Lonewolf Diaries: He Who Holds the Culture Holds the Future
by Steven CrowderThe era of Reagan is over.
No, I don’t say that in the same way that RINO’s say it in an attempt to move towards the center and line their Brooks Brothers’ pockets. I say it in that the political landscape today has changed drastically and we need to do more than look to one transcendent figure as the leader of the conservative movement. Future generations will be won on the cultural front, and never through “politics.” Politicians are boring, plus they smell funny.
Say what you want about leftists; Sure they act a little crazy, wear pointy shoes and spit when they talk, but they are incredibly effective with planting cultural seeds. Avatar, plants a seed. Family Guy, plants a seed. SNL plants a seed. All of Comedy Central plants seeds. On the flip side, the sad fact of the matter is that conservatives have planted little to nothing in the cultural landscape.
Listen, you will never win the young masses through politics or a politician. The only way to win them over is through taking an active role in the culture. This is displayed by the fact that anytime a conservative steps foot into that arena leftists go insane (a kind of “Paula Abdul’s not taking her meds again” insane). One needs look no further than CPAC. The heavy-hitters weren’t the GOP politicians, but people like Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter and Andrew Breitbart. Notice how agitated the mainstream media has become. Lefties are hoping that we’ve given up on Hollywood and mass media as a whole.
See when it comes to the fight for American culture, leftists aren’t looking for a knockout punch (not with their limp wrists). They want to Larry Holmes this thing and flick the jab non-stop so that over time there is a serious cumulative effect and the masses become punch-drunk.
See, conservatives don’t flick the jab, which is why in the 15th round (election time) we find ourselves down on the scorecard and try to crank out a haymaker by finding some supernatural Reagan-like savior in a Sarah Palin or Scott Brown. The problem is that conservatives are fighting like Max Baer when we should be fighting like Cassius Clay.
Ronald Reagan worked in a generation brought up with traditional principles able to observe conservatism at work. Having also observed liberalism at work first-hand, and through critical thinking they decided to overwhelmingly revert back to conservatism.
The problem is that not only has this generation never seen TRUE conservatism at work, but they’ve been raised in a world of situational ethics. When you’ve been weaned on the teat of subjective morality, logic begins to play a smaller and smaller role as facts become subjective. Since we haven’t been planting the necessary cultural seeds with a younger generation, we can’t expect them to follow the logical path of conservatism.
Folks don’t expect politicians to ever step up to this plate either. The D.C. crowd often considers it “beneath them” to address mass media because in doing so they acknowledge that they watch it. After all, we all know that they don’t partake in such indulgences.
Case in Point; Barack Obama. Barack Obama the politician was never elected. Barack Obama the celebrity, on the other hand, was ushered in successfully by the Hollywood elite. It was never the Washington machine that made Obama merchandise the “it” fashion item of the season, but people like The Black-Eyed Peas, Scarlett Johanssen, P. Diddy, GreenDay, Steven Spielberg, Tina Fey, Seth McFarlane… Well I think you get the point.
My question to you is: if offered the power of Hollywood/the entertainment industry or Washington D.C. which would you choose?
I think that if you choose Washington you should seriously consider a CAT scan.
Should you decide to get one, I hear Sean Penn knows a guy.
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133 Comments
I don't have a problem with a little cultural exposure via the media. Being exposed to other viewpoints is healthy; it allows you to either reaffirm your own values or possibly modify them. However, when you media only exposes you to one viewpoint, it gets dangerously close to indoctrination. You can start to feel isolated in your beliefs.
Put another way, blacks are always saying that the dearth of African Americans on prime time TV is bad for their cultural self-esteem? Well, a dearth of conservative Americans on prime time TV should be equally as bad.
i used to hate christianity, but as i realized my images of Christianity actually came from Hollywood & media, not from my own experiences. i realized that i had been brainwashed. it took me 20 years to realize the memories in my head, were not memories, as a kid, they were from Hollywood, movies, media & my hippy history teacher.
i was once a commie-liberal-atheist…. finally after searching i am now a Conservative Christian.
The era of Reagan is over?
Is it?
From President Reagan's farewell speech:
"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it and see it still."
I believed him when he said that. I still do.
