I Am A New Social Conservative
It’s time for liberals to take back this brand called Social Conservatism.
What you know of Social Conservatism today should be called what it is, Social Bigotry.
Social Bigotry is about opposing same sex marriage, anti-choice, imposing one’s morality on others, instituting “family values” — what ever that means —, and the opposition of secularism.
The New Social Conservatism is about not cursing in front of your children, not shoplifting or not driving drunk just because you feel okay. It is showing up to work early and leaving late. It is not taking undeserved write-offs on your taxes; it is about voting the straight party line; and it is about holding the door open for others. The New Social Conservatism is trying really hard not to exceed the speed limit and not flipping off the guy that “accidentally” cut you off. It is saying “Please” and “Thank you”. The New Social Conservatism is to follow the teachings of spiritual leaders. It is practicing recycling so that you may leave this world better place than you found it, practicing what you preach, and helping out your fellow man. This is the New Social Conservatism.
Nicely said. How about… not judging other people’s choices and life circumstances – the old “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” rule?
Well observed.
How about New Liberalism – one that adheres to time honored liberal social values through individual and community action in a free society, rather than by the mandates of a large-scale collectivist state, constantly seeking to engineer all aspects of human life according to prevailing ideological fancy.
Well said, Tyler!
Tyler, your New Liberalism is Classical Liberalism. We’re Modern over here, though probably Post-Modern Liberalism. 🙂
Sorry, Tyler, that isn’t New Liberalism; that is old Libertarianism.
“constantly seeking to engineer all aspects of human life according to prevailing ideological fancy.”
The ideological engineering has all been coming from the right. Granted, it is fashionable among wingnuts to portray the center and the left as the ideological social engineers, but that is just a discredited talking point. Is that what you meant?
IMHO a New Liberalism is a Social Democratic state, with sufficient but not excessive deference shown to business interests and the wealthy.
it is about voting the straight party line
If that is one of your requirements for your movement, then you just removed a person’s ability to think for themselves, making your movement toxic to me. Otherwise, you make great points.
The right and left argument is so 1980’s. Most of us are conservative on some level and progressive on others. I agree with Smitty on the “voting the straight party line”, that is totally regressive.
You’re the best Nemski!
Call it whatever the hell it is.. it is about living a good life, free from interfering with another’s life, and helping where one can instead of being maliciously greedy and self centered… which is really what is wrong with this country.
You know I saw someone that drove into a ditch on the highway (I know, we have ditches on the sides of our highways down in Sussex)… and I didn’t stop to help push the car out. Everyone was ok, just having trouble backing the car out of the ditch. I could have stopped and helped, instead I just gawked as I drove by, saying “damn, that sucks.”
I drove by a few minutes later and someone had stopped to help the old lady by pulling them out with some chains attached to their pickup truck.
Only then did I feel guilty for not helping, after I was reminded that some people actually stop and help others that are less fortunate than them. He probably saved the lady a hundred bucks that would have been paid to call a tow truck.
The thought of stopping to help didn’t dawn on me until it was too late… and sadly, that happens in alot of people’s minds nowadays.
We are so self centered and focused on our own lives we never stop and think of helping others anymore… we need to get that back.
Coming to work early and leaving late? Count me out. I work on my lunch break, so I give the company enough extra time as it is.
“It is showing up to work early and leaving late.”
That is serf-think.
“it is about voting the straight party line”
Sheep-think.
Dana – I might agree with your parsing here. But I like the spirit of the post.
We are so self centered and focused on our own lives we never stop and think of helping others anymore… we need to get that back.
Not all of us.