Hollywood’s favorite examples of how “evil” conservatives are, and how “wrong” the 1950s were, is the Blacklist and the McCarthy hearings, even though they were unrelated. It’s a popular theme in many films and TV shows that the Red Scare was a bad, bad thing. The act of making communists, who wanted to destroy and subvert our way of life, out to be villains, has been maligned and pilloried for years. Yet these events that America is supposed to be ashamed of only lasted a few years and was the work of a mere handful of people. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me turn your attention to a worse case of rampant bigotry, phobia and persecution. I am referring of course to the New Red Scare… Hollywood’s rampant hate mongering of the Red States and Middle America.
You want cliched stereotypes? You want blacklists? You want cruel and vicious hate speech? You want people revealing their dark hearts for all to see? You want to see fanatics spewing bile like possessed, head spinning, profanity spouting Linda Blair imitators? Well, step night up! It’s almost a daily occurrence in Tinseltown. Check out the celebrity rags and blogs. In the allegedly “tolerant” and “inclusive” City of Angeles it’s perfectly PC to show your hatred for anyone who doesn’t toe the leftist line. Yes, even people who are apolitical or libertarian who happen to merely dissent from the progressive hive mind, they too are judged!
Forget the screeching TV evangelists calling people sinners; they have nothing on the judgement that flows like a river of sewer waste from Tinsel Town. Hollywood’s TV and films have been bashing on average Americans going back to Green Acres. Green Acres was the way Hollywood saw the flyover states. A bunch of ignorant, inbred hicks with no electricity or indoor plumbing. Something to be mocked to canned laughter. Times have changed, but only for the worse.
We now have political abuse in your every day shows, to such an extent that many people are afraid to admit their politics. Even Democrats, who aren’t left enough, can feel the heat. Actors are afraid to even come out as conservatives. Writer Andrew Klavan has admitted he’s lost work because of his views. Actress Janine Turner said it is “hard for conservatives in Hollywood because they’re afraid to step out,” because the political and social environment is “very left” and the intolerance for varying political views can hurt your career.
Blacklist, schmacklist–this has been going on for decades and has effected thousands of people, not some “Hollywood 10” as in the 50s. It’s a form of persecution of anyone who dissents from the political views of the left, It all seems increasing fascist when seen in context. The other side is rarely given or shown in a believable light. Stereotypes are made with the same kind of limited, hackneyed approach that Hollywood once used on Asians and Black people. And if you’re a Christian, look out! According to shows like Law and Order, you’re always the murderer. According to Kevin Smith, in his upcoming film project Red State, the extreme examples of Christians like Fred Phelps is worthy of a horror treatment.
“The movie’s called ‘Red State’ and it’s very much about that subject matter, that point of view and that position taken to the absolute extreme. It’s certainly not Phelps himself but it’s very much inspired by a Phelps figure,” revealed Smith. “And to me, too, the notion of using a Phelps-like character as a villain, as horrifying and scary as that guy can be, there’s even something more insidious than him that lurks out there in as much as a public or a government that allows it and that’s the other thing that I’m trying to examine in a big, big way. It’s weird because for a few months I’ve been saying ‘horror movie’ and technically it is, but it’s also not a very traditional horror movie in the sense that people have been asking me, ‘Is it a slasher movie? Is it like the Japanese horror flicks?’ It’d be much easier to just show it to them when I’m done and be like, ‘This is what I meant.’ At which point I’m sure there’ll be people saying, ‘This ain’t a horror movie!’ But to me, it is.”
To Hollywood, Christianity is represented by the outliers. Jesus Camp and Fred Phelps are shown as “good examples.” Film makers revel in the carny act. They reduce people to freak show status to try to make themselves feel normal. Which can be a tall order given their many proclivities. Yet America is 76% Christian at last count. That’s a wide majority and shouldn’t be treated with such disrespect.
Then you have the endless cheap shots, sucker punches and gotcha lines thrown into so many movies and shows today no good reason. From Glee, Family Guy to last year’s Julia and Julia,
It’s because of this relentless bashing of the American mainstream that Hollywood has lost its mojo. The public’s view of Hollywood is at an all time low. The star system is all but dead. Hollywood’s economy is practically moribund. These trends will not change until Hollywood changes. It needs to admit it has a problem, like an alcoholic, and start making amends to the people it’s burned. A great step forward would be to start showing more than one side to a political point of view. They should try putting in believable, likable characters who aren’t all of the same political stripe. They can start by not making people of differing views feel they need to stay in the closet.
In short, they need to stop being worse than their image of Joe McCarthy. Because right now they are making Joe McCarthy look like Paul McCartney.