I've been writing about my experience at film school for another blog: Commentarama. Recently, I had a nice back and forth with fellow commenter Andrew Price (who administers that blog):
ScottDS said…
Steering slightly towards politics, I can tell you when people complain about the lack of right-leaning filmmakers, I'm sure most would agree, "Then encourage your artistic kids and send them to film school!" Our class was a good mix, to the extent that politics came up at all (rarely). I can't vouch for the bigger film schools in LA or NY.
One girl on our crew, a couple years younger than me, was a huge Reagan fan. I couldn't explain it – I assume her parents were fans and she absorbed it or something.
AndrewPrice said…
I agree entirely that conservatives need to stop treating cultural pursuits as somehow unworthy. How can we get our views back into films, music, books, etc. if we don't even participate?
Unfortunately, many of the conservative parents that I know Freak out when their kids want to become artists, filmmakers or musicians. These truly are noble pursuits — it's what defines who we are, much more so that whether or not you can get a balance sheet to balance.
I've got a couple friends in the same situation right now, but I figure I might make it worse if I try to talk them out of it…
Any suggestions?
How do we get conservative movies made out there? Methinks the only way is for a decidedly conservative cabal of filmmakers and producers to get together and form a brand new studio.
Jon Voight for president?
Very true! Over the last fifteenyears I have repeatedly made the same points with my friends and associates (and ex-friends and ex-associates) about the slow, creeping and relentless way the left propagandizes their agenda through the entertainment media. Until recently I have been received with rolling eyes, glassy stares or bemused and patronizing remarks about my lack of "proportion." Suddenly nobody questions this stuff anymore. They can only weakly respond with "Well sure, but what about the conservative biases of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh?" I consider this a major victory since the elephant is finally out of the living room and people now recognize it for what it is. Rush, Hannityand Fox hav nothing to hide and have been laying it on the line for years. Lots of folks are finally recognizing the dishonesty and hole-in-corner manner with which the "progressives" advance their policies under the fog of "entertainment" and "disinterested" news coverage.
bring back the filmmaking empire of the deep South…
In the early 70's, after the first wave of unwatchable left wing films('Soldier Blue', anyone?) made people run from
Hollywood, a modestly successful actor by the name of Burt Reynolds made a film called 'White Lightning'.
It was a big hit.
It spawned a slew of films shot in the south, films that spoke of the new realities, but in a we can get better hopefulness that was quite appealing. 'Gator', 'Macon County Line' and others paved the way for the 'Bandit' comedies, and these films helped swing Hollyweird back to the center where it belonged.
We need the new Burt reynolds…
I realize it's just an expression but not everyone who's an atheist is liberal or a Communist. There are plenty of atheists who post here.
Your history teacher must've been a trip.
Well, things are a lot less polite now – the masks are off the media, and their owl eyes and their rotted fangs (or are those just gums with fangs painted on them) are on display. Reagan's philosophy is still right, and we are here to defend it, but things are a bit ugly right now.
Excruciatingly true—and the linchpin of the article: a generation raised on situational ethics, and sent into society unarmed with any knowledge of what it takes to make this country survive.
I have no idea how conservatives can make an impact with this; since public education has a stranglehold on the minds of kids.
NPR reported this morning that the Millennial Generation overwhelming believes that government should take the largest role in solving problems.
WE ARE DOOMED
…………and they are going to get a whole lot uglier. We have been silent far too long! No mas!
Dick Tracy, once said, "The nation that controls magnetism will control the universe!"
Same idea.
People need to come to the realization themselves. Liberals need to see the error in their logic by themselves, or they will dig in their heels and, like a 3 year old, shake their head, cover their ears and yell NO as loud as they can. "Anyone under 30 and not a liberal has no heart. Anyone over 30 and not a conservative has no brain". Good words to live by.
I am a little young to remember Reagan's terms in office, but the partisanship on display now is probably the worst it has ever been. That shining city has lost some of it's luster and that harmony has been broken. Politics will never be the same as long as the old guard still resides on Capitol Hill. That is some change I can believe in.
Then if you believe in it, it is your responsibility, and mine, to help effectuate the requisite changes to preserve and protect the Republic, to make sure it still exists for future generations.
There is a lot of wisdom in what you say. The left plants kudzu. It grows wild, covers everything, and eats its way into any superstructure and foundation.
We need more films and books with conservative themes.
