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Conservatism Should Be Careful Not to Corner Itself Creatively

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

On Wednesday, I wrote an article about how we're becoming oversaturated with "conservative content," meaning that while it's great that some conservatives are trying to create entertainment, more and more businesses are coming out that promise to deliver entertainment but end up doing what most other outlets do and just create more news and opinion shows. 

What results is an endless parade of people saying the same thing in different ways. Now that we have Truth Social claiming they're getting into the game, I wanted to make it clear that while this is all well and good, and that content isn't necessarily a bad thing, we need to make sure to focus on creating entertainment and art that is story-first, not message-first. 

 


READ: We're Becoming Oversaturated With 'Conservative' Content


As I wrote, the danger is that we run the risk of bubbling ourselves with our own ideas just like the left has, creating a feedback loop that drives us further from sense and more into a form of extremism or, if not that, then an inability to grasp reality thanks an unwillingness to change thoughts and positions with new information. 

So while it's good that conservative businesses are getting into the content game, it's not enough. In fact, I would argue that these conservative studios creating their own entertainment isn't the ultimate solution, but a boot camp of sorts to experiment with better storytelling techniques, cinematography, and ideas in an ever-changing tech environment that will soon utilize AI. 

The real goal is for conservatives to ultimately work their way into established businesses and studios that are primarily dominated by the left. 

One thing that I should make clear is that the mainstream entertainment industry, while leftist, doesn't belong to leftists. It's something they managed to take over the course of decades, from a realm that was originally pretty well populated with conservatives. It's always been my position that the entertainment industry needed to be infiltrated and balanced out, creating a mix of ideas and viewpoints. 

You can tell conservative ideas have been long absent from places like Hollywood, by the way movies have become preachy nonsense that most Americans have no interest in. 

But that can change. Conservatives need to do two things, one of which it's already doing. They need to create their own entertainment. 

Check. 

The Daily Wire is doing that. The Blaze is releasing a Napoleon Dynamite-type movie. I have no idea what's in store for us from Truth Social, but they say they're going to release entertainment that was blacklisted from Hollywood, so we'll see. 

But conservatives need to start working their way into places that are already established. I'm not suggesting conservatives start by applying for jobs at major studios. You'll almost certainly be turned down. 

What I'm suggesting is that people start getting involved with local arts programs. Theaters, comedy houses, and troups are far more easily accessible and, moreover, many of these places aren't as devoted to ideological tribalism as bigger places. Influence is easier to push in these environments. 

As conservatives get to know more people and become closer to them, their ideological positioning starts to have more of an influence. You're winning hearts which will eventually win you minds. People are far more likely to listen to someone they trust, even about political matters. 

Before long, you may know a guy who knows a guy and, if you're dedicated and talented enough, you might find yourself starring or crewing in larger productions. Alone, this is probably a daunting task, but if conservatives get behind the idea of seeding local arts with their presence, this becomes a lot easier of a task and a lot more likely to succeed in changing the culture. 

Conservatives should embrace the fact that the arts are far more important than we've been giving it credit for. I've been saying this for years. Until we learn what Breitbart was trying to tell us about culture being upstream from politics, politics will be a much harder game for us.

So yes, we should have conservative studios, but we shouldn't get too comfortable with them. They won't ultimately solve the problem. We need to be in even more places and conquer even more ground. 

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