Why Conservatives Don't Understand Culture

[@peporgan]

It’s quite a lonely world for conservative artists. You’re surrounded by people who don’t share any of your values.

[@loklamwong2545]

They also see no value in our work.

[@mahguvnah7403]

@@loklamwong2545 The people who share your values don't see any value in your work. The people who see the value in your work don't share your values.

[@grantwithers]

Both of my parents are that, they never seemed super lonely as a result of their being conservative artists, bur rather who they are as people.

[@jackvancekirkland]

It's amazing, when people see you are an artist of any kind they feel totally comfortable assuming you are a leftist/progressive.

[@kyzercube]

Conservative art is stuffed deer heads and muscle cars. The art of hunting and black thumbing ( mechanic work ), aka stuff that's essential for everyday life is the culture that we conservatives consider 2nd nature and you liberals crawl to us and beg for that service. Every time you go to an auto-shop for a repair or service, or buy foods that farmers grow and truckers ship, think about all the conservatives and our practical applications getting these services and products to you 😆 Are culture and art is that of utilization and practical application.

[@Desirestolearn]

I'm glad that someone finally stood up and said it. Honestly, they need to realize that art is a culture mover and to abandon the arts is not only to abandon something very beautiful and human but also an incredibly beautiful avenue for one's message. You're right that they try to make everything about either money or the economy. They have sacrificed the moral rectitude and integrity of society for their gods: money and the economy.

[@DVSPress]

Rejecting Moloch and worshipping Mammon instead.

[@ab-gail]

You act like people haven’t been saying this forever.

[@machinguy94]

So I should create things that are useful and worry about if it is a economical solution to a problem. Whilst paying you to produce things that are not useful and nevermind its economics. Wow.

[@chrisjackson1266]

Nice to check in again. I think you're 1000% correct on this. Can't influence if you're too busy reacting against things, stoking animosity in a weird holier-than-thou sort of way, and exploiting negative energy for profit.

[@gonzalot.605]

To give you all a real life example: Manuel Adorni, the current spokesperson of the presidency of Argentina, is an avid gamer, and he constantly references video games in his Twitter account with witticism and ingenuity. Now you see why almost every single person under 35 voted for our current government? That's the power of culture.

[@catsareevil101]

The only conservatives who remember that art can change harts and minds tend to be Conservative Christians. Sadly they mostly make Sunday School lessons for ten year-old's and wrap a cheap cartoon or basic game around it. That's why Veggie Tales stood out so much and it is so sad they are gone, it was created by actual creatives who actually wanted to be entertaining for all.

[@dean_l33]

Scott Cawthon made some actually pretty funny Christian media

[@ab-gail]

I guess that’s what makes me different. I’m a conservative Christian. I make comics and love CS Lewis.

[@ab-gail]

Veggietales was actually marketed towards young children too. It is still entertaining for all.

[@vaderchief]

I would add that the left does a good job of gatekeeping conservatives out of artistic endeavors whenever they're found out, however that would be less of a problem if there were patronages for conservative artists to fall back on. Also, younger creative conservatives are basically told that all art is a waste of time, not valuable and to instead pursue a _real job_

[@DVSPress]

Both good points. One of the problems with trying to fund something with conservatives is like I said they're focused on the bottom line - how does this make money for me? That's not real patronage.

[@jjhh320]

Yep. The "real job" demand is what kills any chance they can have at thriving communities of artists. I hear it from family plenty of times, and have seen my fair share of now non-artists whose dreams have been killed

[@beachbum111111]

​@@DVSPressConservatives should honestly know better than to solely rely on short term gratification. A money making business isn't made overnight. A large part of capitalism and the free market is the inherent risk that comes with it.

[@kevintanza6968]

@@beachbum111111You're thinking of people with honest intentions of making a business and art. Most mainstream conservatives are grifters, much like leftists.

[@toddbrickley]

Daily Wire to a T.

[@ezemdianosike5277]

JRR Tolkien Mel Gibson Francis Ford Coppola Martin Scorsese John Ford (best of the 20th century) Christopher Nolan (best of the 21st century) Quentin Tarantino Damien Chazelle What do they all have in common. Solve this puzzle, you will discover the backbone of storytelling (in cinema at least)

[@FeintToParry]

Andrew Klavan is the only one on the DailyWire who respects art and even views video games as a worthy artistic medium in their own right. People like Matt Walsh are way too dismissive of games and anime (which ironically is where so many more conservatively oriented young people have turned to find better stories that are not infected with western woke values).

[@TheHouseAlwaysWins20]

Most of the people you named aren't really conservative​@@ezemdianosike5277

[@LordBaktor]

There's always this feeling that one side wants to turn art into a product and the other wants to use it as propaganda while artists themselves just want to be left alone and do their thing without compromising their vision.

[@DVSPress]

Yeah I feel that

[@wanhedah2160]

It’s interesting to see the youth conservative response to this, in which it appears to be an outright offensive. Several of the people in my generation that I would consider “conservatives” are incredibly distrustful of neocons as well as liberals. And I believe that’s where the rise in “extremism” is coming from to a small extent explicitly among college conservatives. Because of this seemingly “new” groups’ distrust of established republicans and democrats they’re simply labeled “extremists”.

[@DVSPress]

One of the functions of current right-wing media is to alienate and ghettoize anyone on their side who has a positive vision. It really looks like older conservatives just love being the Washington Generals.

[@SoundEngraver]

Right on all points! And notice, these conservative art pieces are a reaction to current year issues. It's why I don't bother with them.

[@slicedtopieces]

Need more visionaries. But make no mistake, they will suffer for it. The current paradigm is massively brutal toward any vision of the future that is not its own.

[@josephvlogsdon]

As a writer myself, I would like to consider myself to be more religious than conservative. That often comes along with adopting certain conservative positions, but I’m not loyal to any party. Economically, I’m somewhat left-leaning. I’m caught between conservatives who don’t care about art and liberals who only care about ideology. One of the reasons why I have trouble making friends is because it’s difficult to find people who are both artsy and religious. The real problem in society is anti-intellectualism, which can manifest on the right and the left. Conservatives don’t care about intellectually complex art unless it makes money, but liberals will often reject such art on the grounds that it reinforces racism and privilege. They’re two sides of the same coin.

[@DVSPress]

My religious views tend to put me at odds with a lot of conservatives, particularly those who benefit from and promote usury. Most of these you can't convince because they immediately interpret any argument counter to Republican beliefs to be leftists and therefore bad.

[@josephvlogsdon]

@@DVSPress My problem with many conservatives is that they claim to champion family values, but many of their policies make it harder for people to start families.

[@MennydorgesERArchive]

@@DVSPressChristianity is against usury. Unless, you’re talking about judaism, even the lax protestantism doesn’t like it.

[@johnpglackin345]

The progressive economic policy steals from others. By welfare and entitlement programs. By stealing from taxation. So as Christian you should not be supporting theft by taxation.

[@johnpglackin345]

​@@josephvlogsdonIt's not the government's job to provide for the people. It's the families and the Christian congregation job to provide for support.

[@thirion1850]

Excellent take. I'd even go a step further to say that because of this inability to take risks, the inability to plunge yourself into the crucible of art, conservatives today are *no longer capable* of making art if they're heavily involved in politics. To make something for the sake of the soul and *expect nothing in return*-- you'd think the side most invested in proselytizing the Christian faith would understand the importance of that. Of why AI, something that strips the artistic soul away (but brings in that sweet ol' buck) is so vile. "True" art is painful and difficult, figuring out your muse and then splaying it out before others is frightening. Anything considered "new", even moreso. Conservatives want the fruits of artistic labor and the mind, they want the rewards of a won culture, without having put in the work necessary to get there, nor the patronage necessary to see it flourish. To never have their own neck on the line. So much for muh bootstraps.

