The other day, Joel Berry, managing editor of The Babylon Bee, posted something on X that I found pretty fascinating:
It caught my eye for a couple reasons. First, I largely agree with what he wrote. The Babylon Bee may be a satire site, but there was nothing satirical about Berry’s point. As I’ve written many times, I believe it is important — even vital — for individuals of good conscience to speak out against the worst players on their own side of the aisle.
Why? Because the baddies don’t tarnish the other side’s beliefs. They tarnish yours. Their actions are counterproductive to the things you care about. Perhaps most importantly, you have much more influence over your own side than you have over the other side (even if it doesn’t always feel like it).
As a conservative, I’ve spent countless hours explaining this to readers and listeners who complain about how often I call out bad people, bad conduct, and bad ideas on the political right. Again, it’s not because I like the other side. I think the political left is wrong on all kinds of things, and I’ve been saying so for a very long time.
I call out The Right, because I come from The Right, I care more about The Right, and I want The Right to be a lot better than it is now (and has been for some time).
That position requires honesty, and acknowledging uncomfortable truths. It means saying things you think your fellow righties need to hear, rather than what they want to hear (or wish were true).
I think “gatekeeping your political movements” (to use Berry’s phrase) is noble work. Sometimes that work is painful. Sometimes it comes at a real cost. And yes, sometimes it requires courage.
But here’s the problem: Berry is not a gatekeeper. He doesn’t stand up to bad actors on his side of the aisle, at least not unless it’s a no-risk proposition. He far more often caters to them, amplifies them, and validates their worst instincts.
Case in point:
No, the post above was not a satirical Babylon Bee headline. It was a direct thought from Berry, via his personal account, where he regularly reposts reckless conspiracy theorists and other nuts of the MAGA variety — the type of individuals that appeal to the same audience the Bee has worked so hard in recent years to court.
It’s worth noting that the Bee’s activities aren’t limited to website content and social-media posts. CEO Seth Dillon has made numerous appearances at CPAC and Turning Point USA, speaking alongside some of The Right’s most disgusting grifters (including Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, the Pizzagate all-stars, and a couple stooges who later turned out to be on Russia’s payroll). The Bee’s efforts even earned Dillon a dinner seat at Mar-a-Lago.
Of course, The Babylon Bee can do whatever it wants. The website used to be a source of witty commentary on church and religious life, but it was never obligated to remain that. And as with many other conservative-media institutions, those in charge came to recognize what the site had to evolve into to stay viable and bring in the big bucks: a team-pleasing platform that spends a lot more time spooning bad actors on the political right than standing up to them.
To be fair, the Bee does occasionally engage in some friendly fire. But the site’s operators are keenly aware of what their audience will tolerate, and what they won’t. They’re careful not to cross the line. It’s ultimately about keeping a partisan audience happy and coming back for more. In that sense, the site has a lot in common with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Again, that’s fine. But it’s not gatekeeping. And Berry is no gatekeeper.
Messengers matter. If you’re calling on others to model behavior that you yourself refuse to adopt, you might as well just stick to writing satire… because that’s what your preaching comes across as.
Frankly, I’d love to see Berry walk the walk, rather than just talk the talk. I’d welcome him with open arms. After all, the dwindling number of righties who’ve maintained their integrity for years, and taken all the slings and arrows (including from the Bee) for standing up to their side’s worst actors, are freakin’ exhausted and could use the help.
Excellent column. Very smart. The Right has folks like John Daly calling out trash emanating from their own team. I only wish the Left had more people like Alan Dershowitz with the cajones to speak truth to their own blue team.
Gatekeepers make us uncomfortable. Grifters provide comfort. The best grifters create an atmosphere of ongoing cooperation on our part by exploiting our fears and presenting themselves as the source of solutions.