Why does it matter whether films and television shows are liberal, conservative or neither? The answer is simple: films influence America.
Culture defines normal. It is through our culture that we pass our values and our beliefs from one generation to the next. Hollywood defines modern American culture, there’s no escaping that. It influences the way people see the world, how they solve their problems and whom they look to for solutions. It tells them how they should live, how they should act, and what they should believe. It is the parent so many parents are not. And unless conservatives want Hollywood raising a generation of reflexive liberals with no sense of personal responsibility, we need to depoliticize the film industry.
Hollywood continuously smears conservatives and the conservative label while whitewashing liberals and liberalism. This infuses the culture with the idea that being a conservative is a bad thing and being a liberal is a good thing. Consequently, many people are uneasy about being considered conservatives even though their beliefs are by definition conservative. It also creates boogeymen which have turned normal occupations like being a soldier or a businessman into villains and undermined the very spirit of America. And unless conservatives want Hollywood defining the culture against them, this need to change and Hollywood needs to be depoliticized.
Andrew realized that and told conservatives that they needed to fight back from within Hollywood rather than just moaning about it as consumers. He created Big Hollywood for that and the message took off. Suddenly, rather than dismissing Hollywood as hopelessly leftist and seeing it as a fact of life, conservatives came to realize they needed to start working to seize back the culture.
And I am seeing the fruits of this everywhere. I’m seeing conservative filmmakers and actors come out of the closet. I’m seeing public backlashes that are changing the way Hollywood acts. This year’s Oscars were short on politics. . . Matt Damon and George Clooney both have begun trying to hide their politics. . . pro-Obama films have been withdrawn when they were called election propaganda. . . and networks like HBO have begun having to explain themselves.
This is all because of Andrew. Andrew is the one who woke everyone up to this.
Even on a more personal note, Andrew is directly responsible for all of us meeting each other. Big Hollywood is the first political site at which I participated and it’s where most of us met each other. And I thank him for that.
Bless you Andrew Breitbart. Rest in peace.
139 comments:
Andrew, I actually did not meet you guys through BH. I came through your film site. But I totally appreciate the whole Commentarama family and I'm forever thankful that Andrew Breitbart brought you all together.
I completely agree, Andrew. Not only films and television, but I would add schools as well. Breitbart is the reason I came accross you guys that put this site together, and while I don't visit the "Bigs" as much anymore, I cannot praise him enough. I used to use Drudge as my home page until I realized it was mainly Breitbart feeds.
Also, on the point you make above, that's an excellent point and one I think is finally taking root: conservatives cannot ignore the culture and expect it to treat them kindly.
Doc, I thought you were here earlier? The film site isn't even a year old yet?
In any event, if Breitbart did nothing else, I would still be thankful that he brought us all together as well.
He was a patriot, a crusader, a warrior, a leader, and an example. I loved the "In Memoriam" post on the bigs. "Andrew lived boldly, so that we more timid souls would dare to live freely and fully, and fight for the fragile liberty he showed us how to love." I just hope that we can live up to that legacy and reclaim our culture.
I think that people like Chris Christie and Newt Gingritch owe credit to Breitbart for breaking barriers of fear and intimidation in the face of the monolithic left. If it weren't for Breitbart blazing the trail, would they be so bold with the media? Maybe, but he certainly did blaze the trail. I'm sad. And grateful, but mostly sad.
Jed, Schools and colleges are essential too. Unfortunately, right now there's still a real anti-education mindset in the conservative community. That needs to be overcome just like the anti-culture aspect was (largely) overcome.
I try to get to the Big all the time, especially as I'm writing there now. But leaving that aside, Big Hollywood was the first political website where I ever posted because I felt it was worth trying to make a difference. I still feel that. I think it's vital to the future that we take out place in the culture factory.
And even beyond that, Andrew did many other great things as well. Like you, I cannot praise him enough.
Doc, It's a vital point and that's the very reason I opened the film site -- to begin addressing the culture from a conservative perspective. And you would be surprised how few conservative film sites there are.
Thanks for this, Andrew. (Price, that is.)
Like I said on LawHawk's thread this morning, I would not be where I am today (politically speaking) without Breitbart. I literally cannot imagine where I would be today if I had not had the Big sites and then Commentarama to revive my drooping spirits in 2009 and 2010. In a very real way, we are his legacy, or at least a part of it.
I've read and heard a lot of moving tributes to Breitbart today, and I can honestly say I've been inspired. First, I'm gonna go out and buy his book. Second, I'm gonna throw myself back into this mess for all I'm worth. If there was any reason for hesitation in this election, just remember: Win it for AB.
While I have plenty of issues with Big Hollywood, this is neither the time nor the place to delve into them. Having said that...
I, too, am here because of BH. For the last half-decade, I've been following Nolte from film site to film site: from the old Libertas blog to Dirty Harry's Place (where the Threedonia guys met), to BH.
I quickly noticed Andrew's comments and one of my first comments was a reply to one of his where I labeled him as "one of my favorite commenters!" I eventually made it over here and Andrew's review of Brazil was my first comment in the Commentaramaverse.
