# Why are conservatives such dicks? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 7, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657 "2009-08-07T16:54:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/141 "2009-08-08T19:27:21Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > I wish it did. First of all there’s no guarantee that private medical care will be available to all of us. I forgot to add: there’s no guarantee that it’s available to us _now_. That’s the main point of the health care reform–people either being too poor to afford insurance or being turned down because of pre-existing conditions. With a government plan, there would be more of a guarantee that people would be taken care of than they are under the current system. And they would have more of a legal leg to stand on if they get turned down or mistreated by the beaucracy, since the plan is a public program and comes with all the entitlement that such services come with. Blue Cross Blue Shield isn’t obligated to take you even if you throw a million bucks at them. Sweet, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/142 "2009-08-08T19:46:51Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Not for this conservative, it’s not. For instance, when I think about giving the government even more control over health care, it bugs me that it will cost us lots of money. But we’re a wealthy country. So it’s no big deal. > > But what scares me and infuriates me is the lack of freedom and the inevitable inequities. There’s no reason to think that UHC won’t be cheaper than what we have now, just like it is elsewhere. It’s what we are doing now that is spendthrift. And our present system already has horrible inequality and a lack of freedom. > [@Plan\_B](#): > > Leftists have a lot of stereotypes about conservatives: like that we’re obsessed with money, or that we’re against sex, or…or that we’re all dicks. And it just isn’t true. Conservatives have demonstrated that they all those things. If you can dig up a few exceptions, that doesn’t make them anything but a tiny outlier; it’s the “dicks” who are in control, who are the essence of conservatism. > [@Plan\_B](#): > > You might want to surf around some of the responsible conservative websites and count how often we refer to money and how often we refer to other things. “Responsible conservative” is something of an oxymoron, at least in America. An American conservative among other things is someone who denies all responsibility, someone who thinks in terms of “who cares?”, “screw you!” and “I don’t owe you anything”. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/143 "2009-08-08T19:50:45Z")
A question I’m not sure how to go about analyzing. If the health “insurance” companies were forced to abandon loathesome practices they have indulged themselves in, would they still be profitable? They are quite profitable now, but engage in some pretty wretched shit. So if they were unable to do so, would they go bust? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/144 "2009-08-08T19:54:41Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Bush > Rove > Cheney > Bolton > Rush > Beck > Fox News > Palin > birthers > disruptors > Where is the voice of reason expressed in Repub politics? Uh, I think he was referring to people he knows personally, not actual politicians and commentators. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/145 "2009-08-08T20:01:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > An American conservative among other things is someone who denies all responsibility, someone who thinks in terms of “who cares?”, “screw you!” and “I don’t owe you anything”. I owe you something? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/146 "2009-08-08T20:01:40Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > A question I’m not sure how to go about analyzing. If the health “insurance” companies were forced to abandon loathesome practices they have indulged themselves in, would they still be profitable? They are quite profitable now, but engage in some pretty wretched shit. So if they were unable to do so, would they go bust? Well if true that would just be another argument for government run health care. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/147 "2009-08-08T20:06:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I owe you something? You owe everyone, as do I. Ideologically driven sociopathy isn’t a smart or moral way of running a nation. And when you get right down to it, the “we don’t owe you anything !” conservatives are being carried on the back of the people who think they DO owe things to the larger society. Conservatism is largely parasitic; a philosophy designed for leeches who want to pretend they are not leeches. They take and take, and call it rugged individualism instead of amorality and greed. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/148 "2009-08-08T20:15:24Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I owe you something? Do you think you could get where you are today without anyone else’s help? If I stuck you on a primitive continent all by yourself with nothing but what mother nature provides you, how long til you can send me an email? You don’t think you owe your fellow man anything? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/149 "2009-08-08T20:19:36Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > You don’t think you owe your fellow man anything? I owe my wife and children certain things. Other than that… no. You are not entitled to any of my property. I don’t owe you a damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/150 "2009-08-08T20:20:36Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They take and take, and call it rugged individualism instead of amorality and greed. How do you define greed? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/151 "2009-08-08T20:31:37Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I owe my wife and children certain things. Other than that… no. You are not entitled to any of my property. I don’t owe you a damn thing. Every single civilized country I can think of charges a tax on their citizens and has done so for hundreds if not thousands of years, but Crafter\_Man is here to say HE DOESN’T OWE IT! You are seriously delusional if you think your life would even slightly resemble a shadow of your current life without the help of many, many other people. In fact, you would probably be dead. Humans did not evolve to survive well on their own and you would almost certainly not be the exception. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/152 "2009-08-08T20:40:04Z")
