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Over the years of paying attention to politics, I've noticed that there is only one truly fundamental difference between "conservatives" and "liberals". Now, each person may fall on one side or the other when it comes to specific issues, such as taxes, guns, abortion, etc...
But the very essence of being conservative is to resist change and support the status quo, while being liberal is just the opposite. To a liberal, change is good and the status quo is bad. It is with these fundamental definitions of liberal and conservative that I chose long ago to be a liberal. The very definition of being a conservative is to be a selfish asshole.
Because who are the ones who want to keep the status quo? There's a reason why conservatives don't want change. Conservatives are the ones for whom society has treated well. The white heterosexual males in the 50's. The rich polluting businessmen in the 60's. The chicken hawk warmongering rich and upper middle class of the 21st century. These people don't want change because these people have it made. They can afford their own health care and private education. They can sit comfortably in their living room while soldiers from poor neighborhoods die in Iraq. They don't live near the factory or in the 'hood.
They don't care about other people. They only care about themselves. Universal health care would cost them higher taxes. Gay marriage would offend their bigoted sensibilities. Election reform would put their politicians out of power. The status quo is good to them. Change is bad.
It was the liberals who pushed for the end of segregation. The liberals were the ones who gave women the right to vote and dared to challenge the idea of being a subservient slave to a husband, pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen. Liberals invented social security. Liberals don't want their children to die from poison air and water. Liberals see that the status quo has many problems and strive to fix those problems through change. Liberals give a shit about other people.
I know this has probably been said many times before, but I just needed to vent a little bit here. Next time a conservative calls you a liberal, ("far left" or otherwise), say "thank you".
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