Andrew Breitbart has started a new group blog, Big Hollywood, to try and get conservatives more engaged in the entertainment industry. There are a lot of familiar names over there such as Whitler, Jonah Goldberg, and Zo, but I still think the whole idea of trying to get more conservatives engaged in Hollywood is ice skating uphill. The problem is that conservatives just aren’t inclined to seek careers in the entertainment industry because the way we’re programmed we consider a job something where you produce things that are directly useful, and thus entertainment falls under the hobby category for us. Liberals don’t consider entertainment a job either — they consider it an aspiration to be creative and better people — and liberals are less concerned with jobs and more concerned with aspirations. For conservatives, who have bills to pay and families to feed, dropping everything for a shot in Hollywood isn’t even considered. Unless making movies becomes something someone can do in their spare time, conservatives are always going to be a minority in the field of entertainment.
Also, my guess is that the conservatives who do work in Hollywood are more likely to treat what they do as an actual job, and thus they’d be less inclined to overtly insert politics into what they do and make the message more important than the product.
Anyway, I wouldn’t expect a lot of conservatives messages out of anything other than country music in the future, but it’s certainly worth celebrating the little there is. Plus, good artists reflect the truth in their work, and that always leans right.
Except for these guys:
The Moron Brothers (YouTube)
(h/t: Neal Boortz)
You just know that when Hollywood gets around to making movies about The Second Holocaust (courtesy of Iran), the US will get the blame – not because we didn’t stop Iran, but because we were the ones who came up with evil nukes in the first place. Just watch!
Which is not to say they can’t put out a good right-winger every now and then, most recently “The Kingdom”, probably the first flick since 1994’s “True Lies” to feature US good guys and Arab baddies. There’s a fairly white-knuckle climax and an epilogue that pretty much sums it all up.
Still, nothing can top 1970’s hippie-hunting “Joe”, starring Peter Boyle – and the screen debut of Susan Sarandon and her big, pre-gravity knockers…
Conservatives doing films as a hobby is certainly more viable now with HD cameras and computer editing suites getting more affordable. The only major issue is that green screen virtual sets are still fairly crude, either because of the technology or the amount of time one can put into the CGI – either in creation or rendering. Motion capture is also fairly limited. I suspect technology will eventually fix both issues.
The major limitation once that happens is that independent film channels are dominated by those too far to the left for even Hollywood to push to the A list. Fortunately, alternative channels exist, but unfortunately they don’t connect to the major distributors with rare exceptions (Walden Media, etc.).
Hey now, be nice! I’m in the entertainment industry and I’m a solid conservative. I love my job and really enjoy producing shows and entertainment. So be nice to those of us who have infiltrated enemy territory! It’s hard enough to sit through cast meetings when they start the regular 3:12pm global-warming-evil-conservatives chatter without knocking someone’s teeth out. Give us entertainment conservatives some credit and a little non-compassionate but still sympathetic love- we’re into the belly of the beast for no other reason than we love what we do.
You and your ideas about “conservatism”. This is pretty much the one and only thing I disagree with you on. There is no reason to consider movies a “special” product because they are not. You are falling victim to their PR that goes something like this: “we’re all so talented, super gifted individuals that you should not even try this”. Have you watched TV lately? OH!! That’s right…you watch Sarah CornHole Cornicles. This show blows so badly it hurts. I could produce better with a class of preschoolers, mud and a scribe writing on clay tablets. QED: product is not special no reason why conservatives should not be able to create.
In fact the best creativity comes from “constrained creativity”. This is the type that Richard Feynman displayed throughout his career. If you ever read the Feynman lectures on physics you have no idea how entertaining constrained creativity can be!
Frank, it sounds like you have fallen afoul of seasonal affective disorder. Boise is a very grey place in the winter. Get some bright lights with plenty of blue (such as fluorescent) first thing every morning and you should be feeling better in a few weeks – possibly even after a few days.
Let’s support the heroic efforts of conservatives instead of being so defeatist. For Big Hollywood: Bravo! Encore!
Freemon Sandlewould–
Richard Feynman painted abstract painting and signed them “Ofay.” How constrained is that?
The “future” was here years ago, but certainly improves every year that passes. Try Shai Linne for a Christian/conservative world-view in a very different package. Or, if you don’t like Christian message mixed with your conservative lyrics try Stuck Mojo.
Dear Trish: Constrained is not bad. It is good. Constraints == reality. To create within the bounds of constraints of reality is the ultimate act of a truly human mind. This is as opposed to the lunatic Hollywood types who’s works = sex + violence++. The ante must be upped each time or viewers lose interest and generally their works have no bearing on a recognizable reality. Feyman’s paintings were not his best works. I again refer you to the Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol I,II,III. They contain just a hint of his ultimate creativity. That being said I’d love to have any of Feynman’s art just because.
….And remember the dollar this past summer? Just when you thought it should really crater it gained alot of strength. It was counter intuitive. Soon being conservative will be considered “subversive”. It may well be that the Hollywood types who resist authority for the sake of it will take up the cause. Or maybe the authority they rebel against is common sense. MMmmm that does describe democrats.
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Businesses are amoral. Hollywood is a business. Who gave Hollywood obligations, respect, and responsiblities on par with any one of the institutions we cons hold dear? Like every business, their goal is to appeal to the masses and make a lot of money. Its the responsibility of the institutions that we hold dear to influence what we find appealing.