Why Conservatives Must Support ’12 Strong’
Conservatives constantly complain about Hollywood … often for very good reasons.
The industry’s voice is almost uniformly liberal. Major stars (like Amy Schumer and Michael Shannon) talk down to Red State denizens in the ugliest ways possible. Films often mock or denigrate the U.S. Military (think “Redacted” for a glaring Exhibit A).
Liberal messages abound in many films and TV shows. Consider the “resistance” themes lurking within “Supergirl” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Sites like Newsbusters cover this terrain aggressively. Tinsel Town gives the site’s writers plenty of fodder.
Hollywood also hasn’t captured the heroism displayed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Enter “12 Strong.”
The Jan. 19 release tells the amazing true story of the Horse Soldiers. These brave Green Berets were the first U.S. boots on the ground in war-torn Afghanistan after terrorists killed 3,000-plus Americans on Sept 11, 2001.
Modern day heroes Major Mark Nutsch and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Pennington are played by Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon, respectively. Some of the facts have been changed for dramatic purposes (including the aforementioned heroes’ names). The thrust of the mission remains accurate and compelling.
The film should be red meat to conservatives. It’s patriotic and lacks the kind of pearl clutching seen in some war movies. The Taliban is depicted in the cruelest way possible, reflecting the truth behind the barbaric group. It’s also apolitical to the core.
This doesn’t mean conservatives will run out and see it, though.
The movie marketplace is as crowded as ever. Streaming options give people excuses to stay home and chill. Some conservatives, angered by 24/7 attacks against President Donald Trump by A-list stars, have all but given up on movie going.
Potential ticket buyers might remember what co-star Shannon said about Trump voters shortly after Election Day 2016.
“It’s time for the urn.”
Will all of the above impact “12 Strong?” It might. If it does, then conservatives will hurt their own arguments against Hollywood’s liberal bias. If they can’t rally en masse to support a film that echoes their values, then why should studios make movies for them?
RELATED: Variety Blames Bad Box Office on … Trump
This is not an official film review. HiT will weigh in on the merits of “12 Strong” later this week. This argument reflects something different, a cold reality that shouldn’t be ignored. The market always responds to positive feedback, even in an industry that leans decidedly to the left.
It’s why we’ve seen a flood of faith-based films in recent years following the breakout success of both “The Passion of the Christ” and “Fireproof.”
Audiences rallied in the past for movies that echoed “12 Strong.” Both “American Sniper” ($350 million) and “Lone Survivor” ($125 million) rocked the box office.
If “12 Strong” doesn’t duplicate those results conservatives will only have themselves to blame.
I’m now going to go see this in the theater tomorrow. While I sympathize with the people in this thread who don’t want to give Hollywood a thin dime, I’ve watched conservatives retreat from making impact because of various purity tests for decades. It is the same impulse as the Never Trump movement.
Darn right. And to be blunt, our side fleeing the pop culture is the entire REASON why it’s such a Leftist stronghold in the first place.
No way in H— will I ever support Hollywood. They will never get anymore of my hard earned money ever again!!
So you’re saying Hollywood should never even BOTHER trying to make amends and change for the better, because they’ll get no reward from you for those efforts.
The conflict is that while I want to support both movies and actors who champion the right side, such as Mark Wahlberg and Gary Sinise and Peter Berg, and movies like Lone Survivor and AS.. I know that studios will use that revenue to keep making movies and supporting the evil ones..
To that I say: Who cares? They’re going to make those movies ANYWAY. Better to focus on making sure that good movies do GREAT at the box office, so Hollywood will be without excuse.
While I appreciate and agree that we must support the films we like, at what point do you draw the line? Did you actually read the link to Shannon’s statements? There’s a line and he crossed it.
Precisely why I’ll wait till week 3 or 4 to see this, as the box office percentage which goes to the studios and actors’ deals diminishes. I’m understandably a drop in the bucket, but it’s the most principled stance I can make while also supporting a film like this.
This right here is precisely why conservatism won’t break back into the culture. We can’t live our principles out faithfully and consistently. We say we value free speech, yet when someone expresses free speech that disagrees with our conservative worldview, we pull dumb crap like this and “boycott.” If someone on our side said Shannon’s comments the majority of conservatives would celebrate and condemn anyone speaking out against it.
I’m a conservative, but the conservative movement that exists right now is a farce through and through. It’s the same as the progressive movement, just the other side of the coin.
No one is stopping anyone from speaking their mind. I’m glad Shannon said what he actually thinks, he’s being honest. But have you actually read what he’s said? This isn’t someone just saying they think Trump sucks, Hillary should have won.. If that’s all it was it wouldn’t be a problem. A couple samples.
““This country’s filled with ignorant jackasses. The big red dildo running through the middle of our country needs to be annexed to be its own country of moronic assholes. You can call it the United States of Moronic Fucking Assholes.”
“I don’t know how people got so goddamn stupid. But it’s really weird, because it’s like the last eight years, now it feels like a lie. Like, this has been festering underneath the whole time. Racists, sexists. And a lot of these people, they don’t know why the fuck they’re alive.”
Why conservatism can’t break into the culture is because we’re expected to march lockstep and support anything with conservative slapped on it, even if it means supporting a disgusting piece of human waste like Shannon. We’re expected to finance the very people who hate us simply because they toss us a few crumbs now and then. The real reason conservatism has a problem with culture is because people like Shannon are the gate keepers to the entertainment industry and conservatives gladly pay to keep them there.