Are conservatives actually engaging in the cultural landscape?

Can you fight a war you don't actually engage in?

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The late political commenter Andrew Breitbart once stated that politics is downstream from culture.

This saying has been somewhat codified when discussing the current cultural discourse, as it suggests that what gets turned into law is somewhat dictated by public perception and the values held by the overarching culture.

Several people have criticized this argument, with the obvious suggestion that culture is downstream from politics a la a reverse UNO card. In reality, it’s the dynamics between culture and politics that work in a constant ebb and flow, influencing one another more akin to Ouroboros biting its own tail.

It’s been argued that conservatives have, for the most part, have lost much of the cultural ground in lieu of politics. As the anarchist Michael Malice has commented conservatives usually just act as speed bumps or speed limit signs for the road down more radical, left-wing ideology. That is, conservatives haven’t done much but to argue against progressive policies through reactionary rebuttals rather than act proactively to uphold Constitutional rights, leading conservatives to sometimes compromise on behalf of progressive ideas.

But it’s really this neglect when it comes to all things cultural that has led to the current circumstances. By not engaging in the culture most forms of media such as books, film, comics, and video games have now become vectors for social justice activism and enforcement of “woke” ideology.

It’s only now where conservatives seem to be making a push into the cultural landscape with many people creating independent works, such as Daily Wire releasing their own films. Many former DC/Marvel comics who may not be conservative but otherwise believe in creativity and free expression have also taken to creating their own crowdfunded works, which are usually lauded and well-supported by those who are tired of the route that mainstream comics has taken with making any former straight character gay or swapping races.

And yet still, I have found that many of these conservatives who have entered into the cultural debate still appear somewhat removed, only peripherally engaging with whatever is popular right now.