liberalism.
My co-worker Bruce, an unapologetic conservative capitalist of roughly 50 years of age, forwarded a somewhat vicious conservatives-on-liberals joke e-mail to me soon after the conclusion of our recent electoral cycle. The last paragraph gave up on the whole joke angle and just went for the jugular. It included this line:
Conservatives hire other Conservatives who wish to work. Liberals produce little or nothing.
My first reaction was one of rage. I am an owner of my company, and in many ways I am an indispensable worker. I am the go-to guy that everyone wants to fix their problem. In fact, Bruce regularly hollers over the cubicle wall to ask the answer to a question. And I am an unashamed Liberal who wants progressive social policies, which I will detail more about later. Bruce, on the other hand, is a sales guy... and sales have been waaaaaay slow. Who produces here? In short, this was my Fuck You moment.
My second reaction was a closer reading of the terms "liberal" and "conservative". I noticed, first, that there are several kinds of both -- fiscal and social come to mind easily -- and second, that the line above refers not to any common "liberals" except the conservative-conjured demons, but rather to Ayn Rand's "looter." In the same breath, they seek to tie the conservative to Rand's "producer." But these labels are incongruous, and it does not take very long to pick them apart.
What is a Conservative? According to a dictionary definition, it is one who generally opposes change, for better or for worse, preferring traditions. The entry for liberal, on the other hand, indicates a person who is not limited to traditions, but rather favors reform and is tolerant of the views and ideas of others.
Well, tar and feather my ass, because I am a Liberal. And a damned proud one, at that.
You drink clean water because of Liberals. Women can vote because of Liberals. Cars have safety devices that save the lives of many a drunk, Conservatives included, thanks to the work of some Liberals (including one Ralph Nader.) And workers who have health insurance, a 401k, a profit-sharing plan or ownership in their company owe those things to the work of Liberals. (Imagine, for one moment, the thought of J. Pierpont Morgan willingly instituting a profit-sharing plan. Stop choking, please.)
Blacks were freed into a second-class existence with the War Between the States, and a hundred years of effort by Liberals followed to give them some semblance of equality, and Conservatives have fought this every step of the way. Even today, Liberals push for the improvement of basic schooling for minorities. If a child has a poor elementary education, that child will be at a disadvantage in high school, will have reduced prospects for college, and his employment will net him a lower socioeconomic status over the course of his life than a similar child who had an excellent elementary education. And the fact that Conservatives would stymie these efforts only strengthens the accusation that Conservatives, inside, are merely racist pigs hiding behind an effigy of the world's most famous crucified man.
I don't believe that to be entirely true. There are people from all walks of life that I respect. And in concert with my tolerance for the views of others, I do not give them grief for their opinions on what Government is and should be. But I absolutely refuse to tolerate "Liberal" as an epithet, as so regularly employed by shills like Ann Coulter, when the history of American Liberalism is one that has opened doors of opportunity and worked untiringly to advance the cause of the downtrodden worker.
It is common to hear Liberals accused of wanting to hand out the wealth of the rich to those who would not work. I have often heard "crack whores" or "welfare cases" used to refer to liberals, but that's not accurate: Liberals merely wish to HELP those people. Almost every Liberal I know is college-educated, hardworking, and has a deep sense of morality that comes not from the Old Testament God of fire and brimstone, but from the New Testament God of love, acceptance and forgiveness.
If this is a Liberal, then I am a Proud Liberal.
Conservatives hire other Conservatives who wish to work. Liberals produce little or nothing.
My first reaction was one of rage. I am an owner of my company, and in many ways I am an indispensable worker. I am the go-to guy that everyone wants to fix their problem. In fact, Bruce regularly hollers over the cubicle wall to ask the answer to a question. And I am an unashamed Liberal who wants progressive social policies, which I will detail more about later. Bruce, on the other hand, is a sales guy... and sales have been waaaaaay slow. Who produces here? In short, this was my Fuck You moment.
My second reaction was a closer reading of the terms "liberal" and "conservative". I noticed, first, that there are several kinds of both -- fiscal and social come to mind easily -- and second, that the line above refers not to any common "liberals" except the conservative-conjured demons, but rather to Ayn Rand's "looter." In the same breath, they seek to tie the conservative to Rand's "producer." But these labels are incongruous, and it does not take very long to pick them apart.
What is a Conservative? According to a dictionary definition, it is one who generally opposes change, for better or for worse, preferring traditions. The entry for liberal, on the other hand, indicates a person who is not limited to traditions, but rather favors reform and is tolerant of the views and ideas of others.
Well, tar and feather my ass, because I am a Liberal. And a damned proud one, at that.
You drink clean water because of Liberals. Women can vote because of Liberals. Cars have safety devices that save the lives of many a drunk, Conservatives included, thanks to the work of some Liberals (including one Ralph Nader.) And workers who have health insurance, a 401k, a profit-sharing plan or ownership in their company owe those things to the work of Liberals. (Imagine, for one moment, the thought of J. Pierpont Morgan willingly instituting a profit-sharing plan. Stop choking, please.)
Blacks were freed into a second-class existence with the War Between the States, and a hundred years of effort by Liberals followed to give them some semblance of equality, and Conservatives have fought this every step of the way. Even today, Liberals push for the improvement of basic schooling for minorities. If a child has a poor elementary education, that child will be at a disadvantage in high school, will have reduced prospects for college, and his employment will net him a lower socioeconomic status over the course of his life than a similar child who had an excellent elementary education. And the fact that Conservatives would stymie these efforts only strengthens the accusation that Conservatives, inside, are merely racist pigs hiding behind an effigy of the world's most famous crucified man.
I don't believe that to be entirely true. There are people from all walks of life that I respect. And in concert with my tolerance for the views of others, I do not give them grief for their opinions on what Government is and should be. But I absolutely refuse to tolerate "Liberal" as an epithet, as so regularly employed by shills like Ann Coulter, when the history of American Liberalism is one that has opened doors of opportunity and worked untiringly to advance the cause of the downtrodden worker.
It is common to hear Liberals accused of wanting to hand out the wealth of the rich to those who would not work. I have often heard "crack whores" or "welfare cases" used to refer to liberals, but that's not accurate: Liberals merely wish to HELP those people. Almost every Liberal I know is college-educated, hardworking, and has a deep sense of morality that comes not from the Old Testament God of fire and brimstone, but from the New Testament God of love, acceptance and forgiveness.
If this is a Liberal, then I am a Proud Liberal.
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