Our Conservative Popular Culture

My late friend Andrew Breitbart liked to say that politics is downstream of culture, meaning that any truly successful political turnaround needs to start by changing popular attitudes. Adam Bellow, a storied editor of conservative books, has a similar conviction and is trying to launch a conservative revolt in the world of fiction.

I wish them great success. Still, I think there’s something missing in this ancient conversation on the right (conservatives have been making such arguments since the 1950s — if not the 1450s, with the publication of the Gutenberg Bible). Conservatives refuse to celebrate, or even notice, how much of the popular culture is on their side.

Sure, Hollywood is generally very liberal, but America isn’t. Judging by their campaign donations, Hollywood liberals are very supportive of abortion rights. But there’s a reason why sitcoms since Maude haven’t had a lot of storylines about abortion. Indeed, nearly every pregnant TV character treats her unborn child as if it’s already a human being.

The Left may be anti-military, but such movies tend to do poorly, which is why we see more pro-military films. Similarly, it’s a safe bet that Hollywood liberals loathe guns. But you wouldn’t know that by what they produce. Not many action stars save the day by quoting a poem. Most Hollywood liberals probably oppose the death penalty, yet they make lots of movies where the bad guy meets a grisly death to the cheers of the audience. The Left rolls its eyes at “family values,” but family values are at the heart of most successful sitcoms and dramas.

If we want to win the culture war we must be engaged in it. That means supporting good TV, Movies, Music, Books etc.

AMC brought us Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Walking dead but has also hit a home run with revolution era historical drama "Turn". Its about George Washington's Culper spy ring. There's plenty of added drama for a a series but the historical grounding is very solid. The main characters were real people and were involved in the history. AMC encourages further study of the history. There is no ambiguity about who the aggressors are, its pro patriot all the way.

AMC's TURN

Conservative actor, writer producer James Riley had this to say.

I also enjoy a story of the American Revolution that is unashamed to recognize the British as the bad guys. They were, after all, morally compromised, fighting for a cause you can tell they had trouble believing. Now, I have not watched the series to the end, and no villain can be so uniformly villainous you have no sense of their humanity, but there’s enough here, certainly, to hate — and drama thrives on hate. A dramatic, fictional television series can’t be as neutral as the bloodless academy observer, clucking on about a war that can’t possibly touch him. Men voluntarily enlist in armies and go to war for a reason. I’m glad the series producers appear to realize that.

(snip)

We live in a great, though fading republic, and the truth is: we need a lot more of these stories. We shouldn’t be counting them on one hand.

Our Take on Turn

While on the subject, Riley's show "Courage New Hampshire" is also worthy of conservative support. It takes place shortly before the start of the revolutionary war as the residents of courage begin to resist the imposed British will and assert their self determination. (Andrew Breitbart has a small cameo role as a colonial sheriff.

Courage New Hampshire.

Well I don’t think this is the point really. It’s like saying the majority of the people at Auschwitz were Jewish. Our culture might be majority conservative but I take no comfort in that. The trend is not at all going our way in the areas that really matter. Most of the positions of power are controlled by leftists that are using them to undermine and enslave us (I mean it’s way past time to wake up and smell the coffee or, today, make the movie). I think it is a very good idea to use the left’s medium of choice against them to engage the popular culture and get its message across - but we’re a little late to the party and it will take more than entertainment to change hearts and minds. Evil is raging in our nation. How do you fight against it? Few seem to even understand where the strength of our Founders came from - their Christian beliefs - and why they are of the highest importance. If those are not honored and portrayed as the highest of human aspirations and the associated freedoms they bring, then we lose no matter how entertaining the show. In our popular culture Christianity is hated - even by people that claim to be “conservative”. “My late friend Andrew Breitbart liked to say that politics is downstream of culture, meaning that any truly successful political turnaround needs to start by changing popular attitudes.” Well, doesn’t that start by changing human hearts? What truly changes a person from the inside out, makes them selfless truly loving and forgiving? The only power I know capable of that is the transforming love of Christ by the power of His Word and His Holy Spirit. Aside from that we have No hope. No political strategy will save us as a nation unless it has something to do with national repentance. I’m reminded of a quote incorrectly attributed to Martin Luther but no matter, it still applies. “If I profess, with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity. Where the battle rages the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle-field besides is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that one point.” If we are to quote Margaret Thatcher, “The facts of life are conservative,” then we must follow it up with why that is so and I don’t see a lot of that happening so much. Nineveh repented in a day and God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if 10 righteous people remained in her - so there is still hope for our nation. But, like most people, it might have to get a lot worse in our nation before we seek after God again. It’s also possible we never will. We have turned our backs on the God of our Fathers and what we are experiencing now may just be the consequences of those actions. I so hope I am wrong about that. You have to ask, if not now, when? How bad would it have to get before we are ready to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face and be willing to repent?

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