I didn't know Breitbart, I never met him, and if I did meet him, I don't know if I'd like him or vice versa... but he seemed like a cool guy to shoot the shit with over drinks. My heart goes out to his family.
I did see an interview with him where he said one awesome thing (paraphrased): "When young people think conservative, they think Jerry Falwell, and that stereotype isn't true." I find myself telling my friends that when I mention how I write for a conservative movie website and they look at me cross-eyed: "Conservatives like movies?" :-)
Tam, I agree 100%! I think Andrew more than anyone shattered the idea that "the MEDIA" are somehow experts who deserve respect. He's one of the few who genuinely called them out time and again when they did wrong. Sure, there were placed like Accuracy in Media before Andrew, but they had zero ability to get noticed. Andrew drove these ideas right into the middle of the public square with horns blaring and everyone noticed.
Also, I have little doubt that places like the Bigs were the backbone of the Tea Party in the sense that they showed people how to come together on the web. (Don't forget, Andrew was one of the first supporters of the Tea Party.) Before that, I think the only avenue we had to know anyone else was out there was listening to Rush. Suddenly, we could see the thousands of other people who thought like we did and we could talk with them directly. And that gave people a sense that they weren't alone.
And, I was hear earlier, I should have said "film articles." The first article I ever saw here was your review of Ninth Gate and it's been all good since then! :)
T-Rav, You're welcome. And genuinely well said.
I know that people always overstate good qualities in tributes, but that's not the case here. Like you, I saw 2008 as the end of conservatism. That was very depressing.
And then I heard about Big Hollywood deciding to start striking back at the institutions of liberalism. For the first time in my life, I realized that it would matter if I participated or not. So I did.
And the longer things have gone, the more I've seen both how vital this and how many millions of others feel the same. It's truly inspirational. And it tells me that millions of Americans do believe that America is worth fighting for.
Andrew B. is the guy who made that happen for me. And you all are the folks who keep that fire burning. I have no doubt we can fix this country because of the wave of people ready to stand up and do their best.
I have had problems with BigHollywood and I felt it has been become a site where "conservatives whine about biased liberal Hollywood".
How many articles can you post on HBO's Game Change in ONE FREAKING DAY?!
But, he did give conservatives a kick in the pants as far as culture and film was concerned and I think we have been seeing the fruits of that kick.
A toast to a great man.
It's true. I am not sure if I would hae ever had the guts to comment anywhere, if it were not for Big Hollywood. It was a confluence of circumstances and dumb luck. As I posted on Big Hollywood today-
"If it hadn't been for Andrew Breitbart and Big Hollywood, I would never have known that there were so many people in entertainment who thought like me. You gave us a place to speak freely. Thank you, Andrew, and rest in peace. You were much too young."
Andrew: I agree with you whole-heartedly. What are the oods that we (and many like us) would have met and started our own conservative blogs without Andrew Breitbart? He will be sorely missed, and may he rest in peace.
Kit - I agree with you and once I found Commentarama, I quickly drifted away from Big sites. They became too much about whining and attacking all things liberal and less about conversing and fleshing out issues like here.
Scott, Big thumbs up! :D
I'm glad you decided to join us. I have always been a firm believer in hearing all points of view and I'm glad you bring an independent take to the issues. Your thoughts are always interesting.
As an aside, I know that Breitbart felt the same way because several of his contributors are on the left or in the center. And it's always interesting to hear their takes.
I think the quote you mention is the exact reason why Andrew was so vital to conservatism. Before Andrew, people really thought conservatism should be confined to just the political sphere. They simply refused to understand that liberalism was active in all facets of life. And too many conservatives blasted the idea that conservatives should have anything to do with the culture.
I agree that BH hasn't always lived up to its mission, but the IDEA has taken root and more and more conservatives are starting to understand that they need to engage in the culture, they can't just ignore it and hope it goes away.
Let's hope that soon we will begin seeing openly conservative filmmakers out there making cool films and then this whole idea of "conservatives like films, huh?" will be a thing of the past.
Another unique quality of Breitbart seems to be the ability to pick good people to run his various organizations. No one seriously thinks the Bigs or Breitbart.tv and Breitbart.com are going away. No one even mentions that. That is one of the features of Breitbart's legacy.
Doc, That's what I figured, there were a couple years of film articles here before I moved them to the film site. :)
Kit, I agree. I think too often, in the day to day posts, BH doesn't live up to the mission. But I think the bigger success has been the idea that conservatives should even be interested in culture.
I had a fascinating discussion with some people after my last Star Trek article and they pointed out that conservatives are terrified to admit they are conservatives in the science fiction world, but that articles like the Star Trek article at BH sent a shockwave through the liberal sci-fi establishment. Maybe that's the first chink in the armor of liberal groupthink?
I think that's where places like BH get their day to day value -- in shocking the left and it telling people they aren't alone.
