Heresy
December 15, 2009 8 Comments
One odd difference between left-leaning and right-leaning people is that the left inject politics into everything. I was at a dinner party where the subject of Nana Moskouri came up. Nana Moskouri is (or was, if she’s not still alive?) a Greek singer and that’s about all I know about her. (Actually, I guess I also know that she has a great voice, if you like that sort of thing, which not everybody seems to, but I’ll admit I like her music.) See, there was a Greek person at the party. The person who mentioned Nana Moskouri was obviously just trying to make small talk. Quick, how many Greek pop star types can you name? Face it: realistically, the list is either 0 long or it is 1 long (if you have heard of Nana Moskouri).
Anyway, so at hearing the name, the Greek person at the table scrunched up her face and said “well, her politics are very right-wing” (which I hadn’t known). Huh? No one was talking about her politics. Who even cares about some pop singer’s politics? Of course the guest then later acknowledged, as if begrudgingly, that she had a nice voice.
Why do lefties feel the need to do this?
As a conservative, if I were to behave like this there would be virtually no music (or movies, or TV..) conversation free from politics. I mean, I like, say, Green Day and all, and I could talk about how I think Green Day have been making some pretty good music to any Green Day fan. But let’s face it: approximately 3 of the last 2 Green Day albums have basically been song cycles about how stupid they think George W. Bush is. Their politics are not exactly a secret. Do I bring that up in Green Day conversations though? Hell no. Lefties, just imagine how annoying, obnoxious, and (on some level) rude that would be. And it’s not only Green Day. The list of such musicians/actors/etc for which I could inject politics into any discussion, but don’t, is endless. Somehow, I am able to look beyond their politics. It’s not like it’s that hard or anything.
So why can’t lefties do it? 99.9% of pop stars are lefties, and I don’t bat an eye. The 0.1% of pop stars who aren’t lefties, however, seem to drive lefties so nuts that it becomes all they can see about them.
The reaction is somewhat like the reaction you’d expect from a religious fundamentalist upon seeing a heretic. There would be no “yes, he’s a heretic, but he makes good french toast” or “yes, he’s a heretic, but he’s an excellent gin rummy partner“. It’d just be: he’s a heretic, period, and that person can and should be dismissed, banished from further consideration. The left behaves this way towards non-lefties. The right doesn’t behave this way towards non-righties. In a sense this may mean that on a fundamental level right-wingers just don’t care that much about politics. Not like lefties do, anyway.
Right, because Leftism is the religion of the godless.
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There are fanatics on both sides. I suspect it’s the rabid dogs that color people’s perception of the whole breed. i.e. that rabid dog is a lefty, therefor all lefties are rabid dogs. Or righties, whatever your preference. And then you pile the whole person-is-famous-so-they-must-know-the-truth thing on top of it, and yeah, you got’ve got your run of the mill ‘merikan.
Don’t forget: stupidity and comedy are blood brothers.
It’s true, there are fanatics on both sides. My impression is that the left is more likely to politicize everything though – more likely to lack the ability to ignore someone’s politics if they disagree with those politics. (Relatedly, I don’t exactly advertise my politics in those settings.)
On the other hand, it could just be that I hang out mostly with lefties, so I see them doing it disproportionately.
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“So why can’t lefties do it? 99.9% of pop stars are lefties, and I don’t bat an eye.”
I think you answer your own question. You can’t afford to bat an eye.
But many do have distaste for Cat Stevens. Maybe you will feel more positively towards an artist that you know to be a right wing rarity.
And also there are a lot of famous right wing authors of fiction, so leftists don’t seem to mind rightist novelists.
“I think you answer your own question. You can’t afford to bat an eye.”
The idea being that politicizing everything in the pop culture realm is a sort of ostentatious luxury/waste/conspicuous-consumption item that lefties desire and can afford (like putting a marble fountain in one’s front yard) but righties cannot. Yes, that makes sense.
“But many do have distaste for Cat Stevens. Maybe you will feel more positively towards an artist that you know to be a right wing rarity.”
I like Cat Stevens’ old music and nothing in his later life detracts from it in my view.
Nothing I have learned about, say, Toby Keith’s political views has ever made me enjoy his music.
“And also there are a lot of famous right wing authors of fiction, so leftists don’t seem to mind rightist novelists.”
The only one coming to mind is Ayn Rand (not exactly ‘rightist’ but certainly anti-lefty). I’ve never encountered a lefty with a kind word for anything written by Ayn Rand.
William F. Buckley wrote several novels. I doubt the average lefty would be able to get through a conversation of William F. Buckley’s novels without spouting off about his politics, certainly not if they’re not even able to do so re: Nana Mouskouri.
A more recent example might be Michael Crichton, who although I’m not fully sure what his politics are has had harsh words for favorite lefty issues such as global warming. Again: if lefties nowadays can discuss Michael Crichton without dissing him re: global warming I’d be highly surprised.
Are there other obvious examples you had in mind?
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