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Really, what does it mean to be a conservative today? [1]
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Date: 2025-09-12
Growing up in the 50s and 60s, my understanding then of what it meant to be a conservative was shaped by the likes of William F. Buckley. The key principles I recall were limited government and fiscal responsibility. There were cultural norms then as well, and adhering to them was the most acceptable behavior, but the norms were not labeled as conservative or progressive, they were just norms.
Today, being a conservative seems to indicate that a person is likely a republican and holds views espoused by “the right.” It includes believing in limited government and fiscal responsibility, but seems to automatically include other views as well. Among those are: anti-gay, anti-same sex marriage, anti-abortion, anti-science, anti-DEI, Anti-immigrant, anti-people of color, anti-any religion except Christianity, anti-poor people, and so on.
It is fair to say that in the latter part of the last century, progressive causes were resisted by people who might be labeled conservatives. But, among the conservatives I knew, there was at least a willingness to consider the reasonability of things like school integration and civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, etc. These progressive concepts were uncomfortable for some people to deal with, but they didn’t automatically result in very broad violent resistance. We could at least talk. Just as they listened to progressive ideas, the progressives among us acknowledged their right to their views and we compromised. In congress, and in our everyday Iives.
So, what does it mean to be a conservative today? Do you have to be rabid about all of the “anti’s” that I listed above? Can we still talk about issues?
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