[@Thin447Line]

What an annoyingly narrow viewpoint you have. Essentially you are virtue-signalling your arrogant superiority complex by parroting the liberal talking points. "Conservative = greedy capitalist / Liberal = free thinking sophisticated saint." You can't pigeon-hole everybody into your narrow view of only two types of people. Just listen to yourself. "Conservatives are dumb because they don't like art, and all they care about is profit, blah blah blah. But Liberals are superior because they are the only ones that know how to appreciate "true" art, blah blah blah." Classic Marxist divide and conquer mentality. Classify people into stupid little groups based on vapid and insignificant differences and just sit back and watch society tear itself apart. Then us superior Free Thinkers will inherit the world and build our Utopia. Your philosophy makes me want to vomit.

[@misterkefir]

I was about to post just a one word comment - "Money." and then you just said it yourself, heh. So yeah. Money.

[@crusherven]

You make some good points, and I agree with a lot of it. I think you're idealizing the patronage model, though. It wasn't *just* supporting art for its own sake. It was often expected or required that the artist create things that made the patron look good.

[@InfamyOrDeath-__-]

Yea I’m looking at Matt Walsh and his terrible takes on anime & games and it really annoys me. Because I align a lot with Conservatives but their view on culture is just terrible.

[@atrifle8364]

Matt Walsh really unfortunately represents the worst of modern Catholic culture, even if he is well meaning. Nobody needs a long rants about what we already knew to be true. He takes no risks. It's just caterimg to the oldest generations.

[@mr_reborn]

@@atrifle8364So is a lot of the youtube sphere, just to the geek crowd. It’s been a longstanding critique.

[@DVSPress]

That's it. The media grift-o-matic is figuring out what people already think and just saying that. Zero attempt to move anything or have a single original thought.

[@Thin447Line]

The big mistake you are making is the classic "hasty generalization" logical fallacy. _Matt Walsh is a conservative pundit. Matt Walsh hates anime and games. Matt Walsh has a terrible view on culture. Therefore, anyone who calls themselves conservative hates anime and games and has a terrible view on culture._ Matt Walsh's views on particular subjects are his own personal views. They do not always reflect identical views of everyone who listens to him. Truth be told, he is most likely stating bold opinions for the sole purpose of provoking the "liberal hive mind" into a blue-haired, wild-eyed frenzy of intolerance and indignation. I think it is quite entertaining.

[@jakkuhl6223]

Walsh's job is present himself as a Christian and say dumb things. Contop, and all that. I figured that out about him way back when he listed stormy Daniels' big boobs as a character flaw.

[@FreeLivingProject]

There was a time when people spent decades building cathedrals for the glory of God.

[@btulkas8199]

Great video and very apropos, I feel like there are a lot disillusioned “conservatives” like myself, I’m kind of done with the bigger conservative names out there, I’d rather listen and consume content from David and others like him

[@SpaceFungus07a]

Refusal to accept new media is definitely a factor, but I think it's just one symptom of the overall cause, which is a fortress mindset. There's a general feeling of desperation and embattlement that I think was inherited from American Evangelicalism with its strong separation between the Church and "the world", which is seen as basically irredeemable. The feeling is that "the world" is too wicked and we can't possibly win, so we just have to quarantine what we have and wait for Jesus to come save us. I think conservatism has been infected with this mindset to the point that many conservative artists are unable to view the world with a sense of wonder and optimism; they see threats and dangers everywhere, which kills creativity. They also have an obsessive need to remain "pure", hence it's seen as more important for the art to express the correct views than for it to actually be good. We can see this with PureFlix, where people will actually try to argue that the art is good because it says pious Christian things. This fortress mindset makes conservatives afraid to be too creative, and thus kills conservative art by making it bland and preachy.

[@DVSPress]

Great points. If you look at the history of American religions, adventism (a belief that Christ was returning SOON, like next year) was big going back into the 19th century. Not a lot of reason to build Cathedrals for the ages if the world is getting swept away in a few years.

[@DVSPress]

Very different, by the way, from the Renaissance which was very optimistic even the face of plagues that killed millions. Wild to think about.

[@Tyler_W]

The attitude of American evangelicalism (and I think this might be a problem in the Anglosphere as a whole) that you're describing comes from the pernicious influence of dispensational theology. Without delving deep into its history, why it's influential, and what makes it what it is, your description of "fortress mindset" spells victims of the dispensationalist mindset to a tee. I grew up around it and unfortunately know it quite well. The world is destined to go to pot. It's just gonna get worse and worse and worse, and there's nothing we can do about it because it was prophesied, so we need to flee enemy territory, hunker down in our little church bubbles, and pray for Jesus to come quickly with the cavalry to beam us out of here while the rest of the unelect world deservedly goes to hell in a hand basket.

[@MaitlandJones]

It's mentally taxing to engage with institutions that are ideologically captured, as a result I think a lot of conservatives check out of trying. I know the feeling as a conservative trying for master's degree and wanting to get a university level teaching job. I felt more free to speak my mind during my time as an English teacher in Communist China than I did with my fellow western students. I've wanted to quit, leave it all behind so many times. It's a lonely road venturing into Mordor.

[@DVSPress]

I mean, it's part of why I left academia.

[@StupidAnon-gn8ih]

I once thought I was capable of traveling that road myself. I wanted to bring back Jungian literary criticism and marry it with some of my own ideas, tease out some human universals in literature. But as soon as I saw what I'd have to do for master's classes, I realized I'd be selling my soul, and I couldn't do that. I'd already sold enough pieces of it for my bachelor's degree. I _can_ be bought, with some things, or to do some things, but lying like that is just too much for me.

[@MaitlandJones]

@@StupidAnon-gn8ih This is why I'm doing military history, particularly, doing military history and focusing 100% on the nuts and bolts of war stuff while not touching politics with a 10 foot pole. Thankfully tactics and strategy are apolitical. But I'm of the opinion that I don't think I'm going to go past master's degree. Get the credentials for ensuring a position teaching in China or SE Asia is secure or teach community college if I want to stay in the west. Though, if I quit today, my former employers were pleased with my work so I could likely return there. Though, if I had it all to do again, I'd probably go with a trade school.

[@Brutaful]

You're spot on, David. Conservatives fail to understand culture, because they are just as, or even more materialistic than the left. As far as the left has fallen, they can still appreciate pursuing art for it's own sake. They also understand the "soft power" a group gains by having art that can speak to massive amounts of people on a deeper level. The reason the right-wing has a great opportunity right now is because, the left is losing that appreciation while only caring about maintaining the "soft power". I see the NRx and dissident right (monarchists, traditionalists, and more "far right" types,) are starting to understand this actually. They have less of the Conservative Inc. problem of being hyper-focused on simply making money, but they have their own problem of pursuing tradition for tradition's sake. This results in a perspective on art that's similar to Conservative Inc. but along the lines of "gaming's just a waste of time...", rather than the fixation on simply making money. On top of that, you get the usual "anime is degenerate because of (insert degenerate anime here)" takes that further hinders the right-wing from fully appreciating and creating culture. There is effort being made to look at art and culture more holistically, and I'd say the youtuber PilgrimPass is a great example of someone who does that. Hopefully the right-wing will continue on that path.