Well I hope the era of Reagan is over. He was the original RINO/NeoCon, which basically means hypocrite. You can't constantly say you are for smaller gov't yet double the federal budget. You can't say you are for the traditions of our nation's founders, yet constantly meddle in the affairs of nations all over the world, when those nation's issues have little or no effect on the security and well being of our own country.
The conservative movement doesn't need the media to last or the plant seeds, reality does a great job of turning people into conservatives than Hollywood ever could. What the conservative movement needs is politicians that are actually conservative, not liberal lite/progressive-lite/socialist-lite/etc. We need to vote the RINOs out of office and actually put conservatives in those seats, we need to cast off the fakes who pollute the brand, such as the McCains, the Palins (her support for McCain reelection shows she is nothing but a opportunist with no real actual political values), Shelbys, and Grahams.
i dont mind Ann Rand atheists but an acknowledgement that our constitution believes in God and Christendom is the foundation of all things liberty & justice are what makes me goad atheists on. Atheism is global & older. Christianities foundations, its majority are in Western lands, where all things civilized & free seem to be.
Scott, yep, I said that. And I stand by it.
Even before that discussion, I did a couple of articles on the culture wars where I made a similar point and talked about how to win the culture war (http://commentarama.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-w... and where I explained why I thought it was important to fight the culture war (http://commentarama.blogspot.com/2009/11/democrat...
I absolutely think that conservatives need to get away from the idea that somehow there is something silly or wasteful or irrelevant about undertaking cultural pursuits. It's not. Culture is what defines us in the present and the future — who remembers the guy who ran Da Vinci's bank?
Moreover, letting the left control the culture gives them a huge advantage that puts the right at a disadvantage before we even being the argument. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to swim upstream for once?
well, i think we do need to fight back, i mean liberals have taught us Christ is personal… which is such a F-N lie! to shut us up. such soft terror. I'm not one for evangelizing or "burn in hell" crap, which i have yet to hear from a REAL Christian as opposed to one who is not one but acts as one on TV or movies. "be saved" is not "burn in hell" …. So speak up, write movies about what really happened in the Crusades, the Reconquesta of Spain, the continued invasions by slave armies of Islam into Christian lands in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the great cavalry charge of Poland's christians, the British Empire's routing of mired islamic slave states, the genocide of Armenians, the slaughter of Czech jews & christians by Nazi controlled islamic regimes, the Atheist revolution in France vs the Christian revoluion in America, the guillotine, Stalin's atheist genocide… bahhh… the christian church's loss to National Socialist of Germany, BLAH!!! ALL THIS STUFF CHRISTIANS FOUGHT & DIED FOR… I never learned in school! NEVER.
I accidently turned onto family guy last night and watched it for about 15 seconds because I was so amazed. It showed Hitler trying to direct the kid and the dog, both wearing Nazi uniforms, in a musical. I was so shocked to accidently stumble onto this that it was a deer in the headlights moment. I think this stuff is getting so bad that there is going to be a turnaround at some point because what this kind of stuff does is try to replace humor, which plays upon the mundane and ubiquitous behavior we all do and can relate to, with the exceptional. So exceptional in this case, that for at least a second, I become mesmerized with the horror of it. The proglib media has already lost their audience. They are being buoyed up my a mere few money fat cats and the government in an attempt to continue to educate the people into their ways. You make one excellent point. There is a generation right now that has never really experienced true conservatism. Gee, we should make it our job to introduce them to it.
Ronald Regan the politician was never elected either to the presidency, Ronald Regan the celebrity was. Conservative values didn't get him so much as a recessed economy.
And your limp wrist comment is lacking.
…and L'il Abner said, "He who controls Kickapoo Joy Juice controls the universe !"
We aren't doomed, there is nothing to fear about the coming generation. American exceptionalism still lives on today, even if it seems like it is dying.
AMEN!! But prepare to be hated by those on here who worship whatever "conservative" politician the establishment throws at them just because they're not a Democrat.
Making the NAZI's into a joke is very disturbing……..
It plays into the hands of the Holocaust Deniers…………
Afterall……
How could a the band of ridiculious and stupid people……..
that we laugh at on TV…….really be monsters?
What about The Producers? I believe Mel Brooks' MO on that was: "The Nazis are my enemies, therefore I should mock them."
(Of course, Mel Brooks is infinitely more talented than Seth McFarlane.)
Jon Voight for prez??? I could go for that!
