Some people on Twitter are pushing the #NetflixAMericAChallenge for conservatives to cancel their Netflix accounts.
My family has a Netflix account and we’ve enjoyed using it for many years. I’m sure many PJ Media readers enjoy the convenience of watching videos on demand through the company’s media streaming services, too. But Neflix, like most media giants, leans decidedly leftward and has not been able to resist pushing a left-leaning agenda. There comes a time when every conservative consumer has to make a decision between putting up with the bias or putting his/her foot down.
Here are five reasons why I think, for many of us, the time has come to say “enough is enough.”
1. Michelle Wolf has her own show
#NetflixAMericAChallenge
WOW: Michelle Wolf Just Attacked Sarah Sanders AGAIN — This Time On Her Netflix Show https://t.co/nQv1kZB6NU— Mary Barber (@DollClothesAG) May 29, 2018
The alleged comedian made headlines last month when she took some unprecedentedly vicious swipes at White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
In February, the former “Daily Show” writer landed her own half-hour weekly talk show for Netflix, promising “no preaching or political agenda — unless it’s funny.”
Apparently Wolf thought it would be “funny” to attack Sanders again during the opening monologue of her very first show. Commenting on the recent appointment of CIA director Gina Haspel, Wolf said:
“After Gina [Haspel] was nominated, my best friend Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted, ‘Any Democrat who claims to support women’s empowerment and our national security but opposes her nomination is a total hypocrite,’” Wolf stated. “Well if anyone’s an expert of hypocrites, it’s Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And for the record, that was not a looks-based joke. That was about her ugly personality. She has the Mario Batali of personalities.”
Batali, in case you didn’t know, is a celebrity chef who was forced to step away from his restaurant business empire after sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced from multiple women. The comparison is not only over the line — it doesn’t even make sense. Furthermore, it’s obvious that she is going to be using her platform on Netflix to push a political agenda. She has every right to do so, and Netflix has every right to host her, but we also have a choice not to support it.
2. Susan Rice on the board of directors
Netflix appoints Amb. Susan Rice to board of directors https://t.co/ZP3dYZ5z7g pic.twitter.com/yQpbUCiNKj
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) April 2, 2018
Back in March, Netflix added serial prevaricator Susan Rice to its board of directors. Why? What does she bring to the table other than her ability to tell brazen whoppers designed to cover up political incompetence and malfeasance?
Rice, who was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former president Barack Obama’s national security adviser, is infamous for making politically convenient but provably false comments to the press.
In the wake of the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, for instance, she appeared on five Sunday talk shows and characterized it as a “spontaneous demonstration” that got out of hand. The administration already had intelligence indicating that it was a pre-planned terrorist attack.
Also, in June 2014, she declared preposterously on national television that Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl had served in the Army with “honor and distinction.”
Rice was caught in another lie last year when she denied any knowledge about the “incidental collection of intelligence” on Trump transition officials, telling PBS NewsHour host Judy Woodruff: “I know nothing about this” and “I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that account today.”
Susan Rice had, in fact, requested the unmasking of members of Trump’s transition team.
Susan Rice Joins @Netflix Board of Directors — in Spite of Benghazi Cover-Up and Unmasking Scandal targeting @RealDonaldTrump. https://t.co/9naKUZ9M3a pic.twitter.com/irjlnP3bAs
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) April 3, 2018
3. Obama’s “Higher Ground Productions”
President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have entered into a multi-year agreement to produce films and series for Netflix, potentially including scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries, and features.
— Netflix US (@netflix) May 21, 2018
Even the self-important title of this effort is obnoxiously partisan. Higher ground than what? Democrats still swoon at Michelle Obama’s disingenuous “when they go low, we go high” quip from her 2016 Democratic National Convention speech.
