A friend sent me an email yesterday with some interesting insights to the differences between conservatives and liberals. I have copied it below.
Conservative vs. Liberal
If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one. If a liberal doesn’t like guns, then no one should have one. If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat. If a liberal is, he wants to ban all meat products for everyone. If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy. A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good. If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly enjoys his life. If a liberal is homosexual, he loudly demands legislated respect. If a black man or Hispanic is conservative, he sees himself as independently successful. His liberal counterpart sees himself as a victim in need of government protection.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him. If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels. Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down. If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church. A liberal wants all churches to be silenced.
If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it. A liberal demands that his neighbors pay for his.
I’m not sure that all the points are good ones, but, I think this sheds some light on the direction a liberal administration is taking our country. It is worth thinking about. There is a good summary of the differences between liberals and conservatives that is a bit more serious here.
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October 4, 2009 at 12:19 pm
pmv
A Liberal Response – probably not entirely accurate, but hopefully a fairly good portrayal of how liberals view these same issues:
If a conservative thinks guns kill people, he doesn’t buy one. If a liberal thinks guns kill people, he endeavors to make guns harder for criminals to buy.
If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy while lining the pockets of his defense-contractor friends. If a liberal sees a foreign threat, he looks at the consequences of many different actions and chooses the option that best promotes national and international security.
If a conservative is a homosexual, he keeps his head down, perhaps because he has been convinced that he is a sinner or not deserving of equal rights. If a liberal is a homosexual, he endeavors to end stereotypes and to ensure equal rights for all.
If a conservative minority is successful, he sees himself as independently successful. If a liberal minority is successful, he works to promote opportunities for others in his community that may not be as fortunate as he.
If a conservative is down and out, he thinks about how to better his own situation. If a liberal is down and out, he wonders if there is a way that government policy can improve opportunities for himself and others like him.
If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show that spreads misinformation and hate, he switches the channel. If a liberal doesn’t like a talk show that spreads misinformation and hate, he endeavors to bring that misinformation and hate to light.
If a conservative thinks a particular church is anti-gay or anti-woman. He doesn’t attend. If a liberal thinks a particular church is anti-gay or anti-woman, he criticizes that church for those positions.
If a conservative needs healthcare, he helps himself by shopping for insurance or choosing a job that offers it. If a liberal needs health insurance, he realizes that lots of people probably need health insurance, and looks at ways to increase coverage options and reduce costs for everyone.
August 17, 2012 at 6:21 am
SGS
Reply to “Which side of the fence?”
If a Republican doesn’t like guns, he is labeled a sizzy by his fellow Republicans.
If a Democrat doesn’t like guns, he knows the NRA will stop any rational gun laws.
If a Republican is a vegetarian, he takes it out on his wife.
If a Democrat is a vegetarian, he wants rednecks to leave him alone.
If a Republican is homosexual, he quietly abuses chldren.
If a Democrat is homosexual, he decides if he wants to run for Congress.
If a Republican is down-and-out, he thinks that by cutting taxes for the rich, he will improve his status.
A Democrat wonders why Republicans are so naive .
If a Republican doesn’t like a talk show host, he curses the station, then switches channels.
Democrats listen to see the specious other side presented.
If a Republican is a non-believer, he condemned by his peers as a God damn atheist.
A Democrat non-believer respects a person’s right to pray as he he feels.
If a Republican decides he needs health care, he thinks vouchers will solve the problem.
A Democrat knows that only the rich will soon be able to afford good health care.
If a Republican reads this, he’ll be upset because he thinks it is a conspiracy.
A Democrat will laugh it because he knows it is true.
October 25, 2009 at 9:39 am
glocky
The original comment said “probably not entirely accurate, but hopefully a fairly good portrayal of how liberals view these” – what I’ve posted is hopefully a fairly good portrayal of how conservatives view those comments. Edits are inside [brackets].