Please, Reagan had a long history of political involvement, not to mention heading the SAG. To say he was elected merely due to celebrity is simply foolish. You can't possibly seriously think he & Obama are similar in these fashions.
Also, your comment on the limp wrist comment is lacking. What was the comment lacking?
Do I believe there is a place for conservatism in the entertainment field, of course I do.
Do I believe there will ever be a preponderence of conservatism thought in the offerings of the
entertainment industry, no I do not. It goes without saying there are conservatives currently
doing well in the industry tho they are a distinct minority. I have no evidence that says
conservatives are in general suited for the "hey look at me" Hollywood types that prevail in the Industry.
Are they more suited to managing the industry, yes. Are they apt to rain in the talent and there liberal proclivities, no. The bottom line is too important in the long run to attempt to put a muzzle on the crazies and what they believe even tho it insults a percentage of their customers. Unless you return to contract
employees and the star system where you had some control over them and thats not likely. I believe the nature of the business of entertainment breeds the Penn, Sarandon, Balwins etc and it will probably always will. Trying to contain them and continue to remain an influential alternative to them is not that the best we can hope for?
I have to disagree. I've seen nothing that tells me that conservatives are somehow unsuited for working in places like Hollywood or theater or the arts. In fact, i would argue that most of the people who used to work in those places had views that were very much like conservative views today. I think the problem is one of supply — in that conservatives seem to disdain the industry, so they won't go into it. If they don't go into it, then they won't be represented.
It's the same thing like sports. There are few world class American soccer players. Does that mean Americans are unsuited to play soccer? No. It just means that few of us go into the game because we choose other sports. Thus, we're "under-represented" in the soccer world. If we played it in the same numbers as the Europeans or South Americans, we would be fully represented.
You are so right, Mr. Crowder. We need to take the entertainment industry more seriously. I have an English degree so I get accused of looking for meaning in TV shows and movies when there is none. I am constantly told, "jeez, Neecie, it's just a movie for heaven's sake!" But it's not just a movie.
Art, Movies, Books, TV … all these are forms of communication. And whether the person who creates these stories is conscious of the message or not, they reflect the creator’s worldview. Even the choice of what stories one picks to tell is an expression of that person’s worldview. And one's own worldview is affected by the stories to which one listens.
By letting the left control the major outlets of artistic communication, we have let them shape the worldview of the last few generations unchecked and unopposed. This needs to change. It’s not just a movie or song or book or TV show—it is a story in which people learn what is sexy, what is “cool,” what is important, and what is true. Conservatives have to show that there are other answers than the ones they get out of Hollywood.
Two words: Rush Limbaugh.
"…Avatar, plants a seed. Family Guy, plants a seed. SNL plants a seed. All of Comedy Central plants seeds….."
Apparently I've avoided all these seeds like the plague.
Good points all Andrew, but conservatives, I'm saying this without facts at hand, but indulge me,
conservatives work best where there are defined rules even moral restraints , thats one reason they are called conservatives, Soccer is not a liberal sport per se but it is enjoyed by libs in this country and not so much by conservatives, not a comment on their atheletic skills.
A couple of weak examples, I wonder how many conservatives
are in the performance arts, how many in porn, etc. All fields of the entertainment industry are lacking true conservatives because of the nature of the field. There are a lack of restraints,
generally, in the entertainment field and that keeps a majority of conservatives at arms length.
I have a response waiting in the approval stage of the site monitor, I believe it
will be permissable to view in a short time.
No problem. I'll check back every once in a while.
Yes. Figure out how to logical, politely, and reasonably to explain your positions of important political issues. And then simply have conversations with them. They don't even have to be political conversations.
When they say something you disagree with, politely explain what you believe and why. Have your facts down cold to back up your positions. If they are normal, garden variety, off the shelf modern liberals, they will disagree with you, but not violently (emotionally, not physically). Simply explain why you lean one way or another on an issue.
This is also how you tell if they are salvageable or not. If they start screaming their heads off, ranting, raving, spitting mad, they're are beyond help, so don't waste your time.
If they do listen and debate, just keep going. And they may not agree with you after all that. But the goal is to get them thinking, anaylizing their own positions and beliefs.
That's the goal.
I'd say South Park is a pretty good libertarian grounded show. It plants conservative seeds, just not Christian seeds.
I have my own theories on that. I've come to the conclusion that every one must come up with their own personal definition of God. I'm a Catholic, and I can repeat all the creeds I want, but the question is what do I really believe.
If you're happy with your definition, you're religious. If you sort of like it, but have problems with it, you're an agnostic. And if you can't find one you can live with you're an atheist.
That's why I think people's faith moves up and down over their life time as their own personal definition changes by education and experiences.
I'd agree with you about South Park. It's difficult
for conservatives to intelligently critique popular
culture without being 'culturally literate'. They come
off as being elitist and out-of-touch to the many moderates
and independents that we need on our side to win any
elections.
Good Article, Steven. However, you left one of the most important names off of your list of those responsible for getting the )o( elected… Oprah. Wasn't it she who introduced him to the nation/world on her show?
I do see your point, though, with a caveat. It is true, Comedy Central has more youth watching it as a "news" source than I care to imagine. But I believe where the youth are being indoctrinated more on a daily basis, is in the public school system. Kids these days cannot tell you how our nation was founded, but they sure as hell can tell you how to properly put on a condom. They cannot believe that 2+2 actually does equal 4, because they are being taught that to be failed for not learning to be correct, is simply not fair. They can tell you more about Martin Luther King than they can tell you about what an atom is and what is inside it.
If there were to be a revolution in this country, it needs to start in the educational system. Kick out the Teachers unions, hire teachers with a base salary and give them a bonus based on their students true academic achievement scores – conducted and graded by a private contractor with strict guidelines. Pensions should be given based on each teacher's achievements, reflected by her student's performance, over a 20 year period. If a teacher is married, or can legally be added to a spouse's healthcare plan… No healthcare. If he/she is single, with or without children, a pool should be set up to provide basic, essential health insurance at lower cost – No frivolous coverage based on choice, such as abortion, sex change operations, boob jobs, etc. Whole curriculum should be revised to put emphasis on the essentials (R,R&A)… No special interest-based classes. Last, but not least, NO political indoctrination allowed.
I can't stand Hollywood. Whether they bat for the right or left side doesn't matter to me, as soon as a celebrity comes out and tells the world their political opinion, I lose the little respect I once had for them. I tend to assume that any and all celebrities lean to the left, but try to ignore that as much as possible… until they let me know.
The problem is, most people in my generation aren't like me. Hell, most of them don't care about politics at all and just vote for the guy that the MEDIA supports. The guy the MEDIA turns into a celebrity. The guy the MEDIA tells them to vote for.
I could rant on and on all day about how terrible that is, how pathetic it is that the media tells people what to think and do, but I'm not going to. I think in this situation, there's really no reason to complain about it. It's a fact, that's how America seems to work now, whether I like it or not.
With that being said, yes we do need conservative ideals pushed by conservative celebrities as much as possible!! The left does it, so why shouldn't the right?
If you ask me, the old axiom that politics is always getting worse, is just a cliche. I don't believe anyone has been beaten with a cane in Congress for over 150 years.
I think thanks to the information tsunami of the internet, satellite and cable has flooded us with so many images and sound bytes, we're just hearing what used to happen behind closed doors.
My suggestion would be, come up with good, compelling stories, and if they happen to have conservatives, great. If not, the story itself is more important than politics. That's why so many movies suck these days. They have the moral, they have the villains, all that played out in advance. So the story has to be warped beyond belief to reach their pre-determined outcome.
Story first, politics, very distant second, if even second.
Even if it's a futile effort, I always try to speak my piece and move on. I hate to have their crap go unanswered. I don't like to start a huge conflict, but if can plant of seed of doubt in someone's mind, I'd consider that mission accomplished.
It's called the Book of Eli people, cool movie and it drove the lefties nuts! I loved it even before I read the reviews!
We need the new Burt reynolds…
Speaking of things I never thought I'd here.
/snarc
I said "He who controls the liquor controls the universe!"
now that's not nice, Ed…
Burt was the biggest star Hollywood NEVER crowned. As opposed to the deities of Damon, Robbins, Penn, Cruise- there in every movie whether you like it or not. Burt sank or swam on his success- or failure.
But he did keep Hollywood honest- and helped drive it back to the center politically…
I know what you meant, I was a young teenager when Burt was THE Hollywood star. I remember the spread in Playgirl – (to every one watch the comments, my sister bought it, she was in love with Burt, and looked through it all the time.)
