The Zen master of Right-wing charm
Posted on 07/24/2011 8:29:14 PM PDT by Milagros
George Clooney and Barack Obama is a perfect example of the ageless romance between Hollywood and Washington liberals.. I’ve been living in Los Angeles for three months now, writing a book on politics in Hollywood. The question people ask time and again is, “Why is the movie business dominated by liberals?” Some critics (chiefly bloggers James Hirsen and Andrew Breitbart, and now Ben Shapiro in his new book) think it’s a conspiracy. I don’t agree. I think this town cleaves to the Left for social, not political reasons.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
It’s like the MSM, they are run by lefties who hire lefties and not others.
I think it is much simpler than that. If you are conservative and voice that opinion you do not get a job in Hollywood. If you keep your mouth shut about your conservative philosophy you continue to get work. If you do talk about your conservative beliefs, you do not get to work.
This is not rocket science, it is called “black listing the conservatives.”
Comparing my 50+ years in Los Angeles (and, arguably, in the USA), including 10 years in Malibu: uber-Hollywood, I would say this self-clever Brit with THREE WHOLE MONTHS in Hollywierd is a tiny bit funny, but wrong.
It isn’t ZEN, it is EGO. The Left is about being smarter than everyone in the room. The liberalism is from these things
1) You are supporting the “little” people, thus alleviating the feeling that you know, in your soul, you don’t deserve your success — not nearly to the degree you get money from it. GUILT is a great left-driving motivator. Ask Babs how many of the poor from nearby Compton she has had to her mansion for lunch.
2) It allows you to pretend you are smart. Liberals can speak about feelings and never have to back them up. Conservatives have to back up every statement they make, since Conservative values are based in thought. Most celebrities are dumber than dirt, so they need to hide in the psuedo-intellectualism of the left.
3) Public sympathy: If you can get on camera and have your tears stream “it is for the CHILDREN — why aren’t you as GOOD as ME??” it ups your sympathy level with people. Of course, you will seed the on-camera cause with a few grand (essentially change found in the sofa).
4) Echo chamber: Since the Nixon years, being liberal was “cool.” If you want to be with the “cool” crowd, you need to also be liberal.
It has nothing to do with ZEN. These people don’t care about ZEN. They care about THEMSELVES. If they cared about others, they would be Conservatives.
Can I get someone to pay for me to spend a few months in Hollywood? My analysis is a LOT more accurate.
I agree with you.
BS for instance - with her private beach - says the Democrats are for the people.
I’ve always thought these rich narcissists feel (there’s that word again) that by supporting a party that supposedly takes care of the little people (the ones they themselves wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole) that they’ve done their duty in the benevolence department.
Nevermind that the party they support is stealing from the middle class to support and underclass.
The movie “Mulholland Drive” explains Hollywood quite well. My husband grew up in the area and thinks the movie nailed it.
>>I’ve always thought these rich narcissists feel (there’s that word again) that by supporting a party that supposedly takes care of the little people (the ones they themselves wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole) that they’ve done their duty in the benevolence department.<<
Add to it how stupid they are and, no matter how hard they work they can’t generate intelligence, and you have the hole picture.
This limey spends 3 months in the area (I have spent YEARS in places all over the USA and would not presume to describe the people therein) and wants to cut them a break for being “socially conscious” (=ZEN).
His arrogance almost matches theirs.
I would say you are right and professor-boy is wrong.
I remember a pop-psychology book that came out in 85’ about what the author called the “impostor” phenomenon. It often afflicts people who achieved success too easily, too young. They feel unworthy and so do all sorts of weird shi’ite to compensate. Is that not Hollywood in it’s essence?
When it comes to fashionable causes, charities and sloganeering, along with uber-liberal politics guilt—as you say—is indeed the great motivator. The stars who have achieved fantastic success know deep down who and what they really are so they have to play holier-than-thou.
Of course, we must take into account the caste system. I heard a wise man once say that there are two Hollywoods: the Hollywood of the “creatives”, the actors, writers, directors, producers, composers, agents and promoters, etc., and the Hollywood of the “journeymen”; basically, the people who don’t get Oscars for their work (or whose Oscars are dispensed with in the first ten minutes), i.e. the carpenters, electricians, foley artists, cameramen, set designers, caterers, costume designers, and so on and on. THEY tend to be working-class conservative but they exist in a separate universe and are not expected to speak unless spoken to.
