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- Jun 11, 2009
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- Libertarian
I have a very libertarian friend and he holds a very unique view on progressives and conservatives. He believes that both suffer from a pathological condition in which they hold an unconscious fear of personal responsibility which manifests itself through two distinct coping strategies. By "personal responsibility" he means the power an individual holds to be a decision maker in a free society towards shaping one's own character and behavior.
He believes that progressives use a coping strategy of projecting their own unconscious fear that the world is not fair onto others, and seek to help others in a misguided attempt to make the world seem more fair. In so doing, progressives can argue that the world owes them something for their efforts and that their decisions inherently have merit no matter how they turn out because they were made with altruistic intentions.
He believes that conservatives use a coping strategy of putting complete unquestioned faith in tradition. By doing what they can to maintain a certain status quo or ideal vision of how things should be, they don't have to be accountable for coming up with their own ideas. In fact, it would be better to stifle creative ideas or new ways of doing things because they might threaten the cherished institutions and systems that provide structure in their lives. "If it isn't broke, don't fix it", is just another way of saying, "I rely on it so I don't have to make my own decisions, so don't mess with it."
I thought I would share this perspective, since it is bound to not make anyone happy and I find it somewhat cartoonishly applicable.
He believes that progressives use a coping strategy of projecting their own unconscious fear that the world is not fair onto others, and seek to help others in a misguided attempt to make the world seem more fair. In so doing, progressives can argue that the world owes them something for their efforts and that their decisions inherently have merit no matter how they turn out because they were made with altruistic intentions.
He believes that conservatives use a coping strategy of putting complete unquestioned faith in tradition. By doing what they can to maintain a certain status quo or ideal vision of how things should be, they don't have to be accountable for coming up with their own ideas. In fact, it would be better to stifle creative ideas or new ways of doing things because they might threaten the cherished institutions and systems that provide structure in their lives. "If it isn't broke, don't fix it", is just another way of saying, "I rely on it so I don't have to make my own decisions, so don't mess with it."
I thought I would share this perspective, since it is bound to not make anyone happy and I find it somewhat cartoonishly applicable.
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