Unintentionally Revealing
Mike Potemra of the conservative National Review has this to say about one of my favorite childhood shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation:
I have over the past couple of months been watching DVDs of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a show I missed completely in its run of 1987 to 1994; and I confess myself amazed that so many conservatives are fond of it. Its messages are unabashedly liberal ones of the early post-Cold War era — peace, tolerance, due process, progress….
What an unintentionally revealing comment. Conservatives hate peace, tolerance, due process and progress. Yeah, we knew that.
Zing!
What is interesting about this is that this author didn’t work at reappropriating one more cultural phenomenon for conservative purposes. Sorta like the incredibly misguided argument that rock and roll was really a conservative effort or their list of conservative movies. But calling this post-Cold war when the narrative for all of the Star Treks was created smack in the middle of the cold war is just plain stupid.
It is also interesting is that the Star Trek values are very old American ones — and the clear exceptionalism (an inclusive one to be sure) of the Federation should be a pretty large signal that the Federation is meant to be a vision of how Democracy triumphs over everything.
I should think conservatives would hate the show’s premise — that by the 24th Century (or whenever it is), Earth will have One World Government.
To add on Geezer’s comment – no need for money, no discrimination, religious tolerance. Yep, a commie show alright.