This was a great article. I would just add- we could learn from the Republicans on this. They really want tax cuts for the rich, but they ALSO know this would be electorally unpopular. So what do they do? They are disciplined enough to make sure no one talks about tax cuts for the rich during the campaign (or at the very least make sure that any talk of tax cuts for the rich is embedded in a more broad based tax cut) - and then when they win power, they just go ahead and do it.
If there’s something you want to do that you know is unpopular, you don’t necessarily need to build a movement. If you’re willing to risk the potential backlash, all you need is the discipline to not talk about it during the campaign and then go ahead and implement it once you’ve won.
Great article Simon! I hadn't registered Coates's move to Marvel as especially strategic. That in conjunction with the point about cultural elites doing more to move opinion is fascinating. I am curious about the opportunities that presents for pushing democratic platforms through popular media. Is there a democratic belief, policy, or agenda item that you think Hollywood should focus on going forward that would be especially advantageous to moving public opinion? Also, is this an effort that is best done non-explicitly or, would it be preferrable to have producers and democratic comms/messaging experts help move the needle? I would also be curious about the short-comings or risks of attempting to compel voters through mass-media rather then from messaging that comes from the political apparatus directly.
What we're trying to do is argue in favor of spending more resources on non-electoral and movement (in particular labor movement) organizing so that when an election happens, it’s fought on more favorable terms for the left. Focusing on building institutions and associations that can foster solidarity and change people’s minds about key issues is not only important, it’s necessary. It’s also, obviously, a form of politics.
There's nothing wrong with trying to optimize in the short-term for the next election, but we should have a little more humility when talking about the means and ends of doing so. As we argued, there can be some real long-term damage when you triangulate! As much as we'd like to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, aggressively catering to public opinion polls can come at the cost of actual policy change if we’re not careful. And we could be headed down that path. Right now there's too much weight placed on short-term electoral tactics given the scale of the challenge. It’s time to start thinking past the next election.
Great article, thank you. This argument intersects strongly with the most worrying trend in public opinion -- the ongoing loss to Democrats of working class voters of all races and ethnicities who do NOT want to be confronted with challenges to their traditional morality in the context of a politician seemingly talking down to them in the effort to waken them to progressive values. That is exactly why the Rs and their media complex are always baiting Ds to draw them into definition on these (currently) social issues that are unpopular to working class voters.
While no doubt pop culture impacts views I sometimes wonder if even that influence is a bit exaggerrated. I grew up in the 1970s/80s, and I would say that to the extent pop culture had political content back then a large section of was it liberal, broadly defined. MASH, All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore come to mind. The same was largely to true of movies (All the President's Men, China Syndrome) and music. Yet the decade ended with Ronald Reagan as president. Maybe it took longer for pop culture to impact politics, but I also think that folks may be more influenced by pop culture that reflects their existing biases.
Hey Simon, former Australian political staffer and fan of popularism here. Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your writing which perhaps unsurprisingly addresses a lot of similar issues we are having here on the Left here in Australia. Keep up the good work :)
I think the gay marriage example is pretty convincing. However, I would go one step forward and say that if you think the GOP is a legitimate authoritarian threat, then even if you work in pop culture you should be creating output that is geared towards electoralism.
If you own a restaurant in a swing state, I think you should think twice before having a kid friendly drag queen brunch because every minute that gets in the political debate is a minute not spent on the minimum wage or healthcare.
This was a great article. I would just add- we could learn from the Republicans on this. They really want tax cuts for the rich, but they ALSO know this would be electorally unpopular. So what do they do? They are disciplined enough to make sure no one talks about tax cuts for the rich during the campaign (or at the very least make sure that any talk of tax cuts for the rich is embedded in a more broad based tax cut) - and then when they win power, they just go ahead and do it.
If there’s something you want to do that you know is unpopular, you don’t necessarily need to build a movement. If you’re willing to risk the potential backlash, all you need is the discipline to not talk about it during the campaign and then go ahead and implement it once you’ve won.
Great article Simon! I hadn't registered Coates's move to Marvel as especially strategic. That in conjunction with the point about cultural elites doing more to move opinion is fascinating. I am curious about the opportunities that presents for pushing democratic platforms through popular media. Is there a democratic belief, policy, or agenda item that you think Hollywood should focus on going forward that would be especially advantageous to moving public opinion? Also, is this an effort that is best done non-explicitly or, would it be preferrable to have producers and democratic comms/messaging experts help move the needle? I would also be curious about the short-comings or risks of attempting to compel voters through mass-media rather then from messaging that comes from the political apparatus directly.
We're mostly on the same page here, our most recent piece (https://loopmein.substack.com/p/reimagining-the-movement?s=w) even discusses the importance of pop culture in the same context you do.
What we're trying to do is argue in favor of spending more resources on non-electoral and movement (in particular labor movement) organizing so that when an election happens, it’s fought on more favorable terms for the left. Focusing on building institutions and associations that can foster solidarity and change people’s minds about key issues is not only important, it’s necessary. It’s also, obviously, a form of politics.
There's nothing wrong with trying to optimize in the short-term for the next election, but we should have a little more humility when talking about the means and ends of doing so. As we argued, there can be some real long-term damage when you triangulate! As much as we'd like to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, aggressively catering to public opinion polls can come at the cost of actual policy change if we’re not careful. And we could be headed down that path. Right now there's too much weight placed on short-term electoral tactics given the scale of the challenge. It’s time to start thinking past the next election.
Great article, thank you. This argument intersects strongly with the most worrying trend in public opinion -- the ongoing loss to Democrats of working class voters of all races and ethnicities who do NOT want to be confronted with challenges to their traditional morality in the context of a politician seemingly talking down to them in the effort to waken them to progressive values. That is exactly why the Rs and their media complex are always baiting Ds to draw them into definition on these (currently) social issues that are unpopular to working class voters.
While no doubt pop culture impacts views I sometimes wonder if even that influence is a bit exaggerrated. I grew up in the 1970s/80s, and I would say that to the extent pop culture had political content back then a large section of was it liberal, broadly defined. MASH, All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore come to mind. The same was largely to true of movies (All the President's Men, China Syndrome) and music. Yet the decade ended with Ronald Reagan as president. Maybe it took longer for pop culture to impact politics, but I also think that folks may be more influenced by pop culture that reflects their existing biases.
Hey Simon, former Australian political staffer and fan of popularism here. Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your writing which perhaps unsurprisingly addresses a lot of similar issues we are having here on the Left here in Australia. Keep up the good work :)
I think the gay marriage example is pretty convincing. However, I would go one step forward and say that if you think the GOP is a legitimate authoritarian threat, then even if you work in pop culture you should be creating output that is geared towards electoralism.
If you own a restaurant in a swing state, I think you should think twice before having a kid friendly drag queen brunch because every minute that gets in the political debate is a minute not spent on the minimum wage or healthcare.