If there is a more misused phrase in politics than “culture war,” I am not entirely sure what it is.
Apparently, we as conservatives are “culture warriors,” though it seems very weird because the very nature of conservativism is the preservation of traditional ideas like those at the heart of the founding of our country and the Constitution, as well as the cultural norms that were once so prevalent. Logically speaking, the “culture warriors” are the ones who are always seeking to change that traditional culture into something more Progression
However, progressivism’s core is built on the idea and practice of change. American progressivism has always been at odds because it is determined that in order for us to be appeased and not offended by the victim class, we need to have change. It is the result of a continual struggle between progressive groups for power over the victim classes.
This has led to activist groups and brand owners, along with influencers and corporate giants trying to beat each other in identity politics. It gets more absurd each day.
The consolidation of progressive identity politics within almost all major facets of American culture means that there is not much room for conservative voices or groups. When the left has the ability to organize advertiser protests and the media can put the squeeze on outlets through negative coverage and “fact-checks,” it sometimes makes it impossible to see how conservatism can really survive culturally.
We have shown that it is possible and has been successful. Conservatives of every stripe are finding their platforms and making their voices heard. It has also succeeded in provoking parents and other stakeholders to challenge their voter positions. It is now more important than ever for conservative voices and ideas to appeal to such voters by offering something familiar, but also comforting.
We aren’t as shut out of cultural topics as we used to feel we were. Here at RedState, we have regular sports writing, a cartoonist, multiple folks capable and willing to talk about the arts and entertainment, and other cultural areas of interest that we simply weren’t seeing any interest in from our readers. But as someone who sees our site’s traffic and watches the social media interactions on a daily basis, the data clearly shows there is an audience out there looking for these things from sources they like and trust. And they absolutely don’t trust the mainstream and legacy outlets to cover them anymore.
You don’t have to follow the old models. The cable networks don’t hold near the sway they used to. As Brandon said yesterday, that’s why they fight so hard against us. The voting population is not represented by social media in the same way that they believe it does. As their anchors abandon covering teams, sports networks are losing viewership. Conservative outlets picked up the story and are now trying to find a way out of the digital blackout that effectively silences their voices. They are now able to bypass the censorship to which they were used.
There are several ways to do this. You can start by trying to locate a large-money donor, like leftist organizations. Problem is, many donors to the right care more about return on investment and agenda-setting than they are in achieving that goal.
Substack and other platforms can also facilitate this. They have so far pledged that they will allow any voice to be heard on their platforms, as well as to not censor. That platform is home to many talented writers, including me. But, a writer must make money. If you want to access quality content from many perspectives, it is necessary to pay lots of paywalls.
The third way is to do what we’ve begun doing here at RedState. We have a subscription model that puts exclusive content that you can’t find anywhere else behind a paywall, but you don’t have to pay separate fees to read my VIP columns and Brandon Morse’s. One membership can be used to access all of the content.
And by “all,” I really mean “all.” We have a cartoonist. Sports reporting is available. We also review cultural moments such as movies and TV shows. We are mostly politics, but we don’t shy away from news from all corners, because you are as tired of the mainstream covering them through a biased perspective as we are.
So, in signing up to become a VIP member here (and using the promo code “2022” to get 40% off), you are getting all of that great coverage. You’re getting all of that diversity in perspective. You are also supporting journalism and other voices important to you.
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