I remember all the movies listed. He was quite impressive early on, but it seems after a while he became a caricature of himself. The last movie I saw him in was the one about Demi Moore stripping. What a waste.
But think about it, that sounds like something from South Park. "What we Brian Boytono do?"
We need another Burt Reynolds.
Sorry, it just makes me laugh.
yes, he overstayed his welcome and made dreck late in his career; 'Sharky's Machine' was his last really good film. But he did do some fine work.
And Brian Boitano is now cooking on Food Network- the answer to a question no one was asking…
LOL No matter whether it magnetism or Kickapoo Joy Juice, while our society is still mostly open, culture ultimately rules.
LOL While our society is still open, whether it is magnetism or Kicakapp Joy Juice, culture ultimately rules.
Since there is no open thread, this seems like a good place to post this link. The url is self-explanatory.
http://www.ltdanbandmovie.com/
Well, you know I'm with ya on that.
We invented this stuff . We should own it. It's ours.
Named my son, btw, after Sam Cooke. One of the best singers EVER!!
Had a chance to learn a lot about him from a guy who worked with him, Lou Adler.
Here here! Well said! I have 2 kids graduating an L.A. Film School this year.. they are about to enter the lion's den of liberalism: the entertainment industry. They're two conservative Christians (who were homeschooled, are half Armenian, half Jewish, and know history), and their path forward should be very interesting.
David's right. We aren't doomed. It feels like it. Mine and Crowder's generation have a lot to learn about the world, how it works, the role government should and shouldn't play, and what it means to live the American dream. We take for granted all too often what we should be appreciating and fighting for every single day. But hope is not lost on us. It's unacceptable to give up! But the worst thing frustrated conservatives can do to our generation is call us stupid and be bitter about us. Encourage us but don't coddle us. We will figure things out. Great leaders come from hard times, their character shaped by how they grow from the opportunities God has given them to acquire strength, courage, resiliency and honor. And THESE are character building times.
And NPR this PM just did a puff piece on a Pew Survey on the Millennial Generation- praising, naturally, the fact that they're all good little indoctrinated leftists who believe in Obama, Big Government, and self-esteem.
Great article and comments! I read a book recently that really opened my eyes – "The Persecution of Sarah Palin" by Matthew Continetti. It gives a lot of great examples and specifics on how the media influences everyone. You all should read it.
I hear you there. I would respond to that by saying Mel Brooks, like the Three Stooges, took the concept and made a caricature of it. I can always tell when Brooks or a Stooge is making fun of somebody to their detriment, on purpose, because it is of such detriment to that person. A big problem I have with Family Guy "humor" and others like it is there is no detrimental treatment of serious negative types yet they will turn right around and make fun of handicapped, special needs people, and conservatives. When I do choose to check out a few minutes of such tripe, I set there wondering where I am suppose to laugh. Ultimately, none of it is funny. Thank you.
Your right – being a republican isn't cool. For someone my age (im 21) its basically saying "i think like your parents!" However freedom is cool… freedom expressed through a libertarian view point could go a long way for America's youth. If enough young people think its cool – it will eventually become cool Hollywood and in turn change the way people in my generation think (to start thinking). Thanks for the cool commentary Steven.
I think the real problem is that in our culture, art wears an ugly, leftist face. That is, when Junior says he wants to be an actor, Sean Penn is the first creature that pops into conservative Dad's head. When Missy says she wants to be an artist, conservative Mom thinks Piss Christ. Wanna be a rock star? I don't want you to become Bruce Springsteen, no matter how rich you get. It's the old vicious cycle. Question is, how do you break it? In a way, the question is how do you make the arts respectable again from a conservative point of view?
Sadly true. We are entertained to death and that entertainment inevitably contains some leftist brain droppings: government good, business bad; socialism good, capitalism bad; choice good, life bad. Unfortunately, most conservatives are to busy making a living and raising families and (gasp) going to church to want any part of the entertainment industry. But C. S. Lewis also made the point that you make, we must be Christians in all walks of life, including Hollywood and the Great White Way (oh my, was that racist?).
I've never understood this singular example of a failure in American capitalism- why in hell haven't "big money" conservatives invested in their own production companies, their own networks? Works like "The Blind Side," Passion of the Christ," etc. have dominated box office and yet they are tiny islands in a poisoned sea. Why doesn't the profit motive solve this problem?
i had basically decided to NOT go to film school, and then i read this and i'm all confused again. you suck. i love you.
