Society Culture Politics

Are Politics Playing A Part In Sagging Ticket Sales For Hollywood Films?

I have always believed in the right of free expression. People should be able to express an opinion without being punished for it. The exceptions to that rule are using an opinion to defame without cause, slander or attack the ethnicity of a person. That goes far beyond the fair expression of an opinion. Could the current slump in movie ticket sales be the result of some actors having gone to far in their political expressions?

Many of this year's films feature some of Hollywood's most liberal and outspoken actors. Many of the plots, it can be argued, have a decidedly liberal and even anti-conservative slant. It may be that liberals were encouraged with the financial success of Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11. However, that was during an election year when people were hungry to hear both sides of the issue. That hunger, it seems, has subsided.

Can be it that the liberals in Hollywood have become so philosophically disconnected from the average American that they no longer care about what their audiences really want to see? Almost every film released features characters that are divorced, separated or single with children. Traditional mothers, fathers and couples are portrayed as bored, worn out, soulless people who live meaningless lives. Today's villains are the heads of greedy corporations. Didn't anyone in Tinsel Town notice the popularity of The Apprentice?

I have been on this Earth for forty some years. During that time, many things have changed. The one thing that has not is that people go to the movies to escape. They don't want their superheroes trying to teach them a series of liberal social values. They do not want The Godfather trying to save the whales. They don't want every coming of age film to automatically include a gay or lesbian character. They want to be entertained. When films become dreary morality lessons and cease to entertain, people stop going to the movies.

With America going in a decidedly conservative direction, it does not seem unreasonable to ask for more films where people who don't leave, get a sex change operation or reveal they are gay get some credit. There are a lot of moms and dads out there working very hard to keep their family together. Many of them do not see their lives are empty, wasted or meaningless. Not all teenagers are joyriding, smoking pot or having relations with everything that moves. Some actually have some respect for themselves and know better.

There was a time when many Americans allowed Hollywood liberals to tell them how to think. They made the films and we were expected to simply show up at theaters because entertainment choices were limited. That's no longer the case. With a zillion cable channels, an ever-growing volume of independent conservative films and portable media that fits in our pocket, we can now select our own entertainment.

One would have thought that this year's lackluster ratings for The Academy Awards television broadcast would have sent a strong message to liberal filmmakers. With the vast majority of nominations having gone to dreary films that extol the perceived benefits of a liberal utopia, millions of viewers tuned out. They just didn't watch. Now, it seems, the same thing is happening at the box office. People aren't watching by the millions. Those who do can't stomach the morality lessons enough for a second viewing.

What will it all come to? King Kong gets a non-traditional marriage to Godzilla and adopts Mothra who saves the whales from Republican fishermen? Liberals have every right to share their vision of what America should be. It's no crime and never should be for them to express their frustration at prejudice faced by those living in non-traditional situations. It's also just as fair for those who beg to differ with their views to avoid entertainment venues that extol liberal values.

Bill Knell
billknell@cox.net
http://www.billknell.com

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A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He's written hundreds of articles offer advice on a wide variety of subjects. A popular Speaker, Bill Knell presents seminars on a number of topics that entertain, train and teach. A popular radio and television show Guest, you've heard Bill on thousands of top-rated shows in all formats and seen him on local, national and international television programs.

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