Comments on: What is a Conservative? http://www.thoughtsaloud.com/2009/01/02/what-is-a-conservative/ ...A Haven For Sovereign Rational Minds Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:04:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steel Phoenix http://www.thoughtsaloud.com/2009/01/02/what-is-a-conservative/comment-page-1/#comment-191 Steel Phoenix Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:13:37 +0000 http://www.thoughtsaloud.com/2009/01/02/what-is-a-conservative/#comment-191 I've been distancing myself from the term. It is both loaded and imprecise. It suggests that the answers to our problems lie in the past. I keep my eyes focused firmly on the future. History is a reference material, not an endangered culture. I stand for progress through free enterprise. About the only thing I want to 'conserve' is the environment, which ironically would make me a minority among conservatives. I tend to think progressive would be a better term than liberal for the opposite of conservatives, but if that graph on the secular right a few days back was true, then the so called progressives don't have much love for science. I'm starting to use as many specific labels as possible and avoiding the overly general ones. A few examples: Libertarian Paleoconservative Neocon Socialist Theocrat Plutocrat Anarchist Globalist Nationalist Environmentalist Protectionist Jingoist There are dozens more. You can cram all you want, but they don't fit on a two dimensional chart. The use of 'conservative' has been relegated to being used by recruiters claiming they represent the 'true conservatives'. I also think it is important for people to know where they really stand. It is ok to say you are a progressive libertarian, or an environmental nationalist. If people don't get it, explain it to them. If you are blogging, link it to an explanation. I’ve been distancing myself from the term. It is both loaded and imprecise. It suggests that the answers to our problems lie in the past.

I keep my eyes focused firmly on the future. History is a reference material, not an endangered culture.

I stand for progress through free enterprise. About the only thing I want to ‘conserve’ is the environment, which ironically would make me a minority among conservatives.

I tend to think progressive would be a better term than liberal for the opposite of conservatives, but if that graph on the secular right a few days back was true, then the so called progressives don’t have much love for science.

I’m starting to use as many specific labels as possible and avoiding the overly general ones. A few examples:
Libertarian
Paleoconservative
Neocon
Socialist
Theocrat
Plutocrat
Anarchist
Globalist
Nationalist
Environmentalist
Protectionist
Jingoist

There are dozens more. You can cram all you want, but they don’t fit on a two dimensional chart. The use of ‘conservative’ has been relegated to being used by recruiters claiming they represent the ‘true conservatives’. I also think it is important for people to know where they really stand. It is ok to say you are a progressive libertarian, or an environmental nationalist. If people don’t get it, explain it to them. If you are blogging, link it to an explanation.

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