20 years ago I founded a conservative film organization which had a film festival, training programs, a fledgling documentary wing etc etc
We even raised money for narrative films.
It was an eye opening experience for me: rich conservatives just don’t understand the arts.
I think this is in part because many rich conservatives come from traditional industries such as oil or construction. Whereas many lefty investors come from industries such as tech.
There is something about the wiring of the brain, people who come from traditional industries just don’t understand the arts.
Anyway, raising money from rich conservatives for the arts is a tough task. I once drove 500 miles (one way) to meet an investor who stood me up.
I once negotiated film funding with an investor for 8 months, jumping through numerous hoops along the way. The investor finally agreed to fund the project - only to back out a couple of months later.
Another funder pulled the plug on funding as we were about to enter post production.
And when Rich cons do fund a project they often get behind something idiotic, get burned, then decide arts are a bad investment.
The Right is a clown show. We are not equipped to fight a culture war.
And we are all going to pay an enormous price for this in the future…
"Right wing and conservative rich men do not care about God or culture. They worship money. I’ve seen it first hand. They have no interest in shaping the world culturally or spiritually."
As a conservative, I'm offended by this stereotype given my own strong beliefs about the importance of that worldview. I don't know any conservative rich men on the level he's referring to, but I do see how my own attitude toward charitable contributions could be construed to be the same.
The difference the author experiences has to do with differences in the view of money. By and large, conservatives acquired their money the old-fashioned way by earning and saving, while leftists inherited it or struck it rich suddenly by a stroke of luck, having a secret inside connection or being in the right place at the right time. Leftists see money as the root of all evil, and therefore corrupt their principles in order to obtain it anyway with the intent of using it to achieve good. Conservatives view money as a necessary and good thing but one that constantly tempts corruption, both in it's acquisition and it's spending.
It's the exception where one sees charitable causes stay true to their mission. The whole notion of trying to "shape the world" with one's money has folly written all over it, like trying to enhance a pristine natural setting with a touch of heavy equipment here and there and then witnessing the imbalances destroy it.
The conundrum we face is that the true progress of God and culture begins from the bottom up but that big money works from the top down and is thus too easily corrupted.
Mr. Cernovich is correct. This is a very insightful post. It is a warning to anyone going the ‘filmmaking route’ or writing anything that requires serious time and energy. I grew up poor, but I never thought of it as a super power. In some ways, it is.
I became a conservative relatively late in life, in my late Twenties, and gradually, by exposing myself to poetry, music and art. But, I remember the litmus test I used when judging people. When I introduced myself to people and explained that I had gotten an English major in college, I got 2 responses. The libs would say, "Wow! That's cool!" The conservatives would say, "What are you gonna do with that!?" So, I hung with the libs, and avoided the conservatives. It's a question of values. What do you value? What Cerno is expressing is that, if conservatives don't value creatives when they're young, they're sure not going to develop an understanding of them after a lifetime pursuit of money.
20 years ago I founded a conservative film organization which had a film festival, training programs, a fledgling documentary wing etc etc
We even raised money for narrative films.
It was an eye opening experience for me: rich conservatives just don’t understand the arts.
I think this is in part because many rich conservatives come from traditional industries such as oil or construction. Whereas many lefty investors come from industries such as tech.
There is something about the wiring of the brain, people who come from traditional industries just don’t understand the arts.
Anyway, raising money from rich conservatives for the arts is a tough task. I once drove 500 miles (one way) to meet an investor who stood me up.
I once negotiated film funding with an investor for 8 months, jumping through numerous hoops along the way. The investor finally agreed to fund the project - only to back out a couple of months later.
Another funder pulled the plug on funding as we were about to enter post production.
And when Rich cons do fund a project they often get behind something idiotic, get burned, then decide arts are a bad investment.
The Right is a clown show. We are not equipped to fight a culture war.
And we are all going to pay an enormous price for this in the future…
"Right wing and conservative rich men do not care about God or culture. They worship money. I’ve seen it first hand. They have no interest in shaping the world culturally or spiritually."
As a conservative, I'm offended by this stereotype given my own strong beliefs about the importance of that worldview. I don't know any conservative rich men on the level he's referring to, but I do see how my own attitude toward charitable contributions could be construed to be the same.
The difference the author experiences has to do with differences in the view of money. By and large, conservatives acquired their money the old-fashioned way by earning and saving, while leftists inherited it or struck it rich suddenly by a stroke of luck, having a secret inside connection or being in the right place at the right time. Leftists see money as the root of all evil, and therefore corrupt their principles in order to obtain it anyway with the intent of using it to achieve good. Conservatives view money as a necessary and good thing but one that constantly tempts corruption, both in it's acquisition and it's spending.
It's the exception where one sees charitable causes stay true to their mission. The whole notion of trying to "shape the world" with one's money has folly written all over it, like trying to enhance a pristine natural setting with a touch of heavy equipment here and there and then witnessing the imbalances destroy it.
The conundrum we face is that the true progress of God and culture begins from the bottom up but that big money works from the top down and is thus too easily corrupted.
Mr. Cernovich is correct. This is a very insightful post. It is a warning to anyone going the ‘filmmaking route’ or writing anything that requires serious time and energy. I grew up poor, but I never thought of it as a super power. In some ways, it is.
I became a conservative relatively late in life, in my late Twenties, and gradually, by exposing myself to poetry, music and art. But, I remember the litmus test I used when judging people. When I introduced myself to people and explained that I had gotten an English major in college, I got 2 responses. The libs would say, "Wow! That's cool!" The conservatives would say, "What are you gonna do with that!?" So, I hung with the libs, and avoided the conservatives. It's a question of values. What do you value? What Cerno is expressing is that, if conservatives don't value creatives when they're young, they're sure not going to develop an understanding of them after a lifetime pursuit of money.