What’s so wrong with Conservative Values?
In the next few articles, we will attempt to raise some questions as to our apparently ever- changing society, particularly with respect to values! As the title above indicates, we will focus on the ever-present attacks and ridicules leveled against conservative values by the liberals in the media. Whatever motivates liberals we do not know or understand but they cannot pass up an opportunity to criticize anybody who does not agree with their liberal agendas.
Before we can ask the question: What’s so wrong with Conservative values, we have to define what conservative values are. The definition for that in Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary is sort of vague when it states that being conservative means ‘disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions and the like, to agree with gradual rather than abrupt change and being traditional in style and manner’.
We here at Common Sense Politics can add from personal experience and observations several more attributes; to us a conservative is also self-reliant, a rugged individualist, principled and mostly consistent in behavior and demeanor, caring, fair, generous and helpful where possible, dependable, tolerant, committed to obligations (debts and taxes etc), cautious in decision making, willing to accept reality when setbacks occur, can laugh at himself and does not deny being a conservative.
Now we can ask: What’s so wrong with that? Why would that give reason to anybody to demean and bash such behavior and lifestyle? If a person is being raised by parents in the above value system and principles and then lives accordingly throughout his/her life, why would that be wrong? We cannot find any rational reason for that to be faulted, critiqued or ridiculed by anybody! The critics have never offered any alternatives to these values that could be even remotely considered superior. Is it not in fact hypocritical by liberals to demean conservative values when they live their own lives in the same fashion?
We are excluding for reasons of simplicity the extremes in this case. We do not condone any behavior by conservatives who want to push their own value system on others by preaching to them in any demeaning way. But the average conservative just lives his/her life as he/she likes best and is most comfortable without attempts to influence others or encroach on other people’s lifestyles. Now that does not mean that conservatives cannot stand firmly against societal changes when for instance same-sex relationships become legal ‘marriages’. Marriage has been known and defined for thousands of years as a union between a man and a woman and such a change (as same-sex marriages) represents a revision to a long-held tradition that is simply overpowering in its content.
Conservative’s opposition to same sex-marriage is criticized by liberals as being ‘old-fashioned’ and even prejudiced and hateful. Nothing could be further from the truth. When the California Supreme Court in May of this year decreed to legalize same-sex marriages (‘The slippery slope of de-Valuation‘) did anybody see vast protest marches by Conservatives in California or elsewhere or a rowdy bunch of Conservatives throwing bottles at policemen? Of course not! They did not like the decision but they did not express themselves in protest, violent or otherwise. So where is the hatefulness of Conservatives? The answer is simple: It does not exist! These are false charges by liberals and ideological opponents who for lack of more convincing arguments have to resort to criticism and demeaning commentary, many times cynical yet unconvincing to a neutral observer.
We have to ask the question: Would America not be better off if everybody was conservative? If every individual could take control of his life and be self-reliant - and we exclude those who cannot be self-sufficient for medical, health or similar reasons - could the government not be much smaller and less intrusive instead of enlarging its role in everybody’s life? Could we not increase our focus in this country on making everybody self-reliant and less dependent on help from others, i.e. government etc?
We think the answers to all three questions are a resounding YES! And we also conclude that there is nothing wrong with conservative values for the reasons stated above.