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Yes it is. Moral views vary depending on the person and society, therefore it's relative. The only things I consider even borderline absolute morals are those that cause direct harm to another person without their consent (murder, theft, rape, etc.), but not all societies view them as wrong. Even our own society didn't always condemn them. A husband was legally allowed to rape his wife in this country for over 200 years.
I am mostly liberal but I don't feel a kinship with other liberals and I definitely find the conservative definition of liberal to be laughable. Conservatives do not understand liberals at all and practically every attempt at defining them ends up being something that could not survive outside the womb or came back through the Star Trek "beamer" all put together wrong (I think that happened in the first Star Trek movie).
In any case, I am this way because I care about the people around me and I don't have an issue with absorbing some of the cost of repairing our society. I see government not as an enemy but as something I have the power to mold, something I have a say in even if it's small and feels meaningless much of the time. There is no other institution which gives me that voice. Other than the power of my voice to influence others, and the strength of my body, my power rests with my fellow citizens in the form of government.
But there are limits. My education didn't teach me about federal budgets or social programs. Taxes were regarded as a necessary evil. If I make enough money to survive on what's left in my paycheck, what importance does the missing portion have if I don't see or hear that it's being wasted. Ah, but it is being wasted. My government uses the military to protect itself, not me or my fellow citizens. It involves itself in wars to protect corporate interests and passes the bill onto the people. So even though the Constitutional role of government is to protect us, it is lying to us with every dollar it spends. So I oppose war because there is so much profit in it...and so much death, destruction, and waste.
Even though I get depressed, all I have to do is go to Walmart to see hundreds of people more desperate than me. I see the most pitiful people using coupons on the cheapest items because that's all they can afford. I think we can do better and the free market that robbed these people of their intrinsic value and middle class incomes is NOT where I will turn for a solution. Government, flawed as it is, and as corporately dominated as it has become, is still the only way I can influence their situation as well as mine.
I do view the government as dangerous because it has used us as guinea pigs in military experiments, its bombards us with electromagnetic warfare and influences us in ways that weaken us. But I still harbor the sentiment that I matter and I can influence this whole country by example, by voting for people I can trust (a rare commodity), and by using my noggin to creatively come up with unique solutions.
I won't become a conservative for the simple reason that I can't follow their line of reasoning. Government is not the enemy because it belongs to us. The Constitution is not the will of God, I don't like guns, I will not tell a woman what to do with her body or tell two people of the same sex they can't have equality. I won't barge into people's bedrooms. I won't budget for wars when there are far more constructive and immediate needs to fill. I WILL demand a balanced budget, a fair form of taxation, and demand that health care become a right instead of a privilege.
This mostly liberal wants the best for my country and I will be hard pressed to change into anything different.
Great post mhouse!
Covered a lot of ground lucidly. I agree with all of it.
Sounds good, I agree, but why does this have to be achieved through the government? No faith? No faith in humanity? No faith in Americans? It seems to be people in all facets of society give back to society. Not just rich giving massive amounts to charity, medical research, etc. But regular people volunteering. The Salvation Army, Catholic charities, and many many other organizations, many Christian, do wonders in our society. Why is it popular for liberals to be anti-Christian when Christians give back to society in such big ways?
Isn't the government merely a representation of its citizens? It's become rather corrupt, but in theory, the government is doing what the people want it to do.
Most liberals are not anti-Christian. The majority of liberals (in this country anyway) are Christian. Liberals are anti-fundamentalist/conservative Christian, because they are giant hypocrites who make a mockery of everything Jesus stood for, and show no compassion or charity unless it's a tax write off.
Isn't the government merely a representation of its citizens? It's become rather corrupt, but in theory, the government is doing what the people want it to do.
Most liberals are not anti-Christian. The majority of liberals (in this country anyway) are Christian. Liberals are anti-fundamentalist/conservative Christian, because they are giant hypocrites who make a mockery of everything Jesus stood for, and show no compassion or charity unless THEY BELIEVE GOD IS GOING TO REWARD THEM WITH MORE MONEY THAN THEY GAVE. THEY LOOK AT CHARITY AS BEING AN INVESTMENT. PROSPERITY THROUGH CHARITY. OF COURSE ALL OF THE CHARITY IS TO THE CHURCH
I would agree with everything here, but the part that I changed that is in bold.
That is the short answer. You also likely are not a bigot, not a religious fanatic, and not a warmonger who thinks it is great to bomb other countries who have done nothing to this country. And you have intellectual curiosity, hence, you are a liberal. And so am I.
And I'd like to add compassion, empathy, open-mindedness, and acceptance (the last two would probably fall under the "not a bigot" category).
Why is it that the most intelligent and educated people in our society, from Harvard physicists to Silicon Valley tech geniuses are disproportionately liberal? Why did many kids who went abroad as conservatives to Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan return as liberals? Perhaps those who have studied history, world culture, science, human psychology, sociology, religions, or have just seen the broader world have learned something. In short, is it possible that those who have spent their lives studying the world in scope and detail see something that informs their opinions? Or does their intellectual curiosity somehow backfire, because the truths of the world are self-evident and can be learned in a church pew or on talk radio? Great truths like the world is less than 7,000 years old?
Most of the smartest people in the USA, and for that matter the world, are liberals. If you feel like you have the omniscience to judge them all naive, go ahead.
I didn't judge them all, if you had clearly read my post I said I haven't met every liberal to have an opinion of each one. Though now I might add reading and comprehension to that list...
Even the most intelligent people lack common sense, by the way.
I'm not a conservative, but the haughty, holier-than-thou attitude is what really makes me dislike a lot of liberals. As seen on here, they can't even answer this question without taking digs at conservatives. "We are smarter and accept people for who they are," they say at every given opportunity. Which, I've already mentioned is not true.
I didn't judge them all, if you had clearly read my post I said I haven't met every liberal to have an opinion of each one. Though now I might add reading and comprehension to that list...
Even the most intelligent people lack common sense, by the way.
I'm not a conservative, but the haughty, holier-than-thou attitude is what really makes me dislike a lot of liberals. As seen on here, they can't even answer this question without taking digs at conservatives. "We are smarter and accept people for who they are," they say at every given opportunity. Which, I've already mentioned is not true.
And that mentality doesn't exist among conservatives? "I'm more moral and hard-working than you are!" Conservatives hold the record for most self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude. Liberals may view themselves as statistically more intelligent/educated (and that's actually true), but conservatives basically deem themselves the only one's worthy of not ending up in Hell.
Unless it involves social issues like abortion and gays, and then they want the government to invade everyone's private life to enforce their morality on the rest of society.
And that mentality doesn't exist among conservatives? "I'm more moral and hard-working than you are!" Conservatives hold the record for most self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude. Liberals may view themselves as statistically more intelligent/educated (and that's actually true), but conservatives basically deem themselves the only one's worthy of not ending up in Hell.
Which is more obnoxious?
Hahaha Of course conservatives think their views are better. As well as liberals.
You see, conservatives don't lie though. If they don't agree with a group of people they'll say it. Whereas liberals keep on saying they "accept everyone", and then lash out at conservatives and others as proven by your post.
That's not accepting everyone. That is also being self-righteous.
I don't understand how this is hard to comprehend.
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