Liberal Hollywood

Conservatives and their neo-con progeny are so very fond of accusing Hollywood of liberal bias. This often strikes us on the left as just a mite bit ridiculous—how does the mix of violence and sex that Hollywood sells have a liberal bias? What freaks me out is that when I think about it, I realize that, strangely, inexplicably, conservatives are right. Hollywood IS liberal, and does advocate liberal positions. They notice more than we do, because when they see it, it jars their delicate sensibilities. For us, it doesn't even register. The conservatives are right. Hollywood is liberal.

Not politically, of course. Hollywood as a whole cares about politics not at all. Hollywood is about profit, and, if you want to be generous, every once and a while it's about art too. But nine times out of ten, Hollywood is concerned only with making the most money it can. I’ll not argue the profit motive. They sure aren’t out to spread any ideology, unless there’s damn good money in it. And yet.

Wikipedia defines liberalism thusly: "Broadly speaking, liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on the power of government and religion (and sometimes corporations), the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports private enterprise and a system of government that is transparent. This form of government favors liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law, and an equal opportunity to succeed." The theme to focus on here is that of equality. Political liberalism "includes the extension of the right to vote to women, non-whites, and those who do not own property," and cultural liberalism "focuses on the rights of individuals pertaining to conscience and lifestyle, including such issues as sexual freedom, religious freedom, cognitive freedom, and protection from government intrusion into private life."

Liberalism is very much concerned with breaking down barriers. The liberal dynamic is the process of creating more freedoms, fewer restrictions, and more possibilities. Things like segregation, homophobia, and classism are all anathema to liberalism. They are all obstacles to be overcome.

So how does this have anything to do with Hollywood? Try this mind experiment: Try to think of any movie you have seen, ever, that did not have as one of its themes overcoming some social barrier, be it race, class, culture, sexuality, etc. Take your time, I’ll wait.

Persuasive, huh? I’ll not go out on the shaky limb of absolutism and say that there aren’t any movies that don’t have overcoming inequality as a theme, but even if they exist damn are they rare. Especially in romantic comedies, this undeniably liberal trope is nearly inescapable: racism, classism, cultural bigotry, homophobia, all are cast as obstacles to be overcome by our plucky hero and heroine. How often is the invasive government, the manipulative corporation, cast as the bad guy in thrillers? "liberalism seeks ... limitations on the power of government and religion (and sometimes corporations)." It is telling when you are watching a movie about the Crusades and your protagonist is an athiestic liberal humanist. It is uncanny, when you stop to look: Hollywood movies are built around what are essentialy liberal archetypes of overcoming inequality and fighting for freedom, even when those positions are anachronistic in the context of the story.

I have no idea why this is so stunningly pervasive a trend. I doubt that Hollywood is even aware that they are doing it. I could hardly believe it, when I first noticed it. And yet--there it is. Hollywood is advocating liberal values. Go figure.