Conservatives Need to be Producers-Not Consumers

I get it. It gets tiring hearing the crazy stories. As I write this there is talk of President Trump being arrested for very bogus claims. We just celebrated the 3-year anniversary of “15 Days to Slow the Spread.” There are bank closures happening throughout the country. There are drag queen story hours. There are children that are being preached a false gospel about changing their gender. I get it. There are reasons to be upset. There are reasons to be angry. And to be quite frank you should be upset and angry. There is certainly a time and place to show your discontent and righteous anger.

My purpose in writing this is not to get onto you for being upset. It’s to tell you to not stay there. Something that is missed in the political discussions of our day is the problem of consumerism. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m team capitalism and believe this system has provided incredible gains in human flourishing. However, we on team capitalism can fall into the trap of consumerism.

Consumerism goes beyond simply not supporting companies that hate you. Mind you, I’m not against this either. For instance, my wife and I used to enjoy going to Target. Once they started proudly selling chest binders and packing underwear to confused young girls, we no longer shop there. Voting with your dollar is important. However, you can still suffer from the effects of consumerism even if you shop at all the right places.

So what do I mean by consumerism? I’ll give you a simple definition of consumerism: the persistent desire to consume rather than create. We are all going to consume to some degree. As much as I can sympathize with self-reliance, I don’t believe we are made to be fully self-reliant. I believe God made us have some level of reliance on others on a social, economic, and spiritual scale. Of course, we are going to consume to some degree, but the mindset of consumerism has overtaken the conservative movement. “If we elect the right President things will get better!” “We just have to get rid of Biden and our problems will be gone.” Statements such as these are effects of political consumerism on the right.

I’m working on this concept myself. I started my own counseling business because I saw a lack of conservative Christians being open with their values in the counseling field. I found myself complaining about all these potential jobs being filled with liberal-leaning ideas. “Someone needs to make a conservative counseling practice.” I thought this often when I finally decided, “why not me?”

What about you? Are you complaining about a liberal school board near you? Are you complaining about what your kids are being taught? Are you complaining about the trans movement? I get it. I truly do. Express your emotions related to these issues. But don’t stop there! Next, ask yourself, “what can I do about it?” Can you run for school board? Can you show up to your city council meeting to discuss your concerns? Are you talking about trans issues with your children?

If you have an answer to “what can I do about it?” then do it! Don’t wait for a perfect answer, simply do it. Make mistakes. Learn how to share your voice. Form communities with others. Upon starting my counseling practice and podcast I heard several people mentioning how encouraging it is to hear a conservative counselor. Of course, I’ve heard plenty of backlash as well. However, showing courage is attractive. You will find like-minded people if you speak out.

If the answer to “what can I do about it?” is nothing then do your best to drop it. Maybe you need to do a bit of venting but then turn off the tv. Turn off your phone. Go outside. Play with your kids. Being a producer doesn’t necessarily mean you are making products for money. Produce memories. Produce laughs. Produce community with your neighbors. Simply consuming news (even conservative news) and stopping there does nothing. It only makes you angry. Make your anger lead towards production instead of apathy.

Part of what makes liberal ideas so effective is the enticing narrative they have. “We are going to end racism!” “We must stop homophobia!” “We must make a living wage available to all!” Liberals understand the importance of narrative and becoming a part of something bigger than themselves. Simply pointing out the flaws in their ideas isn’t good enough. Conservatives must develop their own ideas, narratives, and communities. Criticizing liberals, being consumed with news, and an overall sense of complaining won’t cut it.