Political Leanings

This show has a tendency to be called one of the most conservative TV shows ever made, and that is not unfounded. The show promotes using torture on terrorists, is usually critical of the government, and almost always has a "the end-justifies the means" attitude. With that being said, there are some hints of liberalism in there, like CEOs are usually either the villains, or are working with the villains. Still though, it's no contest. I don't think I'll get many complaints on this one.

Verdict: Conservative.

It's anti-military, and pro-environment. There is no other political leaning it could be.

Verdict: Liberal.

Almost no question about it. It follows how Ron Kovic, former Vietnam vet, became an anti-war activist. Though it could be argued that we don't necessarily have to agree with his viewpoints to sympathize with him, the film doesn't offer another viewpoint.

Verdict: Liberal.

Here is probably the hardest to pinpoint. Though the show's main theme of a man losing his morality is universal, the things surrounding it have political weight. The whole plot unravels in the first place because Walt can't afford to pay for his cancer treatments. That seems to be a critique of the current health care system in America, which is a liberal issue. The drugs are also touchy. The show seems to support the DEA and how meth destroys a person's life. Though at the same time, it shows how Walt was able to get super rich on cooking meth, specifically because it was illegal. And when Hank tries supersede authority in his attempt to catch Heisenberg, including kidnapping it leads to nothing but problems. Though the show never makes any outright political statements, leaving it to the viewers to decide for themselves, the things it implies, I think, lean left.

Verdict: Liberal.

Though the film preaches against homophobia, which is decidedly Liberal, the film also rallies against the FDA for pushing bad AIDS drugs, and ostracizing them for not allowing terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs, which is a fairly Conservative viewpoint. Since the latter is the main crisis of the film, shockingly I find this film leans right.

Verdict: Conservative.

Is very supportive of immigration, and is critical of the 1%, since they choose to isolate themselves from the poor and don't pay attention to their suffering. However, some have claimed the film is actually conservative, and say that Earth is so crappy because there are no rich people on it, and that poor people actually need rich people in order for their lives to improve, it looks like they live in a socialistic environment. Still, the director's comments regarding the film leave me no question as to my verdict.

Verdict: Liberal

This film mocks environmental extremism, (a left issue), but also has a famous sequence, where the characters go to a backwards church, clearly inspired by the extremist right Westboro Baptist Church. It promotes the idea of non-traditional sexuality, but also is critical of big governments, Obama in particular gets lambasted. The movie's intention seemed to be to offend people on both sides of spectrum, and it was successful. There is no clear political bias.

Verdict: Split.

A film that features an atheist trying to "save" a woman from her fundamentalist husband by having an affair with her. I haven't actually seen this film, but knowing the plot and how the film ends, I don't have any doubt.

Verdict: Liberal.

Roger Ebert put it best. "I am sure the filmmakers believe their film is against the death penalty. I believe it supports it and hopes to discredit the opponents of the penalty as unprincipled fraudsters." The filmmakers are against the death penalty, I'm almost positive. But the twist ending kind of makes you wonder if some people on the staff weren't secretly supportive of the death penalty. Anyway, the intention here is obvious, regardless of the outcome.

Verdict: Liberal.

Though it could be argued that the film is pro-vigilante and pro-gun, I am not going to go there. The film's intention was to make a statement about America's health care system, and it did so from the Left side of the political spectrum.

Verdict: Liberal.

Honestly, I don't know. This show seems to go out of its way to be as offensive as possible to everyone. They have taken pot-shots at both the Left and Right. From the liberal spectrum, it supports stem cell research, LGBT rights, and drugs. However it leans conservative on issues like criticisms of the federal government, the rights of corporations, and anti-censorship. If anything, the show is decisively Libertarian in its approach. So, I'm going say this one is split right down the middle.

Verdict: Split.

This one is touchy. Yes, are protagonists are pro-smoking lobbyists, however given the film is a satire, you can interpret that as we get to see how unscrupulous they are, and thus how evil tobacco companies are. However, we also get to see the anti-smoking Senator, and he is also using manipulation to get what he wants. Still, I think the film ultimately has a vibe of a message of personal responsibility, since it ends with the main character coming out on top, over the Senator. Though you can debate this one till the cows come home, I think it leans on the right.

Verdict: Conservative.