nvm **Cisco** said it more eloquently. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/153 "2009-08-08T20:57:32Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > How do you define greed? Selfishness that hurts others. Selfishness that goes beyond self interest, to the point where the needs and desires of other people don’t matter. Selfishness like, say, yours. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/154 "2009-08-08T21:11:03Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Uh, I think he was referring to people he knows personally, not actual politicians and commentators. Maybe ,but where is the voice for them in the Republican Party? There is none. They string the old fashioned repub along as they morph into a party that excludes them and does not address their problems. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/155 "2009-08-08T21:17:14Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I owe my wife and children certain things. Other than that… no. You are not entitled to any of my property. I don’t owe you a damn thing. There is an empty cabin at Ruby Ridge you should see about. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/156 "2009-08-08T21:18:30Z")
Well said, **Cisco**. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/157 "2009-08-08T22:10:03Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I owe my wife and children certain things. Other than that… no. You are not entitled to any of my property. I don’t owe you a damn thing. When I was in kindergarten, there was one kid who these days would likely be labeled a “problem child.” He liked to snatch the construction paper, crayons, glue, etc., that were put out for all of us to use, clutch them to his chest, and exclaim “MINE!” If anyone challenged him, he’d continue screaming “MINE! MINE!” until he was red in the face and on the verge of tears. One day when he was out of the classroom (with a school nurse who was helping his pants after a little accident) the teacher instructed us to just ignore him when he acted that way. That the supplies were for all of us to share, regardless of what he said. And sure enough, when we ignored him and he saw he could no longer get a rise out of anyone with his “MINE! MINE!” he soon forgot about proving that the supplies were his and his alone, and began behaving pretty much like a normal kid. It’s a real shame that you regressed after that, **Crafter\_Man**. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/158 "2009-08-08T22:30:58Z")
It’s kind of interesting that he puts qualifiers on what he owes his wife and children. One gets the impression of contractual obligations. I think you have to have a limited cognitive construction of the world to be a conservative. But we have to take it easy on Crafter\_Man. It’s hard work making your own electricity and potable water and food and fighting off marauders with the weapons you’ve built and putting out fires and educating your own children and curing them of illness and injury. It leaves very little time to use the computer you constructed from raw materials to compose message board posts on the internet you created. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/159 "2009-08-08T22:42:01Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > My mother is extremely conservative and, honestly, she swallows most of the really silly stuff. But she’s also very smart and kind and generous. She was horrified by how high my husband’s medical bills were and she was a big supporter of us getting him on disability and Medicare, etc. At the same time, if you ask her if there’s anything wrong with health care, she’ll say no, and she’ll say that people on disability are layabouts. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’ve met lots of people like her in my life. They make exceptions for the people they know. People they know don’t fit the larger, horrible categories. It’s the “some of my best friends are…” mindset. It’s called hypocrisy. The thing is, for all their clamoring about the dangers of an encroaching government, I’ve never met a single conservative who would not exploit a government-run program to the fullest when they can. I suspect there’s a cognitive dissonance at work in their minds: “Government-run health care is evil and socialist! … Now, where’s my Medicare card? I need to get to the doctor.” Basically, these people have a need to hate, but they can’t summon the hatred for anyone they actually know. So, they fantasize. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657/160 "2009-08-08T22:42:19Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > But we have to take it easy on Crafter\_Man. It’s hard work making your own electricity and potable water and food and fighting off marauders with the weapons you’ve built and putting out fires and educating your own children and curing them of illness and injury. It leaves very little time to use the computer you constructed from raw materials to compose message board posts on the internet you created. Doesn’t he pay for all those things? While I disagree with **Crafter\_Man** ’s point of view, he didn’t say he takes care of all those things himself - he said he doesn’t owe anything to society for them. I mean, do we owe society for our electricity, or do we owe the electric company? Because it’s not society that sends me a bill for my electricity every month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-such-dicks/505657.md?page=9)