Depending on the decade, a specific group of people gets all the popularity in the entertainment industry. Between the 1940s-1950s, It was all about WWII soldiers, between the 1960s-1990s it was all about Kung fu, Ninjas, Samurai and other Asian based folk. In the 2000s it was about Spartans and Romans. Now in the 2010s a lot of movies, shows and video games about Vikings are made. Even the Fashion such as the new "Viking haircut" is trending. I personally think Vikings have gotten overrated since they are constantly depicted as over powered people. Yes, they were tough but there comes a point where it shouldn't be overdone.
1.)1940s-1950s: There is nothing wrong with WWII movies, they are usually made as realistic as possible and they usually depict historic events. They almost always focus on one side but they are usually careful on not completely demonizing the other side. Their impact on society is positive since these movies educate people on historic events. For example, "Go for broke" educated people on the 442nd RCT.
2.)1960s-1990s: A period in the entertainment industry that was dominated by Asian martial arts culture. Most notably Bruce Lee who stated it all with his martial arts based films. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, there were movies about ninjas and other Asian based plots. They were very popular, obviously most of them were overexagerated which completely got rid of realism but that's what people liked back then. Specifically this is where the myth of the Katana was born. They created a similar sword to the Katana known as the "ninjato", historically the Ninja never used a sword called the Ninjato. There is no known proof that the Ninja used a ninjato. However martial arts films like blood sport and Kickboxer possibly inspired the creation of MMA.
3.)2000s: In the 2000s, traditional martial arts influence on the entertainment industry started to decline. Greek and Roman culture stated to become popular in the entertainment industry, there wer movies about the Spartans and Roman soldiers including Greek and Roman mythology. The most popular movie being "300" which made people think Spartans fought in the same way. However, this era was brief.
4.)2010s: Vikings and Norse mythology slowly started to gain popularity in the entertainment industry around 2010 but it wasn't till around 2011 when Vikings really gained popularity since Thor came out that year. Then in 2013 multiple Viking movies came out that year along with the tv series called Vikings.
5.)Viking/Norse culture stolen by neo nazis: It's quite sad that a fascinating culture is now associated neo nazism. Just the way the Swastika was stolen by the nazis, Norse symbols like the Odal rune have also been stolen by nazis and is currently used by the neo nazis. Viking tattoos are also used by neo nazis.
6.)Viking hairstyle and beards among men: You know a topic in the entertainment industry have been taken too far when it starts to have a impact on fashion. As of 2016, the Viking hairstyle has been trending among both men and women. While large beards are still trending among men.
7.) Hema fanatics and bias: The major issue is a result of the bias from some individuals in the Hema community that constantly try to prove in a futile effort that Vikings are superior to every other warrior class in history but whenever someone disproves their claims, they get offended. While Vikings were ferocious fighters, it's very biased to say they were the "greatest". It all comes to the individual person not the group when saying who is "better".
Overall: There is nothing wrong with being interested in Norse culture but once it's starts to get put on the pedestal while completing ignoring other cultures, that's when it must be toned down a bit.
Most Helpful Opinions