Except there are legions of retired conservatives with no plans to work any more, so your hypothesis fails in the real world.
Here’s a good example of liberal hypocrisy. Liberals say their views are “reality based”, but some just make up whatever shit is needed to justify their preconceived ideas.
Actually, I think the OP is a non-starter in that it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to talk about hypocrisy of large groups of people. Better to look at specific examples of people being hypocrites.
Hey, look! A straw man! The more of this board I read, the more and more I’m convinced of the fact that liberals, more than any other ideological group, tend not to understand the opposition’s position (or actual arguments).
When it comes to handling their own money, it’s my observation that wealthy liberals are indistinguishable from wealthy conservatives, and I find that hypocritical.
As a generalization, part of being (fiscally) liberal is the notion that we should redistribute money–as a rule of thumb, from the rich to the poor. However it’s my observation that wealthy liberals have their tax strategies as favorably structured for tax avoidance as conservatives do.
If liberals really were more charitable, perhaps we might find they act more charitably. I have seen articles that suggest this is not so…here is an example.
I grant you that this criticism follows from a personal philosophy: I must be the change I want to see in the world (Ghandi, as you know).
I can’t holler about AGW and live like Al Gore, wanting to be with the power and taxation leadership, but not wanting to ride my bicycle and live in an apartment. (In my case, I’ve decided to live well and forget about AGW, which makes me narcissistic but at least not hypocritical.)
You see some pretty decent hypocrisy from environmental activists or “green” types that do almost nothing personally to protect the environment. Not talking about Al Gore’s jet or crap like that - but the guy in your office railing against oil drilling and driving an Escalade.
I also see a disturbing amount of leftist hypocrisy when it comes to the treatment of women and homosexuals in other cultures - where the cultural sensitivity seems to temper the appropriate outrage at barbaric behavior.
And finally there is a whole host of leftist protectionism anti-globalism that is both (IMO) misguided and hypocritical when spouted by folks using iPhones and shopping at Walmart.
How is that a straw man? Conservatives are typically pro-war, pro-death penalty, pro-gun (incl “stand your ground”), pro-hunting, anti-environment, and anti-health care. All that stacks up pretty heavily against the charge that liberals “don’t respect life”.
I consider myself a centrist so take this how you might, but I’d say the classic liberal position on abortion is also hypocritical. The human fetus is nothing but a wart to be excised at will but as soon as it’s born they expect society to move mountains to protect it.
I’m not necessarily a big fan of dividing various beliefs into “right-wing” and “left-wing” because it often strikes me as extremely simplistic, but I’ve often been disturbed how many “progressives” who support tolerance and fight against racism often buy into all sorts of really negative stereotypes about Muslims and support many loathsome, bigoted ideas as a result. For example, supporting laws restricting what Muslim women are allowed to wear in France, Canada and other countries.
You have to wonder how many people are like this and how many non-conservatives try to take a more nuanced view, like either downplaying their railing or doing something to reduce their energy consumption.
But again, you’re just grasping 2 disparate characteristics and assuming they both apply to a sufficiently large number of people.
And I do get tired of this, “If you’re better than us, why don’t you give away all your money?” attitude. I don’t think simply living like an ordinary consumer and taxpayer should garner charges of hypocrisy. Liberals see a lot of issues as systemic with the rich and powerful needing to do more.
The important distinction here is between the small Muslim minority here in the US and those highly insular Islamic societies halfway around the world. The former are less threat than threatened and the latter can’t hear us express outrage. I’m pretty sure that worldwide there are liberal groups worldwide working to improve the treatment of women and gays over there, but you have to go through careful channels or you risk making things worse.
I don’t think it’s hypocrisy if you have a genuine belief. Both sides, it seem to me, in the situations you are describing, believe what they are saying. Possibly not the global warming denying scientists being paid by the coal lobby, but their Republican followers accept those findings as truth. Just as I believe in the varying abilities of different chiropractors to heal my aching back.
If you want to find liberal hypocrisy just drive about twenty minutes out of any of the top 100 metropolitan areas to find a lot of liberals who are perfectly happy avoiding any interaction with the poor, the uneducated, the formerly incarcerated, the mentally unstable and the increased taxes that result from giving these persons the proper care, opportunity and socialization.
As for a specific instance: Rahm Emanuel, liberal mayor of Chicago, making a decision, as a father, to send his kids to an exclusive private school. I would say an inner city mayor who is charged with operating quality schools is a hypocrite if he does not send his kids to one.
Pick a conservative position, and I’ll understand and challenge it.
Unless I happen to agree with it, in which case I’ll have several cogent arguments in its favour.
