Progressivism
(P) Vs. Conservatism (C)
When you understand a problem, you are halfway towards
a solution!
As we have learned, there are two sides of the
on-going, half-century old ‘culture war:’ The left-leaning secular progressives
(sometimes called ‘liberals’), versus the right-leaning traditional values
conservative (also known as ‘social conservatives’). The secular progressives
dominate our political parties, mainstream media, academia, big business, some
parts of the judiciary, and the entertainment industry. Many mainstream people
and some cultural leaders subscribe, at least in part, to the traditional
values side.
This handy guide will help distinguish between
progressives (P) and conservatives (C).
1.
Worldview
P: Concerned with economic
material side of man;
C: Concerned with the
entire person, including moral & spiritual.
2.
Identity
P: Identity Politics;
C: Character (Martin
Luther King Jr., in his epic 1963 speech, I Have A Dream, said he wanted
his children to be judged by content of their character, not the colour of
their skin).
3.
Size of Government
P: Large government is the
solution (Obama);
C: Large government is the
problem (Reagan).
4.
Human Nature
P: Human nature is good;
C: Human nature is good
& evil, hence the need for ‘checks’ and ‘balances’ in government.
5.
Issues of Life & Death
P: Supports abortion,
euthanasia, assisted suicide;
C: Thoroughly pro-life.
6.
Attitude towards Change
P: Change for change’s
sake;
C: Only change for the better
will do.
7.
Immigration
P: Believes in open door,
unfettered migration. Borderless;
C: Believes in
sustainable, controlled migration. Borders matter.
8.
Definition & Redefinition
P: Everything is subject
to redefinition, including time-honoured things like marriage, family, gender,
mother & father, husband & wife;
C: Prove all things; hold
fast to what is good
9.
Multiculturalism
P: Multiculturalism: All
cultures are equally benign, beneficial, and no culture is superior to any
other. Integration into the new country is not encouraged;
C: Melting Pot: Migrants
blend into the culture where they now reside. Some cultures are better than
others, otherwise, immigration would be two-way traffic between main cultures.
10.
Gender
P: Transgenderism: Gender
is a social construct, changeable and fluid;
C: Male & female:
gender is fixed.
11.
Definition of Marriage
P: Marriage redefinition;
C: Marriage integrity.
Retains traditional definition.
12.
Attitudes towards Wealth
P: Wealth redistribution
(Obama: spread the wealth around);
C: Wealth creation
13.
Religion & Conscience
P: Freedom of worship (you
are free to do as you like only in your home and house of worship);
C: Freedom of religion
& conscience (you are free to express and live your convictions, publicly
and privately).
14.
Freedom of Speech
P: Controlled speech:
including political correctness, self-censorship, hate speech legislation,
sensitivity lessons;
C: Freedom of speech.
15.
Government Regulations
P: Regulations are
important;
C: Cut the red-tape,
unshackle the economy.
16.
Liberalism
P: New ‘liberalism’ where ‘equality
is everything’ and the individual’s rights more important than community
welfare;
C: Classic liberalism:
open to other views, values individualism, freedom and human rights.
17.
Welfare vs. Charity
P: Believes in an
expansive (and very costly) welfare state;
C: Private charity, family
support, and individual responsibility.
18.
Interpretation of Key Texts
P: Deconstruction;
C: Let the text speak for
itself.
19.
Judeo-Christian Morals, Values, Ethics
P: Rejects or minimises
Judeo-Christian ethics, values, and morality;
C: Upholds the values of
Judeo-Christianity.
20.
Social Justice
P: Social justice, which
includes radical politics and income redistribution;
C: Justice: rewarding the
righteous and punishing the wicked.
21.
Palestine & Israel
P: Supports Palestine (and
hard-left supports radical Islam);
C: Supports Israel. Some
can also simultaneously care for Palestinians.
22.
Victimhood
P: Focus on victimhood;
C: Focus on victory.
23.
Equality
P: Equality of outcomes;
C: Equality of
opportunity.
24.
Beneficiaries of the System
P: Central planners,
bureaucrats & welfare recipients benefit;
C: Innovative,
hard-working people and society as a whole benefit.
25.
Coercion vs. Cooperation
P: Coercive; cooperation
is not optional when enacting the progressive agenda;
C: Cooperative.
26.
The Narrative
P: The narrative matters -
no matter what is the reality or truth;
C: The truth matters - no
matter what is the narrative
27.
Marriage & Family
P: Marriage & family
are lifestyle options;
C: Marriage & family
is the building block of a sound, solid society: a duty and delight.
28.
Affirmative Action
P: Believes AA levels the
playing field and brings equality;
C: See AA as state
sanctioned (reverse) racial discrimination, counterproductive.
29.
Wealth
P: Social injustice;
C: Reward for enterprise
and/or hard work.
30.
Wealth Redistribution
P: Social justice;
C: Theft.
31.
Human Condition
P: Views people as ‘have’s’
and ‘have nots;’
C: Views people as ‘cans’ and
‘cannots’ and ‘wills’ and ‘will not.’
32.
Attitude to Goodness
P: Likes to ‘feel good’ regarding
a particular action;
C: Wants to ‘do good’ and ‘be
good’ regarding a particular action.
33.
Religious Liberty
P: Takes second place to
anti-discrimination;
C: Fundamental to freedom
and must be fully preserved.
34.
Purpose of Government
P: Give fairness of
outcomes; bestows human rights; take care of our needs;
C: Life, liberty, and
property; infrastructure and defence.
QUOTES
TO PONDER
Equality/Inequality: ’The
worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal’ - Aristotle
Deficits: ’We don’t have a
trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar
debt because we spend too much’ — Ronald Reagan
Capitalism vs. Socialism: ’The
inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent
virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries’ - Winston Churchill
Social Justice: ’The
idea of social justice, as Friedrich Hayek observed long ago, is a mirage, a
social fiction of the left. There is no ‘society’ that distributes income unfairly, and no ‘society’ that could make the distribution just. Social justice is the rationale
for a political elite to appropriate what others have earned and distribute it
to their own constituencies to increase their power’ - David Horowitz
‘The Strange Age?’ Consider the following:
•Good is called evil and evil is called
good;
•The exception is the rule;
•Fantasy is chosen over facts;
•Rhetoric is deemed more valuable than
reality;
•Charisma is cherished more than character;
•Style is preferred over substance;
•Minority rules - and to hell with the
welfare of the majority;
•Individual rights trump community
welfare;
•The abnormal is declared normal and normal is treated like a
disease;
•Intolerance has now become the ‘new
tolerance’ & classic tolerance is relegated to the museum;
•Nonsense is now the new ‘common sense,’ while
true ‘common sense’ is beaten senseless, survives on a life-support machine,
and the knob is about to be turned off.
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