It’s very rare that I get riled up over internet trolls. I appreciate those who read through comments, DMs, Tweets, Facebook posts, and other attempts to spew vitriol on conservatives, Christians, and the things we believe in, but I’m not one of them. I can count on two hands the number of times this year I’ve engaged with the people who try to troll me on social media. Life’s too short.

Every now and then, I do come across a troll who strikes a nerve. It’s rarely about me when it happens; I’ve heard every variation of ad hominem attacks over the years. But one troll in particular made a passionate argument that actually has me concerned. It wasn’t just what they posted but how adamant they were about being correct that has been itching in the back of my mind for several days.

I finally addressed it tonight in a Tweet:

Socialism is now being billed as an "alternative path" to achieving the American dream.

Socialism is the antithesis of the American dream. It's a path that leads some people (and possibly the rest of us if the socialists get their way) in the absolute wrong direction.

— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) June 16, 2019

I won’t share the original offending post. There’s no need to draw attention to one of the standard 45-follower troll accounts who like to provoke conservatives and spread their false perspectives in the reply sections of bigger accounts. Instead, I want to address the fundamental issue with the notion of socialism being an “alternative path” to achieving the American dream.

There are definitely multiple paths to achieving it. Most get there by working hard and building a lifestyle for themselves and their families. Some go to college. Some go straight to work. Some get jobs and move up the ladder. Others build their own businesses and struggle through rough times to get to better times.

Some get lucky; I’ve bought a few lottery tickets in my life, just in case I’m one of them. Others are beneficiaries of the hard work and/or luck of their families.

But there’s one way of achieving a false version of the American dream that is often glorified (to some extent) in Hollywood. But it isn’t just fictional. It happens in every American city every day. Theft is not a proper path to achieving the American dream. Just because Tony Montana went from being a low-level pawn to the king of a criminal empire in the movie Scarface doesn’t mean his version of achieving the American dream is acceptable. It’s not.

Al Pacino’s titular character used violence and sold drugs to get there, but sometimes the theft of prosperity doesn’t involve a gun. In The Wolf Of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort used unethical and illegal methods to commit financial crimes. And unfortunately, this depiction isn’t entirely fictional. The real Belfort committed real crimes to steal prosperity from others. Did he achieve a dream? Yes. Was it a version of the American dream? Absolutely not.

As we continue our way down from drug lord to Wall Street criminal, we come to another piece of fiction that I must admit up front I didn’t watch. The Hunger Games series of books and movies depicts a class structure in which the elites are both dependent on and masters over the rest of the people in other districts who are forced to live in poverty without the potential to do more with their lives. It has been heralded as a rallying cry against the Marxist variation of the bourgeoisie and their elite masters. Only through armed revolt are the oppressed able to take their fair share from the bad guys in the upper echelons of this Dystopian society.

And that’s where we’re headed today. The rise in popularity of socialism is driven by a mentality that if the elites can be heeled into contributing their “fair share” to American society, more Americans will be able to achieve the dream that was promised by birthright. In fact, they’ve extended it beyond birthright to include anyone who can make it into the United States regardless of how they managed to get here. This “Hunger Games mentality” is seen by many radical progressives as a way to take prosperity achieved by others and redistribute it to the masses who cannot achieve the dream on their own.

It’s a false notion on multiple levels, but I’m just going to address two. First, achieving prosperity through the work of others is not part of the American dream. This, more than anything else, is why socialism is not an “alternative path” to the American dream. It’s the antithesis of it. Second, the very concept of socialism and the hope that’s now creeping into the radical progressive consciousness that it can actually be achieved is offensive to the supposed beneficiaries. We have big enough problems trying to take care of the portions of society who truly need assistance because they cannot work. By adding in a new group of people who must be taken care of simply because they’re unwilling to work, how can any thinking human being believe this is going to solve problems?

Socialism offers a path to laziness and too many people are starting to buy into the notion that they’d rather be beholden to government for the sake of personal security than work their way to achieving the American dream on their own. This is part of the rising victim mentality. It’s a side-effect of the lies being promoted by the vast majority of Democratic candidates for president. It’s the rallying cry for those who see in Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her hyper-leftist handlers at the Justice Democrats a path to personal economic security that does not require input from the recipients.

What the leaders of the socialist movement know but are unwilling to acknowledge is equality of economic status can only be achieved at the detriment of economic freedom. When economic freedom us subverted, the ability of those who would initially drive a socialist utopia dries up over time. As Margaret Thatcher famously noted, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

Some people steal the American dream through murder, theft, or manipulation. Others want to make it all legal by installing socialism in America. Just because it could eventually be legal doesn’t make it less of a crime.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

If you want to get scorn from both sides of the political aisle, come out against vaccines. Progressives, conservatives, and everyone in between seems to have a majority of people in favor of laws that would force parents to get their children vaccinated.

