Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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Why Liberals Win the Pop Culture War
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Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
8:55 AM
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Had they happened months apart, the Imus incident -- and the VA Tech massacre -- both would have had the potential to reignite the debate over video games, music and lyrics. Combined, the debate is inevitable.
Where's Tipper???
I'm not going to go after rap music or violent video games. That's not my shtick (I'll let that up to others ... they've got lots to work with). But this did make me think about the powerful influence media (movies, video games, etc.) has on our culture -- and more specifically -- our politics.
And I did want to share a couple of instances where I think the Left does a much better job of spreading their message than we do.
This first video I wanted to share is called Land of Confusion. It's a cover of an old Genesis tune (the original video mocked Ronald Reagan):
When it first came out, this video was on MTV constantly. In my estimation, the obvious message is anti-capitailst, but I'll let you decide for yourself ...
Here's my hypothesis, though:
While conservatives seek to find ways to use YouTube and modern technology to get our overt political messages out -- the political left is more savvy -- they cloak their messages in music and entertainment. (The best propaganda is that which appears to be neutral).
Any wonder why we often lose public policy battles? Any wonder why we win elections at the same time the culture moves further to the left?
On a more overtly political note, here's Pink's recent performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Personally, I think the tune isn't half bad. But the politics is obviously liberal. Will the average kid who is staying up late buy into her argument?
Of course, these are just two examples. The truth is that conservatives are outmaneuvered on this front every day. We've got our work cut out for us ...
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Dispassionately and reasonably, you'll realise she's not being overtly liberal, or even overly liberal. She is tapping into the kinds of emotions that a great head of state should ALWAYS remember and keep close to his heart.
"How do you feel, Mr President, when you see the homeless..."
"How do you feel when you see a mother cry..."
Conservatives (except particularly heartless ones) and liberals always agree that the homeless must be brought up from their situation; that peace is always better than war- that the strong must and should protect the weak.
I'd want the President to have the welfare of his citizens in mind when he leads. I WANT politicians to know what it's like to have nothing. Then they can decide on which way to solve it- do you take the conservative path, or do you take the liberal path? The Conservative might decide on a faith based initiative- for decentralized community outreach programs run by people and funded privately to help people off the streets. A liberal might create a department of housing or something like that. We should always remember that liberals and conservatives are almost always on the same side (with the exception of abortion, really.) They merely differ on HOW to solve a problem. |
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Re. "Traditionalists, and others, simply need to stop thinking one dimensionally, in terms of politics, and start thinking creatively."
(This was in reply to something I wrote before that we have a tough job getting our message out in an era where entertainment has greater importance than ever before.)
You're right, it requires us to think in new ways -- especially in terms of entertainment media, where as Matt points out, the message is relatively subtle and resistance to it is not as great. But someone observed that "Air America" has failed because they put the political message ahead of entertainment, and conservative efforts to create entertainment that is primarily motivated by getting out a political point of view is also likely to fail. It has to be "organic," to borrow a "progressive" term.
The ground we fight on favors the other side. Many of the examples you mention of how conservative ideas have been advanced in the past refer to books. Books are great, but a tiny fraction of the public reads books (granted an "elite" fraction). TV, music, films, and all forms of cyber-entertainment have infinitely more influence, and for the reasons I mentioned before, liberal ideas are more palatable in these mass media.
The ultimate answer may be for more talented young guys and gals with conservative values to go into television, films, music, etc., and for their point of view to naturally inform their work. But how to make that happen, I have no idea. Again, possible, but not easy. |
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"...conservatism is harder to live up to than liberalism." -- Jas Earl C
Correct! Observe how many believe "problems" can be solved by merely forwarding an e-mail!
~KJV |
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If you didn't listen to the words. I found myself giggling a little bit in disbelief. It was like Eddie Murphy's bit on Saturday Night Live singing "Kill the White People...but buy my record first"...
Such a beautiful voice she has. Such emotion in that song that amounted to drivel intellectually. What a waste.
