Letting your inner conservative out

[Maister]

Such folks are in abundance on one message board I belong to, a place I'm considering backing away from. Either it's the offenderati who can squeeze out racism, sexism, sizeism or general bigotry from the meaning of any post; or those that tolerate different kinds of anti-social behavior because it's "part of their culture" or some fault of "society", or better yet, dismiss it with "America is worse". Makes my inner conservative come out, I'll tell you what ...

I think we all know what Dan is talking about. There are moments in life - regardless of one's general political orientation - we all become conservatives due to something we observe or experience. I recall one time I was at the unemployment office and overheard in the line next to me a heated exchange where a guy had been caught blatantly falsifying documentation to prove he'd actually been applying for jobs the past several months ("sir, we attempted to verify the number of the 'prospective employer' and got your home answering machine..."). The dude appeared to be drunk or stoned and watching him get caught trying to bilk the system made me feel like abolishing the program to my own detriment right then and there. (all them danged people on unemployment and welfare are nothing but a bunch a lazy, no good, commies, depending on hard working folks to support them...)

Tell us about the times you've felt your inner conservative come out.

[ofos]

I don't let my inner conservative come out. He needs to stay in to do constant battle with my inner liberal. It's not easy to be a moderate.

[dandy_warhol]

I've noticed some puckering when I see South Park airing at 5pm. I firmly believe in parents responsibility of monitoring what their child watches on tv but having such a graphic show airing when kids are up and sadly, probably watching tv after school, is disturbing.

[Hink]

I don't let my inner conservative come out. He needs to stay in to do constant battle with my inner liberal. It's not easy to be a moderate.

...but there is no such thing as an independent... (You aren't allowed to believe anything but what the party structure tells you to...)

I find it funny because I am so conservative when it comes to fiscal issues, and so liberal when it comes to social issues.

But there are times where one side starts talking on the wrong topics....

[DetroitPlanner]

My inner conservative won't come out. He is too embarassed by the Tea Party.

[kjel]

My inner conservative won't come out. He is too embarassed by the Tea Party.

The Tea Party is just embarrassing period.

[beach_bum]

My inner conservative won't come out. He is too embarassed by the Tea Party.

Bingo! And they only seem to want the government involved (in other people's lives) when it comes to a social issue, abortion, marriage, etc.

[kjel]

I don't have an inner conservative....well maybe I do-it's called being a parent to a teenage girl

[stroskey]

Bingo! And they only seem to want the government involved (in other people's lives) when it comes to a social issue, abortion, marriage, etc.

On the flip side, if liberals don't want the government involved in those "personal issues" then why do they want to government involved in health care, food stamps, housing, etc? Both sides are hypocritical.

I think it's funny how people who generally don't like government are the same ones pushing for more military spending. I'm pretty moderate but have noticed that people on both sides generally think the other side is a bunch of lying, do-nothing jerks. That's what makes me hate politics.

[HomerJ]

My favorite is how liberals say we should legalize marijuana, but conservatives say no, it is a dangerous drug that causes harm and it should not be legal.

Then conservatives say guns should be legal, but liberals say no, they are dangerous weapons that cause harm and should not be legal.

I think that example shows the hypocrisy of both parties pretty well. But back to the original point, I find my inner conservative comes out when I (as I often do) decide to play devil's advocate, aka when I am talking to a liberal college student.

[Dan]

Here's another example of when my inner conservative comes out; knee-jerk anti-Americanism. According to the shows that air on the community radio station here, the United States always seems to be on the wrong side of whatever international conflict ay be brewing. Even going back two hundred-some years in the nations history, they'll claim the intentions of American leaders, and domestic and foreign policy, has almost always been malevolent.

Although the United States has made some policy blunders through the years, I that that overall, it's been a positive influence on the world, not an evil, dark force.

On many message boards, I'm also frustrated by a "Europe rules, America drools" mindset that prevails. There's also the belief that movies, literature, music, books, food and other cultural imports from overseas are "watered down" for the American market, because we're too stupid to appreciate them in their unaltered version. :

[UrbaneSprawler]

My inner conservative comes out when I'm screen songs for lyrical content (not merit) on my 7 year old wants on her mp3 player.

In after some consternation: Katy Perry's California Gurls, Lady Gaga's Born This way.
Out: Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, Bruno Mars' The Lazy Song.

