earnestness is mine, sayeth the conservative

Freddie

Freddie deBoer used to blog at lhote.blogspot.com, and may again someday. Now he blogs here.

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13 Responses

  1. Kyle E. Moore says:

    I just wanted to make a small point that focuses on the videos. I thought the first Will.I.Am video was brilliant and politically well timed. I remember surfing the comments sections of some conservative blogs and the prevailing attitude at the time was, “How are we supposed to beat THIS?!”

    Artistically it was well done, and if your were predisposed towards supporting Obama it was poignant and powerful. Politically it sent a different message, one that ultimately conveyed a truth about the Obama campaign; there’s an awful lot of us out here, and we are REALLY passionate about our candidate.

    So the first one I think on an artistic and substantive level, but also on a politically strategic level. All the rest of the videos in the same vain, however, have been… well… creepy. And what is worse is that they feed into the myth of cultism among the Obama supporters.

    This is part of the reason why no one likes it when Hollywood gets involved, or at least why I don’t like it when Hollywood gets involved. I don’t give a crap about the whole “it’s not fair that their voice gets so much attention because they’re rich and famous” argument that I’ve heard time and time again. Conservatives have no right to talk about unfairly shaping public opinion based on fame as long as Rush Limbaugh is still flop sweating over a studio mic.

    No, I despise Hollywood action because Hollywood activists are frankly pretty stupid when it comes to politics. They may be right on the issues from time to time, but they have no political instinct and mistake whatever artistic instincts they may or may not have for political instinct.

    And, my new friends in this joint venture, I’m sure you will eventually learn that nothing aggravates me more than people who play politics without a lick of political understanding.

    (also… ahem… I think I started this conversation, yes?)Report

  2. Freddie says:

    Sure. But that has to be equally applied, and of course the self-same people who lament Sean Penn talking politics love that Robert Duvall or whoever is an outspoken conservative.

    In the broader sense, I’m with you in that I don’t think people check their freedom of speech at the door when they become famous. We can and should judge the content of what they say with equal criticism of any one else, but there’s this idea out there that public figures just shouldn’t talk about politics. But in America, everyone gets to say their piece, and it’s really the fault of reporters for constantly sticking microphones in the face of these people if they don’t say things worth listening to.

    Sorry not to include you above– I just looked at the Series and saw only Erik and Mark, all apologies!Report

  3. Chris Dierkes says:

    I have no thoughts really on the topic. I just wanted to say tip of the bowler hat for the use of Yardarm. That was possibly the greatest use of that word I’ve ever seen. That gets Word of the Day.Report

  4. E.D. Kain says:

    I fixed the video size on this Freddie…in html editor changing videos to 400 x 300 will generally keep them inside the borders…Report

  5. E.D. Kain says:

    De nada, Freddie. Good post. I think it strikes again on that subject of genuine debate vs. verbal fisticuffs. I’d say there is a reason why one can read Larison or the C11 crew and maybe disagree but with a great deal of respect, and it’s not anyone’s lack of conviction. It’s not simply tonal, either, but rather some level of mutual respect even when at odds politically. This is not to say everyone need play nice at all times, but respect does not always mean one need be nice or timid. But it does require honesty, and intelligence. And those have been meted out in very short order over the last eight years…Report

  6. E.D. Kain says:

    It is a creepy video. The Cult of Celebrity will do Obama more harm than good, after all. And where were all these celebs and their silly pledges the last eight years? Does it really require a new President to inspire rich, idle people to pledge their time to do good?

    Hardly a liberal/conservative issue at all, to my mind. This is a class issue, methinks.Report

  7. MikeF says:

    I don’t think many of the people mocking Ashton Kutcher et al. would be doing so if they were showing fealty to a President McCain rather than a President Obama, and there’s a failing there.

    Probably not. But if that mirror-universe video were made, surely liberals would be mocking it just as conservatives are mocking the real one. I don’t disagree with anything in the post per se, but isn’t it just pointing out the obvious: that partisan people like being partisan? I dream of the world where we all unite in mocking creepy political videos with quick-cuts of overly earnest celebrities.Report

  8. Freddie says:

    Guilty as charged, I guess, MikeF…. And, yeah– let’s united against leader-worship. It’s unAmerican.Report

  9. Paul H. says:

    All good points, but the fact remains that this particular video is ineffably creepy.Report

  10. Bob says:

    Dave Ghrol is a god, therefore, this vedio is ineffably spirtual.Report

  11. West says:

    Please allow me to make the most obvious point of all. Conservatives would not , and did not, make a video like this. For most conservatives, their loyalty is properly targeted towards our country, rather than any individual entrusted with it’s stewardship. Supporting the POTUS is a far, far cry from promising personal fealty, and conservatives, by their very nature, understand that.Report

  12. E.D. Kain says:

    For most conservatives, their loyalty is properly targeted towards our country, rather than any individual entrusted with it’s stewardship.

    Oh, indeed. That’s played out exactly how you describe over the past eight years. And I’m sure conservatives will, en masse, get behind this President exactly in the manner they did with Clinton…The Limbaugh’s of the world are already proving how conservatives’ loyalty “is properly targeted toward our country.”

    Oh, and does hoping for one’s President to fail fall into that category of national concern?Report