This is a staggering loss for the conservative blogosphere. Without hesitation, I will say that he created the real alternative to the left on the internet. I came to Big Hollywood the first day, when our local talk show guy Neil Boortz was talking about an article by a Gary Graham, “One Pissed Off Dude,” well that’s me, ladies and gentleman. It struck me at my core, because like Gary and Neil I knew what was about to happen to our country, the Woodstock Nation was all grown up, and now in full control, and we’re (productive America) gonna take it in the keester. I’m a fighter, I’ve been in business for thirty years, and why is that relevant, I like to win, adversity is simply part of the game. Sometimes life requires bombast and emotion, sometimes it requires reasoned debate, AB was in your face, and taking it to the streets, we conservatives need that right now. In this guy I saw somebody who was a proud unabashed American, who put his money where his mouth was, and as it were, his health. I hope someone will fill that void, who? I too met most of you guys on BH, three years, it is our obligation to keep his spirit alive, and by extension save our country from the beggars and thieves. God Bless Andrew Breitbart, there’s much more work to be done, it’s time to fix the mistake of ’08!
I am so sad about this today. Far too young! He will be missed.
Nice tribute, Andrew.
Bev, That's the key. Andrew showed all of us that there were conservatives out there. Without him, we would all still be at home, by ourselves, wondering if Rush is right about a silent majority or if the media is right that conservatism is a myth? Andrew B. opened that door. And he showed everyone that conservatives exist in all walks of life.
Moreover, he showed us that conservatives weren't just people who went to political action committees, but we were average people with typical interests who thought about everything around them, not just specific legislation. Suddenly, it became acceptable for conservatives to speak about anything. And that has brought conservatism "mainstream."
I was also at BH and followed y'all over here. Breitbart's willingness to attack all sacred MSM cows has made a huge difference to the media in general. I am only acquainted with a tiny portion of the conservative blogosphere, and yet throughout that corner, his fingerprints are everywhere.
I feel for his family and friends... while we've lost an icon, they've lost a loved one.
Lawhawk, It just never would have happened. I never even commented anywhere before BH. And I never thought of blogging until you and I discussed that one day how we wanted to say more things than we could at BH. The rest is history.
It is 100% true that without Andrew B., there would be no Commentarama.
Joel, very good point and for all our grousing about the flaws of BH, it and its sister sites have managed to run and flourish more or less independently of Breitbart and become influential sites in their own right. That is his indirect doing, and had he lived five or ten more years, I suspect we would have seen much, much more of the sort.
Bev, I love our audience here and I'm glad that the people who have found us have found us. I think the Commentarama family is fantastic. I love reading the comments because people always have interesting takes on things and it's a joy to post here because no one whines or attacks anyone else.
And while I agree with you that BH can (and does) go over the top, I think there is still a great audience over there when the right issues come up. I've run into them on my posts where they will think very deeply about their responses before making them and I've seen some fascinating debates. In the last Star Trek article, people were posting page long discussions about the differences between capitalism and socialism and various similar points.
P.S. This new system makes responding more difficult, so please excuse my lack of speed.
Now that I think of it, if it hadn't been for AB, I wouldn't have had two nice dinners with our very own Bev when I lived in NYC. And as I mentioned to Andrew in an e-mail, after all this time I'd love to attend a live in-person "Commentarama summit" one day. Too bad we're all spread out. :-)
Re: BH, I don't have anything to add but my biggest fear right now is that they double-down on the politics and the hate (I won't name names), reflecting the worst qualities of the site.
But I am looking forward to more Big sites, if indeed they decide to open them. I'd heard about Big Education, Big Soros, and Big Israel all in the pipeline.
Joel, I hope so. I was actually a little concerned that whoever the new owner is might decide to go a different route. But who knows? I have no idea who owns the empire or how it will be run.
I found BH when Patrick Courrielche broke the NEA propaganda scandal. That's when I stopped being a defeatist.
May God have mercy on his soul and keep his family in this time.
May God also send us a replacement. AB created his own 'school for scandal' so we should have someone to take the lectern and make it go!
I keep tearing up every time I see that pic of him just daring the camera to...
I personally would love a Commentarama meeting to put faces with the names. I have a feeling I would be able to pick everyone out instantly. :-) (I do dread having that talk with my mom, though, God bless her: "You're getting on a plane to do what?)
Another reason to love Commentaramafilms
-We got to discuss Data's role in Star Trek
-I got to post a fun clip of Dr. Beverly Crusher. :)
Stan, If I could stand up and cheer on a website, I would do it! Excellent!!!
Breitbart was the street fighter that conservatism needed. He was interested in going out there and engaging the left, not just maintaining a market share. He was unabashed. He was bright. He was articulate. And he was incredibly witty. He's like William F. Buckley with an entertainingly dirty mind.
And I couldn't agree more that he was THE guy who created the conservative web presence. At a time when liberalism was being guided by Huffington Post, conservatives had nothing. He came along and gave us the Bigs. Now other places have copied him, but he was the first, the biggest and the best.
Let us hope someone comes along to pick up his flag and run it just as well because we need more Andrew Breitbarts.
And in the meantime, we need to do exactly what you say -- keep fighting for what we believe and keep fighting for the America we love!
Crispy, Ditto. It's shocking to me when people die young, and I never would have guessed he would have died. He's only one year older than I am! He will very much be missed.
rlaWTX, Very true. I do feel for his family. This has to be stunning to them and very difficult.
