In a world where the left has achieved near-total dominance of the cultural space, finding an openly conservative artist can feel like tracking down an endangered species. Unfortunately, like poachers in the jungle, the left is on the hunt.
While leftist artists can openly spew their bile for the world to hear, conservatives must be careful not to say anything that might expose them, lest they attract the woke mob’s notice.
I was recently reminded of how quickly a conservative career can die when I saw a Kickstarter campaign for a series of cards for the popular trading card game “Magic: the Gathering.” Nils Hamm, a prolific artist from early in the game’s history, had created a series of cards for the game, two of which were collaborations with Canadian artist Seb McKinnon.
McKinnon came under fire last year during the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” protests, where throngs of truck drivers demonstrated in Ottawa, attempting to end tyrannical Covid-19 policies. The artist posted on Instagram in support of the protesters and said “the media and politicians are trying to paint this as ‘anti-vax’ and ‘white supremacist.’”
Indeed, the media claimed the protesters were blocking traffic and preventing denizens of Ottawa from navigating the city, something that was thoroughly debunked.
“I am compelled to speak out and voice that what is going on in this country is NOT RIGHT,” McKinnon continued. “I choose love over fear. And for the first time in a long time, I feel hope.”
Following his praise for the truckers, calls went out for his head. Some “Magic: the Gathering” players were unhappy that an artist dared disagree with despotic Covid mandates and wanted McKinnon canceled.
The woke chasseurs had good reason to think they would be successful. They had done it before.
Terese Nielson, another popular artist for the game, was dragged through the mud and fired for supporting Donald Trump and not toeing the line on transgenderism. Leftist stalkers revealed that Nielsen followed right-wing outlets and personalities, including Jack Posobiec, Infowars, and Mike Cernovich, and had liked and retweeted several posts in support of the former president.
In light of those revelations, Doug Beyer, principal game designer on the worldbuilding team for “Magic: the Gathering,” admitted, “We haven’t commissioned new art from Terese Nielsen in quite a while.”
And so the cycle goes. Leftists become displeased with the publicly stated views of a conservative, pressure their place of employment to fire them, and will harass them until they do so. Conservatives in the public square are meticulously hunted down and exterminated.
So what is to be done? Are we to lie down and accept a fate of utter decimation in a world of inane, woke art? Of course not. Conservatives are creative and talented, but we are at a disadvantage. We cannot rely on the wider culture to support us and our work. Therefore, we must do it ourselves.
In an interview with conservative artist George Alexopoulos, he told me artists on the right are “scared of losing [their] careers” and that “there has to be a sign that it’s OK to be a conservative creator.”
He’s right. There need to be incentives for conservative artists to create art. Otherwise, they’ll continue to be obliterated from the market one by one. Or worse, they’ll hide their views from the world at large, leading people to believe conservatives just can’t create art at all.
Either way, the only strategy to ensure conservative arts and artists survive is to actively and financially support them. It’s not enough to simply tweet support or give positive feedback, though that’s better than nothing. Instead, conservatives must put their money where their mouths are and purchase and consume explicitly conservative art. Things like art and culture matter immensely to how people view themselves. It’s essential we hold the line and not lose yet another institution to the radical left.
Conservative artists are already an endangered species. We shouldn’t let them go extinct.
