How Should Conservatives Deal with the Left’s Disrespect and Lack of Empathy?
@146: The problem, MissNicky, is that we do have liberal family and acquaintances.
If you’re an American liberal, try this test on yourself:
– Pick a subject on which you disagree dramatically with the conservative position.
– Jot down your points of disagreement on policies that address that subject.
– Now ask yourself: Is my disagreement reflect my belief that conservatives are:
1. Ignorant: i.e., misinformed on this subject?
2. Stupid: i.e., can’t figure out how to address the subject?
3. Evil: i.e., their morals are too deficient to address this subject?
Try it with a few subjects.
Whenever you answer “ignorant,” you’ve allowed that if a typical conservative were as well-informed as you, he’d reach the same conclusions you’ve reached. That’s the most innocent of the three possibilities.
Whenever you answer “stupid,” you’ve assumed intellectual superiority over your conservative opponents. This is insulting at the least, for as the old saying goes, “Ignorance can be cured, but stupidity is forever.”
Whenever you answer “evil,” you’ve declared that conservatives are morally unacceptable, fit only to be imprisoned or executed.
Some liberals pass this self-assessment with flying colors…but among vocal, politically active liberals, the number is decreasing.
P.S.: If you get to this point, you might realize that I’ve cheated just a little. I left out one more innocent explanation for a difference of opinion: different priorities. But this is hardly ever the explanation that a liberal will adopt. If you do adopt it, you’re a singular creature indeed, and conservatives can talk to you constructively. Verbum sat sapienti.
