Bette Midler just dropped a cover of Woody Guthrie’s "All You Fascists Bound to Lose." The internet did exactly what the internet does. One side hailed it as a courageous stand for democracy; the other dismissed it as the screeching of the "out-of-touch elite." Both sides are wrong. They are missing the mechanics of how modern political signaling actually functions.
The "lazy consensus" suggests that when a legend like Midler uses her platform to attack a figure like Donald Trump, she is moving the needle. She isn't. In reality, these high-production-value protest videos serve as a massive, unintended subsidy to the very campaigns they aim to destroy. This isn't art as activism. This is art as an algorithmic fuel injection for the opposition. Also making headlines lately: The FCC Licensing Myth and Why Jimmy Kimmel Is Not ABCs Real Problem.
The Myth of the Courageous Stance
Let’s dismantle the idea that this is "brave."
In the current entertainment industry, recording an anti-Trump song is about as risky as ordering a latte in West Hollywood. It is the default setting. Real bravery involves a personal or professional cost. For a performer with Midler’s specific demographic—primarily older, liberal, urban-dwelling fans—this video isn’t a risk. It’s a customer retention strategy. Further insights regarding the matter are explored by The Hollywood Reporter.
When a celebrity "speaks truth to power" to an audience that already agrees with every syllable, they aren't changing minds. They are performing a secular liturgy. It feels good. It generates clicks. But it fundamentally lacks the friction required for persuasion.
The Backfire Effect and Cultural Polarization
We need to talk about the Backfire Effect. This is a psychological phenomenon where presenting evidence that contradicts a person's deeply held beliefs actually makes them double down on those beliefs.
When Bette Midler—a symbol of the Broadway and Hollywood establishment—points a finger and calls tens of millions of voters "fascists," she doesn't trigger a moment of soul-searching in Ohio or Florida. She validates the central thesis of the Trump campaign: that the "cultural elites" despise the average voter.
Every time a multi-millionaire entertainer adopts the aesthetic of a folk-struggle, it creates a massive cognitive dissonance. Woody Guthrie lived in migrant camps. He sang for people who didn't know where their next meal was coming from. Rebranding his work into a slickly produced digital asset for the social media age strips the soul out of the message. It turns a cry for help into a lecture.
The ROI of Outrage
I have seen marketing budgets evaporated by "viral" moments that resulted in zero conversion. The same logic applies to political activism.
- The Target Audience: These videos are consumed by people who have already decided how they are voting.
- The Opposition: They use the video as a fundraising tool. "Look at what the Hollywood liberals are saying about you! Donate $5 now to fight back."
- The Swing Voter: They see a celebrity shouting about fascism and they tune out. They are worried about the price of eggs and the interest rate on their mortgage.
The opposition doesn't fear Bette Midler. They want her to keep talking. She is the perfect foil. She represents the "other" that keeps their base energized and their wallets open.
Stop Treating Art Like a Blunt Instrument
The most effective political art is subversive, not screeching. It forces the viewer to think, not just to react. Think of the way The Great Dictator used humor to hollow out the image of authority, or how Strange Fruit forced a visceral confrontation with reality without ever mentioning a political candidate by name.
Midler’s approach is the equivalent of a loud, expensive bumper sticker. It’s "Preaching to the Choir 101."
The Problem With Woody Guthrie 2.0
Woody Guthrie’s "All You Fascists Bound to Lose" worked in 1942 because the enemy was an external, existential threat being fought by a unified nation. Using it in 2024 to describe your fellow citizens is a category error. It collapses the nuance of domestic political disagreement into a binary of "Good vs. Evil."
When you label 45% of the electorate as fascists, you aren't engaging in political discourse. You are declaring an end to it. You are saying that there is no middle ground, no room for persuasion, and no reason to talk. If that’s the case, why make the video at all? If the enemy is truly that far gone, a music video is a staggeringly inadequate response.
The Actionable Truth for Performers
If you actually want to impact a political cycle, stop making videos for your own fans.
- Go where you are hated. If Midler wanted to be disruptive, she wouldn’t release a video on Twitter. She would book a town hall in a deep-red county and listen.
- Fund the boring stuff. High-glamour videos are vanity projects. Boring things like voter registration drives, local school board support, and community organizing actually win elections.
- Drop the moral superiority. The moment a performer positions themselves as morally superior to their audience, they lose the ability to lead.
The "All You Fascists" video will get its millions of views. It will get its write-ups in the usual publications. Midler will receive a wave of digital applause from her peers. And when the dust settles, not one single vote will have shifted.
The opposition will have raised another million dollars off the back of her "courage." The tribal lines will be drawn a little deeper. The noise will get a little louder.
This isn't a revolution. It’s an echo chamber with a high production budget.
If you want to win, stop singing at the people who already love you. Start talking to the people who don’t.
