Chris Yogerst
PhD film student, editor and film critic for Parcbench, contributor to Big Hollywood. Follow him at twitter.com/chrisyogerst
Clint Eastwood’s ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan made audiences appreciate his zero tolerance policy for criminals with lines like “Go ahead, make my day”. Over the course of five films Harry took out the trash for San Francisco. He squashed numerous threats from serial killers to corrupt police officers. He drove ‘bleeding heart’ liberals crazy to the point they were calling the initial film Fascist (see reviews by Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert).
Similar to Harry’s strength against criminals, Eastwood himself has gained a reputation for being fiscally strong as a director. Growing up in the depression era has certainly influenced him. Maybe President Obama can learn some things from Eastwood’s successful career. In a new article for Variety, Eastwood says:
“I grew up in an era when you knew the value of a buck, and I’ve never forgotten it, my old man used to preach to me, ‘Nothing comes from nothing, no one’s going to give you anything,’ and that’s probably the best advice I’ve ever had.” read more…
This past weekend was one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had in quite some time. I had the honor of attending David Horowitz’s Restoration Weekend in Palm Beach, Florida, which included inspirational speeches from Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann as well as a delightfully sarcastic Ann Coulter.
While the program was held at the most beautiful resort I’ve ever seen (The Breakers,) there was little time to enjoy the surroundings. The Freedom Center put together an impressive group of people, which provided an excellent networking experience that kept relaxation at a minimum. I am still having trouble believing the number of wonderful people I met from filmmakers and screenwriters to political junkies of all kinds including all of the great people from the Freedom Center. read more…
Leftist South Park fans were expecting a grand take-down of Glenn Beck. Instead this was the show's true target.
Click here for the previous discussion of this episode of South Park and click here for the index to the “Generation South Park” series.
Besides entertaining us with a hyperbolic mess of a Beck/Palin/Obama-turned-Avatar parody, the latest episode of South Park remains incredibly clever. The show’s set up was a trap to get their center-Left fans involved. However, instead of giving them satisfaction by administering a blow to the Right, the political parallels fall through the trap door provided by the useful killing Smurfs metaphor. Cartman’s seemingly crazy assertions about a corrupt class president were correct after all.
This episode proves why South Park is great at getting everyone involved regardless of political affiliation. While their targets are usually to the left of center, their overall focus generally flies under the radar which is why the show is embraced by both the Left and Right. Generation Y Conservatives use this same method in order to engage in dialogue without appearing entirely partisan. This tactic is what my friend and colleague David Swindle likes to call stealth conservatism.
Glenn Beck reacts to South Park on his program Thursday:
You know what’s amazing to me is I’m a libertarian. And they are, too. When you’re a libertarian, there ain’t anybody coming to your defense.
This is why Gen Y Conservatives are not libertarian, Republican, or traditionally conservative. We draw from each political pool, taking the best from each ideological tradition to create a smarter and stronger group for the future. Part of our strength is the ability to find faults in all sides of the political spectrum in all forms from its lawmakers to its pundits. This includes instances like the South Park critique of Beck when one may agree with someone’s substance but disagree with their style therefore allowing a stealth critique.
I don’t care what you do with your life. Honor the Constitution. Limited government. Maximum amount of freedom. Throw them all out. Get people who understand the founding fathers. Libertarians are eating each other alive. And it doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense. But see, there’s no, there’s no structure to it. And I’m fine with that. But that’s why libertarians lose is because there’s no, there’s no system. There’s no system. And so there’s no one to defend. And so the, both parties, when they start to grind down on you, you have the entire system against you, and it’s quite amazing.
This lack of structure is a problem for accomplishing practical political results. And it’s why Gen Y Conservatives only use aspects of libertarianism but also ally with the existing conservative movement to complete their footing. Like with liberalism, conservatism has garnered a negative connotation which is why we need stealth alternatives for future political discourse.
