Progressivism (P) Vs. Conservatism (C)
When you understand a problem, you are halfway towards a solution!
As we have learned, there are two sides of the on-going, half-century old ‘culture war:’ The left-leaning secular progressives (sometimes called ‘liberals’), versus the right-leaning traditional values conservative (also known as ‘social conservatives’). The secular progressives dominate our political parties, mainstream media, academia, big business, some parts of the judiciary, and the entertainment industry. Many mainstream people and some cultural leaders subscribe, at least in part, to the traditional values side.
This handy guide will help distinguish between progressives (P) and conservatives (C).
1. Worldview
P: Concerned with economic material side of man;
C: Concerned with the entire person, including moral & spiritual.
2. Identity
P: Identity Politics;
C: Character (Martin Luther King Jr., in his epic 1963 speech, I Have A Dream, said he wanted his children to be judged by content of their character, not the colour of their skin).
3. Size of Government
P: Large government is the solution (Obama);
C: Large government is the problem (Reagan).
4. Human Nature
P: Human nature is good;
C: Human nature is good & evil, hence the need for ‘checks’ and ‘balances’ in government.
5. Issues of Life & Death
P: Supports abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide;
C: Thoroughly pro-life.
6. Attitude towards Change
P: Change for change’s sake;
C: Only change for the better will do.
7. Immigration
P: Believes in open door, unfettered migration. Borderless;
C: Believes in sustainable, controlled migration. Borders matter.
8. Definition & Redefinition
P: Everything is subject to redefinition, including time-honoured things like marriage, family, gender, mother & father, husband & wife;
C: Prove all things; hold fast to what is good
9. Multiculturalism
P: Multiculturalism: All cultures are equally benign, beneficial, and no culture is superior to any other. Integration into the new country is not encouraged;
C: Melting Pot: Migrants blend into the culture where they now reside. Some cultures are better than others, otherwise, immigration would be two-way traffic between main cultures.
10. Gender
P: Transgenderism: Gender is a social construct, changeable and fluid;
C: Male & female: gender is fixed.
11. Definition of Marriage
P: Marriage redefinition;
C: Marriage integrity. Retains traditional definition.
12. Attitudes towards Wealth
P: Wealth redistribution (Obama: spread the wealth around);
C: Wealth creation
13. Religion & Conscience
P: Freedom of worship (you are free to do as you like only in your home and house of worship);
C: Freedom of religion & conscience (you are free to express and live your convictions, publicly and privately).
14. Freedom of Speech
P: Controlled speech: including political correctness, self-censorship, hate speech legislation, sensitivity lessons;
C: Freedom of speech.
15. Government Regulations
P: Regulations are important;
C: Cut the red-tape, unshackle the economy.
16. Liberalism
P: New ‘liberalism’ where ‘equality is everything’ and the individual’s rights more important than community welfare;
C: Classic liberalism: open to other views, values individualism, freedom and human rights.
17. Welfare vs. Charity
P: Believes in an expansive (and very costly) welfare state;
C: Private charity, family support, and individual responsibility.
18. Interpretation of Key Texts
P: Deconstruction;
C: Let the text speak for itself.
19. Judeo-Christian Morals, Values, Ethics
P: Rejects or minimises Judeo-Christian ethics, values, and morality;
C: Upholds the values of Judeo-Christianity.
20. Social Justice
P: Social justice, which includes radical politics and income redistribution;
C: Justice: rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.
21. Palestine & Israel
P: Supports Palestine (and hard-left supports radical Islam);
C: Supports Israel. Some can also simultaneously care for Palestinians.
22. Victimhood
P: Focus on victimhood;
C: Focus on victory.
23. Equality
P: Equality of outcomes;
C: Equality of opportunity.
24. Beneficiaries of the System
P: Central planners, bureaucrats & welfare recipients benefit;
C: Innovative, hard-working people and society as a whole benefit.
25. Coercion vs. Cooperation
P: Coercive; cooperation is not optional when enacting the progressive agenda;
C: Cooperative.
26. The Narrative
P: The narrative matters – no matter what is the reality or truth;
C: The truth matters – no matter what is the narrative
27. Marriage & Family
P: Marriage & family are lifestyle options;
C: Marriage & family is the building block of a sound, solid society: a duty and delight.
28. Affirmative Action
P: Believes AA levels the playing field and brings equality;
C: See AA as state sanctioned (reverse) racial discrimination, counterproductive.
29. Wealth
P: Social injustice;
C: Reward for enterprise and/or hard work.
30. Wealth Redistribution
P: Social justice;
C: Theft.
31. Human Condition
P: Views people as ‘have’s’ and ‘have nots;’
C: Views people as ‘cans’ and ‘cannots’ and ‘wills’ and ‘will not.
’
32. Attitude to Goodness
P: Likes to ‘feel good’ regarding a particular action;
C: Wants to ‘do good’ and ‘be good’ regarding a particular action.
33. Religious Liberty
P: Takes second place to anti-discrimination;
C: Fundamental to freedom and must be fully preserved.
34. Purpose of Government
P: Give fairness of outcomes; bestows human rights; take care of our needs;
C: Life, liberty, and property; infrastructure and defence.
QUOTES TO PONDER
Equality/Inequality: ’The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal’ – Aristotle
Deficits: ’We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much’ — Ronald Reagan
Capitalism vs. Socialism: ’The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries’ – Winston Churchill
Social Justice: ’The idea of social justice, as Friedrich Hayek observed long ago, is a mirage, a social fiction of the left. There is no ‘society’ that distributes income unfairly, and no ‘society’ that could make the distribution just. Social justice is the rationale for a political elite to appropriate what others have earned and distribute it to their own constituencies to increase their power’ – David Horowitz
‘The Strange Age?’ Consider the following:
•Good is called evil and evil is called good;
•The exception is the rule;
•Fantasy is chosen over facts;
•Rhetoric is deemed more valuable than reality;
•Charisma is cherished more than character;
•Style is preferred over substance;
•Minority rules – and to hell with the welfare of the majority;
•Individual rights trump community welfare;
•The abnormal is declared normal and normal is treated like a disease;
•Intolerance has now become the ‘new tolerance’ & classic tolerance is relegated to the museum;
•Nonsense is now the new ‘common sense,’ while true ‘common sense’ is beaten senseless, survives on a life-support machine, and the knob is about to be turned off.