His fingers are everywhere in the conservative blogosphere. Almost all the blogs I visit are from people I first met at BH. And there are very few conservative sites that don't like to the Bigs. He was incredibly influential for that reason alone before we even get to the other issues.
I mentioned above that he was William F. Buckley with an entertainingly dirty mind, and I think that's true. He has been as influential. Buckley brought intellectual conservatism back from the dead. Andrew brought it to the internet and opened the door to discuss things other than policies.
That's a heck of an achievement.
T-Rav, I have no idea how much direct control he exercised, but he certainly created an interesting and influential empire. BH isn't always all I hoped, but it IS the conservative voice on Hollywood. And it's had some huge successes in terms of opening doors for conservatives and putting an end to liberal free reign. When you see HBO trying to explain themselves just because BH goes on the attack, you know BH has begun to matter.
Also, don't forget, the Bigs did things like bring down ACORN and various other successes.
Scott, I think you and Bev are the only Commentarama people to meet another Commentarama person?!
Maybe we can arrange a convention at some point? That would be kind of neat. :)
At some point we're going to need Big Big just to keep track of them all! LOL! I think a Big Education would be a good thing. Light really does need to be shined on education.
tryanmax, Yeah, that was another good thing the Bigs did!
How did you find us?
I've said this before today, but this is shocking news. He was so young and so full of life. RIP.
Fox' "The Five" (particularly Greg Gutfeld) has a really moving tribute to Breitbart this afternoon. I haven't stayed up to watch Red Eye in a while, but I definitely will be tonight.
darski, He was a fearless showman and I think that made him so compelling on television. It was hard not to watch whenever he was on. He was funny, witty, and ultra-bright and he was fearless when it came to slaughtering liberal sacred cows.
And you're right, he really gave conservatism a place where the excesses and scandals of liberalism could be exposed in all their glory, so that the MSM couldn't cover them up and the left couldn't hide from them.
Let's hope someone does fill his shoes.
T-Rav, I suspect I could spot most people as well. Which is kind of an interesting tribute to the site as we have clearly attracted people from such different walks of life -- old, young, male, female, etc.
It would be kind of funny to explain to people where we're going... "yeah, a convention of people from a website.... really!"
Thanks Andrew. I don’t spend as much time on BH as I once did, even though I’m partially in the business, I guess the old cliché “the cobblers kids have no shoes” works here. So I spend more time on BG and Commentarama because politics is where my passion lies at the moment, and my limited time. There is so much to be done. We must remain out of our conservative apathy and lean into the left, and utterly and completely defeat them. If not, we simply acquiesce, and embrace the horror. Before Big Hollywood, and the ascension of Barry, I would probably still be minding my business, leaving politics to the politicians, this is not acceptable any longer. I want my children to have the same opportunity that I had. This to me is AB’s legacy, America is worth it.
Kit, Those are just some of the many reasons to love CommentaramaFilms! :)
Seriously, I enjoy talking about the Star Trek stuff very much and I'm glad others enjoy it too.
Andrew, Yes. I also spent some time lurking before commenting.
DUQ, It's very shocking. We just don't think of young people dying anymore? And yes, I do think 42 is young.
T-Rav, I'd forgotten that Gutfield used to be one of BH's favorite contributors. I may have to watch that tonight as well.
Stan, I agree entirely. I think Andrew B. woke up average people to the fact they needed to be involved. It wasn't good enough just to vote and hope that our leaders can sort everything out. We need to be out there spreading the news, letting people know the truth as compared to the MSM-truth, vetting candidates, sharing ideas, and never letting liberals get away with their garbage being unchallenged.
Doc, I know that a large number of people never comment. I would encourage everyone to comment, but I'm happy that they're there even if they don't comment. :)
Andrew Breitbart was a formidable warrior for conservative principles in general and the truth in particular.
Not only that, he was a tireless advocate for free speech.
Many of the contributors to his sites were not self described conservatives, but they all had something in common: they don't want a leftist echo chamber and truth is important to them.
Add to that his outstanding work (behind the scenes and directly) exposing liberal leftism that the MSM wouldn't report as well as inconvenient truth's.
He did all this and much much more with humor, and without any bitterness.
Truly a model conservative that brought the importance of the culture war to the forefront with his time and money.
He will be missed but his legacy will live on.
Thank you Mr. Breitbart.
God bless Andrew Breitbart. My deepest condolences go out to his family.
P.S. Stan, I see your comments all the time at BG and I get a real kick of out them. You have a great way of cutting through the BS and getting right to the heart of the matter.
Commentarama Convention!!!
I understand T-Rav's predicament...
Every so often I reference something that one of y'all has said on here. Describing who I am quoting gets interesting... Saying "a blog I read" isn't enough, but saying "a friend said" is technically too much (esp. if I have to explain what friend). I read & comment on several other blogs including BH, but this one is the most friend-like!
All thanks to Andrew Breitbart!!!!
[and yes, I have actually had these conversations!]
Ben, Well said. I think in particular the point about truth is important. Andrew B. was not someone who spewed talking points or pimped for positions just because they were something other conservatives wanted. He was all about the truth and blowing holes in anyone who tries to shade the truth for their own purposes.
