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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsConservatives Will Never Get the Respect They Crave. They Don't Deserve It.
Conservatives Will Never Get the Respect They Crave. They Dont Deserve It.by David Atkins April 28, 2018
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Conservatism is fundamentally about preserving current in-group power structures and maintaining established social hierarchies. It keeps the powerful in power, and keeps the downtrodden underfoot. Insofar as government helps keep rich, powerful white men rich and powerful, conservatives love it and rally around the flag. Insofar as it helps equalize the balance of power, they despise it and want to drown it in a bathtub.This has always been the case for conservatism throughout history across the globe (replace white with relevant regional powerful ethnic/religious majority and it applies in all cases), and it has never been more true than of American conservatism today under Trump.
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And just what are these traditions the modern conservative wants respected?Theyre very rarely stated out loud, and when they are its usually in code: family, God, country. But dig deeper and its the sort of deplorable stuff that no one involved in the creation of culture would ever want to countenance: that women should serve as obedient reproductive vessels; that white men are biologically and culturally superior to others; that the ability of corporate executives to get rich from polluting air and exploiting workers is a greater freedom than that of communities not to be poisoned and abused; that its the inherent right of powerful countries to bomb less powerful ones and steal their resources; that being rich is a sign of divine favor, and the poor deserve their plight; and so on.
These are bad ideas. They are deplorable. They appeal to our baser instincts, and they preserve the power of societys abusers at the expense of its victims. In every case, the hindsight of history looks with displeasure on those who defended such things. And in every case, the heroes are not only the activists, but also the culture bringers who pushed slowly but surely to drag societies into a better place.
It doesnt matter how many elections conservatives win, or how much power they hold. Politics is downstream of culture, and they will never get the cultural respect they crave.
They dont deserve it, those who shape our culture will never give it to them, and with the rise of a more progressive generation than ever, even corporate power is shifting to acknowledge the views of its customers. The battle for the soul of America is already over until the next realignment, and todays conservatives know it. Its just going to take a few more elections for it to filter through the system.
the rest:
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/04/28/conservatives-will-never-get-the-respect-they-crave-they-dont-deserve-it/
dalton99a
(82,137 posts)They are treasonous scumbags who deserve a one-way ticket to Russia
SWBTATTReg
(22,590 posts)All through out history these so called 'conservatives' have abused the meaning of what being a conservative is, and are now attempting to paint all of them as 'conservative', when in short, they are racist, don't want to pay any tax what-so-ever, don't serve this country as so many others do but instead, feel like they are entitled to bitch and moan about everything. Hypocrites.
They have tarnished the conservative brand forever more, by not stepping up to the plate and speaking out against the current ongoing excesses of this republican congress and idiotic president. I guess the only things that will work is a GOTV blue tsunami, criminal convictions by the dozens, and protests by the thousands constantly ...
Don't preach to me anymore...hypocrites.
elocs
(22,784 posts)and they're not going anywhere. And if Liberals and the Left are not vigilant, conservatives will be back in power again because for many if not even most Republicans, voting is a duty and not just something they do if they are motivated or excited. If the Left breaks into little factions because too many believe the Big Lie that both Democrats and Republicans are just the same, conservatives will be back in power. But even when not in power, conservatives will be here so we had better be prepared to deal with it.
Cha
(299,519 posts)euphemism for traitorous assholes who steal from the poor to give to the billionaires.
Phoenix61
(17,101 posts)He's not a bad guy but has spent his life wearing blinders. We got to talking about the Andy Griffith Show. He said things were better back then. People had morals, respect for government, etc. and asked me if I agreed with him. I told him they were better for white males but not for anyone else. What followed was an energetic conversation. He is fearful of the world changing into a place he doesn't understand or know how to navigate. He sees the 50's as a time when rules were clearly defined and strictly enforced by society. Sadly, he doesn't recognize how those rules he admires negatively impacted everyone who wasn't a white male. I'm hopeful he'll get it one day.
Mc Mike
(9,123 posts)BadgerMom
(2,796 posts)tanyev
(42,987 posts)You could have stayed the party of John McCain. You chose to be the party of Sarah Palin. You chose race baiting and gay bashing. You didnt want to pay for schools, so you demonized teachers. You didnt want to pay for healthcare, so you pretended being able to go to the doctor was an assault on liberty. You didnt want to piss off the fossil fuel companies, so you invented an evil cabal of scientists perpetuating a global warming hoax. And you didnt want to be subjected to a real debate, so you got Fox and Sinclair to flood the plain with invective and lies.
And you were so good at it! You actually convinced people that they could have $25 VCRs and a viable American manufacturing sector. That we could buy strawberries for two dollars a pound that were picked by American citizens. That raising the minimum wage would actually make people poorer.
Only you overshot and wound up with Trump. And he is burning your house to the ground.
Read more at https://wonkette.com/633162/we-dont-want-conservativetears-we-want-a-functioning-government#2IeWt0ZfkAuWE4DH.99
Initech
(100,440 posts)ProfessorPlum
(11,291 posts)thank you kpete
CrispyQ
(36,834 posts)And right now they have the upper hand & are using that to try to make their power permanent.