Dwight Schultz On Conservative Talk

[Cyke101]

I'd imagine it must be rather hard for conservatives to deal with all these 'crazy liberal actors' so I should say I have it easy. But still.

Well, I'm conservative, I'm just a sane conservative. Unfortunately, I seem to be part of an endangered species.

To be fair, the insane conservatives are also small. They just tend to rule the airwaves and drown out the sane conservatives, or go for the lowest common denominator that it riles up a large population for the wrong causes. THAT kills me. Any balance we can get in political discourse is severely thrown off by any number of extremists (on both sides. I'm looking at you, Olbermann!)

In terms of celebrities, I suppose John Schneider, Rob Lowe, and Bruce Willis always struck me as reasonable conservatives. But then they get offset by Jon Voight.

Oh, speaking of nutty conservative, how could I have forgotten Victory Jackson, the kookiest of the right-wing Hollywood bunch?

Indeed. I can see where Dennis Miller comes from even if I don't agree with him, and I always liked seeing Miller and Bill Maher together (they're still friends, even if on opposite sides), but when did Jackson get so bonkers?

Speaking of extremes and Maher, I recall way back when, when Maher's original Politically Incorrect was cancelled. Ann Coulter was just as inane back then as she is now, but she was also one of Maher's most reliable guests, occasionally flirting as well (you might need to scrub your brain). On one of his final episodes, Coulter and Arianna Huffington joined together, perhaps for the only time in history, to say goodbye and wish him well.

 

[Cepstrum]

I'm not about to reveal my politics here (though I have them, I *don't* like discussing them except for with one or two close family members: I've always preferred to let others not know my beliefs so we can work together without such divisions.)

But I have to say this: for those on the Left who will now be disillusioned with Dwight, I find that curious: on Trek at least, he portrays a bumbling, socially inept misfit with mental health problems. Why would *he* being on the Right bother those on the Left? It's not like he's the brave hero! If anything, I'd think that would make people laugh even more. ??

 

[Cyke101]

I'm not about to reveal my politics here (though I have them, I *don't* like discussing them except for with one or two close family members: I've always preferred to let others not know my beliefs so we can work together without such divisions.)

But I have to say this: for those on the Left who will now be disillusioned with Dwight, I find that curious: on Trek at least, he portrays a bumbling, socially inept misfit with mental health problems. Why would *he* being on the Right bother those on the Left? It's not like he's the brave hero! If anything, I'd think that would make people laugh even more. ??

I think part of it is the perception of the character and how it compares to what he's said on air. I haven't heard Dwight's radio programs, but if it's anything like Limbaugh or Beck, then it's going to run very contradictory to the bumbling, socially inept, insecure but kind-hearted Barclay.

Do we realllly want to start talking politics outside TNZ?

I'm pretty sure Trek has the liberal equivalent of Schultz. It might be possible to balance it (if we reroute imdb reference files and cross-reference that data through memory-alpha documents and wikipedia pages, we should be able to filter the criteria needed to find a suitable candidate).

I don't mean to quote myself but I just realized that Trek already has an equivalent, or near it: James Cromwell. He willingly gets himself arrested for causes he advocates, but he tends to be a good deal louder and a touch more hyperbolic than your typical leftist Hollywood actor.

 

[Jeri]

I don't know Dwight Schultz; I only know Reg. And he's still the same guy he always was...

 

[Cepstrum]

I'm not about to reveal my politics here (though I have them, I *don't* like discussing them except for with one or two close family members: I've always preferred to let others not know my beliefs so we can work together without such divisions.)

But I have to say this: for those on the Left who will now be disillusioned with Dwight, I find that curious: on Trek at least, he portrays a bumbling, socially inept misfit with mental health problems. Why would *he* being on the Right bother those on the Left? It's not like he's the brave hero! If anything, I'd think that would make people laugh even more. ??

I think part of it is the perception of the character and how it compares to what he's said on air. I haven't heard Dwight's radio programs, but if it's anything like Limbaugh or Beck, then it's going to run very contradictory to the bumbling, socially inept, insecure but kind-hearted Barclay.

