Richard Koss - The Importance of Beig Liberal

The Importance of Being Liberal

....by Richard Koss

In a couple of years, I'll be a legitimate senior citizen. As I near the threshold of this dubious distinction, I find myself reflecting upon the evolution of my own ideology. I was never really a liberal, but my thinking was certainly more so when I was younger than it is today. According to Winston Churchill, this is normal.

Being reasonably well educated and convinced that the years have endowed me with some degree of wisdom, I'm often eager to plead my case for conservatism to my more liberal friends and acquaintances. These discussions are sometimes brief, other times lengthy and occasionally, they trigger emotional outbursts on both sides.

Some of these people object to being called "liberal" and consider themselves moderates. I, on the other hand, am definitely a conservative and don't want to be called a moderate. I remember reading a quote that said, "Moderation is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Makes sense to me. Suffice it to say, they're on the left and I'm on the right.

During our numerous "debates," we cover many elements of society, and invariably, the topic of celebrities comes up and I usually ask them why Hollywood people are so far left. I get different responses like "it's hip to be liberal" or they point out that in order to be creative and uninhibited, one must have a liberal mind set. I then counter by saying, "Hey, I'm creative and artistic. I write and play the piano but I'm conservative." Now comes the undeniable truth. "So what. Nobody cares. You're not famous," which starts me thinking. Movie stars, entertainers and celebrities are generally liberal, no matter how rich they are. In fact, the more financially successful these people are, the more liberal they seem to be. Why is this?

I know there are some very sincere people who are truly altruistic and liberal in their thinking and ideology. But as a conservative, I have become cynical about many things and I can assure you, most celebrities are not altruistic. Egoism is the opposite of altruism and that seems to better describe movie stars, politicians, and television personalities. Does anyone really believe Barbara Striesand's a Democrat because she's always cared for the little guy? (She said this to Barbara Walters in a television interview, just after giving a concert which grossed twenty million.) But I think I understand why it's important for Hollywood people to be liberal.

Celebrities want exposure, visibility and attention. They get all of these by being seen, not only in their normal medium or genre, but in commercials, public service announcements, talk shows, and personal appearances. The television networks like to use these celebrities as poster children to promote a liberal agenda, showcasing their political opinions, while anointing them with expert status on every issue from the environment to gun control and social security. Whether or not these stars are sincere about the issues they promote is incidental to their primary objective, which is exposure.

Keeping in mind who their constituency is, the Hollywood people take up the crusade for one or more of the liberal battlegrounds on the agenda. How can you miss when you are for saving the environment, funding aids research, fighting racism and bigotry, protecting individual rights, improving education, or ending nuclear weapon proliferation. Like their liberal counterparts in journalism and politics, they need only talk about these ideals. It doesn't matter whether anything really gets accomplished; just tell people you care passionately about these issues and they'll listen again and again. It's a no-brainer compared to talking about conservative issues like tax cuts, reducing the size of government, maintaining a strong military, cutting wasteful spending programs, declining morality in our society and the deterioration of the family unit. Let the conservatives, a.k.a. the Republicans, talk about the tough stuff. How boring and mean spirited they come across. Hollywood can't afford to be associated with this kind. It would ruin their flamboyant images. What would their fans and audiences think of them?

As for the personal life style of the left coast celebrity sanctuary, calling them liberal would be an understatement. Almost totally amoral, and obsessed with aggrandizing the status of their gay and lesbian colleagues, Hollywood ridicules organized religion and morality at every opportunity, while arrogantly defying critics who admonish them to clean up their act. This is where politics becomes important because there are many people working in Hollywood - writing, directing, and acting, who's talents are limited to their roles in the exploitation of sex and violence (to say they're limited is being kind) and who could find themselves unemployed if the industry bar were raised by congressional pressure, regulatory agencies, or by a newly appointed, conservative supreme court. Certainly reason enough to support liberal political candidates.

The elitist attitude of the liberal celebrity is pretty obvious. Particularly noticeable among television news anchors and talk show stars, is this aura of intellectual superiority which drives them to "protect" and nurture those of inferior intellect and education. This condescending spirit is not unique to celebrities and is part of the liberal mind set which assumes that most people need to be told what's good for them because they're really not capable of determining that for themselves.

In other words, most liberals think most people are pretty stupid. Conservatives actually have more confidence in people than liberals, believe it or not. A significant difference between the two is illustrated by the hypothetical treatment of a group of non-swimmers. Conservatives want to teach these people to swim, but caution those who haven't yet learned, not to jump into the lake because they might drown. The liberals tell these non-swimmers they don't have to learn how to swim. Everybody jump into the lake and we'll pull you all the way. But don't ever let go of the (my) lifeline. Without the (my) lifeline you'll drown for sure.

Oh, I know I'm a pretty stubborn guy. It's difficult for me to accept political correctness. I can't even quit smoking. And when it comes to morality, I'm no prude, in fact I'm far from a saint. But I still believe in right and wrong and black and white and good and bad.

I think it is impossible to be sincerely altruistic if you are immoral and dishonest in your own personal life. The people I sometimes argue with tell me I'm wrong about everything. Times have changed. There is no black and white, only gray. There are no standards of behavior, only standards of speech. No one really cares what you do but be careful what you say.

So I'm careful what I say. I don't like it, but I begin to talk like everyone else. I watch what I say around the women in the office and I try to find a nice way of telling them when I'm dissatisfied with their work. I even find myself complimenting them for doing an ordinary job which should be expected in the first place. I look around me everywhere and I see and hear people saying things they really don't mean. How do I know they don't mean what they say? Because their actions don't support their words.

It must be tough being a liberal. You've got so many things to remember. I still get into trouble by either saying the wrong thing or by not saying the right thing, however you look at it. But most people overlook these lapses of mine. They know I'm a hopeless conservative. That's alright with me. At least I know what I believe in. I actually feel sorry for people who aren't sure how they should feel about anything; like undecided voters, who generally make a decision not to vote. Maybe it's because they've heard so much talk about how important it is to be liberal - to agree and accept the fact that there is no right or wrong, no correct or incorrect way to live, no really good or really bad people, except maybe those who disagree with liberals.

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