[@vibrolax]

I'm an old man, who has been conservative since I was for years old. My parents were sort of philistines, who didn't go for fine arts, but liked the popular culture of their youth during the Great Depression. I was exposed to fine arts in catholic school, as well as through semi-highbrow books and magazines my parents subscribed to. These were apparently just for me, as I never caught them reading. Most people are philistines at heart, conservative or progressive. I skim pop culture, entertainment, computer games, etc. to try to understand why people become addicted to them. I get it. I'm not it favor of banning any of it,even though ~15% of people will have a serious consequence from addiction to bad leisure choices. I love being free to choose, but it's really important to learn how to choose.

[@DVSPress]

This is very true. One of the problems people run into with comparing the current music to, say, Mozart, is that even when Mozart was alive few people listened to his music. It paid for and enjoyed by a small elite. Most people were singing drinking songs in the pub with out-of-tune lutes. The music of the folk has always been simple.

[@DVSPress]

To expand on that there was supposedly a saying that that more people were converted to the Lutheran heresy by singing than by preaching. Martin Luther and other reformers used simple music, often to familiar tunes.

[@nickrondinelli1402]

Conserve nothing, behind the times, monetizes what should be an expression of the soul

[@lucymiau5700]

Point 1 is full correct. Point 2 and 3 is more a thing of the Liberterians. The main problem beside of point 1 (the missing vision for the future) is that modern conservatives often think that Culture is what remains in history and not a thing what is made in the presence. They look on artists and think: "Go and search for a real job" and then they look on entertainment and think: "That is stupid kiddy stuff".

[@Apamaru]

Massive untapped potential in visual novels! The audience is growing, and it's based around mainly Japanese games, which espouse relatively conservative values. So the audience is fairly hardcore and amenable. They are also people who are used to niche titles and finding out about them on their own, without the devs having big marketing budgets.

[@MSpotatoes]

I was raised in a very liberal family, and then I became conservative in my 30s. Now, in my 40s, I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle.

[@DVSPress]

Many such cases.

[@johnpglackin345]

The middle or the moderates have caved to the progressives. They help create much of the chaos we are in right now.

[@arcturus4067]

@@johnpglackin345 True that. In my opinion, "moderates" try to seek compromise with "liberals"/"progressives". The problem with this approach is the latter is a tyrannic@l group now in near absolute power of the governmental, cultural and academic apparatus in USA and the collective "West". Tyr@nts simply do not seek compromise, they seek submission.

[@BrianSalazar-kn5ng]

My new favorite channel!! You’re brilliant 🙌

[@Zero_Omega_ZX]

Damn I’m glad I found your content

[@ponczos_2293]

Yeah I feel the same way. I started drawing this year and was told that it's childish and stupid by my family. I just want to enjoy art and drawing in general. If I enjoy it, it's art so why shouldn't I continue doing it? Really don't get the reaction tbh, I guess it's the same in every country?

[@DVSPress]

I'm pretty sure the only person in my entire extended family that doesn't actively think I'm a loser for being an artist is one uncle of mine (who is also a musician). But it could be other things, honestly - even starting a business that they don't understand. There is a standard idea in culture that you are supposed to do things a certain way, and the more you deviate from that path, the less approval you will get from others.

[@ponczos_2293]

@@DVSPress oh absolutely. I've struggled so much to even try new things or think about changing but I often don't since my family disapproves the vast majority of things in general. Never understood that

[@DVSPress]

@@ponczos_2293 For myself, I don't think it's malicious. My family wanted me to do what they saw as normal, successful, proper, etc. I think about it with my own kids with education a lot. Sometimes, they just want to try something a different way to get a result, and it's good to let them experiment, even if it means you'll have to redo a lesson later.

[@crusherven]

​@@DVSPress You MUST be a loser with long hair like that, right?! (I'm joking, of course)

[@Jared_Wignall]

I’m a pretty conservative person and it’s unfortunate to see how many conservatives don’t get pop culture. It’s not hard to grasp, yet those like Matt Walsh keep getting things wrong, while simultaneously getting upset when the right loses the culture war. I’ve often thought someone like Matt Walsh actually wants to lose the culture war so that he can complain about how the current pop culture is terrible. Likes to complain, yet does not want to do anything that could possibly change the culture for the better, while being to the right of the political aisle.

[@DVSPress]

If things got better, Mat Walsh wouldn't have a job.

[@brandoncorley1508]

Unfortunately, the right are masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@Jared_Wignall]

@@DVSPresslol very true!

[@JPStaszak]

100% agree. I've made the same points, albeit with less eloquence. Even conservatives that mention fiction usually only have knowledge of the classics that they read in high school. They leave it behind to focus on stock portfolios and dividends because fiction is "childish".

[@ViperChief117]

Matt Walsh is an example of out of touch elderly individuals who speak about things of which they don’t understand. One of which is video games. Lol

[@DVSPress]

I think he's younger than me.

[@MSpotatoes]

Hey Matt Walsh is 37. I'm 44 and I love video games lol

[@ViperChief117]

@@DVSPress Yeah I was speaking figuratively since Matt Walsh’s take on gaming is like what a lot of the elderly generation think and feel in regards to gamers. Lol

[@ViperChief117]

@@MSpotatoes I’m 33 and I’ve been playing video games since the SNES days. XD

[@jesshorn257]

matt is younger then me...age is not the deciding factor(and I am on the rightwing side)

[@TheBeardedDoog]

I think Peter Thiel understands this but he is focused on science.

[@tb8865]

A lot of Conservative "art" only exists as a backlash to mainstream lib stuff. "We're going to do the Strong Female lead but NOT WOKE" etc. The creators recognize there's a neglected audience (Conservatives) and exploit the audience. As a side note Apostolic Majesty did a good review/analysis of Morrowind over on his channel that you should all check out.

[@HaroldCrews]

Excellent analysis as usual. I considered myself a conservative for many years, but about twenty years ago became disillusioned with conservatism for the reasons you mentioned. The greatest flaw IMO and as you mentioned is its passivity and being reactionary. Both create a tendency to anti-intellectualism which in turn greatly hinders any artistic creativity. Another issue with modern American conservatism is that it has foolishly incorporated many strains of libertarian thought. Individualism as usually practiced is the morality of the parasite and opportunist.

[@snippids]

Prime example of conservatives just being 20 years in the past: the daily wire’s newest movie Lady Ballers is a rip off of Juwanna Man, a movie from exactly 20 years ago. They saw there was a market of conservatives that like early 2000s comedy so they made a uninspired rip off of an early 2000s comedy.

[@fritzkuhne2055]

I see "Conservative" as an insult in these modern times, for the reasons you outlined. We are right of center, and want change in that exact direction.

[@brndnwilks]

The funny thing is, is that Shapiro and others like him were beginning to tap into the culture a few years back, in a way that might make their conservative messaging more attractive to the younger demographic. Think the "thug life" clips of Shapiro with joint and sunglasses after he makes an empirical point over some hysterical college student. But, like their movie, Lady Ballers, the message eventually ends up taking center stage amd displaces any give and take with the culture. In other words: "Oh! So close!"

[@DVSPress]

The problem with Shapiro (other than his citizenship) is that he seems impressive dunking on poorly educated young students but will walk away from an interview the moment somebody with a bit of rigor challenges him.

[@brndnwilks]

@DVSPress I've seen that happen once, on a British show, but if you have other examples, I'd like to see them.