I'm not sure a collection of aliases mean everyone wants to be seen, heard yes, but
anonymously. There are exceptions, Rush, Ann and others, thank goodness.
I explained why I felt as I do in another reply to Andrew but it was yanked by the site monitor,
as a newbie I must be on probation. It should be returned soon, I hope. But you do have
a point about the parental thoughts impact on their kid career choices. Even some of those libs
in the business say they hope their kids do not become actors. Conservatives probably even more so.
South Park… the ridiculous cartoon with all the gross frat boy jokes? (That is what your talking about right?)
If so, I'll gladly pass on that one. If that makes me elitist, so be it. I'll wear the title with pride.
Cooking on ice, boy that leaves a lot of room for the imagination to wander thru.
LOL
He that controls the purse use to have a wallet.
How this world is changing.
That's the best way to do it, I think. Because that is how I came to conservatism – listening to the other viewpoint, being open to listening to it without any obligation to agree with it. It got me thinking, made me question where I was coming from, and ultimately made me see that I was a conservative all along and just didn't know it.
Years of indoctrination made me believe, as the author and others have said that business was bad and gov't was good. I didn't have the religion problem as I was raised Catholic. I went through a brief arrogant period when I became agnostic, but quickly learned the errors of my ways. I have more respect now for Christianity as a whole then I ever had before.
You just have to get people to think – given time, they will realize that the conservative values are the better ones.
Your loss then and also your loss for finding an audience that shares core conservative beliefs with you, if not your religious beliefs.
Great article. We not only have to fight for our views to be expressed in entertainment, we have to fight all the people who say "Hey relax, it's just a movie" (tv show, book, etc )
I hope BigHollywood is going to support Miss Beverly Hills Lauren Ashley. She spoke the Truth and will definitely be attacked.
"The Bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman. In Leviticus it says, 'If man lies with mankind as he would lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death and their blood shall be upon them.' The Bible is pretty black and white," Ashley told Pop Tarts.
"I feel like God himself created mankind and he loves everyone, and he has the best for everyone. If he says that having sex with someone of your same gender is going to bring death upon you, that's a pretty stern warning, and he knows more than we do about life."
GO LAUREN!
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/02/23/m...
*giggles* Religious? You must mean common decency and manners.
Really it's my gain for preferring something with a little more culture than a toilet bowl.
Crowder for czar! It doesn't matter which czar just pick one.
Steven you hit the nail on the head. Liberalism is very pervasive in our culture and the linchpins are education, entertainment, media and politics. The social desease of liberalism inserts itself into all of our forms of human expression.
The dumbing down of textbooks followed by the subliminal messaging in our media and entertainment sources cause the impressionable to believe the unbelievable and deny good while relevating evil. Conservative thought is suppressed at every turn by the leftist insertion of the 'seeds of denial and subversion' into all of our communications. We all will wake up one day and our entire family's thinking is twisted by this indoctrination of leftist ideas. Your children have their minds relentlessly polluted with disinformation and leftist agenda driven ideas by the liberals who control the educational system, entertainment and news media. How can we really combat this scurge? I think conservatives have a duty to insert themeselves into the culture wherever possible but will this really stem the overwhelming tide of liberal subversion? it seems it takes experience and a willingness to remain open minded to even get over the insidious brain washing we are subjected to by liberals. Most people under 30 are liberals and for good reason. They are under the spell of the constant leftist juggernaught of subversion and will not wake up until something or someone breaks the enchantment. How can we reach them earlier?
I would say I would want the largest possible group with me when it comes to turning back the soft tyranny that the modern American Democratic party seems to champion. Why cast them off because they have different views regarding homosexuality, drug legalization, and the various wars we are engaged in.
I often wonder about the so-called conservatives in this country who have
let the political Left dominate popular culture for the last forty years. The
conventional wisdom is that the worlds of popular music, film, television
and mainstream literature have always been politically progressive (or worse).
Conservatives, especially those on the evangelical side, need to loosen up and
embrace the 'American' side of American popular culture as their own. They
might discover that even Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke and Gram Parsons
could sing pretty darn inspiring sacred music, too. With sin comes forgiveness
…that is, if you believe in God rather than 'Allah'.
You aren't going to put your hand on my knee, are you?
Yeah, but the Kennedys are out of politics.
