A guy I went to high school with has recently reached out to me on Facebook and started discussing politics. Guy is the hardest worker you can imagine, great family man, but not the most educated guy in the world. Right now most of his understanding of left vs. right is from Tik Tok. I was going to write him an explanation of how I see the two sides, but I thought it would be better to get other people’s views from both sides to help him out.
So, how do you see the Liberal vs. Conservative outlook (in America)?
Theoretically my view of liberal vs conservative in a very broad and general statement would be that conservatives tend to lean towards a smaller government roll in peoples day to day lives. Less government intervention and less governmental support in areas such as social programs. Lower government spending. Liberals tend to lean towards a higher level of government involvement. Higher spending on social programs. More government oversight and intervention.
This is pretty good in US context, but I think there’s other ways to go around the definitions. Some see Conservatism leaning more towards authorianism, which is contrary to the definition you gave.
The most broad one (and my favorite) would be that liberals are about renewing society and pushing it forward, conservatives try to conserve the current (or past) models and control societal changes. Both approaches have their value depending on the context.
I liked this article. There was also point why some see conservatism more authoritarian:
We find instead that the main difference between the left and the right is whether people believe the world is inherently hierarchical. Conservatives, our work shows, tend to believe more strongly than liberals in a hierarchical world, which is essentially the view that the universe is a place where the lines between categories or concepts matter. A clearer understanding of that difference could help society better bridge political divides.
I actually have excellent article about political conservatism and how it has changed throught the times in the west. Sadly it is not in english so posting it here won’t do much.
I agree with this. I think there is a need to understand perspective and to see the value in a different viewpoint. I kind of see it the way I would a marriage. If you have one who tightens up the purse strings and one who is a bit more liberal on the spending, you’ve probably struck a pretty good balance. Too far to either side is probably detrimental to the whole. While it is important to move forward and allow change, it is also important to hold on to the past a bit.
Agreed. But maybe we can leave room to oil the hinges.
Definitely. And we all have a mix of conservative and liberal values, depending on the subject.
I’m firmly opposed towards monolithic worldviews or identity politics. Thinking ”I’m a conservative/liberal and right/left wing, therefore I need to think this” is a poor thinking process.
Instead think every question separately. Analyse your first thoughts about it, then your rationale or evidence supporting your point of view. Then make a claim ”I’m liberal/conservative in this topic, because…”
I believe we all fall on a spectrum and that labels are used to divide us. You are liberal, I am conservative (or vice versa) and therefore you are different. Since you are different, I can dehumanize you and justify trying to tear you down.
I started a book about this called “Be a Better Bug.” The premise is that humans are basically cockroaches willing to kill each other to get their piece of cheese (mixed metaphor). “Othering” makes it easier to dehumanize.
I very much agree. I have views on both sides and become very frustrated with people who argue against something simply because it’s “a conservative issue” or “a liberal issue”. My dad, for instance won’t just argue with you and call you a moron for not agreeing with him, it’s if you don’t agree with him ENOUGH. Or if you say that the other perspective might have some merit. God forbid you see one issue from a conservative perspective and another from a liberal perspective. I personally think that kind of thinking makes you more well rounded.
It’s quite common that people get angry to you if you challenge their views (and any view can be challenged).
We can see it as mental weakness, or just part of basic human nature. Questioning your opinions or values (so basically being emphatic towards people who think differently) is hard and scary.
With conservative politicians you get nothing and very little explanation why. Usually because you don’t deserve one.
With liberal politicians you also get nothing, but the explanation is that its a conservatives fault.
. Peoples political affiliations or orientations don’t mean anything to me, and usually them either. Thats just where they camp for lack of a better identity.
Would you be willing to consider that equal opportunity does not always exist? I’m not speaking to gender or race, but perhaps in the area of capacity? And in those situations perhaps assistance is required?
. Peoples political affiliations or orientations don’t mean anything to me, and usually them either. Thats just where they camp for lack of a better identity.