[@atrifle8364]

​@@DVSPress- Yes, Shapiro can talk fast and take on clueless 19 year olds. Debates with 35 year old with an education appears to be no go.

[@StupidAnon-gn8ih]

@@DVSPress "The problem with Shapiro (other than his citizenship)" HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Hello, 911, I'd like to report a murder. . . and I think it might have also been technically definable as a hate-crime. I _do_ think Shapiro has more valuable 'debate wins' to his name than just unprepared college students; I think he gets things right more often than not, but when he gets things wrong, he bungles them bad.

[@QualityCandor]

I'd also argue that coming at the matter of culture from a political perspective blinds them from being able to look at art and entertainment beyond the political binary. Like you've said, it's a passively reactive movement. By its nature, instead of learning from what "ze enemy" is producing both historically and contemporarily, they'd rather throw any and all babies out with the bathwater and focus solely on political messaging with no regard for what is currently engaging audiences. It's part of why they thumb their noses at comics and video games; if it looks like "enemy territory" given the nature of the pundit class and their coverage of mainstream entertainment media, they don't want any part of it.

[@xYSarenArteriusxY]

A problem that wasn't mentioned is how the "analysis" and "appreciation" of art has shifted drastically in the last century or so. Anesthetics aren't important nor artistic beauty, post modern art (and post modernism in general) only cares about deconstructing things. They'll "create" a work of art questions what art is but doesn't do anything else or is actually artistic. The modern section of museums will be full of such oddities as a toilet being in displayed or sixty lines blurred without reason or rhyme. Universities and colleges train/ teach this and not how to actually do art. Take Senua Hellblade as the perfect example for games. Everyone ranted and raved at how bold the game was because...it "examined mental health issues". What did the game say about the issue? Did it analyze it like war was in Spec Ops the line? No. Everyone now loves, and money favors, the flashy appearance of topics but no substance. High art is dead and was killed by the masses who are following what academics tell them is art. What hollywood studio would fund an actual artistic movie? How many people would actually go to the movie theater and pay for a ticket? What publisher would actually publish a novel or comic that handles art or "conservative issues" when they know that what sells is making a character gay. Sure, conservatives have failed a lot (specially in that they don't have a vision) but the masses are at fault as well. People would rather go to a concert and listen to Bad Bunny mumble without a rhyme or singing talent than go and see a symphony; people would rather watch Avengers 4 than say an adaptation of Hamlet. The money follows what people want.

[@DVSPress]

I talk about this in depth on my substack with the Corporate Period. There is very little opportunity for high art because there are very few patrons left in the world. Those that exist get exploited by left wingers to make shit.

[@whatsinameme5258]

In defense of Senua Hellblade, I did rather enjoy it, and it was a unique experience. The fact you could hear the voices in your headphones, like you yourself had schizophrenia and were hearing voices was interesting, and it also integrated puzzle clues in a way that felt more organic and less hand holding, because it was the voices that told you, instead of a text prompt on screen. I don't think it needed to "say anything" or preach to the audience, it just allowed you to feel it yourself. I think as awful as gaming has been this last decade, that game is better example for a "high art" game than most. That said I haven't ever replayed it, and probably won't. The original Dark Souls is the closest thing to high art in gaming today I think. That is one that is truly special. But I somehow doubt you'll hear many conservatives singing it's praises. They mostly have a boomer mindset that games are either simple stuff like Pacman, or degenerate content like Grand Theft Auto. They don't "get" things like Dark Souls.

[@kevintanza6968]

Gay characters don't sell hahahaha

[@astralwyrm3787]

To the most stubborn conservative any entertainment or art that isn't classical or sacred is just a slope downward; to degeneration and/or poverty. And some of them are so stuck in their ways they'd rather be proven right by society falling apart than meet the rest of society at their level.

[@astralwyrm3787]

To be clear; I don't say that as an anti-conservative. I am atleast partially a conservative myself. My point is that the classics are classics because people wrote them. There can be no new classics if no one writes them. The conservatives fail to appreciate this because to them anything new must always be worse than whats come before. But you are going to have to act if you want to live in a different world.

[@DVSPress]

I wonder what people will think the classics are in 150 years. Time filtering is one of the most powerful phenomenon out there.

[@StupidAnon-gn8ih]

@@DVSPress My worst fear is that in 150 years from now, The Big Bang Theory will be considered high art or something. God is _already_ justified in wiping us all out, we don't need to make it worse.

[@613harbinger316]

I remember reading that in his day, the works of Charles Dickens was considered low-brow or common, kind of like what people would think of Stephen King today. Imagine seeing Cujo or The Stand on a standard high school reading list. But now, Dickens is considered a "classic". I haven't read it myself, but I can imagine seeing Neuromancer being considered a classic in the near future given our state of technology. I'm sure it's hard enough for kids born post-20th century to imagine a world without computers, the internet or smart phones even though it was literally two-to-five decades ago depending on the technology.

[@ab-gail]

@@613harbinger316 Same thing happened with Shakespeare

[@Zimzilla99]

I think this is true, but I also think the con movement is so suppressed and decentralized from its establishment that as a political block only those with money have a wide voice And those that are doing it for the art are much smaller and ignored

[@mayormccheese6171]

That's why conservatives are wary of traditional Catholicism. There's an authority in its art and culture that's a little too Deep Magic for them to understand.

[@crusherven]

Eh, I don't see that at all. Plenty of evangelical conservatives appreciate Rembrandt etc

[@spacegene]

CS Lewis got his degree in medieval English literature. Modern conservatives would scorn him for that if he lived today.

[@astrinhowl5217]

Conservatives being all about the money sounds like an exclusively American thing, to be honest. In my country, the main problem is the fact that conservative artists can't find many sponsors and people leaning right are usually less wealthy (also for historical reasons).

[@DVSPress]

It's a certain way of thinking about money. Rich conservatives want to be left alone and retire to a ranch; rich liberals spend their money trying to change the world. So here conservatives can't find sponsors, either, and when they do, they come into it with a small business mindset - how will we sell this?

[@bsstyle123]

​@@DVSPressor they have gatekeepers in the way.... there is massive governmental pressure to keep people in line with leftist values atm.

[@richardpupo1676]

Oooof! You're exactly right on your take on conservatives being passive

[@jancz357]

i always felt that there was something off about the mainstream conservative, like shapiro and crew, and i think you hit the nail on the head :) thank you for making me realize what was bugging me

[@morgant.dulaman8733]