True, true! it's so difficult to make points heard over the other shouting and glitter. After working with young adults as an assistant manager at a movie theater, i still can't believe how easily these kids my age (25) and younger are being brainwashed. If they could only think. But that's part of the problem, too. They were not taught to think in school, they were taught to learn. There is so little free thinking. The big, easy, cop-out: whatever comes down from the limelight and those false gods that young people idolize. I was home-schooled by God, Rush, and Fox News. Oh yeah, Mom, too.
I don't have much to add, but wanted to say that I whole heartedly agree with exactly this!
well, keep them reading here! cuz they aint gonna find any truth out there. and they better bust on the history of Armenians and the genocide of Jews in Eastern Europe, both from Islamic facists.
Thank you, Steven, for really GETTING it! I couldn't agree more with this:
"When you’ve been weaned on the teat of subjective morality, logic begins to play a smaller and smaller role as facts become subjective. Since we haven’t been planting the necessary cultural seeds with a younger generation, we can’t expect them to follow the logical path of conservatism."
Reletavism/subjectivism is pretty much the air we breath. No wonder so many people – both young and old – don't seem to be able to think logically. Everything is by feelings and "what you think is right for you".
The arts and entertainment are key. Why conservatives don't seem to get that is the part I do not understand. Don't they see the huge impact Hollywood and the music industry has on our culture?
Thank you for this! I had no idea this was even i the works! I will pass it along.
The profit motive may not be enough to effectively solicit "big money" conservatives to making movies. I'm sure that they are fully aware that their name and credibility will be all but destroyed by the mainstream movie-makers and talking heads upon undertaking such a project.
I think that the groundwork will need to be further laid in popular culture before conservative films and entertainment attempt to become more of a staple. Thankfully, the internet is causing this to skyrocket with sites like Breitbart and others.
Youre not factoring in the large portion of homeschooled kids across the nation. If ever there was a community of independent thinkers, its homeschoolers.
Uh…EXCUSE ME, but if the federal budget doubled, it was because a DEMOCRAT Congress was there pushing for it all the way, and Reagan had to make concessions to get what he wanted. On top of that, if the fed budget was spent towards the military and infrastructure and funding research into new technology, then Id say my tax dollars did what they were supposed to do. It was the foolishness of the DEMOCRAT CONGRESS that sent the budget skyward…so be sure to put credit where credit is due!
Check out the partisanship in 1858.
I sometimes get very scared when I realize that the world view of most people is not based on their own experiences ( though they think that they are), but rather are a product of our progressive teachers and media. Its hard to argue against memories, no matter how fabricated those memories are. Your post has brought me joy today by reminding me that there is still hope, GOD has a plan, and that people do, with GODs help get past the lies. Thanks.
Attempting to force the issue comes with great risks. Remember the republican presidential nomination convention in 2000? (or was that 2004?) The GOP hired a multi-cultural hip hop band to entertain.
It was a farce, and it looked forced. That kind of stuff turns every one off.
we would do well to listen to this young man: "freedom is cool". if we stress the basic 'conservative value' of INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY (along with much less government intrusion, lower taxes, and fiscal responsibility) we have a winning 'product'. if we want to go back to yapping about religious beliefs and the related, so-called 'social issues', voters. like this fellow, ain't goin' for it.
"Conservatives" will not have a worthy influence over the popular culture of the 21st Century until they accept that certain vestigial organs of their movement are keeping them shackled to the past otherwise.
You can debate all you want whether America's inexorable march toward joining the rest of the West in post-Christian/post-traditionalism era is a net good or net bad, but it's the way things are going. You want to influence the culture, first step is getting within the same EPOCH as the culture. Cut "social conservativism" free to go off and fade away on it's own, focus on the individualism angle, and maybe you've got a shot.
Actually, he seems to throw Hitler into a number of his films. IIRC, he's said he's the only Jew to ever make a buck off of Hitler or similar.
"Yeah, they lose me right after the bunker scene."
"History of the World Part 2: Hitler on ICE!"
I'd kind of agree, sort of. What's Rush Limbaugh if not a "hey look at me" conservative? Same goes for Ann Coulter. Hell, you could say the same for the people who contribute to and comment on this blog. If you didn't want to be seen and heard, you wouldn't be posting this stuff on the Internet.
Um, you do realize that being a conservative does not equal being against gay marriage, right?
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