Good Men Doing Nothing

Liberal bias in the media is an article of faith among conservatives and for good reason. Of course, if you don't believe there is liberal bias you could always visit here, here or even here. (If you don't find anything convincing, then go away. There's nothing for you here.)

It seems a day doesn't pass without reading about yet another example of the left trying to impose it's views on unsuspecting Americans. Whether it's in the form of a documentary, the results of a skewed poll, rumor mongering in order to sell books, or in the way certain news stories are presented to the public, there's always something or someone trying to push their views upon us. (Don't even get me started on the concerted effort to get us to accept Homosexuality as normal.)

Of course, none of this happens without a willing accomplice...

Conservatives who don't alter their consumer habits as a result of their political beliefs are that willing accomplice. We bleat loudly about liberal bias, then go see movies with stars like Sean Penn, Tim Robbins or Susan Sarandon. We'll tune in to episodes of The West Wing that demonize conservative values and present those who fight against them as somehow heroic. We'll continue to tune in to watch the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and may even watch the flagship of liberal television propaganda, 60 Minutes.

The fact is, those who consider themselves conservative make up a sizable block of the US population. If we stopped buying the books that flog our point of view, stop patronizing the products of those who sponsor television shows with blatantly liberal bias, and otherwise live our lives true to our professed beliefs, most of this so-called liberal bias would quickly vanish.

Some might say, "Isn't this censorship?". (If you're asking that question, then you probably didn't stop reading at the end of the first paragraph like I asked.) Of course it isn't censorship since that only occurs when someone is told they can't broadcast or publish something. We're all free to enjoy our constitutional rights to express our opinions. However, just because someone has a right to publish or air opinions that attack mine, doesn't mean that I have to watch them. Consumers are free to choose whom they wish to give their business.

If a company that is selling soap, for instance, holds your values in such contempt that they'll sponsor a show promoting values diametrically opposed to yours, why would you want to reward that company with your business? As I said, there are a lot of screams of outrage about liberal bias, but if half of those screaming would allow their actions to reflect their opinions, liberal bias in the press would be greatly reduced, or even eliminated.

Personally, there are many movies that I won't see because of the celebrities who star in them and the values those movies promote. Although the special effects in The Day After Tomorrow looked kind of interesting, I won't go to see the movie for the very same reason. As far as I'm concerned, anything that Al Gore endorses is something that I want to avoid.

Many consumers, both conservative and liberal, don't seem to realize that we're locked in a culture war. Whoever wins that war will decide how the next generation is raised and the type of society we'll become. There's a lot at stake. It's about time we realized it.

Go ahead. Continue to blame Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, CNN, Barbara Streisand, and the New York Times if you want, but if you patronize those who sponsor them and continue to consume what they have to offer, then you've become an accomplice to the disintegration of values that you say you hold dear.