A recent jaunt to the Kennedy Center revealed a peculiar scene: a near-empty house for the revival of the musical “Parade.” This ghostly attendance might just be attributed to former President Trump, who’s managed to play a hand at reshaping the cultural narrative of the venue. Gone are the transvestite drag shows for kids, replaced with what some might call a more family-friendly atmosphere. Yet, the exodus of Left-leaning artists, like Lin-Manuel Miranda, has been swift, proving that “inclusivity” has its limitations—particularly if you find yourself on the conservative half of the country.
While the Left laments over the loss of their cultural bastions, one can’t help but chuckle at their melodramatic exit stage left. They’ve been comfortable owning the culture for decades, but now, as Trump and his ilk plant their flags, the progressive tears flow freely. It’s a classic “take my ball and go home” scenario. It’s not winning that the Left detests, it’s losing the monopoly on cultural influence they’ve long cherished. And let’s face it, it’s fun watching them dramatically retreat in the face of diverse viewpoints they claim to support.
Diving beyond the empty aisles and into the core of the “Parade,” the play delivered a narrative torn from the pages of history, focusing on Leo Frank’s controversial trial and lynching. It’s a tough tale about perception, fakery, and the human inclination towards rage—timely, given today’s media landscape that loves to blur truth and fiction into a sensational cocktail. During Frank’s time, yellow journalism inflamed Southern attitudes, much like today’s digital media stokes division. The verdict that came from the court of public opinion, fueled by anti-Semitism and shoddy coverage, serves as a cautionary tale for a modern audience neck-deep in clickbait headlines and viral misinformation.
Frank’s story also serves as a reminder that pain, prejudice, and passion often skew our compass away from truth. The Left’s relentless endeavor to label and divide through identity politics mirrors the anti-Semitic fervor of that bygone era, just with a modern twist. Today, it’s not Jews on the chopping block per se—although anti-Semitic whispers still echo—but more so the demonization of whichever group doesn’t fit the progressive mold. Whites, conservatives, even dissenting voices within minority groups—all find themselves in the crosshairs of a new societal narrative championed by a media that’s often more concerned with ratings than responsibility.
The arts, oddly enough, have the unique ability to cut through this cacophony. While the Left often claims artistic territory, conservatives should re-engage with culture not as an act of war, but from a place of “tranquility,” as the drama of “Parade” might suggest. Engaging in the arts fosters a semblance of peace or, at the very least, understanding, that’s sorely lacking in today’s discourse. The goal isn’t to wield art as a weapon, but as a prism, reflecting not just the biases of others but our own. It’s worth stepping back from the digital chaos into a world where the truth, no matter how complicated, is still a noble pursuit.
In essence, empty theaters and biased stories highlight a culture in flux. As Trump steadies the stage in his direction, the conservatives must embrace this artistic upheaval with open eyes and minds. The Left might retreat, but as history shows, culture is a battlefield where victories and defeats are both opportunities for growth. If we engage genuinely and thoughtfully, our narrative won’t just echo in the halls of the Kennedy Center but resonate with a nation eager for authenticity and truth.
