Has Greg Gutfield banned the term "culture war" yet? If not, it's time we figure out what it means and how we fight it before he does.
As Animal House said it, "Fat, Drunk and Stupid is no way to go through life." Yet, on the "culture war," conservatives continue to act just like that -- with those who would rather invest in establishment instead of TV, film, music, art and literature, people ignorant that they're losing ground to Progressives every day.
The late Andrew Breitbart famously said "politics is downstream of culture." Years earlier (5th century BCE, actually) it was Damon of Athens who stated "Let me write the songs of a nation, and I care not who writes its laws." Buffalo Springfield's 1967 hit "For What It's Worth" had more impact on the votes of members of Congress than the actual results of the Vietnam war. "For What It's Worth," which originally described riots on the Sunset Strip, was co-opted by the anti-war movement in the years that followed. The premature withdrawal that resulted from this cultural takeover cost many thousands of lives and set the American psyche in a horrific direction.
Exactly how long will conservatives wait to get in the game?
Glenn Beck has ventured forth with The Blaze and has a struck a chord based on his tremendous cult of personality. His TV network is now available on DISH and multiple cable outlets. I applaud this, but it is far from enough.
Sean Combs (P-Diddy to his friends, and self-proclaimed servant to President Obama) announced that he is starting a new network to rival MTV, which has enjoyed multiple decades of unmatched and unchallenged "Progressive" success. His project, called Revolt, is designed as a, "...multimedia platform with an emphasis on music programming, live content and social media, and distribution in urban markets." Combs' launch will be seen in 25 million homes via Time Warner Cable.
So we have Beck and FOX News (home to Howard Kurtz and key "Gang of 8" supporter Bill O'Reilly) versus ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, MTV, Revolt, Pivot (starring Meghan McCain), Al-Jazeera and whatever other Progressive networks I missed. In 2014, Saturday Night Live's Executive Producer Lorne Michaels will control 11.5 hours of late night TV each week -- Jimmy Fallon, Seth Myers and SNL.
Conservatives need to jump in with content-rich shows that are funny, entertaining and relevant -- shows that build loyal audiences. We can't change culture if we're off on the sidelines. We have to be the culture.
Currently, we lack the necessary funding to build that content. That funding focuses its attention on the tried and true establishment wasteland. Translation: If you're giving your money to Karl Rove and not to Conservative/Libertarian/Independent Hollywood content creators, you're doing it all wrong.
A "culture war" victory would not solidify ideology, but it would reinforce truth: Capitalism works, Socialism doesn't. Sometimes, there is a clear right answer and a clear wrong answer. Corporations feed families. Cronyism is wrong regardless of who's in power. A strong America is better for the world than a weak America. Oh, and America doesn't suck.
Some are trying, myself included. Yet, in order to make progress, our side must be willing to invest and to lose (just like they did with Rove in 2012...except with the content creators, you have something to show for the effort). We must demonstrate a willingness to try. Eventually, there will be a solid ROI. Ultimately, the return on investment is that we get to keep our country.
Otherwise, we're all just Flounder.