You can often find my criticisms of conservative media being less than kind, but that's not because I think conservatives shouldn't create any controversy. Loyal readers will know that I'm one of the largest proponents of conservatives getting into the game of artistic forms of media for years.
The issue is that for ages, conservative media consisted of creating art for the sake of conservatism, not for the sake of creating art. It's the same problem Christian media has suffered from for some time. What ends up happening is that conservatives end up creating media that's more geared toward propaganda than good storytelling.
You can see examples come from this all the time. For instance, "Nefarious," a film I liked, went a bit off the rails at the end with an appearance and interview with Glenn Beck. It was a moment that took me out of an otherwise stupendous movie, and I couldn't help but think any onlookers who weren't conservatives would have been put off by Beck's sudden appearance.
And then, there are monstrosities like this. A Christmas music video that goes so over the top in promoting Trump that I'm not sure if it's going to do him any favors. I'm just going to show you a clip because I don't know if anyone can watch the whole thing.
This is worse than Jill Biden’s White House nutcracker video pic.twitter.com/f76vOyZbuN
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) December 17, 2023
Conservatism doesn't need to be sold like this. In fact, it can't be. You'd have more luck selling sand in the desert, or real values at a DNC convention.
This is effectively shoving your thoughts and beliefs in the face of others and shouting "Accept them!" Even as a libertarian conservative myself, I can't help but check "no."
Not long ago, I covered how the Christian entertainment industry needs to learn from corporate media's failures, and the same applies to conservatism.
(READ: Christian Entertainment Media Needs to Watch Leftist Media's Failures Right Now, and Learn From Them)
Oddly, this is a skill the left had down pat for some time. They were easily selling their ideas through movies, television, and even comic books. For a time, they seemed unstoppable, but as you've likely witnessed yourself, they suddenly lost that talent to idealism.
Now, much of the corporate media feels like it has a responsibility to push leftist ideals, thinking that its power is so established in the minds of the people that they'll vacuum it up without a care in the world. Only that's not happening. The American Comic Book industry is in shambles, Disney and Warner Bros are losing money at a ridiculous rate, it's unclear just how long some of these industries can recover...that is when they decide to get serious about recovering.
This leaves conservatives with a stupendous opportunity to tell and sell stories of their own. Not propaganda, mind you, but real stories worth telling. Stories that the corporate media refuses to tell.
And one well-done story can change everything. One sensational film or book can take a culture by storm. With the left having largely abandoned their will to produce great things, conservatives are now well-positioned to meet the demand.
The key is to support those in positions who have the desire to get into the arts. Support artists who have no desire to put forth messaging and just tell a good story. See their movies, buy their books, and play their games. That's not to say you should just spend money because someone said they're conservative. Reward good art and reject bad art, but participate in it by voting with your dollar.
Once conservatives get serious about this, you'll watch society change before you.