As a guy who more or less moved away from the left-right spectrum (I consider myself an illiberal constitutional monarchist), I'd agree on the problem of conservatism following liberalism. Where I disagree however is where most people stop their analysis. They think the problem is that conservatives don't actively engage in culture (movies, music, video games, etc.). I will agree there is a problem here, but I think it goes much deeper. Consider the origin of the terms "left wing" and "right wing." The terms originated in the French revolution where in the National Assembly, the more conservative and moderate members who wanted to preserve aspects of the old religious and traditional order would sit at the right and center, while the most radical members who leaned into the most hardcore ideas of the Enlightenment (or as I call it, the Great Madness) would sit at the left. Here's the thing: Whatever their politics and personal ideas, the Right wingers and moderates in that assembly, by their inclusion, partook in its subversion of the established order, up to and including allowing the left to kill the king and the old order he stood for because they lost on that issue by *one vote.* In the same way, when you look at "conservationism" today, you will find that in America, it is essentially what Europeans would call classical liberalism and leans into the idea of often ill-defined personal rights, a strong focus on individualism, and a currently heavy leaning into populism. None of these things are bad, in fact each are extremely good and crucial for promoting creativity and a connection between the people and the political system in which they live...but they need to be balanced out. "Rights" have to come from somewhere and be justified, otherwise everyone has a right to everything, which sounds good until it leads to people fighting over what they both think they're entitled to, leading to the overruling of the strong. Individualism is good, but you need to balance it out with authentic connection to the people around an individual, a nurtured sense of responsibility and reciprocity with the society one grows up in, and a shared sense of identity and investment that makes on willing to sacrifice for wider society around them, or you get a bunch of narcissists and people willing to tear each other apart for their own advancement. Further, by virtue of participation in the liberal system (for example, the "rules-based order" we've heard so much about since Russia got intervened in Ukraine, and we were told this is an outrage...I suppose because only DC and Western Europeans are supposed to do interventions), we give legitimacy to the same system and the same institutions even as those institutions make it clear they are intent on relitivizing western people, cultures, and nations, even bringing in hordes of people from other nations (often hostile to the west for a range of reasons) in order to bring in cheap labor and voters who they think will favor the continuance of these policies. This leaves the right with not only trying in vain to try and pick an arbitrary time to stop this "social progress," but it's already compromised at the foundation because its defined by the same paradigm that gave rise to this madness. I think this is the biggest reason the "right" (if there is such a thing at this point) struggles to make its own culture and art that successfully counters what the left produces. It is not only confined to its present struggle with the left, but its defined by adherence to the basic ideological foundation that ultimately made Conflict-theory based ideologies like Marxism and Wokeism possible (ex. focus on populism and popular appeal, ill-defined rights, and focus on individualism above all.) If my conclusion is correct, then the only solution I can offer is to consider exploring other paradigms and philosophies outside of the liberal spectrum and not defined by it. Only then could whatever emerges (a thing that is no longer "right wing," but a creature of its own nature) truly and finally destroy the mania of liberalism and produce art that represents that way of interpreting reality.

[@TheMathPipe]

It's just frustrating how anything related to art is often seen as a waste of time or childish in conservative eyes. Society pushes this idea that you should just settle for a soul sucking day job or join the rat race because that's supposedly what life is about. If you play music or draw, it's dismissed as playing childish games. After all like you mentioned, It's all about the money, right? And don't even get me started on conservative media. Have you seen those Daily Wire movies? They're as flat as a soda left out overnight. It's like they're afraid of anything creative or thought provoking. Could you imagine conservative media producing a film like Boogie Nights? Would never happen. It's no wonder people feel discouraged from that conservative label and end up hating it.

[@kevintanza6968]

They see art as a business. And since art is a very risky endeavor that has a high chance of not making any profit, they think it has no value. That's how you end up with them bashing comics, anime, and video games. The issue is that those things matter. Storytelling matters. People have been consuming stories for centuries and will continue to do so. And a lot of times, a great story can impact the lives of millions. See the recent example of Dragon Ball and how Akira Toriyama's shook the world and a lot of people talked of how his series inspired them to improve. A lot of right-wing people, mostly in the United States (I'm not American), think that you should only work, have a family, and make money. Those things are important, yes, but it's not and shouldn't be your entire life. A lot of them also hate sports, for example. Mind you, these are the influencers and career politicians. I'm sure normal citizens have a different view.

[@GodOfOrphans]

@@kevintanza6968 The average conservative citizen is slowly moving leftward not because of any real challenge to their deep seated values but because conservatism is doing bugger all culturally to retain it's audience so they default leftward as they culture moves. At least that's what I've observed in my family which was a pretty standard Fox News style conservative family initially. On a personal level I'm more inherently libertarian in values but can feel myself shifting more authoritarian as it becomes abundantly clear that freedom isn't free and needs to be defended with force rather than platitudes no matter how axiomatic, definitely more conservative than not but focused more on freedom as the most important value.

[@spencerwilliams461]

Yep this is why they lose so much. Seems they've lost large parts of the culture since the early 90s mostly on their own incompetence and lack of a backbone. They have protected nothing.

[@NotOrdinaryInGames]

I have arrived at the bottom of the political rabbit hole (hint: the actual bottom is hidden, you need to break the floor with a shovel), and realized a healthy human society does not have a "left"/"right" or "conservative"/"liberal" split (in quotes because people are fucking hypocritical scumbags). A healthy society just has THE CULTURE, and that's it. A big bag of values. There are some restrictions, some freedoms. Some responsibilities, but also some rights (as long as you did the important thing, feel free to run around and do whatever. That is my hot take, feel free to disagree.

[@arcturus4067]

I agree with you. A balance... Like ying and yang. Problem for the West is the balance is gone and liberals/ progressives are in power with conservatives as the reactionary element. The former is not going to abdicate their power, after tasting it ,without a fight.

[@themule8625]

such a good video.

[@DVSPress]

Thank you!

[@jesshorn257]

yeah I call myself a "rightwing populist" just for the fact no party represents rural america. the conservative talk shows just cover wall street interest. I think it is not just art/new culture but they also left every farmer that is not commercial, every trade that doesn't do the cookie cutter market. Anything to take pride in outside of money the "conservative inc" has deemed worthless

[@TheGahta]

Then why do farmers come out in droves whenever their subsidies are to be touched and rally for them? If those people cant muster the will to elect their values then whining about their own irrelevance isnt really changing much

[@jesshorn257]

@@TheGahtawhat farmers are do you believe dairy is the same as corn same as potato? are you willing to defund and get rid of the USDA and FDA that cause extreme cost? Want your food to come from China and have crap tons of plastic and chemicals?...the US forced farmers to grow certain foods to feed all the city slickers and then city slickers complain about the food and price. I have a feeling soon unless you grow your own food you will eat the bugs and frankenfood...enjoy.

[@jesshorn257]

@@TheGahtaand what type of farmers are you talking about? How much of your own food do you produce?

[@neatoburrito3170]

​@@TheGahtaGot some pretty poor reading comprehension there.

[@TheGahta]

@@neatoburrito3170 strange, if that was the case you could reiterate what i suposedly overlooked. Not doing that usually looks more like trying to hide behind a poor excuse 🤣

[@arsenii_yavorskyi]

what an excellent take! although this may have more to do specifically with religion than conservative values in general. there's a video titled "Why Aren't There Any Good Christian Games?", and the takeaway is, to put it simply: American Protestants hate fun. being neither American nor Protestant, I had no idea about these things, but it's a fairly convincing explanation, in line with what I can observe. it's a shame that things are the way they are - Christian culture is an untapped well of creative ideas for video games.

[@RISE-327]

Irony, everything behind you Dave, including the door handle ,the guitar, the Lava Lamp was made with the bottom line in mind. These things become culture . I agree with some of what you say, but I think you are too ''those guys and us guys'' about it, Conservatives as Liberals, as Libertarians are not a monolith.

[@JOONBUGFILMS]

As somebody who is conservative I actually agree and as someone who wants to start a media company in order to win the culture war conservatives must think like liberals and do it better

[@georgecisneros5281]

“Conservative” often, if not usually, means a very different thing depending entirely on the culture, pretty much by definition. As all cultures are not equally constructed or maintained. Thus different aspects must be highlighted for each in order to be regarded as “concerving” whatever is fundamental or foundational to one or the other. Whereas, in contrast, “liberal”, as an ideology, is quite literally the same across pretty much all cultures, by its inherent definition. Hence why it makes for the absolute perfect globalist aesthetic. And, indeed, why it is just that in our world today.

