Policy Is Also Downstream of Culture

The idea that “politics is downstream of culture,” a phrase coined by the late journalist and gadfly Andrew Breitbart, is perhaps the leitmotif of the last decade of American public life.

But culture does not merely inform politics. It can also trump policy action, acting as a check on political excess. This is precisely what we’ve seen recently with the rollback of various COVID restrictions in preparation for what will likely be a fairly normal summer—at least in areas where there’s a culture of normality that trumps a culture of continued fear.

Culture, in other words, isn’t just upstream from politics. It’s stronger than politics.

Read Full Article »