Those of us at The American Culture often comment on the monopoly modern liberals, i.e. progressives, have on the culture. This is not a good thing for a variety of reasons having nothing to do with its affects on our politics and public policy, not the least of which is the truth. If the libs in the media, education and popular culture had a little more competition, maybe the truth would win out more often.

Since the election this leftist cultural hegemony has gotten a lot of attention on the right, and it’s about time! Politics is important and great and all that, but what is transmitted through culture is far more important to the direction of our country, and politics and policy will eventually reflect the culture. How else does one explain our Community Organizer in Chief!

A post at the blog the Ace of Spades, by some guy named Ace strangely enough, hits several nails on this head, especially his conclusion:

I’m arguing that conservative conversation and conservative imagination does not need to be — and should not be — all about conservative politics

The conversation can and should be broader than that. It does not need to be so relentlessly focused on near-term political goals and long-term victory in the culture wars.

I think the truth will out, and the truth will out wherever it is actually pursued. Even if — especially if, maybe — it’s pursued into places you didn’t think it would be hiding. I suppose I’m suggesting a sort of Invisible Hand in imagination or intellectual inquiry — a free market in ideas should wind up producing the best ideas, and if it doesn’t, the market is rigged to guarantee bad results.

I think the market is so currently rigged — first, by a venal monopoly which uses its market position in one market (the media, culture, the academy) to leverage a dominant position in another (the political realm). (Incidentally, that’s one of the biggest no-no’s in anti-trust law– using a monopoly or near-monopoly in one area (say, a computer operating system) to leverage an advantage in another (say, an internet browser).)

But secondly — and more importantly for our immediate purposes, because we can affect this more readily than the first point — the market is deformed by a lack of competitors entering it, and that’s because conservatives, for a variety of reasons, self-select away from it.

I think it’s time to change that. In fact, I think the time to change that was some time around 1957, but it’s definitely time to change that now.

Love the 1957 reference, because for longer than I’ve been alive, conservatives have let liberals run rough shod over the culture with nary a peep. Well, that’s not actually true. Conservatives have complained and whined and moaned about it since William F. Buckley’s “God and Man at Yale.” And that was written in 1951!

Let’s see, conservatives have been complaining for over 60 years, and they complained and complained and complained, as if bile would change anything. Just maybe more right-wing types in cultural professions of influence might help. And just maybe a few of the bazillions of dollars that go to politics and right-wing think tanks going to cultural engagement might help. Maybe.