Take this for what it's worth. It's just a rumination.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about the various liberals that I know lately- which, let's be honest, is almost everyone I know, church people aside. I'm very lucky to have in my acquaintance several people with whom, despite differing viewpoints on some "hot-button" issues (I'm conservative on most and liberal on one or two, which always surprises them), I enjoy amiable and respectful relationships.
The great majority of liberals in my life experience, however, have displayed traits that deeply disturb me. These phenomena used to wound my feelings, until I learned to simply, quietly move these people into the next outward concentric circle of acquaintance. Thankfully, at this point of adulthood most people seem to be learning how to play nice with others- at least to stay rational and polite until the subject changes. I've had to do this for years, so I don't quite understand how people could have missed this important life skill. Belligerence gets you nowhere and makes you come off as an immature, overly emotional git (take, as an example, the person who began cursing at Andrew on Facebook when he made a statement about voting third-party in this election).
The traits I've observed are simple.
1. They believe that I must naturally agree with them with regards to any issue, and converse under this assumption until I'm forced to try and find a tactful way to point out my more conservative viewpoint.
2. These people believe that I am intellectually and/or morally deficient in the areas in which we disagree. Usually, they will have mentioned that those with a conservative viewpoint are "stupid" while they're still up in stage one above: before they realize that I, too, am "dumb".
3. They are incapable of participating in a collegial discussion involving issues on which we hold differing viewpoints. They quickly become hostile, agitated, and angry when presented with facts or viewpoints of which they were unaware, and seem to percieve it as an ad hominem attack that I don't blindly come to agree with them.
4. These people expect me to politely listen to their viewpoints with calm civility, if not outright agreement.
It strikes me that a truly open-minded person would be able to listen to an opposing viewpoint (respectfully presented, of course) and take it whatever it's worth to them without becoming, basically, a dick. This kind of "enforced liberalism" is really de facto fascism, even if the consequences for dissent are social unpleasantness rather than exile, torture, or death.
The great majority of liberals in my life experience, however, have displayed traits that deeply disturb me. These phenomena used to wound my feelings, until I learned to simply, quietly move these people into the next outward concentric circle of acquaintance. Thankfully, at this point of adulthood most people seem to be learning how to play nice with others- at least to stay rational and polite until the subject changes. I've had to do this for years, so I don't quite understand how people could have missed this important life skill. Belligerence gets you nowhere and makes you come off as an immature, overly emotional git (take, as an example, the person who began cursing at Andrew on Facebook when he made a statement about voting third-party in this election).
The traits I've observed are simple.
1. They believe that I must naturally agree with them with regards to any issue, and converse under this assumption until I'm forced to try and find a tactful way to point out my more conservative viewpoint.
2. These people believe that I am intellectually and/or morally deficient in the areas in which we disagree. Usually, they will have mentioned that those with a conservative viewpoint are "stupid" while they're still up in stage one above: before they realize that I, too, am "dumb".
3. They are incapable of participating in a collegial discussion involving issues on which we hold differing viewpoints. They quickly become hostile, agitated, and angry when presented with facts or viewpoints of which they were unaware, and seem to percieve it as an ad hominem attack that I don't blindly come to agree with them.
4. These people expect me to politely listen to their viewpoints with calm civility, if not outright agreement.
It strikes me that a truly open-minded person would be able to listen to an opposing viewpoint (respectfully presented, of course) and take it whatever it's worth to them without becoming, basically, a dick. This kind of "enforced liberalism" is really de facto fascism, even if the consequences for dissent are social unpleasantness rather than exile, torture, or death.