Sidestepping the issue of which side is right and which is wrong - just asking which is easier to be: Being a liberal:
[ul]
[li]Liberals have the demographic advantage; not only are there many more registered Democrats in the U.S. than Republicans, but the younger generations are more liberal than their predecessors; meaning that the country will only trend further and further liberal as time goes on. In addition, history has tended to trend in the direction of liberalism, at least in the short/intermediate term.[/li][li]Much of the mainstream media is more liberal than conservative. This isn’t a conservative talking point, it’s quite true.[/li][li]Much of Hollywood, entertainment, social media, education and other platforms of influence trend liberal.[/li][/ul] Being a conservative:
[ul]
[li]Conservatives have certain structural political advantages, such as the Electoral College and the fact that each state gets 2 Senators regardless of population.[/li][li]Conservatism is more closely aligned with human nature than liberalism. Human nature naturally wants harsh punishment for criminals, for instance (death penalty,) a lot of heterosexuals feel revulsion against homosexuality, etc.[/li][li]It is easier to go by status quo than to push for change (however, once the momentum of change has gotten underway, then it takes more energy to resist the tide than to go with the flow.)[/li][li]Conservative arguments are more easily boiled down into short, succinct bites or lines than liberalism.[/li][/ul]
Several of your bullet points are flat out wrong. It reminds me of a certain former poster and his well-poisoning.
For instance, bullet point number 2 under the heading “being a conservative”
“More closely aligned with human nature”? I’m not in alignment with human nature by wanting to help others or not hating someone for the color of their skin?
Only conservatives are heterosexual? WTF?
I found the previous thread …
* " Just as an example, ask yourself this question: how many of the fundamental questions about American life do you agree with Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi on? Think about the basic questions of American life.
The Constitution? Conservatives believe in it. Liberals believe in a “living Constitution” which is fundamentally no different than having no Constitution at all.
Religion? Conservatives tend to believe in Judeo-Christian values. Even atheists who are conservative tend to at least be friendly to those values. Liberals mock Judeo-Christian values.
What about patriotism? Conservatives tend to love their country. Liberals love this country like a wife-beater loves his spouse.
Conservatives tend to be capitalists. Liberals tend to be socialists. Conservatives believe people should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Liberals believe your race defines you. Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity. Liberals believe in equality of results. Conservatives believe in freedom of speech. Liberals are fine with silencing people that disagree with them. Conservatives believe in small government. Liberals believe in a frighteningly powerful central government dictating your every move."*
I didn’t say that. I merely said that many heterosexuals feel revulsion against homosexuality, and those that do are hence are more likely to fall into the traditional-marriage camp. Obviously, most liberals are heterosexual too, and probably don’t feel that way.
“Conservatism”* is little more than a collection of vices, and it’s always easier to give in to your worst impulses than to resist them. And they live in a society built to favor them, and are in general privileged in various ways. It’s much easier to be a conservative, that’s exactly what society is designed for.
In reality the actual conservatives are the so-called liberals; the people who call themselves conservative are radical reactionaries and are the ones who want to utterly change society.
That’s more what I meant, although I don’t think it’s necessarily about “worst” impulses as it is about what’s natural. There have been studies showing that conservative brains “light up” more in response to stimuli that triggers revulsion or fear than liberal brains.
Feeling revulsion towards personally having homosexual sex is not the same thing as either “being in the traditional marriage camp” or hating homosexuals. Unless you have never progressed beyond thinking like an 8 year old.
Face it, the only conservative values the current crop of CINOs (conservative in name only) favor, are cutting taxes.
The conservatives I know or know of spend so much time seething about various minorities (think migrants, asylum seekers, those receiving government benefits etc etc) that it beggars belief where they get the energy from!
As a liberal, I’m happy to allow people to live the best lives they can, and whilst I might rail against what I see as egregious efforts to hamper individuals and groups in their pursuit of a good life, at the end of the day I believe the liberal philosophy/political leaning will win in the end.
