Conservatives must become cultural activists!
When we think of the word “activism” it conjures up images of political activists marching in the streets, protesting for or against one cause or another. Climate activists, abortion rights activists, social justice activists, and so on. Activism has been dominated by the Left since at least the 1960s, so it has been a welcome development that the Right is fighting back with activism of its own beyond the right to life movement. They are showing up at school board meetings and drag queen story hours to protest radical left indoctrination of children. But it is time for conservatives to deploy an additional weapon: cultural activism. The Left has been doing this for decades and the Right needs to play catch up.
What is cultural activism? Well, the first result of a google search for the term brings up an organization called IGI Global,* (see footnote below) which provides the following handy definition: “The use and/or creation of cultural products—notably art, literature, music, cinema, and the like—to promote social change. The concept thus involves the blending of artistic activities/expressions and activism, rooted in the desire to advocate social justice or provoke socio-political change in a society.”
All of the genres listed in the definition — art, literature, music and cinema — have been dominated by left-wing ideology for decades. Consider how the concept of the family on television evolved from the traditional family of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in the 1950s to the blended family of Mike and Carol Brady in the 1970s to the conglomerate of roommates and neighbors substituting for family in the hit shows Friends and Seinfeld in the 1990s. Is it any wonder that Millenials have shifted away from traditional family formation when the culture has moved the goal posts this way? The single life is so carefree and fun, with a constant stream of friends popping in with funny stories and witty one-liners!
The culture war, like any war, is a battle for hearts and minds. Political victories are important but will be short-lived if we do not communicate stories — in art, music, television and film — that provide young people with a framework and vision of the good life that is consistent with traditional values.
Consider the example of the film It’s a Wonderful Life. Although it was not a box office success when first released, it became required viewing at Christmas every year as families gathered to exchange gifts and reflect on what, in the end, is most important in their lives. And what values did that film communicate? Belief in God and divine intervention, the sanctity and significance of life, the importance of local community, and the transformational power of marriage and family. You could amend the Constitution to put a defense of marriage clause in it and that would not have the impact of a film like It’s a Wonderful Life.
In the culture war, conservatives have mostly been reactionaries. The Left pushes out cultural content that goes outside acceptable boundaries and conservatives rail against it. But you cannot win this game if you are always playing defense and you never even get your offense on the field. That is why it is long past time for conservatives to produce and support creative cultural content. Heck, maybe there should be a Culture War Room modeled on Steve Bannon’s War Room but exclusively featuring cultural content creators and urging the Right to “pile in” and support specific artists and projects. We need creators with imagination to provide a vision for society aligned with traditional values — and we also need patrons of the arts to support this type of work.
It is not enough to cancel a cable subscription or streaming service when it pushes left wing values or cancels a conservative channel or personality. Find a content creator who is aligned with traditional values and vote with your pocketbook to support the work they are doing. It’s the best way to win the larger war.
*A search for a definition of “cultural activism” led to IGI Global: Publisher of Timely Knowledge, a website with a banner that features American and Chinese flags side by side. The “About” tab of the IGI website leads with the following: “Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA with a subsidiary office (IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.), operating out of Beijing, China, IGI Global is a leading medium-sized independent academic publisher of international scientific research.” Why would a publisher of “scientific research” provide the leading definition of cultural activism? Well, their catalog of books includes many science/tech-related works, but also doozies such as “Research Anthology on Inclusivity and Equity for the LGBTQ+ Community” and “Research Anthology on Racial Equity, Identity, and Privilege.” China understands culture war and it looks like their strategy is divide and conquer. We must fight back by coming together around broadly shared traditional American values. It’s a matter of national survival.