Conservatism is here.... it's there. It's everywhere.
Buckle up folks - I'm rambling - thoughts, fears, plans.
I’ve been toying with a post on this topic for a while—started writing it back in December when the rumblings were there, but now it’s just screaming... maybe even laughing in our faces. The world is on fire—whether you think it’s climate change or some uber-elite conspiracy, the end result is still the same: the end of us. The lower class, the working class, the middle class, the upper-middle class—none of us will survive the onslaught of the uber-rich’s desire to hoard more wealth and power.
The knees are bent—might as well be broken—and rings have been kissed. TikTok is thanking Trump in push notifications. Elon and Bezos are the lamest buddy comedy I’ve ever witnessed. Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, is just as vile; he’s just quieter about it. We have the richest cabinet in history, and people actually think they’ll save us—the peasants. HA! Snoop is at Trump’s inauguration party. Oscar de la Renta is styling the Capitol folks. What would the true namesake think? Not a clue, but one thing is clear: there are more sellouts than we thought. Or maybe it’s just that nobody feels the need to hide their self-absorbed, racist, cruel thoughts about what they want the future of America to look like anymore.
I don’t feel the need to hide mine anymore, either. This is MY Substack with MY posts and MY opinions, so while I can’t tackle everything I think he’s going to dismantle or ruin, I’ll focus on my area of work—and what I think most of the people who follow me are passionate about as well. This is how I foresee Trump’s presidency affecting the media we consume and are “allowed to make.” And also... what we can do to combat the powers that be.
What finally pushed me over the edge into making this post back in December?
Their cowardice is on full display. Disney had seemingly given in to a hate-filled notion and honestly small group of loud, pitiful hysterics. It also showcases those folks in powers’ pure ignorance and dismissal to the lives of so many.
The vibes are “I say NO DEI because I haven’t taken the time to understand it” aesthetic. White parents moan and cry when their kids are “forced” to learn about slavery and racism because it makes poor Johnny and Jessica “feel bad”. Un-comfy feelings are a crucial part of life and if you don’t want to raise “snowflakes” maybe it’s best you let them sit in that un-comfiness, especially because Black kids and kids of color do not have the luxury of ignoring racism and America’s dark history, nor do any disabled or trans children. They live this truth everyday and we should all be aware of it. This removal instantly calls to mind this Timothy Snyder quote from his book: On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”
This quote has been circling the internet sphere for a bit now but it felt painfully relevant while watching this story unfold. These companies are very much “obeying in advance” and it’s embarrassing.
Multi-billion dollar corporations bending their knees to Trump because what? They like the proximity to power? They’re scared he’s going to utilize his power to attack and harm their businesses but most importantly their shareholder’s bottom lines.
A mix of both?
Has the writing been on the wall?
This has actually been something I’ve seen on the internet more recently the “if you’re surprised about the election results then you haven’t been paying attention!” These posts are diving semi-deep into America’s shift from freedom, empowerment, acceptance to more “traditional value” obsessions whether it’s trad wife content or red-pill men. I enjoyed this video that went extremely viral for the exact conversation.
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And while, yes, this was happening all around us, hindsight is 20/20. Could we really have predicted how much a social media aesthetic could signify a less free future?
Maybe. But all of this goes far beyond “cottagecore” and Ballerina Farms—though their popularity is certainly relevant to the larger conversation. Folks like the Koch brothers have been praying for and SPENDING millions—billions, even—on infecting the American population with these types of ideologies and concepts since the 1980s.
Why? So they could pay less in taxes and face fewer regulations on their businesses. If you want more information on that, I always recommend one of my favorite books: Dark Money by Jane Mayer. It’s packed with fascinating stories, stats, and history about how the uber-rich have slowly and effectively disseminated their ideologies into the zeitgeist, convincing poor folks that this is what’s best for them—rather than what actually is (government programs, protected freedoms, unions, etc.).
