Hamilton Shows Us the Way

As of today, Hamilton is now available on Disney+ -- and I would like to encourage any conservative who has avoided this musical up until now because of the race swaps, the musical style, and/or the politics of its creator to give it a try. I really think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Hamilton is not especially good history. But despite its tendency to play up the immigrant angle (which doesn't really apply to the gentleman in question) and its other lefty tics, I still like it for two reasons. First of all, I think it does get the character of our country exactly right. We are a rebellious, scrappy people who dearly prize our freedom and aspire to transcend the circumstances into which we are born. And yes: as Hamilton makes abundantly clear, this is a place where someone starting at the bottom rung of our society can "rise up" through his own intelligence and industry. When all is said and done, Hamilton does not buy into the pernicious fictions of the 1619 Project. At base, it's optimistic about the American idea -- and for the most part, it treats our Founders with genuinely patriotic reverence (except, perhaps, for Thomas Jefferson, but I think that's due to the built-in pro-Hamilton slant of the text and not due to any antipathy for America as a whole).

Secondly - and perhaps more importantly - Hamilton stands as an implicit rebuke of critical social justice. How so? Well, consider its provenance: Lin Manuel Miranda originally wrote this clever work of art (and it is art in the truest sense, I think) because he read Ron Chernow's biography of our first treasurer and saw himself in Hamilton's story. In other words, Miranda - who's proudly, almost aggressively Puerto Rican - identified with a white guy. Imagine that! Imagine looking beyond skin color and nationality and considering experiences instead! Isn't that supposed to be impossible? Aren't we supposed to stick to our lanes?

Hamilton is unabashedly appropriative -- and I think that's great. I want immigrants and people of color to think that our history belongs to them because I honestly believe such raiding of our patrimony will do more to unify our multi-ethnic society than balkanized graduation ceremonies, so-called "black national anthems," or the rest of the divisive crap our new segregationists are trying to force down our throats for the sake of their "antiracism" crusade.

So yes: go and watch Hamilton if you can. It sends an absolutely vital message that American history is human history, not "white" history that we must abhor.

7/7 Edit: Here's another good article on Hamilton's pro-America spirit.

A Few Final Remarks on Hamiltongate

Before I launch into some more discussion of the Hamilton incident last Friday, I'd like to share another fantastic song from the show as a gesture of good faith.


Listen to the respect with which Manuel-Miranda treats Washington. Here, our first president is portrayed, without irony, as a hero who voluntarily steps down from his seat of power, consequently teaching us that America's institutions were crafted to transcend and outlast the fame of any one person. Such a number implicitly rebukes cults of personality and leader worship -- one message among many in this show that are undeniably timely.

The text of Hamilton also does something that I think is vitally important in this age of identity politics: It invites people of very different backgrounds to embrace American heroes, American ideas, and an American identity as their own. Too often, the social justice left discourages its favored groups from finding any inspiration from our history, effectively segregating minority populations from the American heritage entirely. Whether accidentally or no, this only enhances people's sense of "otherness" and existential discomfort. Manuel-Miranda's approach, on the other hand, is much healthier; instead of dismissing Alexander Hamilton and his contemporaries as "dead, white males" whose biographies have nothing to offer to Americans of color, he shows how our Founders' struggles and triumphs are universally edifying.

Which brings me to one reason why the now infamous Friday night curtain call still rankles. To echo Robert Pondiscio's remarks in the New York Daily News, the cast members didn't let Manuel-Miranda's art speak for itself. Or, to put it another way, they assumed that Pence was so incredibly dense - so lacking in any sort of human feeling - that he would fail to grasp the pro-diversity message described above without having it explicitly spelled out in simple words.

Further, the speech wasn't delivered in a vacuum. Context matters. Intonation matters. Truth matters. Several writers and commentators whom I respect greatly have dramatically missed the boat by focusing on the superficial mildness of the words and not on the event in toto. Consider, for example, the audience in attendance: a crowd of overwhelmingly liberal Manhattanites who are already convinced Trump and Pence represent a threat to their rights despite much evidence that flatly contradicts their views. These are people whose smug sense of superiority didn't need to be strengthened or legitimized -- yet Dixon (and presumably the rest of the cast, who allowed Dixon to speak on their behalf) went ahead and flattered these folks anyway. I'm sorry, but to those of us who don't live in that particular milieu, that was gross as hell and needed to be called out.