Thanks for explaining, Cyke101. I'd forgotten that for all of Reg's faults, he *was* a very nice guy. I'd want him on my engineering staff (ie, if he could keep his mental health issues in check!)

And I agree with Jeri: I haven't heard Dwight, don't *want* to hear him, and prefer to let him and all actors be Trek characters, not political spokespeople. I have no idea why I should take Dwight Schultz's opinions more seriously than the average person. He's just an actor, AFAIK. Did he even go to college? (not that a college-education makes one smart or qualified; it's just a start if you know otherwise nothing about someone.)

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Probably the biggest problem with American politics at this time is that extremists on all sides have been using words to mean entirely different things from what they really mean, and doing it for so long that people are forgetting what the words really mean.

Oh, and by the way, "conservative" and "liberal," as David Gerrold once pointed out, are adjectives, not nouns. And since what they mean, what they really mean, is relative to a particular time and place, neither do they define any meaningful political axis.

Savage, Limbaugh, Beck, Palin, Rove, and their ilk are NOT conservative. They are reactionary, or in some cases, even counter-revolutionary. Ralph Nader, Michael Moore, and their ilk are not liberal; they are leftist, or in some cases, revolutionary.

"Liberal" and "Conservative" are not extreme positions; they are moderate ones, and they are far from mutually exclusive: for a person to be truly centrist, that person must be both conservative and liberal.

The word "conservative" comes from the same root as "conservation" (the act of saving and protecting things like resources and museum specimens), "conservatory" (a place where either botanical or musical heritage is protected and propagated), and "conservator," one who protects a less-than-entirely-competent person from his or her own bad judgment. To have conservative taste is to be cautious about following every new trend. To be conservative with estimates, or with engineering, is to err on the side of caution, and to provide generous safety factors. To be politically, socially, or economically conservative is to be cautious about untested ideas.

Liberal comes from the same root as "Liberty" (freedom), "Libertarian" (advocating freedom), "Liberation" (the act of granting freedom), and "libertine" (one who has more freedom than he or she can use constructively, and who would probably benefit from having a conservator). To do something liberally is to do it freely. The Liberal Arts are those disciplines, i.e., the Humanities, as well as non-professional-level courses in the social and political sciences, the natural sciences, and the arts, that make a person fit to be a member of a free society. To be politically, socially, or economically liberal is to be open-minded about new ideas, particularly when they show indications that they might improve people's lives.

To be politically, socially, or economically reactionary is to seek to reverse reforms that have already been proven generally beneficial, while to be politically, socially, or economically leftist is to seek a headlong rush into new ideas with no regard for who might be harmed.

Actually, Dwight Schultz's politics kind of fit in rather well with Barclay's timorous personality.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I actually don't understand why this board is so left wing overall.
I'm generally conservative. After all, the government that rules least rules best. I don't think the gov't should be taking care of people from cradle to grave without anything to reign it in. I don't think "more government" and "more government programs' solve anything, and they tend to add more bureaucracy, thereby becoming inefficient. Freedom is using the free market system.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I'm a big lefty, and I've known for a while that Dwight Schultz has conservative leanings. I've never thought much about it, though. I find him very entertaining as an actor, and that's all the only thing he owes me, or any of us. If I only limited myself to watching actors I agree with politically, I'd just being cutting myself off from a lot of entertainment.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I actually don't understand why this board is so left wing overall.

From whose point of view? I'm told that in most of the rest of the world, the people and ideas we see as far-left are seen as being somewhere between center-left and center-right.

I'm generally conservative. After all, the government that rules least rules best.

Perhaps you should tell that to the people on the Far Right who want to keep tabs on what people read, and to put ideology before science, and to over-regulate what consenting adults do together.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

oh i agree with you there. those things are wrong.
That's why I hate categories. I was just stating how I feel.

 

[Holdfast]

Just a little nudge to remind everything to keep the thread at least vaguely centered on Dwight Schultz's beliefs, TNG and politics, etc, etc, etc. Basically: politics with an overt frame of reference incorporating TNG or its actors.

Political threads have a natural tendency to degenerate quickly; it'd be cool if this one doesn't, and I think keeping it on topic will help prevent that.

