I saw Spielberg's Lincoln film this weekend and all I can say is that Steyn is right. We're simply being out-hustled by the left in terms of cultural influence. That movie is a brilliantly executed piece of liberal propaganda and we have no answer to it.
Great post.
America is all about media 24/7/365 and that media is overwhelmingly liberal.
Well, one of the reasons that we have no answer to it is because in general the anti-Left is either oblivious to, ignorant of, or hostile and dismissive of culture. Kind of like my attitude toward, say, ice hockey - except that if knowing about and promulgating ice hockey was the way to win the war, I would get a pair of skates, get season tickets and get with the program. How many members of FR read the only non-Leftist cultural publication, The New Criterion? Anybody? How many stay informed by reading TLS - does anyone know what it is? How many are members of a museum? How many go to the ballet or opera even once a year? How many ever go to a jazz concert? How many go to thr theater? These are all components in the cultural landscape, and are something that can’t be bought with money. Any more than a winning sports team van be created with money and nothing else.
One has to participate, one has to be engaged. The anti-Left has been largely absent from the cultural discourse in America for almost a hundred years. So of course we have no answer to Spielberg et al. You can’t fight on the epic level of War and Peace if you’re armed with the Reader’s Digest.
Well, one of the reasons that we have no answer to it is because in general the anti-Left is either oblivious to, ignorant of, or hostile and dismissive of culture. Kind of like my attitude toward, say, ice hockey - except that if knowing about and promulgating ice hockey was the way to win the war, I would get a pair of skates, get season tickets and get with the program. How many members of FR read the only non-Leftist cultural publication, The New Criterion? Anybody? How many stay informed by reading TLS - does anyone know what it is? How many are members of a museum? How many go to the ballet or opera even once a year? How many ever go to a jazz concert? How many go to thr theater? These are all components in the cultural landscape, and are something that can’t be bought with money. Any more than a winning sports team van be created with money and nothing else.
One has to participate, one has to be engaged. The anti-Left has been largely absent from the cultural discourse in America for almost a hundred years. So of course we have no answer to Spielberg et al. You can’t fight on the epic level of War and Peace if you’re armed with the Reader’s Digest.