There are not many celebrities in the conservative movement. James Woods, Scott Baio, Tim Allen — our “coolest” emissary might still be the octogenarian Chuck Norris. None are more outspoken than Kid Rock, however, who has built a brand around himself as a populist conservative, culture warrior. Too bad he doesn’t practice what he preaches.
LOL. Last night Kid Rock was pictured drinking a Bud Light at a concert after he led an effort to cancel the company.
It wasn’t long ago he shot up a case of Bud Light with an AR-15. https://t.co/HpQS6DHyri pic.twitter.com/fPW2rG64M7
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) August 18, 2023
Kid Rock was caught drinking a can of Bud Light at Nashville’s Skydeck over the weekend. Multiple pictures across social media show him holding the unmistakable blue-and-white can as he leans over the railing. Kid Rock made headlines for being one of the most prominent voices to urge a boycott of the beer over its Dylan Mulvaney campaign. His video shooting up Bud Light cases generate tens of millions of views while media hacks clutched their pearls in horror. Was his protest always a sham, did he lose his nerve, or were there simply no other options at the bar that night? The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. (RELATED: Kid Rock Spotted Drinking A Bud Light)
— KidRock (@KidRock) April 4, 2023
Barack Obama changed the way Americans thought about politics. Despite the popular narrative, Obama, not Donald Trump, was our first celebrity president. He paraded artists, athletes and Hollywood legends through the White House. He appeared frequently on late-night shows, made cutting-edge pop culture references and even smoked weed. Americans didn’t just fall for his agenda because they were proud of having the first black president, they fell in line because he was a cool — an influencer, a trendsetter. It just so happened that the trend he was setting was himself.
At the same time Obama was pioneering the politician-as-celebrity model, social media was just gaining its dominant foothold in American society. It was there that celebrity culture and politicking became infused. Social media became the platform where politicians could sell themselves — the coolest, the boldest, the most ostentatious choice for voters. What began online bled into real life.
People do not elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the politician who will change their lives for the better. They elect AOC — the brand — who sells the promise of a certified Girl Boss who will stick it to conservatives. With that incentive, she cares less about her elected responsibilities than she does about using her institutional power to continue building her own personal brand. (RELATED: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Slams Biden’s New Student Loan Plan)
Celebrities did the same thing in reverse. Always liberal, unprecedentedly aggressive politicization tore through the music and film industry, even pro-sports. Iconic celebrities reshaped their brands around resisting Trump or promoting an array of far-left social causes. Does anyone remember what Rob Reiner, Bette Middler, Cher, or Alyssa Milano — among many others — are even famous for? Their careers amount to who can say the most unhinged thing on Twitter each day. The DNC might as well add an extra day to the convention this year in order to host the Oscars at the same time.
The same logic applies to Kid Rock. No longer just a rock star, he transformed into the celebrity-as-politician model, using his existing platform as a musician to build a brand around his public political persona. Now, Kid Rock may have a deep moral opposition to the transgender movement — how it bullied its way into power and forcibly institutionalizes society-ending lies. However, it’s doubtful he cares all that much — otherwise, he would rather stay sober than drink a Bud Light.
More likely, he watches a lot of Fox News, saw a backlash brewing, and decided to capitalize on it for views and clicks. He saw the opportunity to consolidate his brand around being the right’s celebrity champion in the culture war — and it paid off. Conservative media covered the stunt dutifully, uninterested in whether it furthered the movement or just himself.
It’s true that one man privately drinking Bud Light isn’t going to make a difference in the boycott against the brand. It’s certainly not going to roll back the gains of the transgender movement in law and culture. It’s also clear that the problem of apathy to anything outside one’s immediate personal interest transcends political boundaries. However, Kid Rock’s capitulation reveals a unique weakness in the conservative movement that the left wing is largely immune to.
It’s not that Kid Rock is a total political cynic or lost his nerve. Maybe it was the only beer available that night; maybe it wasn’t. Regardless, when having to choose between principle and preference, he took the path of least resistance to his own contentedness and cracked open an ice-cold Bud Light. The left, on the other hand, knows better than to fold so easily.
Conservatives are not naturally as vengeful as the left. Leftists view themselves as the vanguard of history; they are leading the charge of “progress” while always on the lookout for reactionary pressure. Anything that stands against them is the enemy, not only of the left but of humanity itself. It is hard to fall into apathy when every battle is existential. This leads to superior organization against the enemy, which in turn facilitates stronger campaigns.
Even if leftists wanted to make an easy, self-satisfying choice — the internalized pressure the movement creates is overwhelming. Take Chick-fil-A: the famous fried chicken was so viciously attacked by a leftist backlash that it is virtually synonymous with “LGBTQ discrimination” in the public consciousness. If a leftist pulls through a Chick Fila drive-through and no one is around to see it — they still know deep down that they betrayed their duty as an “ally.” The movement made it clear that eating Chick-Fila means you are a bad person. That remains a powerful psychological deterrent to keep up a boycott that ultimately shaped American culture.
Now, the average conservative might not be concerned about building their brand, but the problem of apathy is widespread. That is no fault of the average conservative. Political agitation is not in our nature, and in normal times, that is a good thing. We prefer to live and let live. But until conservatives realize that that is not an option for today’s left, we will just keep losing.