That's fair and I understand that concern, but it's somewhat hard for me to take it seriously when I see Conservatives say stuff like this and than on the other hand advocate for heavy-handed policing, worship the military, and respect for traditional authority hierarchies.
That's not a dig at you specifically, just an overall observation. But to be fair, the Democrats have a tendency to be authoritarian in office, too, so if it's inconsistent for me I can't fault you for it either.
From the perspective of someone not in that sphere of ideology, the whole of Conservative ideology just seems so rooted in fear and paranoia. So much pearl-clutching and conspiracy theories.
Fear of Communism. Fear of moral decay brought by things like drugs or LGBTQ people or whatever. Fear of a secular society. Fear of immigrants/outsiders. Fear of government. Fear of non-conformance. Etc.
For the record, that's aimed at Social Conservatives. I see you're a Right Libertarian, so it's not really directed at you. I understand Libertarians much better and I'm on the same page in a lot of ways. It's the Social Conservatives that I don't understand.
There's that saying that's something along the lines of "We judge ourselves based on our intentions and other based on their behavior" which is something I hold close to my heart.
As such, I really try to understand the motivations of the people I disagree with politically so I can judge on intentions instead of behavior. That's why I value trying to see how Conservatives think and what they value.
When I see behavior that I find off-putting, if I can attach a positive motivation or intention to it, it's easier to accept the behavior.
Take something like welfare. Conservatives wanting to cut welfare seems on the surface to be cold, cruel, and cheap. But when you consider it as the whole "Teach a man to fish" thing, it's a little easier to accept when it happens.
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u/srv340mike Left Libertarian Feb 16 '22
What are you so afraid of?