Consider too where they were. Dixon was not just a private citizen addressing a politician; he was also, essentially, an employee of a business talking to a paying customer. And if you've ever worked customer service, you know you always put your personal opinions aside at the moment of a business transaction. Nobody here is questioning anyone's right to dissent; what many of us do question is the appropriateness of the time and place. Dixon and the other cast members could've invited Pence back stage for a private conversation later; if making their concerns heard was their only motivation, such a conversation would've succeeded brilliantly. But when Dixon tells the audience to film his remarks and spread them far and wide on social media, an additional - and more problematic - motivation becomes strikingly apparent. This wasn't just about exercising one's right to question our incoming executives; this was also one giant virtue signal meant, once again, to congratulate an already unaccountably arrogant group of people on their supposed "right thinking." And quite frankly, we conservatives are sick to death of listening to these Pharisees endlessly trumpet how great they all are when their actions don't justify their pride.

I'm happy that Pence was not offended and responded to the speech with equanimity and grace -- but that does not mean we should set aside this incident's troubling undertones or refrain from critiquing the people involved.

Oh, and by the way: Trump doesn't actually believe in safe spaces -- at least, not in the leftist sense. Haven't you figured out yet that the soon-to-be Cheeto 'n Chief is the ultimate troll?

And with that, I'm going to head out for my Thanksgiving break. I shall return next Wednesday with a post (or two) on the beauty of Constitutional federalism. I hope all of you have a peaceful holiday in the meantime!

Shut Up and Sing

(Or, in this case, rap about the national debt.)

I was planning to write a long post/civics lesson today about the federal system and why, despite being designed over 200 years ago, it is still perfectly suited to our current age. But then this happened...


... and it struck a nerve.

It struck a nerve because I've been a huge booster of Hamilton to skeptical relatives, acquaintances, and readers; indeed, I've shared favorite songs from the show on this blog on two separate occasions. I also spent eight hours round trip on a cramped and uncomfortable bus to see this show in New York because I simply couldn't wait for the inevitable tour stop in DC.

I think Hamilton richly deserves its eleven Tony Awards. It is, right now, my go-to example when I try to explain the difference between art that genuinely stretches the boundaries and art that merely postures and celebrates ugliness. In the show itself, there is no present-day political grandstanding; while Manuel-Miranda does take artistic licenses, he is honest about Hamilton's personal flaws and treats his other primary subject - America itself - with respect -- and even an infectious joy. There are mentions of slavery - because, given the period, how can you avoid it - but overall, Hamilton is brimming with the faith that all Americans - even "orphan immigrants" - can "rise up" and make an impact if they work hard enough.

Hamilton has amazing - and fundamentally conservative - things to say about the American idea. Unfortunately, the performers behind it had to go ahead and muck it up, thereby guaranteeing that many of my right-leaning friends will avoid the show from this day forward.

Why - why - do you always do this, leftists? When people go out to see a Broadway show - or any artistic performance, really - they are not looking to be hectored. They want to enjoy your talent, not listen to your presumptuous speeches. You, of course, have every right to express consternation over the prospect of a Trump presidency, but do it on your own time. It is neither appropriate nor fair to subject a paying audience to your supposed "protest."

To steal from Laura Ingraham, just shut up and sing.

Hamilton: The Latest Musical That's Grabbed My Attention

Since this is my personal blog, I feel it's my right to inflict my ear worms on the rest of you.
Using rap, hip-hop, and pop to stage the biography of a colorful - and often hated - revolutionary figure might seem like a phenomenally bad idea, but I recommend you push past that initial skepticism. I've been listening to the two-disc soundtrack for Hamilton: An American Musical in snippets over the past week or so, and it's damned clever. Damned clever. Indeed, the historical content is substantive enough that it's convincing me to like the rap battles.

And you know what else makes me happy? The fact that this show's Puerto Rican composer and star read a book about a white guy and claimed it. Props to Lin-Manuel Miranda for rejecting the melting snowflake routine -- and by all means, sir, continue playing with American history. It's just as much your history as it is mine.