Pathologizing Conservatism

Reason ^ | October 20, 2004 | Ronald Bailey

[Lindykim]

snip...I've been thinking that the differences between right and left are spiritual rather than psychological, though there may indeed be psychological implications. I think what you're describing is a certain alignment of right-minded thinkers toward Truth---a concept which the left abhors.



Absolutely. If we could but see their hearts and minds, we'd see that both are blackened by pride {narcissistic self-worship} and envy. Their ideolgies, reasoning, and such, are but the verbalized rationalizations of the blackness that corrupts their hearts and minds.

[familyop]

"I took it as a spoof on liberals..."

On second look, yes, it is. My first contacts with Libertarians were with the first of them (as far as I know)--the Berkeley and Stanford variety. They were all lawyers, and they were all liberal behind their facade. For them, libertarianism was only a vehicle with which to salvage liberalism. Also, most of the material I've read on social topics from Reason advocates for social anarchy as I see it. One man's social anarchy is another's social freedom.

I also disagree with current policies, as do most Republicans. But we practice gradualism, for now, to eventually get to conservatism. Our difference with Libertarians is that we are more conservative (i.e., with old fashioned values on social laws) on social issues. Libertarians are more socially "progressive" in that respect. They advocate the politics of Susan B. Anthony, et al.

You see, in actuality (political tactic aside), most of us are more "paleo-" than those who claim to be "paleo-" (descendants of the migration of around the turn of the 20th Century). We actually prefer traditional (i.e., 1700s and before) family structure and requisite morals, so we're "worse" than most Libertarians have been thinking.

[familyop]

But then again, looking at the author's book title at the bottom of the piece, maybe he's serious. ...don't know for sure. If there is satire, it must be really dry.

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

...they do not feel superior to persons with opposing opinions."

??? - Um, this trait PERSONIFIES leftists.

[LiberalBassTurds]

What you say makes great sense Innisfree. Very well presented too. I agree completely.

[neverdem]

Who's Getting Your Vote?

My impression is that for any particular libertarian, they can be all over the place, besides wanting smaller government.

Bill Maher claimed to be a libertarian. Before he was canned by ABC, he struck me more as a hedonistic liberal and fiscal conservative. I found it more than a little ironic that one of the the few statements he made with which I could agree, i.e. IIRC, that although the hijackers of September 11, 2001 were despicable, they were not physical cowards, was the one that got him canned.

[EdReform]

BTTT for later

[ThePythonicCow]

And the Nancy Meyer-Emerick, Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Cleveland State University, that the author quotes certainly appears to be a genuine liberal, no dry satire there that I can see.

The table of contents from Ms. Meyer-Emerick's book The Violence against Women Act of 1994 An Analysis of Intent and Perception is clear:

• Introduction
• The Power of Ideas: How Do We Form Our Beliefs About Sexual Violence
• The Power of the State: Can the Government Prevent the Terrorization of Women?
• The Power of Men: Do Men Use Sexual Violence to Preserve Their Power?
• Conclusions and Challenges

I don't think this post was satire.

[familyop]

Wow. Ping me to posts regarding that topic from now on. That is, do so if you don't mind collaborating with one who is anti-feminist and very traditional on social matters.

Who's Lying to You About Early Feminism?

And I looked at your FR page, BTW. Did you know that one of the originating developers of Python (if the most originating developer--been a few years since then) leaned feminist for some time and is recently in a big, ugly court fight with the meanest of feminist lawyers (his recent and former wife or girlfriend--will have to look again)?

---

You wrote:
And the Nancy Meyer-Emerick, Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Cleveland State University, that the author quotes certainly appears to be a genuine liberal, no dry satire there that I can see.

The table of contents from Ms. Meyer-Emerick's book The Violence against Women Act of 1994 An Analysis of Intent and Perception is clear:

• Introduction
• The Power of Ideas: How Do We Form Our Beliefs About Sexual Violence
• The Power of the State: Can the Government Prevent the Terrorization of Women?
• The Power of Men: Do Men Use Sexual Violence to Preserve Their Power?
• Conclusions and Challenges

I don't think this post was satire.

[ThePythonicCow]

Did you know that one of the originating developers of Python

Do you mean Guido van Rossum, the originator of Python, or perhaps one of the other Python luminaries such as David Ascher, Tim Peters, Paul Prescod, Mark Hammond,or Alex Martelli?

[familyop]

I'll send you a Freepmail on that. ...shouldn't spread someone's negative personal info around any more than has already occurred.

[Prov3456]

Ping for later.

[FreedomPoster]

Bingo! And exactly why I'll never give up my guns.

[FreedomPoster]

And built quite the system of mental hospitals to deal with those who had those anti-state mentally ill thoughts. They called them gulags.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

The article is not a spoof (though it reads like one). The Leftists/Dems/Libs/Socialists take this stuff very seriously. Read the following article, which counters the above article's preposterous claims.

Authoritarianism is Leftist, not Rightist

I also haven't found the RWA test yet. If anyone can find it, please post it.

[briant]

I took it as a spoof on liberals...

I agree.

[familyop]

"The article is not a spoof (though it reads like one). The Leftists/Dems/Libs/Socialists take this stuff very seriously. Read the following article, which counters the above article's preposterous claims.

Authoritarianism is Leftist, not Rightist

I also haven't found the RWA test yet. If anyone can find it, please post it."

After a third look, I agree. Bailey's book title at the bottom and the way the piece is reported as though it were hard news exposes an intent of seriousness. Libertarians tend to get really angry near election days.

Cathy Young, another writer for Reason, has sometimes advocated homosexual activist issues, recently, and amazonian feminism in the earlier past.

Libertarianism is another route to socialism. It shares a lot in common with the anarchists' wing of socialism of WWII and before.

[neverdem]

Here's a google.

I entered Right Wing Authoritarian Scale at PubMed. I got these results, if you want to read a lot a psychobabble. I don't consider the author to be a typical modern liberal. He probably considers himself to be a libertarian, whatever he thinks it means.

This author being quoted, B. Altemeyer, probably thinks Hitler, a National Socialist, is the prototypical Right Wing Authoritarian. I have a hard time distinguishing between Hitler and Stalin, the former leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Thanks for the link.

[Always Right]

In fact, Altemeyer finds that low RWAs are "fair-minded, even-handed, tolerant, nonaggressive persons...They score low on my prejudice scale. They are not self-righteous; they do not feel superior to persons with opposing opinions."

LOL, what friggin planet are they on. Just visit nut-wing sites like DU and you will see the most hateful seif-righteous intolerant jackasses in the world.

[neverdem]

Libertarianism is another route to socialism.

I disagree. On cultural issues, they can be all over the place. But on property rights, in no way do they agree with socialism.