Libertarianism is coming to a movie theater near you

The late blogger and media personality Andrew Breitbart once claimed that politics is downstream from culture.  

A look at the current political climate on college campuses side-by-side with the latest round of Hollywood award shows indicates that this adage still holds true.

Whether it’s Leonardo DiCaprio accepting his Oscar with a diatribe about climate change or Amy Schumer pushing for gun control, the left continues to have a strong hold on the film industry. Liberalism has become such a norm in Tinseltown that finding a Republican is equivalent to a bigfoot sighting, inspiring lists with headlines like “Top 30 Hollywood Republicans.”

Likewise, a Pew study found that being on the left side of the aisle has become the default position for millennials, with 51 percent identifying as Democrats, compared to only 35 percent identifying as Republicans.

This seems to indicate the creation of a cultural echo chamber of progressivism, but in actuality, ideas from the right still have the ability to reach younger audiences via Hollywood through the principles of libertarianism.

Millennials, through their viewing habits and cultural consumerism, are actually much more receptive to libertarian ideals than their voting or polling habits seem to reflect.   

A 2015 study by the University of Dayton explores the connection between films and viewers’ politics. Researchers asked group members a series of politics-related questions before and after watching political films such as “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Argo.” Between 20 and 25 percent of viewers — many of them young — changed their minds about a range of politically-charged questions after watching the movies.

“Younger people, particularly teens, are much more likely to be impacted than older adults because they are still developing and shaping their worldviews,” lead researcher Michelle Pautz said. “Since they are still being socialized politically, they are more likely to absorb all sorts of influences, including influences from film.”

Last year’s top grossing film “Captain America: Civil War” exemplified the dichotomy between authoritarian government regulation and individual liberty. The main conflict involves the U.S. government attempting to place the Avengers under central control through a United Nations resolution called the Sokovia Accords, which leads to a team breakdown.  

While a contingent of the Avengers — led by Iron Man — agrees with the Accords, citing emotional appeals for needing increased oversight in the name of safety, a faction siding with Captain America objects.

Steve Rogers, Captain America’s “human” alter ego, is hesitant to hand power over to people with agendas that change. “If we sign [the accords] we surrender our right to choose … We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own,” he says.

This argument defines the separation between libertarianism and authoritarianism. Yes, freedom can be dangerous, but dangerous freedom is vastly preferable to the chains of government control. Less than a month after the film’s release, Captain America hit the $1 billion mark in global revenue — and I don’t think people were watching the movie because they agreed with Iron Man.

Before the release of the most recent Captain America installment, Christopher Nolan’s 2012 film “The Dark Knight Rises” took on the Occupy movement.

Bane — Batman’s villainous adversary — attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange with the explicit purpose of toppling an elite class that has bred moral corruption. He mobilizes followers with rhetoric of anger against a greedy elite that they must overthrow. Similarly, the Occupy movement stems from an anger against the 1 percent, framed as greedy to attract support from a dissatisfied working class. And, just as Occupy fizzled out, Batman wins in the end.

Whether it’s “The Matrix” being as intrusive as the government in our lives or innocuous children’s films such as “The Lego Movie” advocating individual liberty over groupthink, libertarianism can be found sprinkled in movies across the spectrum.

So why should we care whether libertarian themes find their way onto the silver screen? Because fictional films are capable of relaying a point of view in a compelling way. A documentary on the values of liberty is far less effective at communicating ideals than watching Captain America valiantly stand up to the government in order to do what he believes to be right.

More importantly, people wholeheartedly agree with these libertarian sentiments when they are presented in cinematic form, which is why it can be puzzling to see the large majority of college students voting in the interests of bigger government and 58 percent possessing a favorable view of socialism.

I think the main driver of this discrepancy is the lack of exposure to what the Libertarian Party actually stands for, and, by extension, the inability to recognize when its themes are present in films. But when we take the time to reflect on libertarian shades in scenarios from our favorite movies, we may often find ourselves agreeing with its most basic tenants.

Next time you pick out a movie, pay attention, and enjoy your popcorn with the buttery goodness of freedom.
Jordan Drischler primarily writes about politics and rhetoric for The Pitt News. Write to her at jmd152@pitt.edu.