If the post isn't really about TNG, its actors, production, context, etc, etc, etc, then it's a more wide-ranging political discussion is probably best suited to a non-Trek part of the board. Thanks.

 

[Rush Limborg]

As if I needed another reason to like Dwight Shultz!

BTW...I'm not sure he actually claims to be the only Right-winger in Hollywood. Still, considering...everything...I'd imagine it's not suprising he'd feel a bit lonely.

But, yeah. There's John Voight, Gary Sinease, Kelsey Grammer, Steve Baldwin...even Angelina Jolie has noted she's a big fan of Ayn Rand's works!

(She even was going to play the lead in a movie version of Atlas Shrugged. Personally, I'd say Nicole de Boer better looks the part, if you read the book's description of Dagny...but that's just me.)

And there's Chuck Norris and (AFAIK) Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis, of course.

It's weird how right wingers are always treated like a bunch of intolerant, evil nazis but the only ones showing intolerance in this threat are folks on the left. I'm glad I'm firmly in the middle so I can enjoy all the rank hypocrisy.

Suprised?

Now...I recall Dwight once hosted Laura Ingrahm's show.

I gotta tell ya...I like Laura. I do not like Savage. He goes out of his way to be a bit of a jerk--towards other Conservative hosts, even!

That being said...it's still nice that Dwight's getting around.

 

[Red Ranger]

You know, I tend to ignore most actors' politics, except I must say I find Jon Voight's fulminating embarrasing and offensive. However, I enjoy the work of Kelsey Grammar and Clint Eastwood so much I don't even think of their politics.

 

[Hober Mallow]

We all forgot Fred Thompson. I have to say, it was a little surreal watching his campaign. It was so much like watching my grandpa run for president. He even had the same hearing problems. At one campaign appearance, someone in the crowd asked about "civil unions," and he started talking about the "Soviet Union."

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Just a note to those who think that conservative and liberal must be diametrically opposed mutually exclusive positions, the UK is currently governed by a Conservative-Liberal coalition...

 

[Cepstrum]

Just a little nudge to remind everything to keep the thread at least vaguely centered on Dwight Schultz's beliefs, TNG and politics, etc, etc, etc. Basically: politics with an overt frame of reference incorporating TNG or its actors.

Political threads have a natural tendency to degenerate quickly; it'd be cool if this one doesn't, and I think keeping it on topic will help prevent that.

If the post isn't really about TNG, its actors, production, context, etc, etc, etc, then it's a more wide-ranging political discussion is probably best suited to a non-Trek part of the board. Thanks.

Thanks. I, too, dislike discussing politics on a Trek forum, unless, I suppose, it's to point out a particular actor's POV.

I'd think it be much more interesting — and more telling — if we're talking about the political beliefs of Trek figures, that revealing the ideology of the writers, producers, and directors than the actors. They haven't as much freedom to express their values in Trek as the behind-the-scenes folk have.

 

[Cyke101]

We all forgot Fred Thompson. I have to say, it was a little surreal watching his campaign. It was so much like watching my grandpa run for president. He even had the same hearing problems. At one campaign appearance, someone in the crowd asked about "civil unions," and he started talking about the "Soviet Union."

I loved him when he was last on the Daily Show:

"I had an insurmountable object to overcome in that presidential bid... and that was the wisdom and inherent good judgement of the American people."

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-17-2010/fred-thompson

The guy's funny, I'll give him that

 

[Red Ranger]

Just a note to those who think that conservative and liberal must be diametrically opposed mutually exclusive positions, the UK is currently governed by a Conservative-Liberal coalition...

And how's that working out for you all?

 

[Cyke101]

Just a note to those who think that conservative and liberal must be diametrically opposed mutually exclusive positions, the UK is currently governed by a Conservative-Liberal coalition...

And how's that working out for you all?

Hey, don't knock 'em. One of them became captain of the Enterprise!

(his French character fled the Stargazer, though. Ba-dam bam TSS)

 

[Dale]

Victoria Jackson is the best Hollywood-based representation of modern conservatism I've ever seen. A right wing everywoman... someone to whom Republicans can easily relate.