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Conservatism: Why Am I Am A Conservative?

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I come from a liberal family. I participate in liberal groups. I voted for Hillary. Yet I am a conservative.

Of course, one must define their terms. Conservatism has come to be known for what it is against rather than for what it is for. It has become not a coherent philosophy, but an out-group intolerance for other cultures, peoples, and religions. It has become the longing for a radically different, culturally backward time. Conservatism has become, in short, anything but. So does that make me a conservative as it is usually understood? No. But the better—correct—interpretation does.

“Conservativism” properly describes the desire to “conserve.” It may be rooted in the fear of change, but not necessarily so. When I say I am a conservative, I do not mean I oppose change for change’s sake. Nor …show more content…

Particularly, I have a fundamentally different way of looking at the economy. That is, not only in my favoring a generally “hands-off” over “interventionist” government, but also, for example, my belief in the emphasis of production over consumption. The conventional sociological (far-left) view is that the economy centers on consumption. Conspicuous consumption is said to be particularly prevalent and wasteful, and some go so far as to downplay the necessity of economic growth by their discouraging consumption and “consumer culture.” But the volume of conspicuous consumption is vastly overstated. Ask anyone whether they spend more on luxury clothing or their mortgage, and you will surely hear the latter. My view is that innovation is the takeaway from growth, and consumption is too often given undue emphasis. In a world with still many unable to receive basic services, to reject growth is a dangerous, and privileged, proposition. (It should be noted, in fairness, that liberal economists have markedly different views from liberal

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