Imagine my surprise to find that the redoubtable Injustice Gamer independently contributed to the ongoing conversation about alternative cultural institutions that others such as JD Cowan and I are wading into.
Here’s IG’s Alfred Genesson:
Vox Day put up a post responding to yet another article on building another culture. Seriously. I hear about or find another article every few months. Vox mentions the fact that conservative media has never talked about a Castalia House book. I’ve seen an interview in a Catholic online mag with John C. Wright that only talked about his Tor books, and this was recent. The fact is, the so called media organs of conservatism and Christianity don’t benefit from helping relevant material grow. They benefit from being able to whine that the establishment is leftist and dishonest.
I’ll second Alfred’s observation. It’s one thing to rally around artists who are ostracized by the establishment. It’s quite another to make whining about it your sole marketing strategy. Contra conservatives’ personal responsibility mantra, their publishers, record labels, and film companies are addicted to victimization by the Left.
Books? Well, just another place where the movers and shakers mostly prefer to stay ignorant. This case, unlike music, I’m glad about. Why? Because their willful ignorance leaves a place for people like me. If those media were actually paying attention to small press and independent authors, I’d have a much harder time with audience growth. They want to ignore anything but big NY publishing, I’ll gladly fill part of that huge gap.
Now, as to other reasons aside from selling the “can we build an alternative culture” article again. Most of it comes down to the fact that people are largely lazy. I’ve seen it like crazy with people at church that will go to a concert of the youth pastor’s cover band, but won’t bother with their musician friend’s group that’s been working for years and building hours of music. A lot of folks also want to be able to talk about the same entertainment as everyone else. This view of culture is the real culprit.
Not to sound like a broken record, but it clearly bears repeating: Do not give your money to people who hate you.
“But that list includes almost all entertainment, tech, news, and food and beverage companies!” I hear many of you complain. Yes, it does. Ask yourself how we came to this sorry state of affairs. Is it the fault of SJW entryists? Certainly, but not entirely. Invading an ruining cultural institutions is what SJWs do. May as well be outraged at a scorpion for stinging you.
Who’s claimed the mantle of cultural guardians yet persistently failed to preserve a single major movie studio, record label, candy company, or university from social justice convergence? All of these organizations started out as not just neutral, but conservative institutions.
Walt Disney famously rounded up and ejected all communists from his studio. Popular songs once reinforced Western, Christian morals instead of eroding them. Cadbury was founded by a devout Christian. Yale was originally a Congregationalist seminary.
The unavoidable conclusion is that conservatives don’t particularly care about the culture they claim to defend. If they did, they wouldn’t literally give away the store at the first sign of Leftist infiltration.
Don’t kid yourself. Patronizing converged companies isn’t a harmless indulgence. The big media and tech companies have demonstrated again and again that they will not hesitate to use their vast power to silence and financially ruin anyone they deem problematic–which, if you’re reading this, includes you.
Before you buy a ticket to see another Hollywood desecration of a beloved franchise, before you pay the cable bill that ESPN get a percentage of whether you watch them or not; before you cosign the student loan that will condemn your daughter to be brainwashed by Marxist professors, rendered unmarriageable, and languishing in lifelong debt slavery, stop, slap yourself, and don’t.
There’s no need to patronize converged companies, anyway. As Alfred points out, indie publishing in particular is thriving. Show your support for independent authors and get superior books in the bargain.
"Stop, slap yourself, and don't"
When does the line of Niemeierisms merchandise go on sale? Asking for a friend.
Thanks to both you and Alfred for helping facilitate the discussion.
If by "line" you mean a plastic cup a grabbed off the shelf and scribbled that phrase on with a magic marker, the answer is "now" and "for $25.00".
It's also not the same as boycotting people with different views; this is boycotting people who want to destroy you, your life, and everything you believe in and value.
Why would you want to help someone do that to you?
"this is boycotting people who want to destroy you"
What I find mind-boggling is that this hasn't sunk in yet with some people.
It is because if you boycot everyone who wants to destroy you, all of the remaining resources are gone. These same people who want to destroy you made certain that you need to rely on them by implementing all their regulations that will keep you permanently under their thumb AFTER they became successful.
And they wouldn't have gotten away with it if the supposed opposition hadn't given away the farm.
Do what you can.
I was trying to but the supposed "opposition" took away my assault rifles.
JD and Brian,
Ok what's to be Done? How do we take back the culture?my own modest view is to 'seduced the fencesittets with beauty truth true while having fun. A good example are the festes majors thrughout Southern Europe. In Barcelona the neighbours compete during the Merce (Our Lady of Mercy in Sept) to see who has the coolest decorations; the food and the music are from the neighbours but special guests like big name
Deep down despite the Gramscian attitude that pervades culture people will still want to have fun and be moved. Gramsci hasn't completely erased human longing people are just good at hiding it.
That's the vulnerabilty: having fun and we need to be brazenly defiant in their faces.Laugh and enjoy life the devil loathes both.
xavier
What's to be done is what we are actually doing. First, we stop supporting groups who hate us. Then we set up non-converged substitutes for the service those groups were providing.
For instance, when the Hugo folks made it plain they hated us enough to burn their own village, we walked away and stopped giving them our money. Then we went out and supported the Dragons. As a result, Hugo voting is down to pre-puppy levels and the Dragons got twice the votes (in only its 2nd year) as the Hugos.
Chris
Thanks. I poppoed ovef Casralia house and there's a call to arms for comic book creators. It's amazing to read a decision to take back the comic book industry
xavier
Xavier — I think it is important to think of it not as "taking back". That gives legitimacy to the trash fire that is the Big 2 (and the Mid 2).
Creating what readers want is filling a void. Current mainstream comics are a nothingburger on estrogenated steroids. Keep in mind these people *abandoned* their readers.
With #ComicsRevolution, Indie creators are coming to provide content readers *want* once again.
The mindset is critical to maintain.
Man of atom
Excellent point.fill the void of stuff peoople really want to read/watch
xavier
Like Man of the Atom said, we'll do with comics what indie publishing did to the Big Five.
"Before you buy a ticket to see another Hollywood desecration of a beloved franchise, before you pay the cable bill that ESPN get a percentage of whether you watch them or not; before you cosign the student loan that will condemn your daughter to be brainwashed by Marxist professors, rendered unmarriageable, and languishing in lifelong debt slavery, stop, slap yourself, and don't."
EDIT: Marxist professors who can't tell that Socialism, Fascism, and Nazism are also Marxist views.
This is a serious question, not a troll – do you watch any TV shows? How do you see Hollywood films?
Because if you're doing either you're contributing to people who hate you unless you're willing to break the law.
Which you seem to acknowledge here.
No cable for the last 15 years other than their Internet connectivity. Three theater films in the last 18 years: Phantom Menace (still recovering from that turd), Lord of the Rings (1st film), and Atlas Shrugged (Part 1).
Anything on TV or at the Movies that I want to see, I buy at discount or second hand. Do I see it one to six months later than everyone else?
Sure. So what?
I have a wall of media, and most of it is old books.
Cutting the cord can be done, and done legally. Tastes great, and less (SJW) filling.
Bye bye, Hollyweird. Bye bye.
The assumption, held even by many on our side, that it's unthinkable to get through life without watching current TV shows and Hollywood movies speaks volumes.
That wasn't my question. You do seem to watch it. You talk about it a lot. Do you get it on torrent sites, or what?
I tend to watch a mix of old and new shows. where I live there are censorship laws and there's some editing of content. I notice here and there but it's not herendous just eye rolling. I read , and surf the net.
xavier