Why I Feel Badly For Conservatives

Several years ago, before I had joined the Army, my future wife and I were strolling around downtown when we came upon a scene now familiar to many residents of Marquette, Michigan. In front of the Post Office downtown, a group of maybe a dozen people were gathered, standing in the snow. Most of them were elderly women, and they were holding signs that said things like "Support Our Troops- No Iraq War," and "HONK if you oppose WAR." We passed the group on the way to a favorite bagel shop of ours, but after some debate, Anne and I decided to stop over and pay the protesters a little visit.

Admittedly, we must have made an imposing pair. Anne and I are both fond of combat boots and black leather jackets, and with my spiky hair and rockstar sideburns I must have looked something like a knife-wielding thug. The first protester we approached, a petite, mousy woman in her sixties, visibly grew uncomfortable as we approached. Upon reaching her, however, our struts and scowls faded, and I addressed the woman with a friendly smile.

"Hi there. Saw you guys standing out here, and I was just wondering if we could get some information."

She warmed up to us instantly. She explained that she was a librarian, and a member of the Marquette City Council, and that she was standing out here on this Sunday afternoon trying to get signatures for a petition. She explained it was for a city-wide motion to condemn the approaching occupation of Iraq. She asked if we'd like to sign, and we agreed enthusiastically, after which we continued to ask the woman about ways to get involved with this effort within the community.

As one can imagine, Washingon Street on that day was a din of honking and shouts of support. However, during our discussion, we were interrupted by a particularly loud horn. Turning to face the distraction, we saw a Buick driving by, out of which leaned a passenger, by all looks a fratboy, who shouted at us.

"If you don't like it here, then get the fuck out!"

"FUCK you!" Anne and I both dropped our conversation and stuck out our fists, flashing the Bird. We clutched our defiance cocked sideways, like two Saginaw gang-bangers brandishing nines, and as we did so the car drove off, continuing to shout insults. Turning back to our new friend, we apologized. She had blanched at our sudden angry display, but smiled sheepishly. Her eyes twinkled in a way that told me she admired our conviction.

Tell me that that little old lady hates America, and I'll tell you where you can stick it.

As I've mentioned before, I lean strongly left on many issues. I'm a proud liberal, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I've put a great deal of thought into examining my beliefs, and at the end of the day I believe that rational discourse, tolerance, and cooperation are the keys to shaping a better future for our country. Now, this doesn't mean I'm necessarily a Democrat. I vote by conscience, not by party. If this means voting Democrat, then that's okay. Considering the current political climate, that seems to be the way of things right now. But the point is, I live my life by a strong set of personal values; values which I have carefully considered and which I believe are essential to being a decent person in today's society. Thing is, the older I get, the more I realize that the values I hold are just plain antithetical to the agendas of those currently in power. As a result, I find that these days I just generally feel badly for conservatives.

Now, I can understand that, on paper, many of the views central to the conservative worldview are noble ones. Fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, greater individual liberty; none of these are bad things, by any means. But I find more and more that in today's society, the traditional definition of conservative has evolved into something much, much more unpleasant than that, and indeed evolved into a sort of radical Nationalist ideology that is doing FAR more harm to America than good. Ambrose Bierce once described conservatives as "[statesmen] enamored of existing evils, as opposed to [liberals, who want] to replace them with new ones."
Smart fellow. And I agree with Bierce, and indeed with many conservatives, that not all change is progress. But I also agree with Thomas Jefferson, who famously said that "[g]ood government is that which most effectively secures the rights of the people." And here's where I begin to have a problem with the conservative worldview.

Let me tell you what I think when I hear the word "conservative." I think of ordinary people, good people with jobs and families and needs, who amid the pressure of their daily lives don't have much time to really consider the issues that truly affect them. These are people who will, when approached reasonably, usually agree with progressive values. But progress usually means change to outmoded institutions--institutions upon which people have framed their lives and worldviews. And change of the kind that needs to happen in this country is scary. I understand that. But in trying only to scrape by in a world they barely understand, many conservatives unwittingly enable the institutions whose mechanisms would only continue to do them harm; institutions whose agents are not concerned for the greater good. They cling to old ways and old thinking, without really thinking about the people such thinking really hurts. I've come to believe that most conservatives are really just uninformed future moderates or liberals, while the committed few that remain are simply misers and bigots. And unfortunately, in any movement, it's the diehards--the misers and bigots--whose shouts are the loudest, and when such individuals speak up, it is the common individual who naturally follows and ultimately loses out.

I believe that the principles for which I stand are ironclad. I believe there is no stance I hold which a conservative can effectively argue down. This is because, above all, I BELIEVE IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE HUMAN CONDITION. And I believe in a way that is separate entirely from my faith and my preconceived assumptions, and I only adhere to an idea as long as I believe it holds continued merit. That is to say, I consider myself an ETHICAL, rather than a MORAL, person. I base my values upon that which will benefit the greatest number, while simulataneously harming the fewest (See Jeremy Bentham). I believe that people and values change, especially in today's society, where information assaults us on a daily basis, so quickly that even the most poorly-read man cannot help but learn.

Modern conservative ideas--opposition to gay marriage, opposition to public funding for services like health and education, opposition to redefining social gender roles--are, I believe, born out of simple ignorance. And that's fine. People can't be faulted if they simply don't know. We can show them. But in today's society, in what I believe is literally a Golden Age of Information, with knowledge like fruit hanging ripe and heavy from every tree, I believe that some ignorance is willful. I believe that there are some, so dependent on existing institutions, that any threat to those insitutions threatens an existential crisis. These people can't handle change, and so they will fight to the death to protect institutions, even if those institutions are hurting them in the long run.

Given the time, I could write an entire dissertation on why gay marriage would be good for society. There are entire books on why labor unions are essential to the Free-Market economy. A quick Google search could provide a wealth of reasons why drug TREATMENT is always better than drug ENFORCEMENT, and why despite dramatic advances in Civil Rights, women and minorities in our society are still viewed as second-class citizens. I believe that any government, in order to fairly represent diverse citizens, MUST BE SECULAR, establishing laws that can effectively both govern and secure liberty for all, not just the privileged few. It is not the place of religious institutions to legislate morality. Laws are made, and then faith can expand upon those laws in private life. Just like in the military. First-line NCOS cannot enforce regulations in such a way as to be more liberal than the orders of the officers that drafted them. They can, however, define those regulations more strictly. So it must be with Church and State.

I'm not a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. I am a human being, motivated by compassion for my fellows. And because of that, I am a proud liberal. I believe that many, if not all, liberal stances are based on ethical (or moral if you must) imperatives. I believe that we are obligated as kind and decent humans being to believe this way. I believe that knowledge is life, and ignorance is death. I believe that we must constantly question ourselves and our values, and ask ourselves if what we believe in truly represents the good of all, even those with whom we disagree. I believe that information is the key to personal growth, even though fear of change is normal. I believe that anyone who clings blindly to existing systems is simply uninformed, or narrow-minded and afraid.

And THAT is why I feel badly for conservatives.