Plot Twist: Are Conservative Politics Shifting Culture?

It’s no secret that culture has heavily influenced politics over the years. Gay couples appeared in movies and TV shows long before the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015. Likewise, Marxist and socialist ideals have been glorified in Hollywood, making way for those ideas to be promoted by lawmakers in Washington.    Now, conservative politics appear to be influencing culture in a way that has not been seen for some time.    The political right watched in surprise Tuesday as Mark Zuckerberg, the chairman and CEO of Meta, Facebook's parent company, announced that Meta is embracing a free-speech model. Zuckerberg explained that Meta, which also includes Instagram, will end its use of “fact-checkers” and will instead move to a community-notes style of moderation, such as the one that the platform X currently uses.    “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the changes. “So, we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”    The shift doesn't stop there. Before the 2024 presidential election season, few cultural figures openly expressed conservative views, but now everyone from Elon Musk to actor Zachary Levi to filmmaker Justine Bateman are speaking out freely about the conservative policy views they support.    On this week’s edition of “Problematic Women,” we examine some of the ways in which the 2024 election has already begun to affect American culture.    Also on today's show, we discuss why Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose to announces his resignation, the bipartisan passage in the House of the Laken Riley Act, and opine over the engagement of actress-singer Zendaya and actor Tom Holland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices