Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Stop Complaining and Start Doing
Townhall.com ^ | June 27, 2013 | Jedediah Bila

Posted on 06/28/2013 2:16:16 AM PDT by Kaslin

One of the best lines of advice I've ever gotten came from my aunt Rose in the third grade: "Stop complaining about what you don't like, and do what you can to change it." I took her advice that afternoon, had a much better school year because of it, and promised myself I'd never forget her words of wisdom.

So here I am today, immersed in a sea of politics and culture wars, TV and radio debates, panel discussions and Q & A sessions where I'm challenged to think hard about who I am, what I value, and what messages I hope to convey to the listeners and viewers who count on me to tell them what I really think.

There's never a day that goes by that I don't think about my aunt's advice. So, let's do ourselves--and our country--a favor and apply it.

Yes, the mainstream media is painfully biased. Yes, the Obama administration has and will continue to use Hollywood and the entertainment industry to push its agenda. Yes, the Left has been highly focused on--and skilled at--using pop culture outlets to shift public opinion on political, cultural, and social issues. Yes, academia is often in the brainwashing business and revisionist history is alive and well.

And now for my controversial statement--So what? What do the Left's tactics have to do with me or my ability to counter them with smart policy, solid media strategy, innovative marketing, effective delivery, creative projects, and youth outreach? Nothing. They have absolutely nothing to do with me. Unless, of course, I spend more time complaining about what's wrong than challenging it. That, I'm afraid, is a mistake being made all too often on the right.

Yes, talking Obamacare repeal is important. But what's more important is having smart, charismatic free-market enthusiasts in media, at events, and in liberal hubs talking specifics about alternatives. Why are the alternatives better? Who stands to gain? Why should young people care?

Where are the hired messengers for this? In D.C. talking to each other? On TV being non-specific? Writing up proposals they can toss on a website that the ideal target audience will never read?

Yes, speaking at conservative college forums is very important. But what's more important is speaking at college liberal forums. Be the odd man or woman out. Challenge the status quo. I promise you that someone in that room will leave thinking about what you've said. I did it as a student at Columbia University, I did it among professors while working in academia, and I do it every day in liberal New York City. Trust me, eyes and ears do open.

Conservative and libertarian novelists, filmmakers, artists, musicians, clothing designers--challenge the system. Use your creativity and talent to define this movement; don't let the Left define it for you. Will it be hard to get projects published and promoted? Sure. You know what else was hard? The drafting of the Constitution. They managed to get it done.

There are people in this business who are content to preach to the choir, spew talking points, and hope for the best. I'm not one of them. So I ask you to join me in working to get people of all ages, races, religions, and professions to think a little harder, to open their eyes and ears a little wider, and to question what many in media and academia have told them for so long.

In other words, let's stop complaining and start doing.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: conservatives; culturewar; freemarkets; freemarketsolution; liberals; obamacare; start
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-79 next last
To: Kaslin

The article is right. We must stop complaining and do something. The question is what? Whatever you are comfortable with. Write letters to papers, post on news sites other than Freerepublic, go to meetings, challenge liberal views, work for a candidate, and find ways to let people know Hollywood and the liberal media are not the majority. Posting here all is lost and just wait until TSHTF does no one any good. The liberals love to see the defeatist attitude it means they are winning.


21 posted on 06/28/2013 4:16:55 AM PDT by shoff (Vote Democratic it beats thinking!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VRWC For Truth

“They just throw you out. They write the police and judges paychecks.”

It worked when I was in local government. In fact, we fired two police chiefs.

Why don’t you try it.


22 posted on 06/28/2013 4:30:54 AM PDT by sergeantdave (No, I don't have links for everything I post)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: shoff

All is not lost for America but Mordor on the Potomac won’t survive. Make plans accordingly. Socialism always fails, thus the so called liberals aka fascists never win. Christianity has survived all man made governments.


23 posted on 06/28/2013 4:33:44 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
I have spent the last 40 years fighting for what is right. I have dedicated myself to this once Great republic... I have seen little in the way of Victory. Reagan was the last great Victory of the Right. At least my two rino Senators voted against this amnesty crap. Don't worry... I'll keep fighting for Freedom and Liberty until I quit breathing... which if obama and the left have their way... will not be much longer. obamacare may just kill all of us.

LLS

24 posted on 06/28/2013 4:35:28 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sergeantdave

You replaced a cog in the system. The system didn’t change.


25 posted on 06/28/2013 4:38:21 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: VanDeKoik

What do you recommend? Should we emulate the left? Ok, I’ll hop a plane to NY and take a dump of a police cruiser! Should we take over central park and infest it with drugs and rape tents? Should we form subversive groups like ows, sds, the weathermen? Should we take up the tactics of al qaeda?


