Conservatives tend to lose because they are "reactionary" instead of proactive.

submitted by Aureus from (self.politics)

sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun
you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]MakeAOCBartendAgain 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

There's a lot in OP's post that's simply untrue.

  1. Most conservatives adopt their political beliefs because the beliefs match the person's own beliefs (morality, patriotism, religion, whatever). They base their beliefs on the realities of the world around them. For example, conservatives don't want to have their homes burned down and looted nor do they want their loved ones raped and killed so they support law enforcement. Having money you've earned taken from you via taxation is a necessity but watching it get pissed away by poor spending by both parties leads to wanting less taxation. etc

  2. I don't know any conservatives who listen to speakers so can't comment on that. Liberals love speakers who trash conservatives, esp. ones that poke fun at conservatives' religions and personal beliefs. Liberals love exalting the fringe and hate the center.

  3. Your beliefs probably aren't a defined pre-existing ideology held by millions of other people.

That's certainly news to millions of Christian conservatives. I'm not one but they all share a pre-defined existing ideology that's been around for 2000 or so years. Yes, it has its numerous flaws but that's the subject of another thread.

  1. >people who are left-leaning - how many got their beliefs from a professor at a university? Many, maybe even most.

Therein lies the problem. Most of these sought out or agreed with the first professor who basically said things they already felt, regardless of factual accuracy. Liberalism is based on emotion, not fact. You alluded to this earlier when you said "beliefs are their passion". Well stated, I totally agree. But these beliefs often fall short when they encounter reality. Things like AOC's multi-trillion-$$ enviro plan are a good example. Climate change is real and must be addressed...but that sort of plan is just not the answer. The passion of the belief gets bitch-slapped by fiscal reality.

  1. Conservatives for have a set of principles but definitely aren't as up for change as liberals are. There are plenty of these principles that are correct to adhere to....and plenty that are not.

Overall, not a bad post. I think your bias against conservatives is a bit too obvious but you make some good points as well.

[–]Aureus[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Most conservatives adopt their political beliefs because the beliefs match the person's own beliefs (morality, patriotism, religion, whatever). They base their beliefs on the realities of the world around them.

I agree. I might have put it more pessimistically in the post, but this is the gist of what I'm getting at. I don't want to imply that conservatives aren't curious or aren't intellectual - in fact I think the opposite is true. Conservatives gradually develop their beliefs over years of personal experience. Unfortunately, this puts them at a disadvantage, since many leftists are created simply through osmosis from exposure to mainstream media.

Conservative beliefs are often better-researched and more grounded in reality. However, while this makes them more true, it doesn't necessarily make them as easy to transmit as liberal beliefs. Your personal experience and reasoning can convince you, but it can't necessarily convince others.

I don't know any conservatives who listen to speakers so can't comment on that. Liberals love speakers who trash conservatives, esp. ones that poke fun at conservatives' religions and personal beliefs. Liberals love exalting the fringe and hate the center.

I agree that liberals often love these types of speakers. I just don't think those are the only speakers they love.

It's interesting that you don't know any conservatives who listen to speakers. I think that dovetails with my point about conservatives being more independent and developing their ideas on their own - which is a personal advantage, but a political disadvantage.

That's certainly news to millions of Christian conservatives. I'm not one but they all share a pre-defined existing ideology that's been around for 2000 or so years.

Fair point. I think that Christian conservatives may be the most widespread and sophisticated conservative movement that exists today.

However, they have some limitations. The main one is that to become a Christian conservative, you need to accept an entire religion, which carries a lot of baggage with it. I think it would be easier to get an unaffiliated person onboard with the general concept of socialism than to convert them to a new religion just to link it up with politics. So Christian conservatism isn't as transmissible as progressivism.

Another limitation is the ambiguity of the Bible. I think most Christians are conservative, but there's sizeable wings who espouse progressivism. So Christianity is a bit less politically defined than progressivism, and being a Christian doesn't guarantee conservatism.

Liberalism is based on emotion, not fact.

You see this as a weakness. Maybe I'm too into realpolitik, but I see it as a strength. Emotions spread much more quickly than factual arguments, and they evoke stronger responses. If you're in a crowd watching a speaker, and everyone stands up and applauds, chances are you will do it too if only not to look weird. If you walk into a room where everyone is somber due to bad news, chances are you will also become somber, if only because it's polite. If you talk to your friends and they get really angry about something, you may also become angry. Emotions can transmit in an instant, while it could take minutes or hours to persuade someone using facts.

Also, whether AOC's plan will actually work or not doesn't matter. What matters is that she got elected to her position, and she is about to get re-elected in November. Conservatives may have the satisfaction of saying her plan failed, but only after she's wasted trillions of dollars on it and caused a general disaster.

Finally, I disagree a bit that liberalism is based on just emotion. It's not based on truth, but its believers certainly think it's based on facts, and they have plenty of "facts" to provide. Liberalism has been intellectualized, and its followers are prepared with ready-made answers for every possible question or objection. I think conservatives need to streamline their ideology like this - obviously provide the truth, but package that truth in ways that can be easily shared.

I think your bias against conservatives is a bit too obvious

I am a conservative, I just think conservatives are ineffective at winning the culture, and I want us to get better at winning it.

For proof, see my boycott project here, or this awesome article on conservative activism that partly inspired me to write this thread.