Commentary: Four Things People Can Do to Change the Culture in 2024

People Praying

Maybe I am on a new year high, but as I consider the West’s cultural renewal, I sense an optimism in the air I haven’t felt for years.

In 2023, we saw a growing public awareness about the dangers and futility of transgender surgery. Alongside that, many woke up to the hypocrisy of the climate alarmists. And building on the success of Roe v. Wade’s demise, many states have now passed heartbeat bills, providing robust protections for many of the nation’s unborn. Surprisingly, pollsters even picked up on a decline in support for same-sex relationships.

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‘THE CHOSEN’ Star Jonathan Roumie Warns March for Life Activists: ‘God Is Real, Satan Is Also Real’

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays the role of Jesus in the fan-supported television series THE CHOSEN, warned thousands of young pro-life activists Friday that while “God is real,” so “Satan is also real.” “And I’m not talking about the simplistic cartoon of some dude with horns and a tail,” Roumie said during his address at the March for Life rally. “I’m talking about the father of lies, the Great Deceiver, the diabolical slanderer, who pushes you to doubt when you know in your heart the right thing to do.”

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Commentary: Hungary Leads Way in Defense of Conservative Values, Culture

Although in many countries around the world, liberal political views are dominant, some nations in Eastern Europe have notably resisted the left-wing ideology. One of the most criticized among the latter is Hungary.

The Hungarian government stands for national sovereignty and conservative values among the world’s nations.

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Commentary: Don’t Tolerate People Who Hate You

When is the last time you went to an independent coffee shop? Not a coffee shop run by a church or a charity that does positive things for a community – I mean, a grungy, hipster coffee shop run by Gen Z-ers who dress like they rolled out of a bed in the late ’70s and who believe their knowledge of roasting beans has greater value than rocket science.

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Study: Birth Rates Are Plummeting, But Not Because People Can’t Afford Children

New research suggests plummeting birthrates in the U.S. are driven by culture, not economic factors.

A winter 2022 study found that the trend of declining birthrates began with the 2007 crash but continued throughout the economic recovery and did not reverse during the strong economy of the 2010s.

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Commentary: We Can’t Split the Difference on Culture

The United States is an outlier among established democracies in two respects: We face both falling social trust and rising polarization. I have argued that the two dynamics connect in a doom loop. Trust in others and institutions falls, leading to greater polarization, which drives trust down even more. That is why the two processes are getting worse at the same time. A nasty dynamic has taken hold in the country, and it regularly affects all of us.

Many issues polarize us, but we should prefer polarization on economics to polarization on culture. Polarization is least damaging on issues most amenable to “splitting the difference”—as many economic issues are.

Consider taxes. Progressives want higher taxes on the rich, while conservatives want lower taxes. The possibility of compromise always exists—and even if it is obscured beneath the surface of our political tempers, uncovering it is not hard. For example, we could average our preferred tax rates, and no one would come away emptyhanded. Granted, that’s not how we have handled this issue in the past, but it’s at least conceivable.

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Commentary: The Kavanaugh War and the End of Honor Culture

In the 2000 political drama “The Contender,” an opposition research attack is launched against a woman named Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) who has been nominated for the vice presidency. Part of the assault is a rumor, supposedly confirmed with actual videotape, that Hanson partook in group sex while she was in college. It turns out that the oppo was faked, part of a conspiracy not just to derail Hanson politically, but also to destroy her life. Still, Hanson will not go out and refute or deny the rumors even after they have been exposed as fake. In a key scene, Hanson is confronted by an irate president (Jeff Bridges) via his staffer (Sam Elliot), who demands she deny and debunk the rumors.

Hanson explains why she won’t address the scandal. It’s not just the questions they wanted to ask, she says. It’s that they felt it was OK to ask them in the first place. And it’s not. To respond to them is to forfeit dignity and honor. Hanson was not willing to do that.

It’s a remarkable scene because it is so rare these days that anyone in Hollywood or on the Left defends the concept of honor. 

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