tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post5047182766578879900..comments2023-11-28T15:20:59.369-05:00Comments on Cinema Viewfinder: Movie Review: Hating Breitbart (2013)Tony Dayoubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-9949588141864087092013-05-26T11:55:42.242-04:002013-05-26T11:55:42.242-04:00Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a ...Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a raging liberal. So I don't feel the need to justify it for a Breitbart apologist who can't even be bothered to press spellcheck before leaving a comment here anonymously.<br /><br />I would love to see a true evenhanded documentary on Breitbart who strikes me as a fascinating fellow. But this is pure propaganda. And I always call that out for what it is, right or left. Just check out my reviews criticizing leftie films like GREEN ZONE or FAIR GAME.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-66544618114476873602013-05-26T11:36:35.591-04:002013-05-26T11:36:35.591-04:00Your review is exactly what you claim the movie is...Your review is exactly what you claim the movie is. It is clear yoj have a political bias and political agenda. However you hide behind your supposed title of reviewer in hopes of ddistorting your readers from forming their own opinion. Perhaps if you began your review by stating you have an ideolgocial difference with Breitbart, that your bias and ideological difference effects your review......you would appear more of an honest broker. The fact is you the author do the same thing you ccondemned breitbart for, except of course Andrew exposed Acorn for the corrupt morally bankrupt entity it is, one that keeps the poor poor while lining the pockets of a few liberal elites, and breitbart exposed Weiner for being the adulterer morally bankrupt self serving politian he is, and of course breitbart exposed sherry sherrod for bbeing a racist bigot before 'seeing the light'. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-20139879985210011522013-05-20T13:14:07.505-04:002013-05-20T13:14:07.505-04:00Incidentally, somewhat off-topic - or maybe not si...Incidentally, somewhat off-topic - or maybe not since William F. Buckley hosted the PBS screenings in America - but have you seen the (original 80s miniseries version of) Brideshead Revisited? Just watched it recently; for some reason, struck me as something you might appreciate. Not exactly sure why.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-45114274203977466352013-05-20T13:08:55.437-04:002013-05-20T13:08:55.437-04:00Agreed (which is why rise of Ron Paul, whatever on...Agreed (which is why rise of Ron Paul, whatever one thinks of his views, is a good thing). And I'm also interested in traditionalism to a certain extent (how can I not be, having grown up Catholic even if I've rejected the Church at this point). But the two artificially conjoined with a lot of rationalization as to why the "naturally" fit together, not so much. As I noted in the comment which didn't make it through, all Randian libertarianism, Bible-thumping traditionalism, and neo-Trotskyite-cum-(Teddy) Rooseveltian militarism have in common is an enemy. And not even that as much anymore, given evolution of left since the 60s (when that coalition fully began to meld together).<br /><br />Often I wish we had a multiparty election systems, with run-offs and the like. Instead of this dopey sport-like "my team vs. yours" political landscape. So many more options and combinations out there...Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-61047040777206113102013-05-20T12:23:28.006-04:002013-05-20T12:23:28.006-04:00To put it succinctly, lack of nuance is what affli...To put it succinctly, lack of nuance is what afflicts the conversation on the right at the moment. And, coming full circle to HATING BREITBART, this documentary is the perfect, capsulized example of that.<br /><br />As I've always said, libertarian ideas fascinate me. I'm not sure they necessarily work in real-world situations. But I'd like to hear someone on the right with a nuanced mode of thinking explain his philosophy in a way that isn't designed to drown out opposition or entertain followers.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-73367638457761363072013-05-20T12:10:49.184-04:002013-05-20T12:10:49.184-04:00*should read "Ironically, Jonah goldberg hims...*should read "Ironically, Jonah goldberg himself notes THIS" (i.e. that Bloom's book was the last really weighty conservative bestseller - something he hopes to duplicates but can't for the following reasons...)Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871549895931317151.post-42725337739577301292013-05-20T12:08:46.879-04:002013-05-20T12:08:46.879-04:00Funny, maybe they're taking a two-pronged mark...Funny, maybe they're taking a two-pronged marketing approach to this one; I received an email about this doc which didn't play up the "fair-and-balanced" angle but was more to the effect of "see the movie THEY don't want you to see" etc. Enjoyed reading your analysis, though given my soul-crushing forays into Big Hollywood (which makes academia's fanaticism and single-minded politicization of culture look positively benign by comparison), I'm not rushing off to verify (that said, I'll probably watch it if/when it's on instant Netflix).<br /><br />In general, I'm less interested in conservatism's hagiographies of its own present than its obsession with the past of liberals, exhibited in (among others) Dinesh d'Souza's 2013: Obama's America, and Jonah Goldberg's book Liberal Fascism. The tensions between the desire for scholarly gravitas and the demands of the conservative marketplace are fascinating and often revealing. As is the focus on the history & ideology of the left, which conveniently skirts having to deal with the history & ideology of the right.<br /><br />I've also noticed that conservative writers are hemmed in by a more constrictive framework than liberals. The latter have the choice of going for an Al Franken-esque project lined with zingers and talking points, or something more nuanced and analytical. The last time conservatives had success with the latter approach was probably Alan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind about 25 years ago. Ironically, Jonah Goldberg himself notes in the intro to Liberal Fascism, itself a frustrating book with a fascinating premise (the influence of progressivism on fascism) severely compromised by the Hitler-mustached smiley face cover, the glib title, and the over-simplified and -digestible thesis (to wit: not only did progressivism influence fascism, conservatism barely did, and these facts mean liberals, not conservatives, share an imaginary family tree with fascists). All of which helped him sell far more books of course.<br /><br />Pity is, American political discourse could use thoughtful and reasonable conservative voices - but of course those voices would reveal the contradictions within "conservatism", essentially a grabbag of wildly differing, even opposed, philosophies which happen to share a common enemy. Hence the obsessive focus on said enemy, especially in arenas where the enemy still largely conforms to stereotypes (academia for example) that it has evolved out of elsewhere. Which brings us back to Breitbart.<br /><br />In the obsession over liberal bias lies the tacit assumption that there are essentially only two points of view, one of which of course is Breitbartian conservative populism. This helps legitimize an otherwise rather marginal political perspective, increases market share, and avoids defense by playing good offense. Whatever he lacked in intellectual heft, Breitbart was certainly no dummy as a businessman.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.com