[@DVSPress]

Good point

[@supfreshitsourturnbaby]

dont be conservative, be anti-establishment

[@obscur_artiste]

William F. Buckley Jr is the only conservative pundit whom I recall talking about art. Of course, he was a classicist. Loved his Bach.

[@Ancient_4]

I look at conservatives more as the sustainers of culture, while progressives are the producers of culture.

[@mega-bustershepard5537]

I'm glad I'm not a Conservative. I actually want to win. 👌

[@TheGahta]

Win what?

[@mega-bustershepard5537]

​@@TheGahtaYes

[@Cheddar_Wizard]

Anyone who goes into politics looking to “win” like it’s a sport is not going into it for the right reasons.

[@StupidAnon-gn8ih]

@@Cheddar_Wizard They absolutely are; politics is war that (sometimes) doesn't involve bloodshed.

[@TheWolfgangGrimmer]

@@Cheddar_Wizard That's... hopelessly naive. Politics in practice is always underhanded and merciless.

[@Replica_Films2000]

Oooh boy this is gonna stirr up stuff God bless ya David

[@Dumadunala]

You're mostly right, but I think you're missing one important point. Thing with profit and conservatives have a "serious problem" which is not actually a problem but it affects it a lot. Current art with its distribution model is centered around appealing to as wide audience as possible. And current version of conservative values is still centered around personal connections. Family, community etc. And it's against its nature to try to appeal to people who have no connections with you. Logical answer would be - ignore culture war in media, create your communities, families etc. Create art for groups you're a taking a part in and it would be appreciated there. But it's idealistic answer, which doesn't seem to be effective for now. Social media is too attractive and too effective at persuading people from conservative communites to leave them and become part of globalizes corporate-owned world. At least it seems so. Amd some conservative representatives try to participate in this war. But it's deeply contradictory to their values (if they are not grifters), so it's being done very weirdly and inefficiently. Ah, and also don't forget that liberal degrees are not considered to be valuable in conservative communities for many decades now. So it's obviously playing its part too.

[@Dumadunala]

Sorry, english is not my main language :)

[@JetSki101]

Love this, spot on

[@bradpirochta9293]

I think it's more simple. Conservatism is like pitching that brushing your teeth and flossing are good for you. Meanwhile, the other side is saying you can eat all the candy you want. Conservatism is about low risk, being responsible, and long term benefits. I.e. kryptonite in today's society.

[@slicedtopieces]

The first time I felt that "conservatives" might've had a real chance with art was the aesthetics of the memes that accompanied the build up to the 2016 presidential election. Of course those people were more counter culturalists than they were conservatives and they largely disappated afterwards leaving the Ben Shapiro, 'how can I use this to turn a buck' types. Still, there was a real sense that aesthetics mattered and for the first time it was expressed by people who weren't trying to undermine everything holy and decent.

[@u-8743]

Great video. A very relevant video too. I am no liberal at all. I think thinking of political stances on a 2D line (left to right) isn't at all fitting, or limiting at least for me. Conservatism is quite flawed. And yes! Well said, they conserve not a thing.

[@Warntator]

When I found the White nationalism scene I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of art and music those guys were putting out there.

[@ezemdianosike5277]

JRR Tolkien Mel Gibson Francis Ford Coppola Martin Scorsese John Ford (best of the 20th century) Christopher Nolan (best of the 21st century) Quentin Tarantino Damien Chazelle What do they all have in common. Solve this puzzle, you will discover the backbone of storytelling (in cinema at least)

[@MennydorgesERArchive]

??? They’re gentiles?

[@ezemdianosike5277]

@@MennydorgesERArchive What type of gentile?

[@ROMaster2]

Would you be willing to guest on podcasts like EFAP or The Critical Drinker?

[@luckykat08]

Agree 100%

[@michaelofstjoseph]

I really appreciate this video as you perfectly articulate my problems with conservatism.

[@Gandwarf213]

I’d love to see you design a game and see what you can come up with. It seems like its easier than ever to get into indie game dev.

[@JayVal90]

The comment about patronage networks is interesting. Conservatives DO have them - they’re called churches. Of course they’re effectively banned from a lot of political influences.

[@DVSPress]

The church has traditionally always been the biggest patron of the arts.

[@JayVal90]

@@DVSPress I’m curious what happened that turned the American church into PureFlix mills. When did Christianity become an ideology to be sold? Was it DL Moody and his shoe salesman Gospel? Was it the embracing of demonic imagery that mainstream artists took in the 60s and 70s?

[@Bonko78]

I think you're right in a general sense, that conservatives indeed focus on preservation of culture rather than innovation. However, don't assume all conservatives are philistines like Matt Walsh or Ben Shapiro. There are plenty of politically right-leaning individuals within nerd culture that enjoy and even create as much as progressives do --- just for different reasons. To be creative doesn't require a progressive mindset, nor does a progressive mindset provide anyone with creativity in itself. I personally think that the process of creation itself is apolitical. That is, unless the message or intent of the creation is particularly political.

[@aurelion4994]

My own take is that the right wing was taken over by foreigners during the 1960s. And what interests "right wing" foreigners in America isn't the land, history, or people but economics and legalism.

[@atrifle8364]

Those same foreigners were gaining strength in the 19th century all over the world. From a certain POV, 20th century world history was a "Tails I win, heads you lose" proposition for the group. The only serious discussion was how industrialized society would be organized. Would it be 100% top down and state controlled? Or would it have varying degrees of regulation with private ownership? The "progress" was always to the same social goals. On that existed almost universal agreement. The only disagreement again, was how strictly enforced was it? Post 1960's their influence was so complete that people have to speak in code to reach through the censorship, which exists in this post.

[@mikehanson9497]

Well said.

[@paranoyd70]

I wouldn't doubt that some of them (not all) feel that its beneath them. They look at culture with their own status lens and can't be bothered to think outside the box. But that's just a guess.

[@davidvines3883]

OK, random question not related to your video. Why does your store have a shirt with a picture of Scipio Africanus? As a Latin teacher, I'd love to know. 😁

[@DVSPress]

I really like Scipio! I find him a very fascinating historical figure and thought his bust would make a really cool shirt.

[@davidvines3883]

@DVSPress Fair enough. Most people focus far more on Hannibal Barca, so consider me impressed. 👍

[@DjGravyMix]

Rippaverse too would rather make bad comics that does nothing for anyone and is garbage rather than do something substantial. Eric July has stated he thinks the creative side is the easy part, that it’s the business side that’s the hard part. He’s all about delivering a sub-par “product” quickly, while denigrating actual creative people who are passionate about what they’re creating but take longer than expected to produce.

[@DVSPress]

Bingo. I don't hate July but people need to recognize that the comic is a form of monetization of his audience. This is actually one of the new models for making money in social media.

[@spencerwilliams461]

Same thing with Razorfist. Who also monetizes commenting on his lackluster streams. And screams at anyone that points out a factual inaccuracy in one of his videos.

[@medhue]

If you are an artist, and you don't think about money, then you likely have a benefactor, because everyone has to eat, and have shelter. You are NOT an artist, if you mooch off everyone else, so you can do your "ART". You are just a bum. Being an artist doesn't mean you are a child for the rest of your life, with no responsibilities. I've been an artist all my life, and I totally hate it when others say, you shouldn't be influenced by money. I've been living off my art full time for over 20 years, and every single day, I do have to think about money. It's part of life. If you deny that, then you are denying reality, and that will totally reflect in your "ART". Think about how a Blues singer is affected by money. It's in the music, those struggles.

