order, which is what we talked about in recent weeks. But I think that Secret Service commercial offers a striking image, right? I mean, all this messaging reflects our vision of what it means to be human, specifically what it means to be male. And it was gone for a long time. And I see a contrast even between that commercial and the halftime performance, right? Because I just think there's this. We're just kind of done with this kind of uber artistic, like this was a historic performance, we're told, and no one got it or some people got it. And it had to do with a beef that he has with another rapper or something like. And when you compare that to kind of real acts of heroism and greatness, it's a stark contrast. And it needs to be a stark contrast. So I'll at least grant that we have that image making its way back. And I think it's because there's been an awful lot of cultural pushback and political pushback, but cultural pushback, at least on the vision of quote, unquote, greatness that we've been given, you know, that because someone who has a weird sexual fetish does something, it's supposed to be historic. I think we're just kind of all going, no, that's just not. I don't buy that anymore. But that, that image of heroism, you know, running into the fire instead of running away from it, you know, that's heroic, that's historic. That's the kind of life that we were made to at least honor, if not emulate.

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, John, here's one more for you. Worcester, Massachusetts just declared itself a sanctuary city for transgender and gender diverse people. It's mostly symbolic, essentially thumbing its nose at President Trump's new executive orders on gender definitions. So do you see people actually moving based on these kinds of local proclamations, or is it more about confirming where a place already stands socially and politically?

[Nick Eicher]

It's certainly a sign of where certain locales are. And it's also a sign that, again, you live by executive order, you die by executive order, you live by federal mandate, and you lose by it. And that is a departure from the founders. Now, you might need it to some degree, and I think we do, to correct some things that have gone wrong. But, you know, you're talking to a guy who lives in Colorado. You know, this week, the rare conservatives in our state house proposed an anti trafficking law so you couldn't take minors across the border in order to secure an abortion in this very abortion friendly state that was killed in committee, like day one. And what went forward was requiring emergency rooms to have abortion services at no charge. And which is, by the way, if you take the ER and the emergency language and the at no charge, that also gets around parental notification. And then they also, of course, somehow hitch transgender rights onto all that and the abortion things, too. So what you're describing in Worcester is popping up in different places. And it does talk about the importance of Christians being involved locally. And I mean that in two senses. Number one is not just looking for salvation from the top of the federal government. Now, I'm the first one to say that there has been a strategic speed and effectiveness of what Trump has done in his first couple months that has been necessary to turn back the tide. But it's not long term sustainable unless it's also propped up both culturally. But even when you talk about government and legislation, you have to do it locally. I had a bunch of people, you know, write me about these bills that were being kicked around in committee in the Colorado legislature. And I want to do something, I want to say something, I'm saying something to you guys. But the real situation on the ground politically means there's absolutely nothing that pro lifers can do to stop this because it's that bad politically. So, look, that salvation is not going to come from Air Force One or from the Supreme Court, you know, for our state. What are we going to do? That's what we have to get back and talk about. And I think that there is this tendency to see the good things happen and then to abdicate responsibility. I think being culturally and politically engaged has to be more local than it is national. That's just kind of the reality of it, I think.

[John Stonestreet]

John Stonestreet is president of the Colson Center. He's host of the Breakpoint Podcast. And John, thanks so much. Have a great weekend.

[Nick Eicher]

Thanks to both of you. Additional support comes from Ambassadors Impact Network, where entrepreneurs can discover faith aligned funding opportunities. [e-mail].

[Lindsay Mast]

Well, flowers might seem like an obvious choice on Valentine's Day, but for some Miami airport employees, you might want to branch out. That's because over the last three weeks, dozens of U.S. customs and Border Protection agents have been working around the clock processing more than 9,900 million stems of cut flowers, some 18 tons worth. Diogo Elias is vice president of Avianca Airlines.

[Nick Eicher]

So we have to double our staff people here so it's more intense with a very sensible product, which is Flowers.

[Lindsay Mast]

Sensible depends on who you ask. But nine out of every ten fresh cut flowers for today's celebrations come through Miami from South America. Agents tap and shake the bundles, spot checking for any unwanted critters that may have hitched a ride. That's a lot of petal processing for those agents. And while they rose to the occasion, at this point, they might prefer the chocolate. It's the World and Everything in It. Today is Friday, February 14th. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[John Stonestreet]

And I'm Nick Icker. Next up on the World and Everything in it, some new arrivals in theaters this weekend. Here now is World Arts and Culture editor Colin Garberino.

[Colin Garbarino]

Perhaps you're looking forward to a trip to the cinema this Valentine's Day to see one of the latest releases. If so, I've got some good news and some bad news for you. Let's start with the good news. The latest Paddington Bear film won't disappoint films of the franchise. The marmalade loving bear in the blue coat and red hat is one of Britain's most charming exports. And Paddington in Peru, the third live action film in the series, captures the essence of what makes the character special.

[Kent Covington]

Dear Aunt Lucy, I have very important news. We're coming to Peru.

[Colin Garbarino]

Things at 32 Windsor Gardens have changed for the worse since Paddington 2. Henry Brown, the family's patriarch, is struggling with changing demands at work. The kids, Judy and Jonathan, are growing up and worrying their parents. And Mary, the family's mother, is pining after the days when the family spent more time together. When Paddington receives a letter from the Home for Retired bears. Saying his Aunt Lucy misses him, Mary sees an opportunity for togetherness and organizes a trip to Peru for the whole family. Upon arrival, Paddington and the Browns get some unexpected news.

[Nick Eicher]

Aunt Lucy, I'm afraid she set off.

[Kent Covington]

On some sort of quest.

[Lindsay Mast]

But she knew we were coming.

[Kent Covington]

Well, that's what's so mysterious.

[Colin Garbarino]

The family decides to find Aunt Lucy. They're aided in their adventure by a singing nun played by Olivia Colman and a riverboat captain played by Antonio Banderas.

[Kent Covington]

Excuse me, sir, Is this boat for hire?

[John Stonestreet]

Capitan Hunter Gabot at your service.

[Colin Garbarino]

This third installment is good, though perhaps not quite as good as the first two. And some viewers might find the story a little too familiar. It doesn't explore many new ideas. Instead, it sticks to the well worn jungle adventure plot points established by earlier films in the genre.

[Kristen Flavin]

Your map is the key to finding El Dorado.

[John Stonestreet]

You mean.

[Colin Garbarino]

Paddington in Peru bears a striking resemblance to 2019's Dora and the Lost City of Gold, another worthwhile family movie. But I will say that Paddington's ending offers a satisf little twist. Despite its somewhat derivative narrative, the film provides plenty of feel good entertainment. The humor is rooted in its particular Britishness. You might be able to take the bear out of London, but you can't take London out of the bear. The slapstick comedy has an understated quality, and the film is almost completely devoid of the crude gags that have become the backbone of kids movies in America. Paddington amuses us because he's a bear at odds with himself. He's always making a muddle of things, but he desperately wants to preserve decorum. We have a slight emergency in this movie. The Brown family doesn't spend much time at 32 Windsor Gardens, but the franchise keeps its emphasis on the importance of home and family. Circumstances change and kids grow up, but the lessons we learn from a small brown bear remain the same.

[John Stonestreet]

I'm coming on Lucy.

[Colin Garbarino]

Now for the bad news. If you were hoping Captain Brave New World would be a return to form for the struggling Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. There's no trace of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. Instead, his old sidekick Sam Wilson is playing dress up with Cap's red, white and blue shield. On the bright side, we do get Harrison Ford taking on the role of Thaddeus Ross. He's got big plans for Sam.

[Kent Covington]

Which is why I want you, Captain America, to help me rebuild the Avengers.

[Colin Garbarino]

Ross has just been elected President of the United States, and Sam must investigate an international incident that threatens to undo the new administration. Ross and Sam haven't always seen eye to eye in the past, but Sam is willing to see if the newly elected president has had a change of heart.

[Kristen Flavin]

The country needs this, and when we.

[Colin Garbarino]

Disagree on how to manage a situation, what happens then?

[Kristen Flavin]

Figure it out together.

