More Misunderstood Motives
March 25, 2005 Posted by Amy Hall
Even after my last post, some of you are probably still convinced that conservatives, on the whole, have less-than-pure motives. This seems so obvious to you that you still feel no need to explore and understand the reasons behind our beliefs and actions. Let me then offer a less politically charged illustration from everyday life that might motivate you to change your mind…
There is a strange movement afoot among women in both secular and Christian circles. A few brave women have started asking the question, “What if men aren't horribly inept creatures after all? What if they actually have reasons for the things that they do? And what if those reasons are actually valid and good?” These women have discovered to their amazement that it was their own misunderstanding of the motives and purposes of men that led them to believe men were selfish oafs. In fact, the men did have the best interest of others in mind but were merely pursuing the good from a masculine direction–a direction that was unfamiliar, and therefore unrecognized, by the women. Only now can these women appreciate what men have to offer.
I was reminded of this as I thought about the anger I hear from liberals toward conservatives. The complaints seem to be very similar to complaints of women against men–conservatives don't want to help people, they don't care, etc. I think just as women have misunderstood men, liberals are misunderstanding conservatives. Conservatives merely have different ideas about what will help people and how to go about it. Should the government collect money from us to give to others, or should we give on our own? Will more programs be the long-term solution for the issues of our day, or is it better for people in the long run to develop a personal sense of responsibility for their future? Should people be protected by law from being offended (as in the case of “under God” in the pledge), or should they develop and strengthen their character by being around things with which they disagree?
As with women and men, it's a nurture and protection perspective versus one that values growth in personal strength and responsibility. As with women and men, liberals assume that conservatives are selfish oafs. And as with women and men, it's the liberals' misinterpretation of conservative motives that prevents them from appreciating the perspective conservatives have to offer and engaging them in productive discourse.
Related posts:
- I’m Sorry, Who’s Dividing the Country?
- Air America Update
- Fighting the Evil Conservatives
- Tax Madness
- Tonight: Brokaw Investigates Evangelicals
- Leader Denies Muslim Women the Right to Choose
Posted in Amy's Posts, Main Page, Politics
content rss
June 30th, 2007 at 12:40 am
I was talking with a coworker about Walmart once and we had a similar turn of events. (Walmart is taking over the world, you know.) (Only they're in line behind McDonald's and the Catholic church and Bush's posterity for the next 5 generations, but as of right now, the Masons have it.)
Well, we don't talk as much anymore. She was very ready to believe that picture of hers- that conservatives are self-righteous, oppressive, hypocritical pigs that, taking over the world in/with self-serving, oppressive economics and policy. Hopefully, there will be people in her world to create some cognitive dissonence between what she's told about how conservatives thinketh in their hearts and how she sees them living.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:46 am
I'm not sure what it would take. The most I've ever been able to convince anyone is that I have rational reasons for my political positions. But then they insist that I'm just an anomaly; all other conservatives really hold those positions because they hate /fear people. I've literally been told this.
July 25th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Hey, Amy great post! Liberals seem to think there are two kids on the teeter-totter of distortion/ignorance/discrimination, the lib kid and the wingnut kid. But to me the two kids are like Frankenstein's monster and the flower girl in “Young Frankenstein” by Mel Brooks. The only thing is that Frank weighs in at about 450 pounds, and the girl goes flying over his head and into her bed upstairs in the chalet. So liberals will say, “do you agree there is distortion on both sides of the media?” Well, yes. . . ” Do you agree there is outright discrimination in red states as well as blue?” Well, yes . . .
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:02 pm
[...] If you’re interested in reading a more level-headed response to this phenomenon that I wrote back when I still naively believed I could reason with leftists about conservative ideas–before I had banged my head against the wall of “secret evil motives” so often that I lost the motivation to interact, read this. [...]