Today, political polarization is at one of its highest points since before the civil war. Members of congress vote almost exclusively for bills proposed by their parties, and compromise is a word seldom heard on Capitol Hill. This dysfunction has spread from the halls of Congress to the American people like a disease, increasing tensions between those who disagree to almost unheard of levels. Relatives fight over politics over thanksgiving, friends refuse to talk to one another, and conversations become minefields full of wrong things to say. Additionally, the internet has played a role in increasing polarization and demonization of both sides, enabling its users with anonymity and a level of protection from the ramifications of their actions. This blog is about conservatives, and I am writing now to address some of the dirty things being said about people on the right side of the isle by extremists who disagree with them. Specifically, I will be addressing the charges of misogyny and racism and will be showing that conservative policies are in no way motivated by these factors.
The first charge presented by some who disagree with conservatism is that many views and policies on the right of the political system are designed to oppress women. For example, the conservative stance against abortion due to a belief that it is the murder of a self-developing human being is seen as being anti-woman. There seems to be a disconnect between pro-choice parties, who believe that the issue is about a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and conservatives who are concerned about the body inside of the woman’s body. The fundamental difference between the groups is the belief of whether it is ethical to kill a fetus in the womb, a disagreement contingent upon beliefs about when life begins and balancing the rights of the woman and child. Another issue involving women is the rejection of feminism by many conservatives. To an unfamiliar observer, this rejection seems to be a textbook example of misogyny, but this is not the case. Conservatives are fervently individualist and believe men and women have equal rights. They avoid feminism because, unfortunately, many of its extreme and vocal proponents are pro-choice, frequently dismiss the opinions of men, and are constantly outraged about issues that are downright ridiculous. For example, there was a television interview about whether air conditioning was sexist and a woman became outraged when a man jokingly said his name was “Hugh Mungus” (see below). Those are two extreme examples, but there are more, and far too few feminist icons have spoken out against them.
A second word frequently and frivolously slung at conservatives is the label “racist”. One extremely common misconception that is a precursor to the demonization of the right as racist is the idea that the Democratic and Republican parties switched places in the 1960s, tainting the Republican party with accusations of racism ever since. According to history, however, there are many flaws to this theory. First of all, one “evidence” cited is the low number of African-Americans with conservative values or in the Republican Party, but this exodus to the Democratic Party took place during the New Deal under FDR, years before the fabled switch. Only one blue dog Democrat ever switched to the Republican Party, Strom Thurmond, and Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with an overwhelming majority.
Conservative pushes against welfare are also targeted as “racist” because of the large proportion of people of color relying on social programs, but as I explained earlier, this is rooted in conservative values of personal responsibility and limited government intervention. Another issue is the attempt of many on the right to be “colorblind”. The concept of “colorblindness” is to judge people based on their personalities, values, ideas, and actions rather than their race, but has somehow become seen as a code word for “racist”. Although well-intentioned, the “colorblind” idea has been attacked as being ignorant of the history of race in America and making it hard to address racism. I think that this could be resolved if conservatives become more vocal in anti-racism (although it is an assumed stance based on the individualism of conservatism) and yet still judge people by the content of their character instead of by treating minorities as monoliths. Finally, the fact that many on the right are pro-police and tough on crime, and the publicization of police shootings of minorities and a skyrocketing minority prison population due to mandatory minimums (both of which are authoritarian, not conservative positions), create an unfortunate combination which allows a leap of logic to deem conservatives racist. I personally think police officers should be held accountable and mandatory minimum sentencing laws should be repealed, and both positions are perfectly consistent with conservatism.
As I have outlined above, conservatism is not anti-woman or anti-minority. Sometimes, conservative positions seem to be bigoted at a first glance, and are frequently labeled as so by extremist opponents, but are innocent and logical when examined under a microscope. I do concur that some positions held by those on the right regarding policing and sentencing are inconsistent with conservatism and need to be addressed as the authoritarian stances that they are. Unfortunately, Donald Trump, a Republican and not a conservative, is still making it difficult by association to defend conservative ideas by actually being misogynist and belligerent. Hopefully, we as Americans can rise above petty politics and try to understand and talk to one another and solve the complex and emotionally investing problems of this nation.
This would be a good conversation starter with liberals. It’s a great example of a civil attempt to offer a point of view. taking your time, going step by step, your points offer an open door to a conversation that would allow for an examination of values, stasis, and experience.