William F. Buckley Jr. famously said that a “conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling stop.” Over the last few decades, his words have echoed solemnly as conservatives have abandoned competition in the cultural and economic spheres. Unfortunately, to yell “stop,” as conservatives have done for decades, accomplishes nothing. It’s counterproductive by definition and, worse, it violates the core of the American character. Creation, innovation, advancement. We shouldn’t be screaming stop. We should be building alternatives.
To ignore the conquests of the Left and subscribe to “live and let live,” as the adage goes, or to yell “stop,” without action, is to lose. And, man, has the Right gotten good at losing. For too long, conservatives have shrugged at a Left that’s hell-bent on deconstructing societal norms and seizing control of powerful institutions — including corporations.
We’ll throw a fit when something bothers or insults us. We’ll bitch, we’ll moan. We’ll call it cancel culture and ask what the world has come to. Occasionally, we’ll start a non-profit and beg for more donations from billionaires — using messages of “need” and “fighting for the cause,” and other such empty petitions.
But eventually, we come crawling back to the same corporations for goods and services. Yes — the very same corporations who hate us and our values. Because what choice do we have?
What’s the consequence of this cycle – this losing and bitching and begging? What’s the consequence of this self-defeating response that completely abandons culture and competition? You need not look far.
The Walt Disney Company, caving to “pressure” from media and a tiny, radical sliver of their own employees, condemned the falsely labeled “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was passed in Florida this past month. That’s right, they condemned a bill that protects young children from sexual indoctrination and creates transparency for parents – a bill that a majority of Americans support. And Disney did so in spectacular fashion.
A new salvo of leaked videos show Disney executives promising more LGBTQ+ characters, backed by agenda-infused policy. Executive producer Latoya Raveneau said Disney welcomed her “not-at-all-secret gay agenda.” Another executive promised more LGBTQ+ leads in their shows — wherever they could “add queerness.” And, to be perfectly clear, they are talking about children’s programming, not a Marvel show.
Of course, we’ve known for years that this is the Left’s game. To force upon children their delusional – and destructive – view of the world. And, at a glance, you’d think there’d be shame or remorse at such blatant alienation of a whole swath of the population.
But, why would they change course? If they’ve never faced economic consequences, why would they think twice before satisfying the radicals in their camp? They can promise their employees more “LGBTQIA” content, and still keep conservative viewers, because, well, they won’t leave.
This must end. It’s time corporate America felt the weight of its woke posturing, and face conservative competitors that call them on their bluff.
That’s what we at The Daily Wire have come to recognize. There must be a fundamental shift in the conservative movement if anything that’s made this country great is going to survive.
A call for charity is no longer an appropriate response to aggressive attacks from market players, like Disney and a bevy of other woke companies who hate us. The best response is competition. Competition, with new ventures and innovation.
We don’t need another non-profit — we need great products and for-profit companies that create economic incentives for better behavior. A woke corporation hates you? Create the solution. Like our new DW Kids content that we’ve pledged to invest $100 million into over the next three years to serve those tired of being forced to fund woke media companies, like Disney.
The Left will try to dismiss these ventures. In their hubris, they’ll continue to bifurcate the culture without any fear of economic consequences. Meanwhile, we’ll be bifurcating the economy.
Conservative companies don’t have legacy marketing clout. We don’t have institutional funding. What we do have, however, is a guarantee that the Left, in their pride, will continue to posture and brag, thereby alienating large portions of their consumer base. Let Disney sink tens of billions into their woke content – that’s tens of billions in promotional material for Daily Wire content, in my calculus.
The Daily Wire just proved this model last week with our release of “Jeremy’s Razors.” We were frankly stunned by the response, though maybe we shouldn’t have been. “Harry’s Razors” dropped their sponsorship with us last year and publicly denounced our conservative views. Rather than complain, we decided to create an alternative.
And in a single week, we sold enough razors to establish a fully sustainable company. One week.
This is reproducible. And this is essential if we want to build a better future.
Conservatives should not have to give money to woke corporations that obviously hate them. We must build alternatives. They no longer have to give money to woke media companies that hate them. They can give it to us. And they can give it to other companies that join in the fight to reclaim our culture and the market.
We cannot win if we do not compete, and if we do compete, well, we might just cause corporations to start competing for our business again, too.
So, join us. Action works. We’ve seen it work. The lose, complain, and beg cycle can be broken.
And Lefties, keep doing what you’re doing. Because it always ends in a sea of market opportunities for us. We’re happy to oblige.
If you are sick of conservatives always losing, then join us and help us fight back against the woke corporations that hate you and your values. For a limited time, you can use the code BUILDTHEFUTURE at checkout to save 45% off your membership. Click here to join the fight.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.