[@kevintanza6968]

Sure, but his point is not that you shouldn't strive to make money with your art. It's that you want to make art first, you are passionate about it, and you create it, and then you think of how to make money with it. I'm a writer. I personally don't like rom com series. If I became a millionaire writing rom coms, I'd probably feel empty writing those stories. So I prefer sacrificing some monetary gain if I can make the stories that make me happy and that I think people will enjoy. It's the balance between business and art. A lot of conservatives just think "This is a comic, it doesn't assure me profit, therefore is childish crap". It's a stupid mindset because even great art doesn't guarantee making money and that applies to a lot of business ventures.

[@medhue]

Don't get me wrong, I rarely love taking on a project that isn't my own creation. That said, until you find a way to make money off your own stuff, you'll have to do work for other people. It's not that much fun, at all. That said, you hone your skills and look for opportunity to do your own thing. This also helps an artist to be more rounded. So many artists just turn into narcissists because they never have to humble themselves. @@kevintanza6968

[@Neuman357]

My friends are hopelessly addicted to the art of video games. I would love it if they abandoned it all together.

[@pberci93]

I would say the problem is a bit elsewhere. Conservative commentators tend to be politicians or businessmen getting into entertainment as part of their activism. At the same time, people on the left are artists, creatives, and people educated in the humanities who may have picked up activism as part of their lifestyle. At least, that's how many of the high-profile commentators operate. I don't think this is a rule; there are plenty of conservative commentators that have a healthy interaction with culture, just that the (especially Americal) religious Right monopolized the title and distanced many other conservatives. So, what's the issue with the American religious conservatives? Mostly, they are career politicians, sheltered by wealthy families from birth and distanced as far from reality as most Wall Street princes of the Left. Just that their following shields them from the true responses elicited by the nonsense they spout.

[@NathanMarchandAuthor]

Is Andrew Klavan an exception to this?

[@spencerwilliams461]

Guys like Razorfist are quite similar too. Daily Wire also.

[@Tyler_W]

Putting Razorfist and The Daily Wire in the same category is wild. He's illustrated better than pretty much anybody what's wrong with "Conservative Inc." Or do you say this because he's anti-monarchism?

[@spencerwilliams461]

@@Tyler_W Bro call him Conservative Incorporated Lite or whatever... He is still apart of it... A lot of the stuff he complains about is exactly what they all do...All reactionary... And he makes the same mistakes... They both just claim their strain is better.... He still has a boomer mindset in a lot of ways. Its obvious with his interests also and how he conducts himself... His shtick in general is dated... Amusing occasionally like the others but the same deal with a different look... They both want to be seen as influencing counter-culture while still towing a certain line that is safe for them to cash in on... They'll even recommend or praise bad entertainment and products that are clearly woke under the guise that they aren't.... Lol... Razorfist is smart but opportunistic. His books, monetizing his streams and not answering comments unless paid. You can go back and find he is very contradictory. He has stagnated a lot in recent years, he honestly should have been a lot bigger but his content became more about the grift. Its been a long time since he made the quality of film, game, music reviews he once did. Just lazy streams for donations... Instead he focused a lot on bland political pandering and making comics that rip off Westerns (albeit ironically from the types that had politics he would likely scoff at)... A lot of corny political takes that don't pan out well and then he backtracks (like Shapiro, Walsh etc). Razorfist does what Walsh does - clowns geek culture/ art he doesn't understand while wanting people to like his more grown up comics/books/interests like "French" comics. Lol. Going after any dissent aggressively among his audience... Stone toss might not be a "conservative" but I'd say he is one of the few true creators who are lumped into the bracket that seems to make art that gets everybody laughing (even the people that slander and hate him. Stone toss is an example of the opposite of Conservative Inc. I'd also say Jack Posobiec seems to have made strides on social media with joke humor (while poking fun at commercializing products with all the promo codes he advertises.

[@jpwright87]

Klavan from DW is the exception on creatives (and video games). I notice you didn't mention him, perhaps because no criticism was required. I think conservatives are getting the message on culture, it's just glacial. I also don't want to make the perfect the enemy of the good, i.e. take a sh*t on Conservative Inc but make sure you're building something else or nothing will happen.

[@DVSPress]

I didn't mention Kurt Schilling and I should have.

[@jpwright87]

@@DVSPress I suppose another question to ask is if any part of our culture ISN'T just a commercial/artistic hybrid, and for those wanting to change the culture how should they then aim? In the 1400s you made music for God, in the 1800s for your nation, and in the present for sweet devalued dollars (or self expression). I would assume that any of those reasons could conflict with art, too. I don't know. My two cents on top of my previous two cents.

[@DVSPress]

@@jpwright87 Neo-patronage is still developing. The commercialization of art is a relatively recent phenomenon (1900s) - there is no reason to assume it would continue in the same way forever. Even now, we are doing something different as I can publish a book without it needing to be commercially viable. I can make a book for 10 people or 1 if I want to. Unthinkable in 1960, but it was the standard in the middle ages (oddly).

[@reinedire7872]

A lot of people bashing DW with reference to Walsh and Shapiro. Try Knowles and Klavan. Though less popular, they're much better when it comes to having a finger on the cultural pulse and understanding the good, the true, and the beautiful.

[@gage2268]

Didn’t Knowles just say that IVF was immoral? That’s about as off the pulse as you can be.

[@ab-gail]

Plenty of conservatives understand culture and I’m tired of pretending they don’t.

[@sameraiza5767]

We should build a discord server

[@courtneyhoward9664]

conservative stance = liberal stance from years ago, but without the parts of the liberal experiment that failed.

[@mrcrazyattire723]

Cat is meowing

[@DVSPress]

He must like you.

[@simongross3122]

Pot is calling kettle black

[@3p1Kf41L]

This video reminds me of a while back when Elon retweeted Matt Walsh's video about Sweet Baby Inc where he spun the narrative to make it about liberals indoctrinating kids

[@DVSPress]

I think Matt Walsh was the one who released the terrible children's book, but it may have been Lauren Southern. Or both. I can hardly keep track now.

[@arcturus4067]

Thanks for your very interesting video. I think "conservative" is a bad label for conservatives who actively want to do art, influence culture, and even do science. Not only are conservatives fairing badly in the arts/cultural sphere, they are also doing poorly in the scientific sphere although it may seem less apparent. Labels are important. "Liberals" /"Progressives" have "positive" labels even though they don't really stand for freedom and progress. Perhaps "conservatives " who do believe in doing art, influencing culture and progress in science /technology should label themselves "True Progressives " instead? The other points you mentioned, including money being the bottom line of many /most conservatives and marketing to "niche markets" is characteristic of American conservatism. Most American conservatives are ideological libertarians and capitalists, even or especially American Christian Evangelicals. Even though, neither libertarianism or capitalism are remotely "Christian" . Sometimes I think money and libertarianism are the true God and religion of these "Christian Evangelicals".

[@DVSPress]

They worship Mammon to spike Moloch.

[@otomicans6580]

Hey David, while I would have agreed years ago with the idea that, "Conservatives don't conserve anything," I'm not sure if I do anymore. Progressives feel that they're the heirs of the enlightenment and constantly striving towards utopia. I think it's fair to say that utopia isn't happening anytime soon though, and that many "progressive" tendencies clearly wind up as dead ends. So we can just say that conservatives conserve reality. Or, at least, that's what they should be doing. They can be the voice of reason and say that we're due back on planet Earth right now. If conservatives want to be the "money" party though, trickle down and what not, I don't think they'll have much of a future though.

