My Dear Fellow Americans,
The other day, while checking various websites and news outlets for what’s brewing in the political world, I came upon an article in the Los Angeles Times about conservatives in Hollywood.
Needless to say, I had my own atypical response to this article, for a variety of reasons…
The first reaction I had was one of passionate disappointment. You see, every few years an article like this is written, and it doesn’t change the prevailing narrative; namely, that conservatives in Hollywood are fearful of being blacklisted and unable to find work due to their political beliefs.
But something more important is revealed this time, and that is this: Conservatives in Hollywood simply lack balls.
I want to say I have deep respect and affection for all, but conservatives must no longer walk around like the character Ted Levine played in Silence of the Lambs, with his manhood hidden between his legs (of course, I am not referring to female conservatives, so no sexism here).
Political differences have always occurred amongst the Hollywood set. Back in the 30s, 40s and 50s, Communist socialists were prevalent in Hollywood, and many had to hold their love of Joseph Stalin and his philosophy in the dark for fear of being blacklisted. The difference is , that was an imported Socialistic Marxist ideology that was anathema to America and her principles. The studio heads at that time were a different breed; they had came to America with a love for its opportunity, and under the motto “America First.” Those who were open to this Marxist Communist ideology had to meet in secret, and their numbers grew; they were the True Believers, revolutionaries, many of the elite in Hollywood.
They met in the shadows… and when the light shone upon them, some were punished, and some had careers ruined. But instead of being snuffed out, they went underground, morphed, and were able to continue to affect media, culture, religion, politics and education.
Needless to say, because of this development, Hollywood and the rest of the nation have become indoctrinated to such a degree that we are now a nation entirely at odds with each other. This still goes on today, with major filmmakers using their talents to pick projects that forward their worldview as citizens of the world.
Look, I feel a connectedness to all nationalities and cultures. We are all interconnected. But I maintain a strong American identity. The LA Times article linked to above relates that in the 1990s, there was not as much divisiveness in Hollywood. Well, think about it. We had eight years of Reagan in the 80s, and then four years of Bush I. That’s 12 years of Conservatives in power. Then we had eight years of Clinton, who was something of a moderate, who passed NAFTA. Of course, there seemed to be more unity at the time. But underneath it all, work was being done to change the thinking of the voting populace in America.
Then, after eight years of Bush II and eight years of Obama, Progressive Socialists had finally deconstructed “E pluribus Unum” into special interest groups and wove a new flag, one which did not represent “One Nation Under God ” but which appears to represent “No Nation, No Borders, Burn The Flag.”
My dear friends: satirical, biting political humor has long been a fixture of Hollywood. But I do not ever remember this degree of fear and hatred. The LA Times article, while bemoaning the fate of certain conservatives in the entertainment industry, is also a hit piece on President Trump. The headline alone suggests it, and those great souls in the article who make it known they are reluctant or not Trump supporters provide the tell.
The left in Hollywood are quick to flaunt their political allegiances; this provides them the ability to both grow in number and maintain their level of influence. Meanwhile, the right in Hollywood, for the most part, hide in the shadows and cower. When they do make their views known, conservatives are minimized and their careers are attacked as irrelevant, or as “not A-list enough.” I have been subject to these lines of attack and others, most recently by Billy Maher and some left-wing websites that deliberately misconstrued my statements and attempted to poke fun at me. I get it, fair game!
But, my dear friends, this does not make me cower or hide in the closet. On the contrary, like the great character Cyrano De Bergerac, I find it stimulating. You see, sunlight is needed for life.
I understand the current blacklist; I’ve had my fair share of the insidious tactic. But unless Conservatives can voice their political opinions without fear of personal or professional reprisal, there will never be an equalizing, or even a discussion, with those who disagree.
Look at the courage it took for those brave souls in the LGBT community to come out for their beliefs. If they had remained silent, no change would have occurred. Hollywood conservatives do a disservice to their ideology and the country by not respectfully letting their views be known. This lets the left piss all over you.
If Conservatives came out in force, with ideas and respect and instead of looking at the left as an enemy to hide from… How about convening a conference of Left and Right. Not a “Politicon,” but a meeting for those on the left and we on the right to come together as AMERICANS, and not as each other’s enemy.
I ask a couple of Hollywood’s Elder Statesmen, Norman Lear and Jeffrey Katzenberg, to meet with me to put this idea in motion, and at the same time, on the Conservative side, for Jerry Bruckheimer and Clint Eastwood, to meet with me and discuss how we can find a way forward.
When I was a boy, while watching the funeral procession of the Great Martin Luther King Jr. on NBC, I observed a rickety wooden cart being pulled by two mules and behind the cart, a sea of people. In the cart lay the body of MLK; at that moment, he represented the totality of the human struggle. I remember feeling then, while watching the procession on TV, that we, as a country, were either going to pull together or else come apart.
The country is as divided as it has ever been, and it not because of President Donald Trump. To blame him is a lie and a commonly-used excuse. We in Hollywood can help pull this country together instead of breaking it apart any further. We owe that responsibility to our youth.
Hollywood helps frame a cultural message, and we must step up at this time. The Democrats’ battle cry should not be “RESIST.” This is a danger to the fabric of our society. The blacklist was broken in the 50s; it is time for those in the liberal bastion of power to break it today, and to not punish conservatives for their difference in beliefs. Is this not the American Way?
My dear fellow Hollywood conservatives: do we not as a minority deserve a place at the table? And my dear liberal progressive Hollywood elites: are we not all Americans?
Unemployed, but with big balls,
God bless,
Robert Davi