Just a question about you (1 Viewer)

[bub]

In fact, 3 questions:

1) Whether you are "conservative" or "liberal", why did you chose "this side"? Because of your education (parents, friends, teachers)...?

2) What do you mean with "conservative" or "liberal"? Is it a question of values? Which ones?

3) To those who are "slightly" or "very" conservative/liberal: doesn't this adjective (slightly) "cut" you from the other side? Does that mean that you strictly disagree with the values of the other side? Doesn't it limits you too much?



My own answers are:
1) I'm neither leftist nor rightist, I agree with some arguments of the 2 sides, but not all of them. In my family, they are a bit liberal, I think (i'm not even sure) and strongly anti-socialist (because in my town this party is totally corrupted) and I voted for the Ecolo (greens), certainly because my history teacher is the leader of this party in my town and since it's a nice and intelligent guy, he influenced me. Some of my best friends are also quite ecologists (theyare active with Greenpeace, Amnesty, Oxfam...)

2) First, the political system is a bit different here. You have 2 parties, we have around 12 (walloon socialists, walloon liberals, walloon christian, walloon ecologists, walloon nationalists - flemish socialists, flemish christian, flemish liberals, flemish ecologists, flemish christian, flemish nationalists and flemish extreme-right), and dozens of small parties peculiar to every town.
But to come back with conservative and liberals, i'd say:

> conservative = those who want to keep old traditions, rather nationalist, for who the country is more important than the individuals

> liberal = those for who the individuals are more imoprtant than the country, who want free-trade and more freedom

3) I'm centrist because I think that no party is totally right, the others also have good ideas and I don't want to "cut" myself from them.

 

[Jerry]

In fact, 3 questions:

1) Whether you are "conservative" or "liberal", why did you chose "this side"? Because of your education (parents, friends, teachers)...?

One day, I started to wake up and realize that there was a world out there.

A point in time came when I compaired my positions with that of the accepted lables and discovered that I most closly mached "Conservative".

I can't say I ever chose it.

2) What do you mean with "conservative" or "liberal"? Is it a question of values? Which ones?

I agree and concur with a body of law derived from nature and reason under the notion of a timeless order. This body of law is applicable regardless of modern social fads, such as abortion and gay 'marriage, and stands on it's own objective base.

Given that, the practices of said law are often referred to today as "traditional". A strong leaning towards tradition is what defines one as a Conservative.

Since I strongly lean towards tradition, I can accurately be referred to as "conservative".

3) To those who are "slightly" or "very" conservative/liberal: doesn't this adjective (slightly) "cut" you from the other side? Does that mean that you strictly disagree with the values of the other side? Doesn't it limits you too much?

I am "very" Conservative when it come to, say, marriage; yet I am quite liberal when it comes to tax policy.

I guess such an ajictive would only make my views distinctive from others on a subject be subject basis. It does not blinket all topics.

 

[Patrickt]

When I was young, I'm sixty-five now, I was considered liberal. I was against segregation and agreed with Martin Luther King that skin color shouldn't matter. I felt strongly that everyone who was capable of college work should have an opportunity to go to college. I thought as a society we should take care of people who could not take care of themselves.

Then, I became conservative. Oh, I still believe all those things but the liberals moved farther and farther to the left. The liberals began supporting racism and approving of segregation. They no longer thought college or university education should have some sort of ability demonstrated for admission. And, they decided that people who don't want to take care of themselves should be supported by others.

So, now I'm a conservative.

 

[jallman]

1) Whether you are "conservative" or "liberal", why did you chose "this side"? Because of your education (parents, friends, teachers)...?

I am a cafeteria voter. I do not vote down conservative/liberal lines, but tend to look at issues outside of partisan molds. I think this probably because I hate bigotry of any type...even if its political bigotry.

2) What do you mean with "conservative" or "liberal"? Is it a question of values? Which ones?

I don't think either one have values to be honest. I see most conservatives as being especially trifling and rude and most liberals as having no backbone whatsoever. The extreme ends of both spectra are in such a war over being right that it seems they engage in freakshow politicking and have completely abandoned the central voice of America.

3) To those who are "slightly" or "very" conservative/liberal: doesn't this adjective (slightly) "cut" you from the other side? Does that mean that you strictly disagree with the values of the other side? Doesn't it limits you too much?

I try not to limit myself until I have heard everything that both sides have to say. However, when freakshow partisanship is blatant in the message, as in aquapub's case, then I cannot help but immediately tune them out.

 

[Captain America]

I can't choose a "side." Hell, I can't even decide which socks to wear. Choosing a "side" and locking in any ideology scares the bejeebers outta me. That is why, I suppose, I never got a tattoo.

In my humble opinion, anyone who locksteps with ANY ideology, left or right, becomes a mindless drone incapable of self expression, independant thought, and the ability to adapt. Their mind is in a box.

Without naming names, there are many here on this very site that are proof positive of my analysis regarding ideologies. And it must REALLY suck being them. But, I bet they have no problem picking out socks. :roll:

 

[brewmenn]

I have to go with "independent" because me views don't all fit into one or the other. Some lean to one side or the other, but most are pretty "centralist". Most of my family is quite conservitive. I seem to have the ability to see both sides of most arguments.

Conservitives tend to be traditionalist, and tend to make judgements based on traditional (often religious) morals, which they feel everyone should be bound to.

Liberals tend to be more open to change and tend to leave moral judgments to the individual.

And yes, I think saying "slightly" still pins you to that side. I've changed mine 3 times since I joined (2 hours ago:newhere: ) for that very reason.