Gen Y Conservatism is similar to South Park for its ability to engage those on the Left and centrist-minded independents while not appearing dogmatic. This is something that is impossible for figures like Beck and Sean Hannity. The latest South Park shows us exactly how the show appeals to all audiences. Those on the Right are able to laugh because they know the show is critiquing style not substance. Also, those on the Left can enjoy it because they can spin the play on Beck’s style into a political statement that adheres to their agenda.
Thus South Park can smuggle freedom-oriented ideas into minds that would otherwise not hear them. Gen Y Conservatism will do the same thing, presenting pro-American arguments in a new context in ways which cannot be as easily brushed aside. By asserting Gen Y’s stealth conservatism it will be better equipped to conduct useful dialogue that will ultimately make the country stronger for the future.
Click here for the previous installments of Chris Yogerst’s “Generation South Park” series.
After the latest episode of South Park we know plenty of the show’s fans on the Left are saying “SEE, SOUTH PARK ISN’T CONSERVATIVE!!â€
[Editor’s Note: Chris is right. The night this new episode ran I spammed a comment that was submitted making this point. The reason it didn’t get through moderation: It started out with profanity insulting Chris.]
However, it is easy to write off these “gotcha†attempts when we look into this episode a little more and note its importance to Generation Y Conservatism.
South Park is indeed a largely libertarian show. Yet Gen Y Conservatism has a solid foot standing in the libertarian movement. This sense of neutrality allows both South Park and Gen Y Conservatives alike to raise questions about ideas and people in any political movement, including their own. It allows ideas of freedom to be considered by those who aren’t listening to talk radio and Fox News.
Wednesday’s South Park was aimed at Glenn Beck. Eric Cartman, obviously inspired by Beck, takes over the school’s morning announcements and turns it into his own televised morning show. Cartman is similar to Beck in his mannerisms, emotional presentation, and even his habit of walking around the set. Here is an excerpt from one of Cartman’s morning announcements: read more…
A couple months ago I was in a graduate cinema studies course when a fellow student called me out as a sexist. My only crime was being a fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, which she (and other misguided feminists) feel are full of misogynistic male heroes. After telling me she was offended by Jimmy Stewart’s allegedly “heroic†character in Vertigo, she ranted about how women are oppressed by showering me with rape statistics.
When I responded to my classmate, telling her that not all male leads are “heroes†and some films are instead meant to be a cautionary tale (i.e. Vertigo,) she told me that it was not my place to discredit her. Excuse me?! When someone calls me a sexist because I like one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time I am certainly within my rights to defend myself.
Feminists hate acknowledging criticism because they fear exposure. They only use women’s rights or equality as a disguise. It is packaged and sold as an advocacy group for the advancement of women. However, the truth is it fights to abolish the “oppressive” notion of gender in America just as communists want to demolish the social class structure. Feminism is nothing but a Marxist school of thought that only brings down the women it claims to help. read more…
This is Generation Y Conservatism's approach to politics.
Editor’s Note: Click here for Part 1 of Chris Yogerst’s “Generation South Park” series.
“America’s Generation Y (born between 1980 and 1995) is the first to have grown up with the Internet, which leaves it the most liberty-loving generation since the era of Andrew Jackson.â€
These are the words of Jim Burkee, associate professor at Concordia University Wisconsin, in a piece about the politics of Generation Y. He continues:
“What does it mean to have been weaned in an environment – the Internet – virtually free of government interference? Millions of Gen-Yers have grown accustomed to making purchases online tax-free. They download movies and music (much of it pirated), read their news online for free (to the detriment of print media), find recipes online and network with friends and relatives online.
In short, they love their freedom.†read more…
Is pop culture nothing more than a safe haven for the left? It is certainly easy to believe that, however, it isn’t true.
“Democrats piss me off,” are the words uttered by South Park’s most anti-politically correct character, Eric Cartman. This can be seen as an overview for what drives the social and political commentary of the hit show. Over the years creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have found a way to weigh in on every aspect of politics and pop culture that no one else would touch with a ten foot stick.