And you're right that not all of his contributors are conservatives, but they all share a desire that the truth win out.
And he did it with a smile.
That is exactly the kind of conservatism we need -- trust + good-natured. In that form, conservatism cannot be defeated.
In terms of a legacy, I think his legacy is already assured with every conservative website and every conservative actor or journalist or whatnot who stands up and says "I'm not going to hide my beliefs."
Thaddeus McCotter's tribute on the House floor was very moving. You could tell he was in shock.
Amen. The last two-three years of our lives would have been dramatically different if it were not for Andrew Breitbart. He is sorely missed.
RIP, Mr. Breitbart. T'was an honor to occasionally share stages with him in his early Tea Party days and while I didn't always agree with his methods, will never quibble with his greater MO. Disgusts me more on the right continue to ignore Andrew's understanding of the cultural war's importance, but still encouraged by the mini-revolution powder-keg he lit oh-so-well.
I say we all meet at LawHawk's for a convention! Just kidding, but getting together for a "convention" would be really cool!
BTW - Meeting Scott was great and, I have to admit, a little scary. I wasn't sure what to expect. I got used to hearing all your "voices" in my head (not in a psychotic killer kind of way) and it was so strange speaking your names out loud to a real flesh and blood person! I miss our dinners...8-(
rlaWTX, I absolutely understand that. It is kind of an odd thing that everyone here is a friend, but not a traditional friend in that sense, so it does make it hard to explain to people who aren't part of it. Still, I see everybody here as a friend. :)
A Commentarama Convention would be great! At one point, Scott or T-Rav suggested mixing it with CPAC. That could be neat too. We could create a Commentarama section at CPAC! :)
Bev, McCotter was another early contributor and I loved his articles too.
Andrew B. really had tremendous reach across all of conservatism.
Bev, I saw McCotter's speech this morning, and it was absolutely very moving. Here's the link, along with a rather different side of AB: LINK
And while I'm at it, here's a quick obit from NRO's Jonah Goldberg, who kinda broke down on Fox this morning when the news broke: LINK
JG, Very true. Without him, I don't know that there were would have been many ways to "connect" with other conservatives, and certainly not many to find conservatives from all over the globe.
At one point, Scott or T-Rav suggested mixing it with CPAC.
I mentioned CPAC but we're assuming I make it in without bursting into flames! :-)
This reminds me: Andrew, you best take care of yourself now. We don't want another health scare on your end, now more than ever.
Eric, I get kind of upset when I people do that as well. In fact, I see it a lot at BH, where people will post a comment like: "who cares about film or television! It's all liberal garbage and no conservative should watch it." That completely misses the point to... well, everything.
I think Andrew's greatest achievement was getting so many (though not all) conservatives to stop thinking like that and to realize just how important film and television is to our culture and how that in turns leads the nation. Before him, conservatives scoffed at the idea that entertainment was political. After him, very few people scoff at that idea. And that will serve conservatism well for generations to come.
Bev, It would be really strange in a way to finally put faces to names. In fact, I've noticed that I have a hard time separating people from their avatars at this point. So part of me would honestly expect people to look just like their avatars!
Still, it would be neat to meet everyone.
T-Rav, Thanks for the links! I will check them out in a moment.
Scott, Ah yes, I recall now. I don't think you're burst into flames, but I can't be sure. The bigger question is whether you can pass the conservative DNA test? ;)
T-Rav, Thanks! Tell me about it. That was pretty scary and I don't want to repeat that.
Andrew:
Very nice tribute to AB. Linked you here:
http://libertarianadvocate.blogspot.com/2012/03/rip-andrew-breitbart.html
Thanks Libertarian Advocate!
Here's your link: LINK
Andrew, now I understand why my avatar-changing was so upsetting! ;)
Yes, rla! Plus, the idea that switching to the bomb seemed like you'd perhaps reached your limit with the idiocy of our system?
The bigger question is whether you can pass the conservative DNA test? ;)
Is 50% passing? :-)
Don't worry Scott, they've got all kinds of ways to cheat drug tests. I'm sure there's a way to cheat a DNA test! :)
Scott, in schools these days, probably!
Andrew, that was a rough night...
(and I second T-Rav's concern for your continued good health!)
OH! And NRO's Nordlinger has a comment about the idiots who let the guy drown in knee-deep water, so I posted a link to the "Liberalism Kills" thread...
Scott, I'm envisioning a blood test, something like what Kurt Russell did in The Thing....
rlaWTX, Yeah, that was a rough night. :(
I saw that (Nordlinger), and I saw that you linked to my article! Thank you! :)
rla and T-Rav -
Ha! They might as well make sure I'm not an alien or a shapeshifter while they're at it.
I'm sure I'd be okay, though given my somewhat liberal views on certain social issues, when I pass by the Focus on the Family booth, you might hear dogs bark at me, like something out of The Omen. :-)
And I echo the sentiments above... Andrew, take care of yourself. God knows I need to give up the junk food myself.
T-Rav, That would be funny! You walk into CPAC and they have a team ready with flame throwers as they start testing everyone's blood.
