Shelby West

One of American conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart’s longest-lasting influences is the claim that politics is downstream from culture. This means that art, music, movies, literature and other creative works create the foundation for what will take hold in politics and the government. Even lower forms of culture like celebrities and tabloids hold sway over the government. 

When considering the current state of popular culture, it is no wonder that conservatives are losing. This is evident with the Republicans’ recent shift away from  many conservative standpoints such as pro-life, traditional marriage, immigration restriction and even transgender surgeries on children. All mainstream culture is filled — either subtly or explicitly — with liberal values such as free-sex, irreligiosity and vengeance. 

One example of this value shifting is Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic “Kingdom of Heaven.” It follows the story of Balian, a blacksmith who leaves France with his father to go to the Holy Land. This story takes place during the fall of the crusader control of Jerusalem after the First Crusade. The film is made very well and, if done historically accurately, it would have conservative values present.

However, it is clear that Scott was using this era to criticize the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. The heroes in the film believe in a religious pluralism, abandoning their loyalty to their own faith. These are beliefs that no one would have held during this time, especially Christian crusaders or Muslim soldiers fighting under Saladin.  

Another pervasive issue in many films and television shows is gratuitous nudity and sexual content. These scenes almost never add anything to the plot and when they do, it could have been done to the same effect without the nudity. A recent example was in Christopher Nolan’s  “Oppenheimer.” The film includes three scenes with nudity. Of those three, only one had anything added to the narrative. The nudity showed how he and his wife felt exposed by interviewers when questioned about Oppenheimer’s affair. However, this still could have been accomplished without the excessive nudity. 

These scenes are included in order to be transgressive and promote a sexual, lustful culture, and are used to attack conservative values of family and life. Nudity in film exposes something that is meant to remain between a man and his wife and desecrates holy matrimony. The family is one of the core values in conservative thought, stemming back thousands of years. Their inclusion is even more baffling since people, especially our generation, often do not enjoy their inclusion. 

There are some in the conservative sphere like Andrew Klavan who have recognized the need for creating a conservative culture. However, they have lacked the quality and widespread appeal to make any impact. The Daily Wire has released a handful of movies in the past couple of years, but only two have brought mainstream attention: “What is a Woman?” and “Am I Racist?” Both of these films are explicitly political, closer to a documentary rather than a film. 

The rest of the movies are locked behind a paywall, restricting whatever impact they may have to people who already agree. When Daily Wire’s conservative “Family Guy” clone “Mr. Birchum” came out, the company released a handful of clips and trailers that were free to view. These clips mostly consisted of played-out “triggered social justice warrior” jokes that have not been funny since 2016. 

The difference between regular adult cartoons like “Family Guy” and “Mr. Birchum” is that “Family Guy” is primarily concerned with being entertaining. Meanwhile, Daily Wire’s cartoon starts with a political message then builds a story around it, which does not produce the same comedic effect. 

In 2019, “Unplanned” was released. It follows the story of Abby Johnson, a pro-life activist who worked at Planned Parenthood before witnessing the slaughter of a baby and being so moved she leaves her job to join the fight against such atrocities. This movie started with political ends. Johnson’s story is a powerful one, but it’s hard to believe that anyone who viewed this movie who was not already pro-life. Conservative values in culture are ghettoized behind online paywalls and small-budget films only conservatives will watch. 

There have been good conservative films and music. One of the greatest examples is the 1959 epic “Ben-Hur.” This 3 ½ hour-long film follows the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a rich Jewish prince during the time of Jesus Christ. While focusing on his fall and subsequent rise, the film sees Ben-Hur cross paths with Jesus. Ben-Hur’s childhood Roman friend Messala returns as a leader to the Romans governed Judea and, when Ben-Hur refuses to sell out his people, is sent to the galleys- a death sentence. He moves up in Roman society until he is able to return to Judea, seeking his revenge against his once friend. However, it is through his interactions with one of the three Magi from the Nativity of Christ Balthasar and Christ himself, Ben-Hur refuses to hate and loathe the man who sent him to his death. Ultimately, Ben-Hur realizes that forgiveness is better than seeking revenge against those who wronged him, the latter of which is glorified in modern movies. The film also has conservative themes such as patriotism, perseverance, piety and family. 

All of these works put the art before the political message, allowing them to push culture forward. People will actually consume them because they are good art and not just part of a political agenda. No one who does not already agree will have their values affected by midlevel movies that brow beat them with explicit political messages.

Our country needs traditional values and should be able to find them in the art we produce. However, it is heavily lacking. The promotion of the virtue of forgiveness in ‘Ben-Hur’ is much better for the viewer’s soul than if Ben-Hur exacted his revenge on the Roman commander There is a lack of good conservative film, music and art in our country and we should seek to fill it. 

Ultimately, time and money are limited resources and, in this political and cultural knife fight for the future of our nation, they should be used prudently. While these movies are important, if they are either poorly made, put behind a paywall or marketed as “conservative” they will not produce the desired effect of promoting good values or influencing people. Until these movies are created effectively, the resources being pumped into these projects would be better spent on other endeavors.