CONSERVATISM UNMASKED: Protecting Power, Defending Privilege, and Oppressing Others
What it really means to be a Conservative, part II. Read Part I, The Republican Party and Genocide, here: https://biggovernment.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-two-diaries-anne-frank?r=1vj4ca
There is a core identity to conservatism beneath the vague clarion calls for frugality, personal responsibility, family values, and patriotism.
TO BE CONSERVATIVE is to be intellectually lazy. Conservatives know what they know, and so they don’t feel a need to learn anything more. Learning equals change and change is counter productive to whatever it is they are conserving.
Conservative policies are almost always reactionary; there is almost always an effort to ban or outlaw something new or different. To justify their negative reactions to change, they idealize the past in such a way that it becomes something that never actually existed. The “make America Great Again” slogan is really more like a black hole sucking American progress backwards to when America was simply not great for the majority of people. Not one American alive today was even born in 1896 which is where Republicans want to take us - back to the time when separate but equal was the standard - back to when women couldn’t vote, back to when Whites could go to an all-White private school, back to when interracial marriage was outlawed, back to when Abortion was a crime, back to when contraception was a felony, back to when married men could lawfully rape their wife, back to when fathers and husbands could commit their wives to an institution then divorce them, back to when White male privilege was heritage.
It was the violently racist group, the KKK who came up with the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” The slogan referred to “the cause” of the racists which was and is to purge America of other minorities, or to subjugate them to the will of the White male evangelists.
The largest minority group in America is women, so it’s not surprising that today’s Republicans are so focused on subjugating women to pregnancy and house keeping. Many women are not aware that they are even in a minority group; many Americans think minority refers to the size of the population, but it refers, in fact, to power. White Males hold far more power than any other group in America.**
Conservatives are a status-quo group; you can see it in the supreme court’s rulings over the past couple years since they’ve held the majority, favoring conservative ideology: overturning Roe and discussing how they plan to roll-back many other progressive rulings, including gay marriage, interracial marriage, contraception, the right to vote under the age of 21, and women’s right to vote.
The primary impulse of conservatives is to poke fun at people who are different from White males. It’s no coincidence that there’s a category of humor called, “ethnic jokes” that poke fun at every racial stereotype accept WASPS. In the deep South, Conservatism is thicker than molasses and stickier than sap. Down in places like Alabama and Mississippi, they have a unique kind of laughter that you won’t hear many other places; it’s a sadistic laugh, one that follows jabs at those who are “different.” Often, the deepest instinct of Conservatives are, “How can I bully them?” (put them in their place).
Anti-intellectualism was and is a thing. To this day, scholars from places like the Hoover Institute (an organization dedicated to lack of progress), develop intellectual arguments to argue that intellectualism is bad. Anti-smart goes back to the founding of America. The rich knew that they had to keep the other 95% dumb, but they needed them to be proud of being stupid - and it continues to work to this day. In 1642, Christian extremist, John Cotton wrote, "the more learned and witty you bee, the more fit to act for Satan will you bee..” That sentiment was and continues to be taught across American churches for centuries. One problem that caused this to persist was the education past the 3rd or 5th grade was reserved for the wealthy few who should not be trusted. Southern wealthy Whites had to pretend to be anti-intellectual, as they still do today. The joke is on the working class and poor Whites who remained unemployed due to slavery, and to this day also lack accumulated wealth that was essentially concentrated to the Southern upper class. Blacks were physically enslaved but mentally free while poor Whites were physically free but remain mentally enslaved to this day.
For Southern Whites, it’s not hard to be different because their definition of normal is so narrow that that no one actually conforms to it: the white-male- heterosexual-Evangelist. They are defined by everything that they are not.
They have a derogatory term for anything and everyone different, and amongst their friends, they point out how they are not those things: “I ain’t no fag… ain’t no spade.. no hussy.. no wet back.. no stoner.. no heathen.. no Mick or mackerel snapper.. no towel head.. no Jesus killer.. no dot head.. no Yellow .. no Red.. no Wop.. no wetback.. no pussy.. no Polack.. no chink.. no slant eye.. I’m a red blooded American.”
