Today, it’s not the military-industrial complex we have to fear threatening our republic. It’s the culture-war political-entertainment complex. The culture-war political-entertainment complex marries the power of those who gain from the culture war in political terms with those who gain from it in the ratings; both the politicians who engage in cultural battles and the media who pump those battles for increased revenue have a stake in the continued fracturing of the republic.
.. This is more or less unprecedented stuff for a president: It’s the purview of private business to determine what sort of behavior they wish to accept from their employees in terms of political protest. The president’s intervening smacks of governmental overreach. Imagine the conservative response, for example, if President Obama had suggested that Tim Tebow be fired for kneeling in prayer before games.
.. Viewers don’t benefit, either — now they can’t escape politics.
.. So, who does gain? Only the cultural figures who get to lead their constituents into battle over these newly drawn battle lines. Trump benefits politically. The media benefit from the additional traffic and coverage. The culture-war political-media complex has an interest in tearing apart the country for ratings and power. And that’s not going to stop so long as the American people see politics as entertainment and entertainment as politics.