Conservatives, what drives them ?

[Chris_]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3776251

steve2470  (1000+ posts)      Mon Aug-11-08 11:43 AM
Original message
Conservatives, what drives them ?
Edited on Mon Aug-11-08 11:46 AM by steve2470
Serious question here. When I've researched issues in the past, I've almost always fallen on the left side of the equation because, it simply made sense from my value system. I suppose if I came from an extremely right wing family and never had any exposure to "liberal values", I may have gone more to the right.

I'm asking this because, I went to another message board with supposedly intelligent people posting on it. My assumption of liberality was rapidly blown out of the water by some very cantankerous conservatives. The argument that really shocked me was that the USA was on the brink of winning Vietnam during the Tet Offensive but General Giap just so decided not to give up. This supposedly was in his autobiography. I was totally shocked to read that someone actually believed this.

Does it really come down to values in the end ? I know there are other factors at work, but is this what really organizes them ? I know there are some on the right who are primarily motivated by power and greed. I'm speaking of the run of the mill guy or gal who owns the business next door or who goes to work every day just like you do.

What "value system"?

lumberjack_jeff  (1000+ posts)      Mon Aug-11-08 05:05 PM
Response to Reply #33
39. I disagree.
 Once you discredit conservatism as a solution, you can still debate issues; "Civil unions or Gay marriage?", "Single payer health care or nationalized health services?". Neither

Conservatives have intentionally and largely successfully discredited liberalism. That war wasn't a byproduct or a side affect. We weren't collateral damage. Discrediting liberalism was the goal in and of itself. and it worked quite well It is only through the complete bankuptcy of their ideas that people are reevaluating that perception.

I want to destroy conservatism in the same way. Completely. The only difference is that I don't want us to screw up in such highly obvious ways like they did. Imperialism, facism and totalitarianism should not be one end of the spectrum of rational debate. Torture should not only not be a solution, it should not be an option.

Tactically, I'm right. Medically, I'm right too. They're nuts. Projection, not just in movie theaters.

[DixieBelle]

What drives us? Big-assed SUVs.

[jtyangel]

What drives us? Big-assed SUVs.

I gots mine

[USA4ME]

What drives us? Big-assed SUVs.

I was going to say "our chauffeur," but this answer works just as well.

.

[Chris_]

What drives us? Big-assed SUVs. :-)

I was going to say "our chauffeur," but this answer works just as well.

.

Our chauffeur-driven SUVs.

"Liberal Values"  -- AKA Socialism/Communism.

[BannedFromDU]

steve2470  (1000+ posts)      Mon Aug-11-08 11:43 AM
Original message
Conservatives, what drives them ?

     You do, in the rental car shuttle, when I land at the airport.

[Duke Nukum]

Conservatives drive themselves and come to similar conclusions based on what could be termed reality or experience.  Liberals are driven by a need to see themselves as "good people" and if that is the main or only source of motivation it becomes easy to manipulate language to such an extent that "abortion is a choice" and not about ending a life.  And choice is good and so abortion is good and so "good people" support abortion. 

And "America is addicted to oil, we need alternatives!" but drilling for our own oil is never one of the alternatives.  Burning this addictive substance releases CO2 into the atmosfear and causes global warming and destroys all life on earth and so oil is evil and people who buy over-priced hybrids that "use less oil" are "good people."

Beliefs need to be tested and if they are found to produce no beneficial result, they must be jettisoned.  If they are found to not only benefit the person who holds the belief but that person's family and the community in general, then it can be said to be a beneficial belief.  Abortion causes pain to the individual and diminishes the family and the community as a whole and even humankind as a whole so therefore "Abortion is a choice" is a weak or false belief because it ends up serving no one, really, except the few that profit form the misery of others.

Not drilling our own oil hurts the cause of the individuals who want us to move to alternatives that don't exist yet, and the country as a whole so therefore it is a weak or false belief and should jettisoned.

It's not really brain salad surgery and conservatives don't need to be geniuses, although some are (but they are not necessarily the smartest ones), it just takes the courage to face one's self and choose happiness over selfishly caring how others see us.

[BannedFromDU]

Conservatives drive themselves and come to similar conclusions based on what could be termed reality or experience.  Liberals are driven by a need to see themselves as "good people" and if that is the main or only source of motivation it becomes easy to manipulate language to such an extent that "abortion is a choice" and not about ending a life.  And choice is good and so abortion is good and so "good people" support abortion. 

And "America is addicted to oil, we need alternatives!" but drilling for our own oil is never one of the alternatives.  Burning this addictive substance releases CO2 into the atmosfear and causes global warming and destroys all life on earth and so oil is evil and people who buy over-priced hybrids that "use less oil" are "good people."

Beliefs need to be tested and if they are found to produce no beneficial result, they must be jettisoned.  If they are found to not only benefit the person who holds the belief but that person's family and the community in general, then it can be said to be a beneficial belief.  Abortion causes pain to the individual and diminishes the family and the community as a whole and even humankind as a whole so therefore "Abortion is a choice" is a weak or false belief because it ends up serving no one, really, except the few that profit form the misery of others.

Not drilling our own oil hurts the cause of the individuals who want us to move to alternatives that don't exist yet, and the country as a whole so therefore it is a weak or false belief and should jettisoned.

It's not really brain salad surgery and conservatives don't need to be geniuses, although some are (but they are not necessarily the smartest ones), it just takes the courage to face one's self and choose happiness over selfishly caring how others see us.

Or, said differently, liberals are driven by:

[Duke Nukum]

Conservatives drive themselves and come to similar conclusions based on what could be termed reality or experience.  Liberals are driven by a need to see themselves as "good people" and if that is the main or only source of motivation it becomes easy to manipulate language to such an extent that "abortion is a choice" and not about ending a life.  And choice is good and so abortion is good and so "good people" support abortion. 

And "America is addicted to oil, we need alternatives!" but drilling for our own oil is never one of the alternatives.  Burning this addictive substance releases CO2 into the atmosfear and causes global warming and destroys all life on earth and so oil is evil and people who buy over-priced hybrids that "use less oil" are "good people."

Beliefs need to be tested and if they are found to produce no beneficial result, they must be jettisoned.  If they are found to not only benefit the person who holds the belief but that person's family and the community in general, then it can be said to be a beneficial belief.  Abortion causes pain to the individual and diminishes the family and the community as a whole and even humankind as a whole so therefore "Abortion is a choice" is a weak or false belief because it ends up serving no one, really, except the few that profit form the misery of others.

Not drilling our own oil hurts the cause of the individuals who want us to move to alternatives that don't exist yet, and the country as a whole so therefore it is a weak or false belief and should jettisoned.

It's not really brain salad surgery and conservatives don't need to be geniuses, although some are (but they are not necessarily the smartest ones), it just takes the courage to face one's self and choose happiness over selfishly caring how others see us.

Or, said differently, liberals are driven by:

Very good sir, very good indeed!