[@atorixy]

So they conserve what already is? I can see that, yeah. I think that's the point, now that you mention it. But, as a certain luchadore in Queens puts it, their weapon against progressive tendencies is "notice and move on."

[@practicaliching2311]

Laissez-faire government and Laissez-faire economics are counterintuitive ideas. Laffer Curve, peace through strength, and building a strong state on strong individuals given individual liberty and expecting individual responsibility, are counterintuitive ideas. Conservative ideas are counterintuitive. Liberalism is not an ideology. Liberalism is an inability to use reason and logic to understand how the counterintuitive nature of the universe works, so a person falls back on their emotions to reach a conclusion. That is why there are no successful liberal political talk radio shows. Liberals need moving pictures or hand puppets to trigger their emotions. There was a huge global study where they asked thousands of people hundreds of questions and grouped them by their answers. People that ranked high in conscientiousness also favored conservative policies. People that ranked low in conscientiousness also favored liberal policies. Meaning liberals have no intention of doing what is right or making sacrifices for the good of society. Liberals are twice as likely as conservatives to report having mental problems in some groups and report higher mental problems across the board. This mental instability and inability to still their mind long enough to understand how conservative policies help poor and working class people is the cause of their problem. If you look up the traits of narcissists, you will see they are exactly the same as liberal politicians and activists, because they are both driven in total by their hatred and emotions.

[@practicaliching2311]

The most often repeated finding in psychology is that a left leaning bias is a symptom of mental instability. Repeated across decades and in studies all around the world. "Undoubtedly the two most consistently found relationships are the positive effect of conscientiousness on right-wing voting and the positive effect of openness to experience on left-wing voting. Conscientious individuals are theorised to be more conservative because they take greater heed of social norms, valuing order and accomplishments that are socially proscribed. Open-minded individuals are more accepting of unconventional social behavior and unorthodox economic policies that are generally associated with the left. "There has been reasonably consistent evidence that a third trait, emotional instability, increases one’s chance of left-wing views. How to Understand the Well-Being Gap between Liberals and Conservatives by Musa al-Gharbi Chan, E. Y. (2019). Political orientation and physical health: The role of personal responsibility. Personality and Individual Differences, 141, 117-122. Fatke, M. (2017). Personality Traits and Political Ideology: A First Global Assessment. Political Psychology, 38(5), 881-899. Fatke, M. (2017). Personality Traits and Political Ideology: A First Global Assessment. Political Psychology, 38(5), 881-899.

[@practicaliching2311]

Conclusion: The well-being gap between liberals and conservatives is one of the most robust patterns in social science research. It is not a product of things that happened over the last decade or so; it goes back as far as the available data reach. The differences manifest across age, gender, race, religion, and other dimensions. They are not merely present in the United States, but in most other studied countries as well. Some strains of liberal ideology likely exacerbate (and even incentivize) anxiety, depression, and other forms of unhealthy thinking. The increased power and prevalence of these ideological frameworks post-2011 may have contributed to the dramatic and asymmetrical rise in mental distress among liberals over the past decade. People who are unwell may be especially attracted to liberal politics over conservatism for a variety of reasons, and this may exacerbate observed ideological gaps net of other factors This article is an American Affairs online exclusive, published March 21, 2023. How to Understand the Well-Being Gap between Liberals and Conservatives by Musa al-Gharbi Chan, E. Y. (2019). Political orientation and physical health: The role of personal responsibility. Personality and Individual Differences, 141, 117-122.

[@puckthewildjoker]

David, I think you're using a Liberal analysis of Conservatives to make your point, that Cons represent the status quo and are passive, which is only technically accurate. Let me refer to a deconstructed version of Northrop Frye's genre wheel to explain my point (Anatomy of Criticism). There are two states of reality, Comedy (fantasy, what could be possible, future looking) and Tragedy (reality, what is possible, past looking). We transfer from Tragedy to Comedy by way of Romanticism, the Liberal mindset of Reconstructing upon old ideas. We go from Comedy to Tragedy via Criticism, the Conservative mindset of Deconstructing new ideas. Criticism is made up of Irony and Satire, and this is the core of the Conservative mindset, one of well intentioned Pragmatism, strengthening by eliminating flaws / waste. There are plenty of Conservative artists, but they're mostly comedians / critics. The reason Conservatives don't organize the same way is that Deconstruction isn't an organizing principle, since it would inadvertently tear down the very organization building around itself as it breaks down organized ideas and formal systems. Conservatives just don't get along in any kind of unifying way, especially in politics or legislation, since they don't know when to stop testing and start building. Conservatives don't understand Culture because they are the definition of Counterculture, uniting on their disunity. Not so much Passive as they are Reactive. Heck, the entire goal of conservative governance is to break up a company/committee once it completes its goals, something unthinkable when attempting to maintain power. Yet another reason Conservatives would never consolidate power under a Conservative banner, it defeats the point. :)

[@MennydorgesERArchive]

Sorry that you feel that way. Truthfully, conservatives have been losing the culture war for 60 years, so we’re bound to have some change, back in 2015, Trump seemed to be that change, and even though he’s kinda “eh” right now, there’s still lots of new conservatives that don’t follow the directives on how to think from DW or Fox News.

[@Crow12619]

The main reason to support Trump isn't for him or his policies alone, but that his movement can help Kickstart a trend toward something better.

[@datboi_gee]

Interestingly, at least looking at the dichotomy between progressivism and conservatism, they seem to be expressions of the spirits of youth and old age respectively. The classic "old man" example of "get off my lawn" springs to mind, increasingly becoming out of touch with the rejection of innovation. And the flip-side being the totally creative endeavor of progress. To create for the sake of creation. Not to imply the two are necessarily linked to these states of being in these particular ways, but the terms themselves evoke the mental imagery. Progression necessitates the change from what was to what will be, and conservation necessitates the rejection of such change. And in this way, it isn't surprising to me that the respective groups' values are reflective of these states in an average human being's life. You aren't going to find young punk kids at home owners associations drafting formal lawn specifications. They're going to be out creating the grossest sounding dissonant chords they possibly can, breaking music itself, just to see what happens. Just because it's cool. Just as you're typically not going to find those same kids reaping the benefits of self-discipline of a successful business owner who's had their own time to crash and burn to find the value of willful obedience to ideals. The merit of such a conclusion remains invisible until the prerequisite experimentation, work, and damage has been put in. Cool to think about.

[@karel3183]

Huh. I always considered myself a conservative. Now, at least in your book, I'm not (rather the exact opposite). Maybe it's because I'm Christian. Maybe it's because there's really no conservative movement in my country.

[@johnnyz1781]

Now do why liberals can't meme... The other thing is that conservatives tend to be focused on individuality and self reliance as apposed to forcing their views on others.

[@DVSPress]

The left can't meme because truths are generally simple while lies require complexity to confound thought. Hence why a right-wing meme will be two words and the left wing meme will be an essay.

[@613harbinger316]

Conservatives who understand culture tend to have short shelf-lives - either due to actual death or getting pushed out by those who know how to monetize it. Breitbart comes to mind. The stories of how he understood the pulse of culture was almost prophetic.

[@ryanrhino2318]

No man i get it i just dont like it