26 posted on 06/28/2013 4:39:21 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: LibLieSlayer

The healthcare nonsense won’t work as soon as it goes live. The free market will have a solution and the nonsense will quietly go away. Capitalist nullification.


27 posted on 06/28/2013 4:46:18 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: LibLieSlayer

“Should we emulate the left? Ok, I’ll hop a plane to NY and take a dump of a police cruiser! Should we take over central park and infest it with drugs and rape tents? Should we form subversive groups like ows, sds, the weathermen? Should we take up the tactics of al qaeda?”

Yeah, because that’s the sum total of everything they do. Shit on police cars and rape people in tents or blow stuff up?

Because all of this leftist crap we’ve seen implemented over the past 50 years was due to that stuff? Reeeeeealy?

As much as I don’t agree with anything they say, the left has this, I suppose, strange habit to us, of actually putting their issues in front of people 24/7. Showing up to rallies, constantly communicating, always influencing, and never letting up. Are some....most crazy? Yep. Are they all doing that really bad stuff? Nope.

Pretty much the only people on our side that can go the full distance is the NRA.

An example of our side doing what I getting at were the Chick-Fil-A Day protests. It got people’s attention, got all of us involved, won that particular issue, and didn’t involve defecating on police cars.


28 posted on 06/28/2013 4:50:33 AM PDT by VanDeKoik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: LibLieSlayer

Emulate the Founding Fathers. Declare your individual independence from your oppressors, and act accordingly. A winning strategy.


29 posted on 06/28/2013 4:50:56 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: sergeantdave

We’ve also got GOP supermajorities in 23 states vs 11 or 12 for the democrats.


30 posted on 06/28/2013 4:51:23 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: VanDeKoik

Please, the left bought off their supporters with your money. The game is rigged.

Outbidding them, the RINO way, or starving them of revenue, a tactical way are your two choices with the current system. The historic way is to create a new gov’t ... and under the Constitution that is permitted.


31 posted on 06/28/2013 5:04:01 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: VRWC For Truth

I think so too... but I have been wrong about what the American people will endure before.

LLS


32 posted on 06/28/2013 5:17:57 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: VanDeKoik

I am in for anything that is legal and possible for me to do. If I closed my business to do it full time... my family would suffer and the families of those that have depended on me for 40 years will suffer too. The right works and makes America’s engine run... the left has millions of unemployed drones that suck off the Federal tit while protesting and promoting anarchy. I blame the soft and miseducated Americans for accepting obvious lies and promises that are never fulfilled.

LLS


33 posted on 06/28/2013 5:21:46 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: VRWC For Truth
The healthcare nonsense won’t work as soon as it goes live. The free market will have a solution and the nonsense will quietly go away. Capitalist nullification.

The only way I see that happening is if the IRS enforcers are "encouraged" to stand down, most likely due to unpleasant things happening to some of their colleagues.

34 posted on 06/28/2013 5:22:22 AM PDT by Charles Martel (Endeavor to persevere...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: VRWC For Truth

THAT is how I live my life.

LLS


35 posted on 06/28/2013 5:24:02 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek

That should make the split go easy should it come to that.

LLS


36 posted on 06/28/2013 5:24:31 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: VRWC For Truth

“You replaced a cog in the system. The system didn’t change.”

We also threw a half-dozen rat politicians and bureaucrats into state prison, recalled more than 40 rat politicians and voted them out of office and elected a pro-2nd amendment constitutional sheriff.

You bet your beeber that we changed the system. As I said, try it. You might like it.


37 posted on 06/28/2013 5:42:04 AM PDT by sergeantdave (No, I don't have links for everything I post)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: jmacusa

What good would that do? They already have your money unless you are a quarterly payer.


38 posted on 06/28/2013 6:00:15 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: RedHeeler

LOL! Yep, Jedidiah is all woman. Not sure why her parents gave her that name, but her middle name is Louisa, and she writes very good columns. I subscribe to her weekly newsletter, and she’s spot on correct most of the time. I wish that Fox would give her more air time during the day, instead of bringing her in for the “Red Eye” show in the wee hours of the morning.


39 posted on 06/28/2013 6:14:43 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: LibLieSlayer; VanDeKoik

Another thing you can do is get your kids out of the communist re-education centers AKA government schools, and convince as many people as you can to do likewise. If you are retired, join a local homeschool support group and offer to help out. Look around for families who are wanting to get their kids out and see what you can do to help. Work in your community for school choice proposals. If you like to teach, organize a civics class for high schoolers in your community.


40 posted on 06/28/2013 6:15:10 AM PDT by boxlunch (Deuteronomy 28,29,30)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-79 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson