Internet People: "We long for the good old days when comedians just did comedy and were not political!"

Charlie Chaplin:

It's also worth noting that silent era dramas leapt into the political fray from the beginning. For example, Georges Melies made THE DREYFUS AFFAIR in 1899, while the events were still unfolding.

https://moviessilently.com/2019/06/30/the-dreyfus-affair-1899-a-silent-film-review/

Melies was firmly Team Dreyfus, by the way.

(If you're unfamiliar, Dreyfus was a French military officer falsely accused of treason and given a show trial rife with antisemitism. He was exiled to Devil's Island in the face of overwhelming evidence of his innocence.)

So, anyone lamenting the "good old days" when movies weren't political needs a serious history lesson.

I had a guy burst into my mentions and tell me to "stick to silent movies."

When I was discussing the racism of BIRTH OF A NATION.

These are not rocket surgeons.

Internet People: "Silent movies were all about pie-throwing and women tied to tracks!"

Silent Movies: "Hello, let's discuss birth control and abortion, not to mention the sexual double standard."