Conservatism Is Morally Bankrupt
BY
VIVEK CHIBBER
Conservatives claim to defend tradition. The truth is, they actually defend domination and illegitimate power over others.
The political right often describes itself as the defender of tradition of the norms, values, and rituals that we cherish, and the communities that sustain them. These two elements are, often correctly, taken as connected. Norms and values cannot be sustained unless they are rooted in stable communities of fellowship. And the community, for its part, is meaningful precisely because of the habits and rituals, the deep sense of mutuality and common values, that it provides its members.
The Right understands that for most people, these phenomena hold great value, and it assiduously presents itself as their proponent. Conversely, the Left is often presented as contemptuous of tradition. In its critique of the status quo, its association with the forces of change, and its defense of individual rights, the Left is taken to be overturning the very way of life in which people find meaning. Hence, while the Right is viewed as a defender of the community, the Left is presented as a promoter of an iconoclastic individualism.
There is certainly an element of truth to this description. The Right has indeed sought to uphold important elements of traditional culture; the Left, for its part, does seek to overturn many institutions inherited from the distant past. Socialist anthems often pick up this theme The Internationale talks about remaking the world from its foundations, while Solidarity Forever gives us the line about making a new world from the ashes of the old. But while we can affirm the standard description at a certain level of generality, it probably distorts more than it reveals.
https://jacobinmag.com/2021/08/conservatism-leftism-tradition-culture-values-community-music-market-forces-tribune/
C_U_L8R
(45,002 posts)Mostly because they realize they can't win fair elections any longer. Nobody likes these assholes.
Chainfire
(17,538 posts)Just a bunch of Democracy hating Fascists, wrapped in a flag with god on "their side." Their goals have nothing to do with conserving our Representative Democracy, but tearing it down and replacing it with a government that does not accept the will of the majority. On conservative sites they call "Democracy" mob rule...
ShazamIam
(2,571 posts)is about top down governance, it is inherently anti-democratic. Those, "traditions," that are referred to include, all forms of bigotry and discrimination, against women, based on religion, based on race and or culture, etc.
And the rarity and outright magic of the American Colonies 1776 revolt against the ultimate conservatism, a Monarchy, has lost its place in this dialogue. Rare because it held so far for 250 years and spread.
The revolution of 1776 really did change the world.
Now that is being swept out of the dialogue as fast as Jan. 6. is.
The idea that, "all men," are created equal." Conservatives of course, based on, tradition, don't want women added, are still trying to keep women and the people descendants from the slaves of those days.
Conservatism relies on division, separation of classes, denial of enfranchisement of all adults, etc.
There is a huge media push to accept authoritarianism as over all beneficial and, traditional and comforting.
That toady David Brooks often alludes to class separation and the working and middle classes being, obedient to their superiors and betters.