It’s easier to respect people and to acknowledge their inherent goodness than to hate them because of where they were born, what religion they follow, or who they end up loving in their life.
While this may not be what you meant, I am not sure that, in the Trump era, that liberals have lower blood pressure than conservatives anymore, so to speak. Pre-Trump, liberals may have lived happier and lighter lives, but now they seem to be as close to an aneurysm as anyone else.
Liberals have aneurysms because of the behaviour of individuals or individuals as part of a group, (eg, Republican party) not because of the existence of groups of people.
[li]Conservatism is more closely aligned with human nature than liberalism. Human nature naturally wants harsh punishment for criminals, for instance (death penalty,) a lot of heterosexuals feel revulsion against homosexuality, etc.[/li][/QUOTE]
This one is total nonsense. If you look at primitive societies, many don’t have capital punishment for murder or other crimes. Instead, an offender may be banished or shunned, or simply made to pay restitution to a victim’s family. People may be quite willing to kill outsiders in war or conflict, but executing a tribal member in cold blood for a crime would be a rarity. Likewise, in many human societies there is no onus on homosexuality, and homosexuals may be recognized as a legitimate “third sex.” You appear to equate “human nature” with the cultural codes of Middle Eastern pastoralists, which can’t be considered typical for all humans.
I think a big advantage that conservatives have is that the current conservative political agenda is more in line with corporate interests. So conservative candidates have easier access to campaign money.
I also feel that conservatives have access to a friendlier media. I realize many conservatives would disagree. But I don’t see the liberal equivalents of Glenn Beck, Anne Coulter, Matt Drudge, Erick Erickson, Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, Hugh Hewitt, Laura Ingraham, Lars Larson, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Dennis Lynch, Michelle Malkin, Michael Medved, Bill O’Reilly, and Michael Savage. Conservatives seem to have far more voice in the media than liberals do.
Being conservative is easy. Just shut off your brain and do/say whatever Fox tells you to do/say. If you get criticized, claim you’re getting victimized by non-American factions. Literally no brainpower or personal sacrifice required.
Easier as in politics? Conservative by a landslide.
Our entire political system rewards rural voters. The senate rewards rural voters, the house rewards rural voters, and the electoral college rewards rural voters. The 49 democrats in the senate won more vote than the 51 republicans but they still lost. Hillary won more votes than Trump and lost. The democrats won the 2018 house election by 9% and only won the house by the same majority the GOP did when they lost by 1% in 2012. Thats a 10% spread to break even between the two parties.
Also the GOP cheat like hell. They suppress voters and gerrymander. They encourage foreign nations to hack our elections. They support terrorist organizations like militias to achieve political goals. The democrats try to play clean.
Also the GOP are full of authoritarians. The saying ‘democrats fall in love, republicans fall in line’ is accurate. The GOP has a lot of party and voter discipline that the democrats do not have. The democrats have to corral moderates, black voters, white liberals and independents all together. The GOP just has to use fear tactics to get their voters whipped into shape.
Conservatives have it much easier regarding politics.
Also as Nemo mentioned, the conservative agenda aligns with the agenda of the billionaire class. So conservatives never have to worry about money. The democratic agenda is opposed by the wealthy.
I would say its easier to be liberal. All someone has to do to be “right” is be a Democrat; especially if they can get endorsed by the Party. If you are a conservative, even with endorsed Republicans, you have to determine how conservative they are compared to you on specific subjects before you can decide if you could support them or not.
I generally find your political outlook agreeable, but should point out that ‘reactionary’ means pretty much the opposite of what it sounds like it should mean (maybe you’re deliberately using it in a descriotivist, opposite way…). Reactionaries are fundamentally resistant to progress - the only ‘change’ they want is a regression to a mythical golden age of upright moral conservatism, such as 50’s America, or Victorian England (maybe this change is what you meant, in which case ignore me).