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
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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
As liberalism ideology evolved and championed by the economic leaders, it pose a threat to the existing social settings such as the presence of the nobility, and the church. The attempt to defend existing social arrangement is what brought about conservatism. Conservatives stood against the ideas of liberals in a rational for maintaining existing traditional political structures and the centralization of power. They stood against transferring political responsibility to the common people under the disguise of equality (Shively, 2014).
The terms liberal and conservative more widely apply to the Democratic Party, which generally upholds liberal principles and the Republican Party, which generally upholds conservative principles.
Conservatism does not have one single viewpoint or stance on human nature or imperfection as Conservatism as a whole encompasses different strands or beliefs within it. For example One Nation conservatives have a different philosophy on human imperfection than New Right conservatives do. One Nation conservatives hold the belief that we as humans are: greedy and have a limited capacity for altruism, a complex mix of emotions and contradictory motivations making us irrational, not totally consistent and are at balance the majority of the time with corruption. They believe that our inherent imperfect human nature stems from original sin, the Christian Belief. This shows a wholesome negative outlook on human nature. The New Right on the other
The term conservative is used to describe someone or something that favors traditional views and values, and tends to oppose change (Dictionary.com: Conservative). Unlike the historians like Hicks and Parrington, others, such as John Chamberlain and Richard Hofstadter believed that the Progressive Movement was that of a conservative one. Instead of seeing progressivism as a movement to correct American society, John Chamberlain saw it as a complete and abysmal failure, nothing but a bunch of people who "were motivated by an escapist desire to return to a golden past where honesty and virtue had dominated over egoism and evil" (The Progressive Movement: Liberal or Conservative). If the Progressive Movement is looked at as a conservative movement, one can concur that it was just a cover up for a moral crusade. During the latter part of the nineteenth century people of high status such as lawyers, professors, and clergymen were being ousted out of power. In response, these people went on a moral crusade to restore individualistic values based on the idea that only men of character should rule. (Richard Hofstadter in The Progressive Movement: Liberal or Conservative). According to George E. Mowry, progressivism was nothing but a "movement by a particular class aimed at reasserting its declining position of leadership" (George E.
Most of the people in America identify themselves as moderate or they do not know if they are conservative or liberal (Magleby 103). I would rank myself as a liberal on the seven-point-identification scale because from what I know of conservatives, their beliefs clash with mine. According to the political surveys that we took in government class, I am a strong liberal. I have always been against conservative views for as long as I can remember; my family, especially my very conservative cousin that mentioned earlier, did not like that I did not conform to certain roles and scolded me for it, thus, resulting in my resentment of conservatives and conservative views. As I grew older, I noticed that I had unconsciously leaned more towards conservative views as a child because I wanted to fit in and not be the outlier in my family; now though, I can clearly see the faulty logic that my family holds and that it is alright for me to have my own
I have never identified myself as conservative or liberal. I just don't find identity in either of those ideologies. I'm glad that I hold views from both sides of the isle, it helps me to not judge one party or ideology harder than another and it helps me to understand were each are coming from. I am right in between my mother and grandmother in my home. My grandmother would probably be consider a Democrat in name only (DINO) because she a registered Democrat and believes in the what Democrats say she doesn't really support it. My mom is a registered independent but she defiantly leans to the right. I feel like the both of them have helped shape my views on politics. When it comes to friends, in my friend group there are three hard core conservatives, two moderate conservatives, and 2 liberals. With such a mixed group I’m glad I find myself in the center. I learned a lot from the political spectrum analysis that helps me understand what I identify
A majority of Republicans want a candidate with new ideas rather than experience and proven record. I have researched about why you should be a republican and the definition of a republican is, a person who is supportive of the Republican Party(Victoria . . . Says). Being a part of the Republican party is important because they believe strongly in the educational program which determines the learning process of each subject in all stages of education, the party believes in lowering taxes and spending money wisely, and are pro-life on the issue of abortion(Victoria . . . Says). These are things that are very important to the world.
I am going to tell you my Political Ideology in this essay today. I would like to consider myself a Conservative, but the number one thing for me would be what that person said and what they planned on doing. If anything, I don't really care if they are Liberal or Conservative, what really matters is what they are planning on doing, but I guess I'm going to have to decide what I am. A Liberal... Conservative... or Libertarian.
After taken the political quiz I got the results that I am a centrist. The centrist party beliefs fall between those of liberals and conservative. Am not surprised but, I thought that my results would have been more towards a liberal/libertarian. However, after contemplating the beliefs of a liberal and conservative I'm starting to believe that maybe I am a centrist person because with abortion, for instance, I believe that women should have the rights to what transpires with their body but I oppose the other part that requires the government to utilize taxpayer dollars to provide this coverage. Yes, these classifications accurately describe how I feel because I do like to keep an open mind towards any situation that requires critical thinking
Conservatism, traditional or new, was one of the most powerful ideologies in Europe. Otto von Bismarck practiced a new form of conservatism because he advocated for lower class, religious freedoms, and socialized the education system. This new form of conservatism received backlash by most other political groups.
“On Political Labels” explains the evolution of the words: liberal and conservative. He goes into detail that back in the 19th century and early 20th century a liberal was one that believed in less regulation and less government in your personal
Established customs and practices are ones that individuals can recognise; they are familiar and reassuring. Tradition thus provides people with a feeling of ‘rootedness’ and belonging. Such an emphasis on tradition has meant that traditional conservatives have usually venerated established institutions and been at least cautious about change. Change is a journey into the unknown: it creates uncertainty and insecurity.
Conservative (most Republicans) is a political and social philosophy that promotes retaining traditional social institutions.
The conservative movement has played a crucial role in American politics in the post war era. Ronald Story and Bruce Laurie indentify various elements of the American conservatism. These elements include challenging authoritarian governments and modernist culture, upholding tradition, Christian religion and the rule of law, defending western civilization, and supporting republicanism. American conservatism has been characterized by competing ideologies and tension throughout history. The Americans who are politically liberal and economically conservative favor free trade, minimal state intervention, low taxes, and a small government. On the other hand, conservatives hold the view that American traditional values are normally undermined by
In the book, America the Strong, it describes that Conservatism can be liberal, which I agree with to a certain degree. I felt like in