Added to this the fact that the entertainment business represents pitiless, merciless capitalism red in tooth and claw. People who succeed in this dirtiest of businesses either glory in their piggishness (Weinstein Bros.?) or writhe in self-flagellation between back-stabbings and throat cuttings. So, again, they publicly embrace the airy-fairyness of leftist politics to lay up indulgences in their minds and abate their sinfulness.
How’m I doing here?
>>Added to this the fact that the entertainment business represents pitiless, merciless capitalism red in tooth and claw. People who succeed in this dirtiest of businesses either glory in their piggishness (Weinstein Bros.?) or writhe in self-flagellation between back-stabbings and throat cuttings. So, again, they publicly embrace the airy-fairyness of leftist politics to lay up indulgences in their minds and abate their sinfulness.
How’m I doing here?<<
I added your last PPH since it is a great summary — you got it pretty solid.
You should petition the Telegraph for a trip to Hollywood! (seriously, in a joking way).
Think of Hollywood as Orwell’s Ministry of Truth. They create an artificial reality that influences the world. They know that the majority of people have been stripped of the ability to employ critical thought and analysis by Lib educators. Such people by design are likely to believe anything fed to them without questioning why. Add peer pressure from all their ‘friends’ who have likewise been sheepified.
Conservatives would/could introduce ideas that are contrary to the lib agenda, and that is not doubleplusgood. Therefore they are ‘blacklisted’ from any significant participation.
Bottom line, It’s definitely conspiratorial, but libs also just hate any one or thing that’s non-liberal on a gut level. They do EVERYTHING on a gut level because they cannot, by design, think critically (see above) and the cycle spins ever more wildly out of control.
The ZEN he’s talking about basically is an ideology that emphasizes on ‘individualism’. Not in classical liberalism sense, but in finding ‘truth’. In their mind, they are independent individuals who are free from social norms, or any idea implanted by leaders of so-called ‘organized religions’ (Jesus, Mohammad, Smith, etc.) What they didn’t realize, of course, the very idea of seeking enlightenment itself is an ideology implanted by zen masters—not much different from whatever it is they rejected.
I ain’t as purty as him, they’d never give me the time of day.
>>I ain’t as purty as him, they’d never give me the time of day.<<
I can’t evaluate that statement, per se, but you did point out what we sort of missed: Other than the occasional odd freakshow freak like Lyle Lovett, you better be easy on the eyes in that culture.
Even the suits. ;)
I had to stop reading this piece of malarky (having read other stupid articles on American culture by “Dr. Tim”) as soon as he claimed he gave a 5 dollar bill to a homeless man. No Englishman would ever part with 5 cents or pence much less a 5 dollar bill. Never happened.
Dr. Tim almost always gets it wrong. His writings on American (does he really live in L.A.? I sometimes suspect he’s the British version of Mike Barnacle) culture are filled with mistakes, misjudgements and stereotypes.
I disagree with this author. If the Hollywood libs really were only “social”, they wouldn’t churn out money-losing crap like Redacted, or The Green Zone. Those flicks end up making money in anti-American countries. If they really wanted to make $ they would make pro-American, pro-Christian kick ass movies. As much as I thought Hollywood was run by businessmen, their liberalism trumps even cold hard cash. Example: The Passion of the Christ. They could have had a piece of a billion dollar movie, but wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. So Mel Gibson made ALL the money. Which must really grind the gears of the studio elites.
How many times are the plots in the movies and TV shows based on someone who is becoming an actor or actress, a news media person, an author or reporter? It is highly diproprtionate. Think I Love Lucy... they think everyone wants to get into the entertainment business. In reality most reasonable people think that people in the entertainment business are mostly buffoons.
If one based their knowledge of the country on Hollywood movies they would think that the worst injustice in history were a few Hollywood people being investigated for their communist activities.
The Zen master of Right-wing charm
Their “Private Lives” are just that, but Conservatives don't get to have Private Lives.
Look no further than the double standard regarding a Liberal vs Conservative Politician's children.
At the Academy Awards some years back, the big thing was having the “Stars” pull up in a Prius to show how Green they were. Of course it wasn't publicized that they took their Limos from their Homes and switched to a Prius a few blocks away from the Red Carpet.
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