If a conservative thinks guns kill people, he doesn’t buy one. If a liberal thinks guns kill people, he endeavors to make guns harder for criminals to buy. [...then takes it furthur to include everyone else.]
[If a conservative or liberal sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy and at the consequences of many different actions and chooses the option that best promotes national and international security, while lining the pockets of his defense-contractor friends].
[On the rare occasion that] a conservative is a homosexual, he keeps his head down, [because conservatism upholds traditional family values]. If a liberal is a homosexual, he endeavors to end stereotypes and to ensure ["equal rights for all" while bashing anyone who is religious, and denying them celebration or expression of their religion, even though not all religious people are discriminatory towards homosexuals. They then go on to indoctrinate children into homosexuality in schools... the younger the better.]
If a conservative minority is successful, he sees himself as independently successful [and rightly so. He is then idolized by minority children, thereby inspiring them to achieve great things.] If a liberal minority is successful, he works to promote opportunities for others in his community that may not be as fortunate as he, [then blames white people for his struggle and works to make them "pay" by legislatively putting rules into place that deny them job promotions because they are white, regardless of their ability or experience. He then works to denounce the great system that empowered him to attain his success.]
If a conservative is down and out, he thinks about how to better his own situation. If a liberal is down and out, he wonders if there is a way that government policy can improve opportunities for himself and others like him [by taking other people's hard-earned money and redistributing it in the name of fairness, because that's much easier than earning it himself. It doesn't matter that millions of successful people started with absolutely nothing, got no handouts, and have spent many years attaining what they've achieved through dedication and hard work. How dare they.]
If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show that spreads misinformation and hate, he switches the channel [while respecting that others have opposing views from his own.] If a liberal doesn’t like a talk show that spreads misinformation and hate, he endeavors to bring that misinformation and hate to light [and then shut it down, even though (for now) America IS still exercising freedom of speech. Of course this only applies to conservative channels. If it's a liberal spreading hate and misinformation, he gets applauded by other liberals.]
If a conservative thinks a particular church is anti-gay or anti-woman. He doesn’t attend. If a liberal thinks a particular church is anti-gay or anti-woman, he criticizes that church for those positions. [Because the commenter believes conservatives never criticize anything, apparently... like Rev White, Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton - all of which fit the description above of spreading hate.]
If a conservative needs healthcare, he helps himself by shopping for insurance or choosing a job that offers it. If a liberal needs health insurance, he realizes that lots of people probably need health insurance, and looks at ways to increase coverage options and reduce costs for everyone. [How is reducing health insurance companies down to one (the gov't) increasing coverage options? Trillions of dollars doesn't quite sound like reduced costs, either.]
November 2, 2009 at 9:23 am
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September 17, 2012 at 4:22 am
Jack Kazim
Wow, more partisan strawman bickering again. Typical of you stupid liberals and you fundamentalist conservatives. Us centrists on the other hand, prefer progress and reasoned debate over bickering and name-calling.
September 23, 2012 at 10:03 pm
ttoes
Jack,
Not sure what specifically you refer to as “more partisan strawman bickering…” but do think it funny that you conclude your comment by decrying name-calling, having just called liberals and fundamentalist conservatives names.
Tom
September 25, 2012 at 12:46 am
Jack Kazim
You make a valid point and I was wrong to call them names. I apologize. But be honest. Do you really think that they have accomplished anything?
September 25, 2012 at 6:36 am
ttoes
Jack,
Your point about bickering is probably right. I see more bickering than I do debate these days. And, much of it is filled with ad hominem attacks. I think the original post and a few of the comments do point out that Conservatives and Liberals do look at things with a different view and I think discussing that is worthwhile. Unfortunately, it is all too common that we allow ourselves to counter attack and bicker when we could be having a constructive debate.
Maybe all of the above comments can be condensed into the following:
Liberals like to solve problems by controlling and limiting activities while making the goal the goal the general good of the community. It seems that the Conservatives tend to look for solutions which retain the most individual freedom but rely the most on individual responsibility.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Tom