Why Hollywood Will Lose the Culture War

Hollywood has a problem. They are currently losing the cultural popularity contest. A new Pew research poll shows that only 33% of Americans have a favorable view of entertainment industry. By way of comparison, Rasmussen reports that 48% of the public identify with the Tea Party movement. To further add perspective, less than six months after he left office, CNN reported that President Bush’s favorable rating had climbed to 41%, eclipsing that of the denizens of Tinsel town. So why is the entertainment industry losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the American public? The answer is simple. It’s all about values.

Hollywood did have a Golden Age, and the current time is not it. While most people know Clark Gable for 8 famous words, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” and his role in the film “Gone with the Wind,” what a lot of people don’t know is that he was a genuine American hero. At the height of his popularity he enlisted in the military to serve his country during World War II. As an observer-gunner on a bomber, he participated in 5 combat missions and was almost killed when flak and enemy interceptors nearly took down his B-17. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. He was eventually promoted to the rank of major. While his valor and physical courage were probably uncommon, the values that he represented were not.

We could pull example after example from Hollywood’s golden age of celebrities who represented values that were more in line with main stream America then they are today, but let’s fast forward about sixty years and see what passes for Hollywood values today.

• Johnny Depp, a pot smoker, told GQ magazine that when his kids get old enough to be curious about drugs, they would be allowed to experiment with marijuana as long as he is allowed to supply the drugs.
• Paris Hilton filmed herself having sexual intercourse with another woman’s husband. This tape became an Internet sensation when it found its way into the public arena.
• Britney Spears has turned being photographed without underpants into an art form.
• A significant percentage of the Hip Hop genre is openly and unabashedly dedicated to glorifying gang culture and violence against women.
• Actress Rachel Weisz “begged” the director of the film “Agora” to allow her to film a masturbation scene.
• Lady GaGa’s video “Telephone” features her as an inmate at a woman’s prison. Some scenes have her clad only in police warning tape and participating in everything except a full cavity search (that is probably included in the director’s cut of the video).
• Madonna has simulated the crucifixion of Jesus during her shows.
• Alec Baldwin was recorded screaming at her teenage daughter in a voicemail and calling her a “rude pig”.
• Howard Stern and Jenny McCarthy decided that it would be entertaining if they strapped Jenny into a “Tickling Machine” and tickled her until she wet herself. After she had lost bladder control they posted the photos online.
• Singer Adam Lambert through a first rate media hissy fit after the AMA awards would not let him give another man an open mouthed kiss during his performance.
• Lindsay Lohan (Need we say more)?

I doubt most women from Des Moines, Indianapolis, or Cleveland are looking at the comments of Rachel Weisz and saying “Finally!!! We get to masturbate on film!!!” It is more likely they either be mildly appalled or simply dismiss her completely. Also, I doubt that most dads would be on board with Alec Baldwin’s parenting methods. I don’t believe that even Rick Hilton, father of Paris Hilton, would bludgeon his daughter with the word “pig,” even though she has given him ample cause.

To be fair, some of this is not the fault of the celebrities. If Lucille Ball had a trapeze in her bedroom, the only person who knew about it was Desi Arnaz. There was no TMZ or paparazzi culture to hunt Hollywood stars down and ask why they are checking into a sleazy motel with a tube of Astroglide and an anxious looking ferret. There was plenty of going on behind the curtain that was contrary to their well managed public images. This does not excuse the behaviors many modern celebrities do openly embrace though. Besides this obvious disconnect between what Main Street considers acceptable behavior and what Hollywood believes is an suitable status quo, the politics of the entertainment world also needs to be factored in when discussing why they are unpopular.

The United States is undeniably a center-right country. With that said, any time there is a major political issue in this country, Hollywood personalities sprint to whichever side that is contrary to the sensibilities of mainstream population. A good example of this is the current debate over the new Arizona immigration law. Rasmussen reported that 60% of the American people are in favor of their approach to dealing with illegal immigration. Despite this avalanche of support for the Arizona law, celebrities are crawling out of the woodwork to condemn it. Pop star Shakira, actress Eva Longoria, and comedian George Lopez are leading a celebrity contingent bent on condemning Arizona over their right to enforce a reasonable immigration law. Pick any issue that the American people are overwhelmingly in agreement on (no gay marriage, no government health care, lowering taxes, etc.), and the celebrity class has aligned themselves against them.

Finally, while the American public seems to have a dim view of Hollywood, the fact that Hollywood doesn’t seem to like America much either could be a contributing factor. Nothing brought this to light more than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many celebrities spoke out on this topic, and used their celebrity to deliver some surprising criticism of their own country.

• “When I see an American flag flying, it’s a joke.” — Robert Altman
• “Let’s get rid of all the economic (expletive) this country represents! Bring it on, I hope the Muslims win!” — Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders
• “It is an embarrassing time to be an American. It really is. It’s humiliating.” — Jessica Lange
• “(Americans) They’re sheep.” — Ed Asner
• “When Communist U.S.S.R. was a superpower, the world was better off.” — Janeane Garofalo
• We (Americans) have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.” — Bill Maher

The above list is just a small cross section of hundreds of such comments. When you combine this with celebrity behavior that most Americans would classify as foolish or deviant and a deep political divide, you have a situation where the mainstream of American culture not only lacks respect for the entertainment industry, but also shares no common ground with Hollywood culture.

To wit: there was a time when people loved Hollywood. In those bygone days the entertainment industry made people feel proud to be Americans. Today’s Hollywood is doing its best to make us ashamed of the USA. That notion is never going to get over with the nations center-right mainstream.