The reality is that Southern Whites Males are a horribly oppressed group of people, and they horribly oppress others, starting with their wives and children and ending with everyone else. They have the highest rates of domestic violence (Oklahoma, Kentucky Missouri), violent crime (Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee), homicide (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama), poverty (Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas), maternal death (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi), fetal mortality not from abortion (Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama), incarceration (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas) and so on (visitors beware: Alabama may be keeping people in jail to use for Slave Labor for Corporations). California also has high rates of prison slave labor; I suspect most Californians are not aware.
The “Southern Way,” was a terrible, horrible way to be, and it all came out of slavery. Slavery necessitated oppression - everywhere. To enslave another human meant that you had do perform the most complicated mental gymnastics. For over 500 years, Southerners had to live in a world they created where they enslaved humans every day. They had to dehumanize them, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not. Instead, they dehumanized themselves. They turned into sociopaths which they remain to this day, never having the strength and humility to take responsibility for what they did. Instead, they resisted all efforts at equality for Black Americans as a way of validating their own pathological treatment of them. To give Black Americans equality would mean they were wrong and bad for having slaves and for all the horrific, evil things they did for so long. It would also mean that, like any other criminal, they owe restitution (reparations).
Instead, Southerners have fought to make their way of thinking normal. They insidiously permeated American democracy with ideas of racial superiority. When the Democratic party finally let go of the Southerners, they formed the Dixie-crats, which failed with Wallace in 1968. After that, the Republican party opened their doors to them, and here we are today.
Trump and his appointees are simpletons obsessed with power, money and sex, the former as a means to the latter. You can watch Fox News, a network whose sole purpose is to promote Conservative ideology, and see the constant barrage of Conservative talk. They’re only the shallowest of political or economic analysis that amount to nothing more than criticisms. Conservative ideology is well-established and black-and-white. It’s from this viewpoint that the Fox commentators, not journalists, comment on the what Liberals are doing to hurt America.
Conservatives don’t think they’re dumb, they just think they know it all, and that there is nothing new to learn, so, any effort at further education is a waste of time. Alice Stewart, the CNN “commentator” who passed away yesterday, once referred to herself as Conservative but an independent thinker. Why did she feel the need to qualify her conservatism with being an independent thinker? You’ll never hear a Liberal qualify their Liberalism that way. Being an independent thinker is an important part of being a “Liberal,” but not at all synonymous with being a Conservative.
The truth is that it is hard to be a Conservative and an "Independent Thinker" at the same time - for many, it simply cannot be done. In fact, many Conservatives are anti-intellectual. They actually fight against the acquisition of knowledge unless it’s for making smarter bombs. Conservatives call smart kids, “nerds” and “try-hards.” They elevated half-witted football players above activities that actually require real talent, like playing the piano, learning another language, any scientific study, and well, critical thinking in general.
You might find yourself asking, being so dumb, how is it then that so many Conservatives are so wealthy? The formula looks something like this: Born white+ male + institutional sexism and racism = financial success. The country’s monetary and legal system is set-up for Conservative White males to fit into - in fact, they built it, and in so doing, they built it around themselves. After all, Capitalism is not really natural, it’s a human construct that uses lots of fancy math.
You might counter my argument with the claim that there are many smart Conservatives who are great thinkers, and to this claim I would completely agree, but this is just hypocrisy. There are many smart Conservatives, but they just want freedom for themselves, not for others. They are perfectly fine with a female presidential candidate so long as she is against a woman’s right to choose. They will vote for a candidate who is gay so long as they are against gay marriage, they will appoint a Black Judge who is married to a White woman so long as he is willing to outlaw interracial marriage for everyone else. They’re rights and freedoms are not in question, just yours.
Where does the anger come from? The source of all anger is the violation of a rule. Conservatives are like dragons, each scale on their back is a rule, break one and smoke comes out of their ears, fire comes out of their mouth. Patriarchy teaches what to be angry about, and it teaches how to express your anger. Patriarchy teaches violence to children. In the North, close to 50% of parents use corporal punishment, and in the South and West the number is much higher. Over 30% of parents who hit their dog also hit their kids. Parents who spank their kids often hit their wives. Violence is taught as a normal expression of anger. Their anger is self-righteous - not righteous. Righteous anger should be rare - saved for the most sacred situations, for example, if someone is trying to overthrow the country, then violence in response to that would be normal and acceptable. But, violence in response to be cut off on the highway is self-righteous and unnecessary.
