More on War Hero Republicans
Andrew Sullivan flags a terrific article from one of the last lights of the conservative movement to have retained any intellectual integrity over the last several years, The American Conservative, as they parse down the cauldron of emotions and passions behind the 24-style Republican idealism that has been preening atop the GOP for the last few years. Article here.
The devotion to “24″ and its protagonist demonstrates what few may care to admit: in the war on terror, the conservative movement has become willing to sacrifice principle to passion and difficult moral reasoning to utility. As escapism, “24″ is riveting; as a parable for our time, it is revolting.
And Rob Dreher piles on here, including with this pretty elegant point:
But as Dougherty points out with reference to Bauer, it’s a dangerous temptation for conservatives to accept and esteem a fantasy figure who breaks the law — especially the moral law (e.g., torture) — in the service of his mission. And conservatives are very quick (and quite accurate) to argue, when it comes to sexuality, that the content of popular culture has real-world consequences by making acceptable previously taboo ideas. As the Jane Mayer piece cited by Dougherty pointed out, “24″’s valorization of torture is having an impact.
He’s got a point, doesn’t he? On the one hand, I feel almost silly sometimes being so disquieted by the politics (and exuberant fandom at the highest levels of the GOP) behind 24. “It’s just a TV show” is a counter-argument that always makes me feel a bit stupid. But certainly, for Republicans to argue that popular culture doesn’t set mainstream agendas is a bit…well, out of character.
Regardless, I don’t think my point has ever been that 24 is causing anything, exactly. But it does represent a cultural marker to a prominent worldview in the Republican party of today that is, as the American Conservative calls it, disgusting.
Anyway, I’ve already put down my thoughts on this whole issue here, but I wanted to add AmCon’s new voice to the choir, and append Dreher’s point. Remember, The Crossed Pond was there first. :)