Politicians will come, and politicians will go. We can’t see the future and Donald Trump or other right-wingers may pass more tax cuts for the rich. They may push through further restrictions on abortion rights, potentially even overturning Roe v Wade.

Republicans may, indeed, win on the political front–despite how hard we progressives fight. We can’t deny that.

However, conservatives have been shown to be largely impotent when it comes to the nation’s–and the world’s–culture.

This has certainly been true for the better part of the last half century. It’s not always necessarily happened in a straight line but despite the best efforts of those on the right, a more progressive and respectfully inclusive culture and set of norms emerge.

This latest controversy with the Hallmark Channel is just a microcosm. It involves an advertisement with a same-sex marriage with two brides.

At first the network caved to pressure from the conservative group One Million Moms, and pulled the ad.

But then, under even greater pressure, Hallmark Channel reversed itself.

Crown Media Family Networks apologizes for the decision to remove an ad featuring a same-sex couple. “We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused,” said Mike Perry President & CEO, Hallmark Cards Inc. Full statement here: https://t.co/bpyOss0tmu

— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) December 16, 2019

Think about it: whether it has been the rights and cultural respect for women, the LGBT communities, or those for race and ethnicity, portrayals in arts and the media have often led the way.

And instead of calcifying towards the most conservative positions, our culture has nearly inexorably bent toward inclusivity and respect.

Why else do you think conservatives have so quick to silence Hollywood in recent decades?

Interracial couples, once strictly illegal in many places, grew to be legal… and now commonplace.

Women, once strictly held to certain gender roles, now are represented throughout society (although we have more progress to make).

Same with LGBT Americans. It was just 20 years ago that Matthew Shepard was horribly beaten to death in one of our nation’s most infamous hate crimes just for being gay.

Yet today marriage equality is the law of the land and Hollywood standouts like Laverne Cox and Nicole Maines has increased the visibility of the transgender community.

Certainly, we have more work to do.

And, yes, we have to deal with Trump’s racism and bigotry. But even there, many more people in our nation denounce such hatred and rhetoric than embrace them.

Even there, we know that the entertainment media has led the way.

But you would think a “Mr Hollywood” type like Trump would know that, wouldn’t you?

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