[Colin Garbarino]

There's not much suspense to the film's central mystery because Marvel bombarded fans with promotional clips in which we see Ross transform into the Red Hulk. Since we already know where things are going to end up, the 90 minutes or so it takes to get there feel very tedious. Even more tedious is Sam's relentless speechifying. This new Captain America isn't a super soldier, so his fists don't pack a mighty punch. However, he sure can bludgeon his foes and the audience with self righteous platitudes. The same guys who wrote the cringeworthy Disney series the Falcon and the Winter Soldier are responsible for this film's script. The political overtones are somewhat subtler in Brave New World, but the humorless scolding is still the same.

[Kent Covington]

You're not Steve Rogers.

[Nick Eicher]

You're right, I'm not.

[Colin Garbarino]

Yeah, he's not Steve, but we sure wish he were. This film feels like loosely connected leftovers from other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps the writers should have spent less time on the exposition and more time on the story. I'm Colin Garbarino.

[John Stonestreet]

Today is Friday, February 14th. Good morning, this is the World and everything from listener supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iker.

[Lindsay Mast]

And I'm Lindsay Mast. Wordsmith George Grant now with Wordplay this month, considering our ever changing language.

[Kristen Flavin]

According to linguist Nick Nicklaus, the structure of the English language has remained relatively stable even as the ubiquity of social media and instant messaging has prompted the rapid adoption of newly coined vernacular neologisms, loan words, and slang. He says extending vocabulary by means of native derivational morphology is not evidence of a language system changing. It is evidence of a language system working. Nevertheless, the seemingly ceaseless changes in vocabulary can be more than a little disconcerting. Our daily discourse is now awash with freshly minted fad words like Bougie, Riz, Busen, situationship, Fosheesi, and Bruh. In an effort to help us navigate the newest frontiers in language, every year, editors of online dictionaries attempt to sort through all these changes. Then they pick the most significant and defining words of the previous year. Using factors like searches on their websites, online polling, and data from page hits, they identify words that reflect developments in popular English usage as it is shaped by current events and social trends. They try to highlight expressions that particularly reveal the ethos, mood, fashions or fads of the preceding year. In the past, words like refudiate, locavore, emoji, vape, goblin mode, omnishamble, sports washing, lawfare, vibe shift, metaverse and splooting have been named Word of the Year by one or another of the dictionaries. This year the Oxford English Dictionary editors passed over romantasy, lore, tay tay and slop to settle on brain rot. It is defined as the deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of over consumption of material, particularly online content considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Merriam Webster's editors considered demure, Fortnite, Elysian and but selected polarization as their Word of the Year. It is defined as division into two sharply distinct opposites, especially a state in which the opinions, beliefs or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes. The editors at Collins English Dictionary chose brat over Delulu looks, maxing and anti tourism brat, taken from the synth pop music of Charlie XCX is defined as a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude or aesthetic. Now, I must admit that at least a few of the neologisms are interesting and fun, but it is probably best to heed the wise counsel of William Zinser, the author of On Writing well, He said, beware of all the slippery new fad words they rarely endure. Ah yes, reality check. I'm George Grant.

[John Stonestreet]

All right, time now now to say thank you to the team members who helped out this week. Mary Reichard, David Bonson, Caleb Weldy, Addie Offrance, Carlos Paez, Mary Muncie, Craig Carter, Carolina Lumeta, Onise Adua, Adam Carrington, Becca McCallum, Anna Johansen Brown, Bob Case, Cal Thomas, John Stonestreet, Colin Garberino and George Grant. Thanks also to to our breaking news team. Kent Covington, Lindy Langdon, Steve Klosterman, Travis Kercher, Lauren Canterbury, Christina Grube and Josh Schumacher. And a big thanks to the guys who stay up late to get the program to you early, Carl Peetz and Ben Jaiker.

[Lindsay Mast]

Harrison Waters is Washington producer, Senior Producer Kristen Flavin is features editor, Paul Butler executive producer and Les Sillers Editor in chief. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires the Bible records. The Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at the disciples of Jesus saying, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? And Jesus answered them, those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Verses 30 through 32 of Luke, chapter 5. The Scriptures say, to gather together to worship the Lord. Remember to do that this Lord's day. And Lord willing, we'll meet you right back here on Monday. Go now in grace and peace.