Posted on 02/24/2005 7:42:59 AM PST by SmithL
As one of a handful of Bay Area conservative columnists, I'm no stranger to pushing buttons. Indeed, I welcome feedback from readers, whether positive or negative. I find the interplay stimulating, but I am often bemused by the stereotypical assumptions made by my critics on the left. It's not enough to simply disagree with my views; I have to be twisted into a conservative caricature that apparently makes opponents feel superior. They seem not to have considered that it's possible to put forward different approaches to various societal problems and not be the devil incarnate.
But in some ways I understand where this perspective comes from, because I once shared it. I was raised in liberal Marin County, and my first name (which garners more comments than anything else) is a direct product of the hippie generation. Growing up, I bought into the prevailing liberal wisdom of my surroundings because I didn't know anything else. I wrote off all Republicans as ignorant, intolerant yahoos. It didn't matter that I knew none personally; it was simply de rigueur to look down on such people. The fact that I was being a bigot never occurred to me, because I was certain that I inhabited the moral high ground.
Having been indoctrinated in the postcolonialist, self-loathing school of multiculturalism, I thought America was the root of all evil in the world. Its democratic form of government and capitalist economic system was nothing more than a machine in which citizens were forced to be cogs. I put aside the nagging question of why so many people all over the world risk their lives to come to the United States. Freedom...and democracy itself were all taken for granted in my narrow, insulated world view.
So, what happened to change all that? In a nutshell, 9/11.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
This sentiment should be heard by some of the more infantile 1-issue Freepers - you know, the ones that prefer to sleep soundly at night rather than be politically smart.
They're more like a bland, unseasoned chicken. Imagine a microwaveable chicken meal... you know the box they come in with the picture of chicken on it? Liberals are like a cross between eating the cardboard box and plain unseasoned chicken... but a little stringier.
Ugh.. now I've gone and dug myself a new hole... I'm going to duck while the complaints about putting folks off microwaveable chicken meals come in...
reformed leftists take even more vicious bile than we lifelong conservatives.
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You are so right about that. The hatred and vitriol thrown my way by former friends, family and colleagues is horrendous. A family member now claims that I never was a liberal. This is leftist fantasy at work. A liberal who turns conservative cannot be, so it must not be. She actually disavows any liberal views I once had, my memberships in liberal organizations, as not having happened, or just an accident of my upbringing. Does that belong in DUmmie Funnies or what?
I am so glad I found FR. And thanks to jan, for pinging me to this article. I am not alone!
Not all liberals would taste stringy..some liberals (Michael Moore comes to mind, unfortunately) are grisly and fatty!
Sorry, USF, I had to join in..
I and my entire immediate family are 9-11 Republicans.
Typo.....He = She.
That is endemic among liberals.
This is my life. I've never seen it in print before. I've always, since I was little, gravitated toward the religiously observant. Mostly Christians, but even a couple of Jewish people when I was younger. Even though I hadn't the slightest inclination towards religion, those were the people whose opinions I would value the most. I figure it must have something to do with trust and honesty, which have always been of ultimate importance to me.
Thanks for the warning! ;o)
Excellent, EXCELLENT article. A belated welcome to Cinnamon, one of the latest conservative converts! :-)
One of the Bay Area's finest Freepers in the Chronic-al
Good to see you're surviving there in the maelstrom.
Bump for the brave! I remember meeting Cinnamon at/after one of our first counterprotests. It was a scary event (I guess they all are), but I did not want the images of the protesters be the only images that reached our troops. If they can be so terribly brave as to face the dangers they must face, we can be brave enough to face down a bunch of nasty, violent "peace"-niks!
Good work, Cinnamon!
Thanks Jan. Just when I had given up all hope for SF, one of my favorite cities to visit, a voice of reason comes forth.
Well done, Cinnamon, DON'T keep your opinions to yourself!
I just sent her an email. I hope I can get her on my show.
Click the link to read the story.
No registration required.
Correct.. Good article.. Worth reading the whole thing..
Its always good when one comes out of a vitual leftist coma..
This should have longer "legs".. than San Fransico..
And she's really cute, too - I'd have asked her out if I hadn't been married 10 years when I first met her. :-D
I'm stunned. This article says everything I feel.
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