Conservatives say they have to 'talk in whispers' in liberal Hollywood

If you are a devoted reader of Andrew Breitbart's ultra-conservative Big Hollywood website, as I am, you'd think that the world as we know it is surely coming to an end, being turned into a hideously ever-shrinking black hole by Hollywood liberals and their fellow travelers.

The site is chock-full of posts lambasting liberal film critics for not liking vigilante movies, decrying the "gutless" Comedy Central for editing out any references to the prophet Muhammad in "South Park," mocking global warming activists, getting into a tizzy for weeks on end about Tom Hanks' elitist, anti-American view of American history and, of course, celebrating Sarah Palin at every turn. My favorite recent headline  -- and I've linked to it, just in case you thought I made this up -- was "Is James Cameron a Genocidal Maniac?"  

One of Big Hollywood's pet causes is promoting the notion that if you're a conservative, working in liberal Hollywood is like trying to survive in an oppressive gulag-like Soviet state where everyone has to conform to a rigidly controlled form of liberal political thinking. The site features an interview with "Northern Exposure" actress Janine Turner, who's launching a new organization, Constituting America, where she contends that "it's hard for conservatives in Hollywood because they're afraid to step out. Because when they do, there could be repercussions where they don't have work, and that can mean -- I think there are a lot of conservatives in Hollywood ... [but] no one is really willing to take the first step. And I don't blame them. I mean, it's affected my career too. And I think it’s hard ... when you step out as a conservative, it’s just such a – the environment is very left, very, very different to our type of environment.”

Mystery novelist and screenwriter Andrew Klavan, a leading conservative activist, put it more bluntly: "There's a culture in Hollywood where if you're a left-winger, you can talk very openly.... If you go in to sell something, you can make anti-American, anti-military, anti-religious remarks, but I'm the kind of guy who's going to say, 'No, I disagree.' But that's pretty much the end of my sale. Whereas, if you're a conservative, especially if you're a religious person, people like that meet in secret, talk in whispers. It's a very disturbing kind of culture."

Being a Jew who grew up in the South, I sympathize with all oppressed minorities, but I think that conservatives need to get a grip here. Yes, Hollywood is lousy with liberals -- they're everywhere. That's a given, OK, just like where my family comes from, there's a Baptist church on every block. But where's the evidence that conservatives are denied jobs because of their political beliefs? For all the vague charges being bandied about, I've never heard any specific examples of suppression in action. If you're a conservative and can offer me chapter and verse, I will be happy to take up your cause.

And I will do the same for any liberals who can support their claim that they've been denied work in talk radio simply because it happens to be dominated by, ahem, a lot of moral absolutist conservatives. In both cases, I suspect that each field has strong political leanings because of greater cultural forces at work, not because of bias. But if you think you can prove me wrong, have at it.  

 

Photo: Janine Turner in the 1999 Lifetime drama "Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Secret Affair." Credit: Justin Canning / Lifetime

Comments

[Richard]

I live in a red state. Things are exactly reversed here - you can spout all the right wing stuff you want in public and at work. If you're not a right winger, you keep your mouth shut and your head down. So we take just a bit of vicarious pleasure in watching a part of the country where we aren't intimidated in to silence.

[robert Garant]

No one's coming out and commenting.

I think that tells you all you need to know, right there.

[Mike]

Actors/Artists/Musicians are Liberals????

What a shock!!!

This has been widely known for decades. The problem is if Republicans ran Hollywood, every movie would be about Religion and star Kirk Cameron or War and would star a CGI created John Wayne.

The real problem with Hollywood: No new ideas.

How many reboots of 80's tv shows and movies have they released or plan to release? That tells us educated, non-media people that Hollywood is so unoriginal that they have to steal ideas from the 80's. The times have changed, so what was funny 25-30 years ago isn't funny today.

Death at a Funeral with Rock and Lawrence? That movie is less than 10 years old and already got a remake. It's sad and pathetic (the remake and the idea to remake it).

I don't care with Political Party runs Hollywood, just make better movies if you insist on charging $10 a movie.

[robert Garant]

Either no one feels like they can comment on this article -- in which case, there's your answer right there. Conservatives DON'T feel free to speak their views in Hollywood -- or even reveal that they have conservative leanings.

Or you're not posting those conservative comments. (You didn't post the last one I sent in...) And again -- there's your answer.

[Ivy]

Nice little ploy here Patrick. " If you're a conservative and can offer me chapter and verse, I will be happy to take up your cause."

Yes because people who do not hire you often tell you that their reasoning is that they are prejudice toward your beliefs. C'mon...

You can see it in the eyes of people in the industry. You say, "Actually I voted for Bush both times." and you see that all to familiar look in their eye. Something changes. It is them thinking, "oh, so you are not on my team."

With liberal activism being so predominate in the industry (and CA as a whole), liberals out here very much think in a team mentality. Liberals = enlightened. Conservatives = dimwitted or mean-spirited.

Has anyone ever said to me "I like your take, but I'm getting that you're not big on abortion. So... we'll let you know."? No, of course not. When was the last time a woman or minority was declined a job due to prejudice? I'm sure it happens on occasion, but you'd be hard pressed to prove it.

[Quatermass]

What?!?! Need reminding of the great blacklisting of actors, writers and directors in the McCarthy days? Disappointed that the Duke is dead? No modern Charleton Heston? Wow - these days, if a lib-rhul actors says something, the Right gets their knickers in a twist because, HEY! He's just an ACTOR! But let a no-talent blowhard like Rush or Hannity jabber like fools, and HEY! We need to RELOAD, 'cuz that fathead on the radio said to. Go figure.

[Everette]

God is boring. The devil is fun. What? You never watched Animal House.

[Ironman Carmichael]

You call people names (e.g. loony lefties) and then wonder why you're not exactly welcomed with open arms on their turf. Uh-huh.

[Annoyed]

Even Mel Gibson would deny this utter nonsense.

The entire entertainment industry is crawling with more-for-me-who-cares-about-everyone-else conservatives.

The only shock is that - after the black list of the McCarthy era - it's a miracle anyone 'admits' to being liberal at ALL.

[Harry]

This is just more right wing, self absorbed paranoia. I worked on a big Hollywood movie a couple of years ago and the producer-writer and director were all raging conservatives. We'd have crew lunches where they would sit there and make endless right wing comments, knowing full well that a few of us were liberals, and we couldn't respond because, well, they weren't exactly the nicest people in the world, either. And I'm sure a left wing liberal breeding ground would never have produced...Ronald Reagan?