The obvious implication here, of course, is that they — the Obamas — will speak to the nation on a higher plane than the current occupant of the White House and his supporters. So the very name of the effort is a not-so-veiled insult to “the bitter clingers.” You don’t have to watch a single episode to know the former “lecturer-in-chief” is going to use to the platform to oppose Republicans and desperately try to maintain some sort of legacy while President Trump actively dismantles his administration’s “signature achievements” and policies.
Susan Rice probably helped broker the lucrative deal between the Obamas and the streaming giant. A major campaign contributor to Obama was also reportedly instrumental in helping the former first couple make bank with the Obama-Netflix production deal, which one entertainment industry source said was valued at an estimated $50 million.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s creative content chief who oversees an $8 billion budget, “bundled nearly $600,000 in contributions to Obama from their friends and associates during the 2012 presidential campaign,” according to Fox News.
Sarandos’s wife, Nicole Avant, served as the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas from 2009 to 2011.
4. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is profoundly Anti-Trump
Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said a Trump presidency would "so bad" for the country https://t.co/bTAzDn0EjM pic.twitter.com/acaLGpOkAK
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) October 8, 2016
Hastings was an outspoken supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, saying that Trump “would destroy much of what is great about America” and “Hillary Clinton is the strong leader we need, and it’s important that Trump lose by a landslide to reject what he stands for.”
Hastings, the chair of Facebook’s board of directors committee, told fellow board member and venture capitalist Peter Thiel that he could suffer professionally for supporting Donald Trump. The Netflix CEO told Thiel in a 2016 email that he would receive a negative evaluation of his board performance because he had displayed “catastrophically bad judgment” in his support of Trump.
“I see our board being about great judgment, particularly in an unlikely disaster where we have to pick new leaders,” Hastings wrote in an email dated August 14 obtained by the New York Times. “I’m so mystified by your endorsement of Trump for our President, that for me it moves from ‘different judgment’ to ‘bad judgment.’ Some diversity in views is healthy, but catastrophically bad judgment (in my view) is not what anyone wants in a fellow board member.”
Just a week after Trump took office, Hastings wrote in a Facebook post that the new president’s actions were already hurting his employees all around the world and making the United States less safe:
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings weighs in on Trump's latest executive order pic.twitter.com/hgYDlKUH8v
— Yvonne Villarreal (@villarrealy) January 28, 2017
Now, a CEO’s left-leaning political preference is not a reason all by itself for conservatives to boycott a company, but Hastings went beyond that to punishing someone who didn’t share his preference.
That hostility toward Trump and his supporters is a data point to consider amid the questionable decision patterns on display at Netflix, given the company’s recent leftward tilt. Netflix can back whichever political party it wants. That is its right. But the consumer has every right to take it into consideration when deciding whether or not to use the company’s services.
5. Lots of great alternatives
27 Places to Watch Movies Online for Free! (+3 Netflix Alternatives You May Already Pay For) https://t.co/IhcRwuRhIU pic.twitter.com/RkLoJaTAoQ
— Brad's Deals (@bradsdeals) May 5, 2017
Netflix may be the most popular streaming service for watching movies and TV shows, but it not the only streaming platform out there.
There are tons of alternatives that offer a wide variety of entertainment, some of it free or cheaper than Netflix.
Costing only $12.99 per month, Amazon Prime Video is considered one of the best alternatives to Netflix. There’s also Hulu, with plans starting at $7.99 a month.
VUDU is another good movie-streaming choice. It doesn’t have a subscription fee, so you only pay for what you rent or buy. Movie rentals range from 99 cents to $5.99.
For people who like independent movies, classic films, and award-winning titles, there’s MUBI, which costs $5.99 per month. Christians and families can enjoy movies with a faithful twist on PureFlix for $10.99 a month, with the first month free.
Fandor specializes in indie, foreign, and documentary films and costs $10 a month.
Popcornflix has a good selection of movies and TV shows and is absolutely free. Crackle also offers free movie and TV streaming.
Click here for a list of 15 excellent alternatives to Netflix.
I don’t know about you, but with all the great alternatives out there, my family can definitely live without Netflix.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member