Now I kinda long for the days when I was 7 and the relative mildness of Anne Murray singing it's the right time of the night for makin' love. Where's the PMRC when you need them?

[Linda_D]

My inner conservative comes out because I'm very pro-America and because I'm mostly pro-law enforcement. I guess that comes from having studied so much history as well as having so many family members in the military and law enforcement.

[imaplanner]

My inner conservative comes out because I'm very pro-America and because I'm mostly pro-law enforcement. I guess that comes from having studied so much history as well as having so many family members in the military and law enforcement.

This is what irritates the heck out of me (not your post but the mindset behind it). Liberals can be just as pro-America and pro-law enforcement as conservatives and often times they are more pro-America and pro-law enforcement. Just because self-described conservatives wrap themselves in the flag and claim to have the monopoly on patriotism doesn't make it right.

[Rygor]

I started to feel my inner fiscal conservative come out when at my old job the City Council kept supporting several hundred thousand dollar bike lane and bike path projects along with public arts projects while we had a severe budget issues and were having to make severe cutbacks and hiring freezes. I love art and want to encourage bike use as much as the next planner, but not when "health, safety, and the general welfare" should be priority and not at the expense of keeping your employees happy and food on their tables!


In my everyday life I sense my inner conservative coming out whenever I go to a coffeeshop and hear some unshaven, stinky, ironically dressed hipster waxing poetic about some inane topic while pretending to drink something and taking up an entire four person table by himself because his Apple laptop takes up too much room so he can "blog" about his uninteresting day while collecting welfare because he can't find a job because of aforesaid stinkiness and "ironic" dress.

[ThePinkPlanner]

My inner conservative seems to escape whenever there is a public union strike that has nothing to do with unfair working conditions and instead is based on whether or not the years salary raises are 4% vs 5%. So for the two weeks the teachers unions battle the school board, kids are without school, parents are forced into vacation time they may not have, and in the end, its always settled at 4.5%.

The ability to compromise an entire community because a 4% salary increase is not good enough is baffling to me.

[Coragus]

My IC comes out whenever my right to eat meat or to take it fairly and ethically from the woods or the water is questioned. I attend a UU church, so it happens more than you'd think.

[illinoisplanner]

I let my inner conservative out at the shooting range. That's the more primal conservative in me, as opposed to the wordy, debating, right-wing-talking-points side you usually see from me.

[TerraSapient]

I find it funny because I am so conservative when it comes to fiscal issues, and so liberal when it comes to social issues.

Me too. Let's start our own party. We'll call it the Smart People Party (SPP for short because planners loves acronyms)

My IC comes out whenever I pay taxes. It isn't the paying of taxes that makes my IC come out. It is the amount of taxes I pay and what most of my tax dollars are paying for. Give me protection of health, safety, blahblahblah, but keep useless programs out of it and quit giving tax breaks for things that people don't need tax breaks for. All that does is make everyone have to pay more. Which makes me grumpy. Most of the time, people are going to do what they are going to do because they want to do it, not because there is some random tax break. [/removing grumpy IC hat now]

[hilldweller]

Ever notice how liberal writers tend to capitalize terms in order to convey a stronger meaning or awareness of a particular issue, i.e.- Opportunity Divide, Acheivement Gap, etc.? I've always thought this comes across as rather phony.

[Raf]

My inner conservative comes out on issues like this. I mean I am all for giving living wages for public safety personel, but seriously, why should the average voter have any say on a contract? As for binding arbitration, well, there has to be give and take. other employees have decided to take an additional Calpers withholding, thus effectively giving a pay cut. Why are our fellow public safety employees are given the benefit of binding arbitration? In a town where the most heinous crime typically is a dui or noise complaint? Seriously...we are in this together, not all for themselves..

[tea party grl]

I feel my inner conservative come out every time I do the morally right thing.

[Tarf]

I feel my inner conservative come out every time I do the morally right thing.

...and of course, according to you, only conservatives are moral.

Anyone see that movie, Paul?

[tea party grl]

...and of course, according to you, only conservatives are moral.

Anyone see that movie, Paul?

You do know the difference between conservatives and liberals don't you?

[Tarf]

You do know the difference between conservatives and liberals don't you?

Sure do, and morality has nothing to do with it. One's relation to the status quo has no bearing on one's morality.