The result? Raw milk’s rise in popularity, Everyone thinking they could live and thrive on a farm. The weird pipeline where you went so far left into the “unhealthy food is poison” that you came out an anti-vaxxing right-winger. House In Habit. Women dreaming of a simpler life, wanting the option to stay home and raise kids, be a housewife in a one-income household and be comfortable and secure. Often you hear folks groaning and whining - wishing for the “old days” but not realizing that the reason we can no longer live like “the old days” is because of the exact-power structures they are upholding. We are all one bad accident away from being broke because of corporate greed and the oligarchy we live under, which the republican party wholeheartedly approves of.
It’s why we don’t have universal healthcare or free childcare, free college, ANY movement on the gun epidemic in this country? If we had any of these things, the uber rich would be less rich and that’s not good for them and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.
What does this weird ass shift to conservatism mean for media?
Sure, we can sit here and dissect for HOURS, months, YEARS about how all of these folks were propagandized up the wazoo by the likes of the Koch brothers and their spawn - Elon, Peter Thiel, Ron DeSantis… That their lack of education and inability to access quality education and tools made them easy targets to fall for the tricks, believe the racist tropes and MAYBE SOME OF THEM ARE JUST HORRIBLE BAD PEOPLE!!! But it doesn’t change that this is their reality, and now ours. Maybe when the Tariffs hit and they don’t get a tax break they’ll understand but until then the world keeps spinnin’ and this is 50% of our country.
Have we been here before?
I enjoyed this optimistic and comforting breakdown of the Bush presidency win in 2004 and how 2024 have some similarities and especially the comments - people are excitedly talking about how 2005 gave us BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, TWILIGHT - maybe we’ll even get a teen movie renaissance?!
My fear is that while there are similarities to 2004, there are more stark and dangerous differences. We literally had an attempted insurrection over Trump LOL. not to mention back then republicans still had a semblance of decorum, semi-followed the rules and semi-respected the democratic party. We also didn’t have the RICHEST CABINET in history, which is literally just a swamp of self-serving billionaires.
Maybe most significantly, as we take our focus back to the entertainment industry… we had more companies, which meant more competition and more risk.
Mergers do not spark joy or creativity
I mean SESAME STREET is currently homeless thanks to mergers. Max has ended it’s partnership.
These mergers, brought forth by a variety of real world issues including the invention of streaming and the bygone era of ad spend but very much the need appease shareholder bottom lines, plus the creation of streamers, we have fewer companies than ever and that means fewer people in power positions. These folks in power are at a minimum not interested in boat rocking and at the opposite end, probably really (secretly or not so secretly) love Trump because of their upcoming tax breaks.
Welcome to the suck-up CEO era
Yes i am trying/wanting to leave X and IG but it’s a difficult balance of wanting to be informed on my industry and bluesky still not having quite a good enough algo.
CEO’s are really getting their cozy on with Trump this time around. We’re seeing it quite clearly in financial terms -
Zuckerberg (Meta) - $1 million pledge to Trump Inauguration
Jeff Bezos (Amazon) - $1 million match
Sam Altman (Open AI) - $1 million match
Bob Iger Disney) - $15 million settlment payout instead of going to court
Ted Sarandos (Netflix) is also reportedly heading to Mar-a-lago to Meet with Trump
Others notables:
Marc Benioff (Time Magazine) - named Trump person of the year… also used the phrase ““A time of great promise for our nation.”
Marc Andreessen (Netscape Founder) - “hanging with Trump”
David Sacks (Netscape Founder) - “named Trump’s A.I. & crypto czar”
And what follows financial support? Just like the removal of a transgender character - these companies are laying the groundwork for their media to reflect the political shift we’re seeing:
Culture is followed
We all know that trends and media are influenced by culture—and culture is influenced by the times/politics/etc and the times they are a changin’…. and not in a way that I’m loving but alas this is the reality we live in.
The media we consume is going to start leaning more into “traditional values and ideas,” which means that we are going to see less diversity, less risk taking and more white men.
It’s not a far leap to think that content might start reflecting more of those "traditional" or conservative values, and I mean potentially… half the country seems to be interested in those concepts.