Conservatives are often angry at others for wanting rights, equality or freedoms. They want people to “stay in their place.” Don’t be “uppity.” Don’t act rich. Don’t act smart. Conservatives fight to conserve the White-male patriarchy. It’s not coincidence that White males make-up the largest voting block of Conservatives. In fact, if only women voted, or if only Blacks votes, or Latinos, or disabled, or LGBTQ, or any other sub-group, the entire government of every State and the Federal government would be Democrats. That’s why Conservatives engage in so much Gerrymandering - they would never win without it.
Conservatives have reduced Christianity from a mythology, full our rich metaphors with messages to individuals on how to live our lives, how to find peace and happiness, and how to cope with suffering into factual history book about the life of Jesus. The most important ideas of Christianity are lost on Conservatives who literally “take up snakes,” really believe Mary was a Virgin, or think there was a guy named Noah who built an arc. Conservatives use religion for their authority. To compete with scientific Christians pretend that the bible is an historical fact. The important messages are lost amongst silly miracles that never happened, like walking on water or turning bread into wine.
Conservatism can be viewed on a spectrum. There are extremists who want to go back to 1865 or maybe 1939, and there are those who are “socially liberal but fiscally conservative.” Most Conservatives are just slow Liberals. What I mean by this is that they just need more time to change.
For example, many Conservatives today say they are for woman’s right to vote (1920), own property (1850s), open their own bank account (1974), start their own business (1974), be able to fly to another country without permission (1974), and get equal pay (1963, 2009), but they just don’t believe in abortion rights (1973), Gay Marriage (2015), taxing the super rich, or that kids should be allowed to choose to have gender reassignment^. They need more time for the new to become normal. Conservatives desperately need Liberals. Without us, only a few old White men would be freed.**
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^^Perhaps Christians need a reminder that Agape was the unique idea of love that Jesus brought into the world from God. Agape was the idea of loving your neighbor, not just your family. Jesus said "love thy neighbor" because even "heathens" naturally love their own family, so there is nothing special about that (Matthew 22:39). It is Agape that makes Good Christians. Being born again to get to heaven won’t work - in fact, only the single hearted shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
** Majority v. Minority Power. In general, it should be fine for minority groups to hold exclusive associations that exclude White Males, but not the reverse. The reason is because of the power differential. In a democracy, in order to level the playing field, allowing White Males to have exclusive associations is a threat to equality, but not the other way around. For centuries, it was within those exclusive White Male associations where power was concentrated and the powerful made their decisions about what would happen to everyone else. The same cannot be said for other minority groups who wish to hold exclusive associations. In fact, the presence of White Males in an all female association would likely undermine the ability of the females to effective associate in a manner to allow them to attain equal power.
^Regarding Gender Reassignment strong evidence supports the mental health benefits of gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for transgender youth. Reversibility of Puberty Blockers: Puberty blockers are reversible and provide time for gender exploration, and are generally considered a low-risk intervention. Low Rates of Regret: While detransition does happen, it is rare, and the overall rate of regret among those who transition during adolescence is very low, less than 1%. Need for Long-Term Data: There are concerns about the long-term health impacts of hormone therapy and the limited amount of data available, particularly regarding fertility, bone density, and cardiovascular health. Cognitive Maturity and Consent: There is ongoing debate about whether teens are cognitively mature enough to make permanent medical decisions, but some research suggests that they can give informed consent with adequate support. Ultimately, this has more to do with the freedom of individuals to have control over their own bodies than it does scientific evidence which something that many conservatives do not respect even though they constantly speak about personal freedom.
**In the United States, the initial rule was that only White men who owned property and paid taxes could vote (~5% of the population). We have come a very long way since, but we still have a long way to go so that all men and women are truly free from the tyranny of religions with their obsession about gender and sex, chosen “people” and fetuses; free from the undue influence of corporate power and greed; free from politicians who work for money and power and not the basic needs of people and society.