So I’ve been noticing more and more the rift widening.
And I’ve really been wondering, why?
I’m going to list it as I see it.
#1 Conservatives believe they have a god-given right to anything and everything.
Think about it, they want to anything no matter how bad it is, they want to drive huge cars that get bad gas mileage, they don’t care about the environment, they want to keep every cent of every dollar they ever make for themselves.
In short, they don’t like anyone telling them they have to do ANYTHING.
Why? The USA has become the land of absolute individualism, “Do what you want as long as it directly doesn’t hurt anyone else”, but what about indirectly hurting others? When did that stop mattering? We just think “Gee, that’s not my concern” and go on with our wasteful consumer culture figuring it’ll all work itself out, and we don;t have to be part of the solution.
#2 Liberals see a moral reason to be concerned about indirect hurts.
My car hurts the environment, my choice of hiring illegals or not hurts them and the economy, my bad business tactics are morally hurtful.
Many people seem to think this is somehow weakness, “They just feel guilty for everything”, but in reality it’s an enlightened view that we cannot just care about ourselves.
#3 Money
The USA teaches you that money is hard to get, it’s rare, and you’ll have to work your ass off for it. Along with that you have to pay a ton of money to go to school, so once you have paid for your school you have no desire to make less than possible.
Is this the only way? In Denmark for example school is free.
Yep, it costs nothing to go to school.
If I went to school to learn how to do what I really wanted to do, would there be a learned behavior to somehow feel I needed to earn a ton of money? Highly doubtful.
#4 Welfare
Conservatives do not believe in “Externalities”. They like to believe that all the people that are poor, homeless, on welfare, etc. want to be there. “If they don’t want to be poor they would just work harder”. In truth why should they have to? So long as they are contributing members of society in some way why shouldn’t we help them to have at least a basic level of comfort?
#5 Taxes
It’s an evil word, I know. The forced redistribution of wealth.
But how is it that we still love Robin Hood?
He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, that’s exactly what taxes do, why? Because the rich don’t want to give up their money to help anyone else. Is it wrong for the state to force them to?
Liberals say morally it is our obligation to help others.
Conservatives see it as wage slavery, that they shouldn’t have to give anyone anything or have morals forced on them.
When are we going to start accepting that there is more to life than trying to get ahead for just ourselves and start living in the “United” States of America rather than the divided states of individualism?
Sooner than later I hope.