California is currently debating legislation that would eliminate many of the exemptions currently used by parents to prevent their children from being vaccinated. Actress Jessica Biel met with lawmaker to discuss it, and suddenly Twitter is loaded with hate for the Total Recall reboot star.

Jessica Biel meets with legislators to discuss California vaccination bill

When it comes to healthcare issues, the debate normally rests around costs. Healthcare rights of parents are ignored, pushed into the trash bin of “settled science” that makes many go completely unhinged when skeptics voice their concerns. Google has gone so far as to “educate” the population; you won’t find videos attacking vaccines without a clear warning by YouTube attempting to debunk their concerns.

For some reason, it’s been turned into a conspiracy theory when in reality it comes down to the rights of parents. But don’t call it that in the wrong crowd. You’ll be labeled an anti-vaxxer like Jessica Biel.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

The rest of my family went to see Avengers: Endgame last night. I had gone to an early screening and couldn’t take everyone, so the rest of the crew left me with the baby for four hours while they enjoyed Hollywood’s biggest movie (well, biggest once it passes Avatar). While they were gone, the baby and I discussed politics and how it is driven in many ways by Hollywood.

Americans are addicted to entertainment. We’re a pleasure-seeking society and one of the biggest draws every weekend is the local movie theater. But in the Trump era, Hollywood has revealed its true colors. We’ve always known they were progressives. Now, we’re realizing that many in Hollywood, from writers and directors to actors themselves, are absolutely unhinged in their hatred for anything conservative.

Most conservatives agree this has always been the case. Hollywood’s “progressive actorvists” have been at the forefront of groups directly opposed to the pro-life movement, gun owners’ rights, and even the capitalism that has helped them achieve their fame and fortune. They’ve promoted LGBTQ superior rights, anti-Trump protesters, and open borders policies.

What’s worse is a chunk of every single dollar we fork over to them goes directly to electing Democrats. Actors are prime candidates for holding big-donor fundraisers in their swanky Malibu mansions for whichever Democrat they believe can win elections around the country. One can make a very valid argument that the biggest reason Beto O’Rourke came so close to unseating Ted Cruz in Texas is because Hollywood dollars and endorsements got behind the former punk rocker as if he was the latest iteration of Robert Kennedy.

In fact, some even compared him to the late Senator.

This must be understood, so I’ll say it again. Every time you buy a movie ticket or pay your subscription fee to Netflix, part of your money is going to Democrats. It’s being given to radical pro-abortion groups like NARAL. It’s funding Everytown for Gun Safety. It’s helping criminal illegal immigrants evade capture.

It’s giving power to these people:

Few in Hollywood have actual policy ideas. Their influence over American politics is manufactured by their popularity, a popularity given to them by everyone who supports them by watching them. That means me. That means you.

I’m done. I’ve already canceled Netflix over their proposed Georgia boycott. My family went to see Avengers: Endgame, the last movie they’ll see until Hollywood stops being so radically leftist. That means we’ll only see a handful of movies every year, movies that are unambiguously right-leaning and not made by progressives who inadvertently told a patriotic tale. I thought Zero Dark Thirty was a great movie that gave an honest glimpse into the hunt for Osama bin Laden. It was so honest that many in Hollywood actively petitioned for it to not win the Best Picture Oscar it deserved. But the people who made it and starred in it were progressive activists, so even going to see that movie was counterproductive to the conservative movement.

Boycotting Hollywood will be difficult. It’s a serious change; we love movies. But I refuse to be an active participant in funding the people who hate my perspectives with a passion.

It isn’t just conservatives and President Trump that they oppose. Many of them are against the Christian faith and the values taught in the Bible. Even without the financial implications of funding progressivism, Christians should be appalled by the culture of anti-Biblical teachings permeating through so many Hollywood productions.

Some would argue that there are great right-leaning movies out there. I don’t disagree. I can see making exceptions for Christian movies like Unplanned or patriotic and informative movies like 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Those who feel like discerning can do so. I learned a lot from both movies. And when movies that echo my values are made be people who don’t hate America, I’ll consider seeing those. But it has to be clear. My entertainment dollars will not be redirected to getting Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren elected.

I am asking others to make the same pledge. Let’s boycott Hollywood.

Every time you go to the movies, your money is going towards ending conservatism in American and electing Democrats. Trump and his supporters took on the NFL. They take on the media. It’s time to take on Hollywood.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.