The over-corrections of the “Woke Agenda”
I don’t think this is a hot take but maybe I’m wrong. The upwards tick in keyboard warriors allowed the the woke agenda to be overtaken. It became a holier than thou experiment on the internet with people foaming at the mouth to bring ANYONE down who they deemed as rude, sexist, or racist for simply being unaware of some historical moment or a niche factoid that others had deemed “common sense”. There was no grace given, there was no “calling in” as Professor Loretta J. Ross to address mistakes and create space for growth. It was an avalanche of anger and vitriol which allowed for the right to invite all those “cancelled folks”, all the “non-snobs” to their team and it clearly worked. The left is now deemed the exclusive, overly-educated, unaware of how the middle class lives - party.
When did intelligence become a negative thing? I think it’s important to be really honest with ourselves… our country has been falling behind in the global competition of intelligence for quite some time now… It’s why Elon hires folks from other countries to work at his companies. Now combine that with the virality of conspiracy theories and lies and think of how the people who peaked in high school with spend their time and… I am not surprised we’re here.
How does this play out in the media landscape?
To appease what they think their audience (and more importantly their shareholders and overlords) want to see… media conglomerates will be playing it safe. More Tim Allen less… any person of color. There will be plenty of stories of triumph over evil and the cognitive dissonance will continue on with nobody being able to see it playing out in real time.
Now this does not take into account, smaller and independent production companies who will be fighting tooth and nail as they already to do - to get their unique and hopefully diverse stories told. These will be called risky and outlandish.
but with all the mergers and since every company is now very much beholden to shareholder desires, who might pick up these riskier projects?
What can we do?
Take your attention back. Use your money and time where it can make a difference.
Stay Involved Locally
Find a shelter or organization in your area where you can volunteer your time. I love volunteering with St. James Soup Kitchen.
Set up a monthly donation to mutual aid groups and organizations in your area. Even just two dollars a month—that’s $24 a year—and it can mean a massive amount to these organizations.
I’m trying to be more actively involved in the Working Families Party to see if there’s some potential optimism and promise there.
Stick it to these effers-
Try to limit or nix your usage of X and Meta products… This is NOT easy. My day job requires me to use them, and even with my Substack and social existence, I really find more success when I’m firing on all cylinders via social channels. So, I totally get it if that doesn’t work for you.
I’m currently downloading my Facebook data to Dropbox. After I sell some furniture I promised to folks next week, I’ll be getting the heck outta dodge.
I’m also hoping to quit my Amazon and Goodreads addictions this year. What else should I try to pull back on?
SEE THE “RISKY” MOVIES AND SHOWS
And shout about them from the rooftops. Make a plan to see one movie in theaters every two weeks, or find a new indie film on the streamers. Watch movies and shows that star people with different skin colors than yours, that speak different languages, or that you’ve never heard of—they’re the ones who need the support most.
WRITE FOR ALL
This is probably a weird one. I think it’s easy to say just say F*CK em - the Trump voters, the uneducated, the racists, the angry souls who gladly step on others to once rung higher up the ladder but there’s something so unique to the best type of stories. They have a universally relatable feeling.
Consider movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once (a mother-daughter relationship, existentialism, a lost-and-found love story, and yes, an immigrant family), Up (the ache of loss and the struggle to move forward), The Pursuit of Happyness (finding resilience and hope during your darkest days), The Banshees of Inisherin (the importance of friendship and the pain of losing it), or The Lion King (losing a loved one, losing yourself, and finding redemption).
These kinds of stories remind us that we’re not alone in our struggles, worries, hopes, and dreams. And here’s the thing: despite wildly different political ideologies, people on the right have these same hopes and dreams. They want a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.
So, how can we write stories that inspire kindness, openness, and hopefulness without sounding holier-than-thou?
I don’t know… yet, but we gotta try.
KEEP GOING
I have so many feelings of dread for the next four years that I could probably drown in them but then they will win and I refuse to let hate and lies ruin what could be the greatest country on the planet. I don’t know how but each day I’m gonna wake up, determined and I’m gonna be delulu… with a plan.
Sending love to all of you who make writing this worth it. Thank you.
I appreciate the call to action at the end, it actually made me feel like it’s not all over before it even began and I could do at least something about this whole horrible mess.
Wow, that "obeying in advance" quote feels prophetic. Was waiting to dive into a post by you. Not disappointed at all.