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...conservatism is harder to live up to than liberalism. More people will almost always take the easy route. |
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Good Point. Conservatives are being ignored. Maybe they let their geek squad(a.k.a. the neo-cons) get too loud. The MSM geek squad was once divided but now they are united by their overall coolness superiority. Coolness Superiority, more effective than overwhelming firepower and air superiority combined. (These are words for you, as a gift and an apology) |
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It is not as if our message is bad for it is not. It's just that the left packages theirs better. They wrap it up in glamour and display it as being hip and cool. Not that long ago, we used to have heroes who expressed the traditional view of good behavior but comic books such as Superman don't quite compete with V for Vendetta or Sandman or even The Crow. Our heroes are behind the times and no one in Hollywood is willing to take an opposite stance against the current trend without becoming a target such as Imus or even Mel Gibson. |
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Conservatives and traditionalists have to find a way to postively engage and affect the culture instead of always wagging a finger at it. I'm not saying we need to have vulgar rap songs about the free market or come up with the conservative answer to "Maxim" but instead of cursing the dark you have to light your own candles. |
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It gives the left too much credit to think it's a concerted plan. The point is, this stuff sells, and the entertainment industry goes where the money is. For most of them it's a business, not a moral (or immoral if you prefer) crusade. |
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The Left is an emotive cultural morass which appeals to the politically illiterate. Since conservative groups, pols, and schools deal with ideas and philosophical agendas, it is much harder to inculcate the masses with common sense, facts, and workable solutions. The Left can use pop stuff to make fun and cause emotional reactions to the idea of victimhood and massive generalizations which hook many, many young people with lies and an appeal to one's lower nature: feel good, do good when the culture approves of helping, say animals, trees, and certain protected PC groups. The Right cannot even get TV shows up and running, or songs, or plays or movies except in peculiar places . Appealing to the brain is hard when one in our culture lives in such a wealthy, easy, and open nation. |
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"I think traditionalists have a very tough task to sell their philosophy in a time of mass communications, when entertainment has become infinitely more influential than it ever has been in history."
Nonsense.
Traditionalists, and others, simply need to stop thinking one dimensionally, in terms of politics, and start thinking creatively. Russell Kirk wrote ghost stories. Tim Powers writes fantasy and science fiction. Flannery O’Connor wrote great short stories. Walker Percy was an amazing novelist. In the world of film simply review the age of Errol Flynn, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, John Huston, Elia Kazan, Orson Welles. In music you have Country (and to a much lesser extent the slim market of Christian music). Revisit the Golden Age of Comic Books when heroes were heroes and America was presented as a force for good. There are numerous examples of people who believe in America and the Judeo-Christian virtues upon which this great nation is founded who have worked in the Popular Culture’s various entertainment mediums.
The only reason Leftists win today is because traditionalists and other conservatives have abandoned the arena. The Left now controls the Entertainment-Industrial Complex and they use to push their worldview down the throats of a passive populace. There are a few attempting to make movies that honor America; check out the Liberty Film Festival, which is having a one day showing in Orange County, California coming up in May.
If traditionalists want to have an impact on the Culture then they must stop thinking solely in terms of politics and laws. Washington D.C may be the center of Power in America, but Hollywood and New York are both centers of Influence. Abandoning these Influence Centers to the Left leaves traditionalists with, obviously, little to no influence in American Popular Culture.
If you want to turn things around, stop complaining and get back in the arena
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That is what drives the Leftinistra. They are incapable of rational thought. They are the offspring of the Hippies and Yippies of the 1970s.
They are products of drug-induced self-defeatism riddled parentage. |
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daughter's breath away?,she asks. People like her have not even allowed millions of innocent babies take their first breath...And she dares to sing about walking with a head held high.
I explain to my kids the way the world works. That's the least we can do. Kid staying up late should not see it without an explanation. The kid should not stay up that late to begin with. |
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Very good piece, Matt. I'd add two things:
1. The liberal message goes down easy. Generally, it says to the listener/viewer/reader, "Whatever it is you want, you should have it ... somebody else is to blame for your problems ... You're A-OK, it's those bastards over there with the money/power, they're one's who're screwing things up." The conservative message requires much more of the individual.
2. It's been said so often before, but for whatever reason (the above may go a good way in explaining it), the liberal philosophy dominates in entertainment. I do think people who are drawn to the arts tend to be more driven by their emotions and feelings, and that translates to liberal philosophy. But it may also be that when you're attempting to entertain someone, you want to present a message that is easily accepted. Challenging the viewer/listener, etc. to take more responsibility for himself is rarely a welcome message.
I think traditionalists have a very tough task to sell their philosophy in a time of mass communications, when entertainment has become infinitely more influential than it ever has been in history. |
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