It seems many people have a confused idea of the ideology the term conservative stands for. Or perhaps people are content with using the creed of conservatism to appease any guilt of really being nothing more than selfish, ignorant, and uncompassionate. Many people that call themselves “conservative” don’t even know the actual political denotation of the word. So for their benefit I've included the definition.
con•serv•a•tive:
[kuhn-sur-vuh-tiv]
adjective
1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
Notice the definition is in line with Republican conduct:
simple, contemptible, and destructive
Now, after reading that, who in their right mind, would want to call him/her self this? It's the opposite of progress. In fact, this is the opposite of the America Dream. To illustrate to my point I‘ve included the official definition of the “American Dream.”
a-mer-ic-ain dream:
[you-know-how-to-pronounce-this]
noun
1. the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.
2. a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.
America founded by Progressives who sought to ensure that their efforts and sacrifice were building a nation of perpetual improvement. The goal of America was to work each generation to make the next one better. We’ve staggered so far from this original vision of the republic that it no less than appalling to report that the U.S. officially ranks 9th in social mobility…
To quote Bill Maher, “That’s like Mexico being ranked 9th in the Mexican hat dance.” We invented the damn concept and now we’re not even top 5. And speaking of top 5, take note that four of the top five are the very same socialist western European nations all the conservatives are warning us about. Australia (ranked 2nd) is a fairly radical nation as well with extreme gun control, socialized medicine, and generous welfare programs.
To quote Bill Maher, “That’s like Mexico being ranked 9th in the Mexican hat dance.” We invented the damn concept and now we’re not even top 5. And speaking of top 5, take note that four of the top five are the very same socialist western European nations all the conservatives are warning us about. Australia (ranked 2nd) is a fairly radical nation as well with extreme gun control, socialized medicine, and generous welfare programs.
Beyond the personal dispositions I hold for being liberal and proud, I feel bound to edify the just nature of the Liberal dogma. To further illuminate this as a sincerely objective argument I’ve included the definition of liberal.
lib•er•al:
[lib-er-uh l, lib-ruh l]
adjective
1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, especially as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
3. favoring or permitting freedom of action, especially with respect to matters of personal belief or expression.
So how did “liberal” become a four letter word? How did we let conservatives demonize the obviously superior political ideology?
In all fairness the modern Republican party, is basically an anti-intellectual, self-serving version of the modern Democratic. Both parties have a recent track record of big government, gross spending, and war. It's only a matter of what programs each party favors, which lobbies they cater to, and which social / economic strata are benefited that separates the two parties’ initiatives.
Knowing that, I would think the average person would rather err on the side that favors opportunity, social responsibility, intellectualism, truth, and equality. I mean, that would make sense... unless you're an asshole. In which case, you're probably a conservative.