"Yep, he's conservative. Let him pass."
rla and Scott and T-Rav, Thanks! I really do appreciate that! And don't worry, I have no desire to leave this life just yet. :)
Scott, You've joined the world of those with avatars!
(sigh) Yeah, I have. I can't guarantee it'll stay the same forever.
Spiffy looking photo, Scott! Though the fact that you live in Boca Raton makes me even more suspicious that a liberal might have absorbed you. ;-)
Avatars a good thing... though I thought you were taller? ;)
I'm from here originally. I had to move back in with my folks for economic reasons (and sadly, all my friends down here are stuck living with their parents, too!).
I live in west Boca, which is technically outside the city limits. But I will say this: every joke ever made on Seinfeld about Boca is true.
I just wish it would get cold enough down here so I can break out the pea-coat again.
But enough about me...
I'm 5'8"!
By the way, no link action on Instapundit, but I tried. I look forward to the day when these guys start linking to you on a regular basis.
Scott, I'm not worried about it. We're not part of their system. No biggie.
I've never been to Boca, but I did live in Tampa for years when I was growing up. I liked it, but I was young. But I prefer the cold weather. Inf act, it's snowing right now. :)
As for living with your parents, times are tough right now and a LOT of people are doing that.
Dang Scott, I'd tower over you! (6'1''ish)
I've been to Florida a few times, because my grandparents used to winter in Zephyrhills. I actually thought it was nice outside of the major cities (and the Keys, which are nice to visit but really weird). We really liked the Venice-Naples area; in fact, I celebrated New Year's Eve 1998 by throwing up in the parking lot of a Venice seafood restaurant.
T-Rav, Excellent way to celebrate! LOL!
For the record, I'm 6' ish. Oddly, my doctor thinks I'm taller.
Andrew, I found CommentaramaFilms in my quest for validation.
tryanmax, I recall. I just wasn't sure where you had come from to the film site. Fortunately, we do validate! :)
(We're particularly good at validating e-parking.)
Here's my first comment.
I think I've gotten just slightly better at organizing my thoughts over the last three (!) years. :-)
I don't know what my first comment at BH was. It was about a week before they started using the Intense Debate system - before that, it was just a jumble. Hell, it still is a jumble now, only slightly less so.
Jumping back up the thread for a couple topics: I think it was Andrew who said something about needing to get conservatives into education as well as Hollywood. A while ago I heard rumblings about a BigEducation site. Anybody know if there was any validity to that? (If so, I'm sure it's still moving forward.)
As to a CommentaramaCon, might I suggest meeting in a central location (hint, hint). Sorry about that, I used to work for the Omaha Convention Bureau. I guess it's still in me.
Scott, I think I got to BH before intense debate as well, though I'm not 100% sure of that. According to intense debate, I've made 6,530 comments since.
And I still can't figure out how ID assigns you a score?
Do I have to tell you my height now?
tryanmax, I was thinking Minot, ND or Novosibirsk, Russia. :)
I have no knowledge of a Big Education site, but I think it would be a good idea to shine the light on academia. There are many good teachers, but there is also a lot of scum -- particularly in colleges.
Bev, your height or what you're wearing, your pick.
Bev, Feel free to lie... but I think we all know you're 6' 7"! ;)
lots of fun comments and good remeniscences for AB. Got a chuckle about how members of the group look. I've thought about posting a real picture as a way to force myself to be less snarky. (Hey, I don't consider myself that way, but we all have our moments when we are less proud of what we said.) Of course, as I recall, Andrew, in your case you actually DO know what I look like so you'd have a leg up. Anyway, a good chat and a good way to celebrate AB. :)
Andrew, ND wouldn't be so bad. It's drivable.
Oh, it was a while before I joined intense debate. I didn't know what it was and I was worried about privacy issues. I was on BH from day 1. One of my first comments was about Fleetwood Mac and chatting up Stevie Nicks in the lobby of the Tower Theatre before anybody knew who she was l.o.l.
Jed, You have indeed sent me an e-mail showing me your new theater! :)
Snarky? No one here is snarky?!
tryanmax, If it's drivable, then it's too close. How does Australia work for you?
My first Intense Debate comment on BH was in response to a film score article where I speculated that Pixar originally wanted John Barry to score The Incredibles. Figures. :-)
I used to comment several times a day when I had a job with computer access. But in the last year or so, I decided I didn't need the headache so my comment frequency went from multiple times a day to once or twice a week (if that). Some things aren't worth the effort.
I currently have 1106 comments and a score of 90. It should be higher - I think ID stopped raising it after a while. (For comparison's sake, I've been posting on and off at the Home Theater Forum for 12 years and I only have 700 comments there!)
I had heard that AB was working on a Big Education but I don't know the state of it today.
For Commentaramacon (or Comcon!), how about we all meet in the geographic center of the US? It's Lebanon, Kansas. According to Wikipedia, local tourist attractions include a historical marker at the center... and that's it. :-D
I think my first BH comment was on a thread about late-night TV and me saying that Craig Ferguson was my favorite host. That was a long time ago--three years, I guess.
I keep hearing about a Big Education site but it never seems to take shape. I bet I have enough material to be a co-editor.
You may not be aware, but this is a real photograph next to my name. Don't laugh; it's a painful medical condition, and I'd really rather not talk about it.
I like Scott's idea; for the times when I'm in Missouri, Kansas would be pretty close. Although our kind and theirs don't get along. You kill a few unarmed Jayhawk civilians back in the 1860s and apparently they're going to take it personally or something....
"Even on a more personal note, Andrew is directly responsible for all of us meeting each other. Big Hollywood is the first political site at which I participated and it’s where most of us met each other. And I thank him for that."
Thank you so much Adrew. It's been one of those days! I fondly recall our Academy Award night, where most of us agreed that Meryl Streep is 'sooooo over-rated'....for all the good times at BH, and for all the battles won....thank you Mr. Breitbart, you've changed forever the secret curruption that is Hollywood. And we're all better off for it.
My first comment, at least according to ID, was about Jean Simmons doing the voice work for a show called "Mysteries of the Bible." Who knew?
DCAlleyKat, Well said. Andrew B. certainly shined a light on Hollywood and let average Americans have a voice, rather than leaving that the exclusive domain of the paid MSM. And you can already see how things are changing. It's by no means perfect yet or even close to perfect, but it's a much different world than it was three years ago!
T-Rav, If we do it, we should probably pick somewhere with an easy to get to airport like St. Louis or Atlanta.
Sorry to hear about the "issue" between you and your neighbor state. Some people just can't seem to forgive and forget.
P.S. I thought that was a real photo! :)
One of the more humorous things being pointed out today about AB is the fact that a bunch of libs liked to insinuate that he was a closet homosexual or something like that; in fact, this morning someone at CNN or Kos said something--extremely disagreeable about the manner in which his body was found. The implication being, of course, that he was a hypocrite like every other gay-bashing Republican. In reality, of course, Breitbart was much more socially liberal than I could ever have handled, including being pro-gay rights. Iowahawk pointed this out, adding that when you get down to it, liberals generally can't give you a specific, truthful reason for why they hate him so much.
T-Rav, I've heard that before, but it honestly doesn't bother me one way or another.
It is, however, rather asinine that they (the left) would claim to be pro-gray, but then would try to use suggestions of someone being gay as a slander. It's also asinine that they would try to slander him for something for which there is no proof.
I never quite understood the gay thing. Of all the possible innuendos to use against AB, they go with that one? (Santorum I can understand.) :-)
Having said that, the conspiracy nuts are out in full force. We already have the birthers, do we need the deathers? (You heard the term here first. It's mine!)
I DEMAND TO SEE THE DEATH CERTIFICATE
Arg. The one guy, "Mancow", I know that name from somewhere? I think he's a radio host?
Unfortunately, it's a sad commentary on the human condition that a certain segment of the population will always look for conspiracies.
Soon the other side will get started and it will become that he faked his death.
Hey, if it's in St. Louis, I wouldn't have to drive much at all! Wait, does that mean I have to play host? Errrr....
Scott, On the gay thing, the reason they use that one is because it's effective. No matter how much political correctness claims that being gay is just like being heterosexual, that's just not something society buys.
In other words, you can force people to say this under threat of PC sanctions or lawsuits, but you can't make people believe it. And in this case, people don't believe. Not the right or the left -- it's still seen as abnormal and aberrant.
So the left uses this because it's one of the few effective taunts you can use on a white male (if he was black they would be using racist taunts). Also, they think it will work particularly well against conservatives because we're all supposed to be freaked out by gays. So they see it as a particularly effective slander to use against conservatives.
Plus, it can't be disproven. No matter how many women he slept with all they have to do is make the allegation and it tends to stick. And it can be supported with the most ridiculous of circumstantial evidence -- "oh, he has male friends and who know what they did when they went camping or shot pool."
Now the interesting part about this is that gays should consider the meaning of all of this. Is the left really their friend or is the left just using them? Things like this point out the truth -- the left sees gays as a weapon to use against conservatives and not as anything more.
T-Rav, Yup, we'd have it at your house! ;)
Scott, great link.
I've argued with that Joe Herring (readmorejoe) guy about the Missouri Floods. Total conspiracy nut!
Was that guy DASILVALAW tying to accuse me???
Big Education was supposed to be the 2nd Big site but stuff got in the way. I think it was ACORN and then Pigford.
I waited a long time for Big E but it just never made it online. <>
A guy was saying on Hannity tonight that not only is there another site on the way, but Andrew was just putting the last touches on it and preparing it for a premiere Sunday night. He also said that the videos AB mentioned at CPAC, of Obama at college, are real and will be released "in a week or ten days."
"try killed him"!! LOL! Nice. Yes, Mr. Tryanmax, if that is your real name, I accuse you!
Unfortunately, the nuts will always be nuts and they will never listen to reason.
darski, I really hope he does do a Big Education because there is so much there that needs to be exposed. Education in this country has become the last liberal sanctuary where no conservatives are allowed.
And there are so many scandals.
Andrew, could you turn me on to some of those photos? As a graphic-designer I am quite curious. Perhaps I can give some input.
The education issue drives me very bonkers. I think I might one day go into teaching design or communication or both simply as a response to the rampant liberalism both in academia and those professions. I'd go today if I were in a position to make a career change.
tryanmax, academia needs all the conservative input it can get. I'm not the only one here at the university, but it's a struggle. The goal right now is to not infuriate my professors, do what I need to do to pass my classes, and then run my class how I want once I get there.
But seriously, I could write multiple very long articles on the crap I encounter in grad school.
Re-reading my comment, I seem to have given the wrong impression.... so I will delete it not to confuse people.
There are many CLAIMS that the images are doctored. One is for sure (though it's not significant) and another was a mistake. The third I've seen is very conspiratorial and I don't really buy that it's fake.
Here are the links if you are interested.
First, is the one that looked like three hands but turns out to have been a perspective trick. The third hand in the first frame is Michelle's mother who is hidden by hidden Michelle. LINK. This one got a lot of people scratching their heads at first.
The second one is a magazine which did doctor the photo to make him look better: LINK. They were attacked for behaving unethically.
Finally, here's the really conspiratorial one, the family photo. They claim the father's arm can't be there and that what they did was separate the husband and wife and jam Obama into the middle. LINK. There are websites dedicated to discussing this (LINK). I do not think this has been doctored however.
And all of this shows I should be more careful proofreading before I hit "publish." I miss the old version where I could see things more clearly. :(
T-Rav, If you ever want to run a series, let me know. :)
Cool, thanks. Yeah, I think all those photos are legit. I don't even think the Washingtonian photo is "unethical." The original had horrible color balance, I would have done no different if I were designing the cover.
I do agree that the photo of Barry with his grandparents looks awkward, but if it is faked as is claimed, it is an excellent job. There is nothing baroque about the placement of the older gentleman's hand, and if he were seated by his wife in that pose, the hand would be even further above her shoulder.
As to the websites, I've seen others like it (not that one, though). Apparently, someone got the idea that Photoshop is an analysis tool and started spreading it. It is not. I've heard of a few software programs that analyze pixels and spit out a probability of whether an image has been manipulated, but the best tool is still the human eye.
These "Photoshop conspiracies" pop up a lot, these days. They are usually as much a lie as the conspiracies they purport to uncover. People get duped by them because they want to believe them. I have a lot more thoughts/tips than I can share in a comment. Do you think Commentarama readers would be interested in an article?
tryanmax, I've dealt with many kinds of experts in my time -- from handwriting guys to photo guys and one thing I've learned is that it's all hocus pocus. You wouldn't believe how wrong these people are and the contortions they go through to make their case.
I don't put a lot of credence in this idea of photo manipulation. I suspect there's some of it to improve photos, but I can't see why they would go out of their way to create photos like the family? Are they really doubting that he had a family? Where did he come from then?
I think an article about photoshop, as you describe, would be a good one and very useful.
RamaCon in Australia sounds awesome!!! (Even ND sounds OK)
Conspiracies in General: my brother has these leanings, then gets very angry when I "um-hm" him instead of validating...
Higher Education: I've been pretty lucky, both undergrad and now grad, even in Psych. What bias there is is expected and not malicious, just world-view perspectives...
Avatars: I do not look like my cats. Or a ticking bomb. (most days)
Scott, I moved home after my separation/divorce. Actually was on my own for a year, but now living with my maternal grandparents (3 yrs!).
Boomerang is NOT a bad word! ;)
rlaWTX, RamaCon... not to be confused with Ramadan!
Ok, I won't look for a bomb or cats at RamaCon! LOL!
Conspiracy people can be very, very annoying.
I finally finished my road trip today and read your post just now. Very insightful.
I heard about Andrew Breitbart's sudden death while staying at a relative's house yesterday. My husband called me because he knew that I thought Breitbart was a BIG man! What a loss for his family and us! Am glad he brought us all together at Commentarama--thanks to you, Andrew!
CrisD
Cris, Thanks! I think Andrew did a lot of important things and he certainly deserves the credit for letting us all find each other. I am very saddened by his passing.
I'm glad you finished your road trip and congrats again to your daughter! :)
God rest your soul Andrew Breitbart. I saw Andrew on Fox News when he was promoting Big Hollywood. As an individual who has always had creative if somewhat useless hobbies such as studying particle physicists or writing poetry it was somehow a boost to hear that you could have a creative side and not be a weird conservative that liked some liberal pursuits.
He will be missed. My only prayer is that the Big Sites will maintain his Vision. Just as stockholders feared that the death of Steve Jobs would cripple Apple commenters and readers of that site will have some fear that without Breitbart the mission will seem less distinct, less clear. RIP AB and hopefully someopne will carry the torch at your site.
i know i'm late to this (been a long weekend already), but i was trying to explain to a family member about Andrew B's importance and i included that it meant knowing all of you and i was struck how one man made this happen (obviously he started it, but many participated). he won't be forgotten. RIP, brother.
Indi, Let's hope the Bigs do ultimately live up to his vision.
Patti, As I said somewhere above, if he did nothing else other than that, I would say he had been a success, but he has done so much more as well. Meeting everyone here has just been a great way to spend the last couple years and I can't imagine now how differently things would have been without all of you!
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