Last week’s South Park took on the recent issues surrounding the scandalous ACORN. One of the show’s most ignorant characters, Butters, starts a “kissing company.â€Â He sells kisses to fellow students for money. His small business turns into a prostitution ring, however, he is too boneheaded to realize it. Knowing he needs assistance, he goes to the local ACORN office. read more…
Filmmaker Woody Allen, who has his own sordid history of sex with young girls, is one of Roman Polanski's defenders.
A month ago it would have been hard to predict that Roman Polanski would be such a big player in the news right now. As Polanski loses his first attempt to be released from Swiss authorities the controversy over his arrest continues to stir. While the infamous petition grows, criticism for Hollywood continues to mount.
However, when we take a second look at the list a challenging fact emerges: it may not be all that representative of Hollywood.
Last night Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld weighed in on what should be done with Polanski: read more…
Does arresting Roman Polanski mean that he is not a great filmmaker? Does it mean we don’t feel for his traumatic childhood in which he survived the Holocaust? Can is possibly mean we don’t feel for the loss of his late wife at the evil hands of the Manson family?
No, it only means he never paid the price for raping a minor.
However, it feels like half of the film industry has come out against the recent arrest of Polanski by signing a petition. Even major figures who never inject themselves into public debate, like Martin Scorsese and David Lynch, have came out on behalf of Polanski. All of this support leaves out one important thing. Polanski committed rape and admitted it. read more…
It Does Not Matter How Great Your Films Are, You Must Still Face Justice
How many Oscar nominations does one need in order to avoid facing justice for having raped a child? Are four nominations and one victory enough? Can artistic achievement absolve one of punishment for a horrible crime? And does the taint of such a dastardly act diminish the value of some of modern cinema’s greatest films?
With the recent arrest of controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fled the U.S. three decades ago after raping a 13-year-old girl whom he plied with champagne and Quaaludes, it’s time to start asking these questions again. Polanski is currently being detained in Switzerland, arrested on an international warrant released by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. read more…
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John Edwards, bloodsucking fraud extraordinaire
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Monday night’s Red Eye discussed John Edwards’ continuing, disgraceful treatment of his family. Andrew Young, a former aide to Edwards, has proposed to write a book making some serious allegations regarding the senator’s extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter (which isn’t her real name), including Edwards’ pledge to someday marry Miss Hunter in a rooftop wedding complete with a performance by the Dave Matthews Band. According to Young, “Edwards promised Hunter that their star-studded wedding would take place just as soon as his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, died.â€
Host Greg Gutfeld quipped:
“That’s romance, John Edwards styleâ€
Red Eye then juxtaposed a few creepy pictures with a photo of Edwards. One of them was of Nosferatu, the vampire from F.W. Murnau’s famous silent German expressionist film based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
To burnish his credentials as America’s worst president ever, ex Commander-in-Chief Jimmy Carter felt compelled to voice his opinion about Rep. Joe Wilson and others who have been critical of President Obama’s policies. In so doing, Carter adopted the left’s favorite tactic in political debate: When in doubt, cry “racism.”  Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld is now convinced that Carter is just “Maureen Dowd in a fright mask.â€
Said Gutfeld yesterday:
“Look, let me state the obvious. President Obama won. That wouldn’t happen in a racist country. Not only did he win, but he enjoys good faith among people like me who didn’t vote for him. I admit I find his message to be as wrongheaded at times as Carter’s– but Obama seems like a genuinely good guy, especially, when he called Kanye West a jackass.  I’d like him even more if he’d say the same thing about Carter … and if you disagree with me, then you’re probably a racist…â€
Obama does seem like a good guy; he just happens to be guided by the wrong people. The last attribute that virtually anyone would even contemplate criticizing is the color of his skin. It is disgraceful that we even have to dignify such misguided accusations with a discussion or rebuttal.
