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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Baloo: [QB] I have been paying attention to something I've noticed for quite some time. The terms "Liberal" and "Conservative" mean completely different things depending on who's being asked and what they think they are. The following is greatly simplified. Feel free to jump in, but don't light any fuses just yet [IMG]http://flare.solareclipse.net/wink.gif[/IMG]. Both terms mean "The GOOD Guys" to people who strongly identify with the term used. Neither Liberals nor Conservatives believe their world view is harmful. If you completely agree with them, you must be a good guy, too. Each term means "The BAD Guys" to people who strongly identify with the "opposite" term. If you are a Conservative, Liberals stand for everything you are against. If you are a liberal, it's the Conservatives who want to subjugate mankind according to their warped, twisted views. There are some ideas that are common to one view or the other, but I think they boil down to the following: <UL> [*]Liberal: No-one is truly responsible for the things they do. Everyone shares responsibility anything that happens. We are all responsible for the (hypothetical) axe murderer who killed seven people and we can't sentence him to death because really, it's our fault just as much it is his. Besides, whio can say he's really guilty? After all, jurys are composed of fallible human beings, and might have made a mistake. Besides, who are we to judge? By extension, no-one can be trusted to do the right thing on their own. It just won't happen on a big enough scale to matter unless it is imposed upon them by an outside force. [*]Conservative: Everyone is responsible for his own actions only. That axe-murderer in the previous example chose to do the deeds he did and deserves to die, die, die! While the jury is composed of fallible people, there are 12 of them, so the odds favor they have weighed the evidence correctly despite the possibility that a few of them are dim. No-one but the axe-murderer is responsible for his actions because he [i]chose[/i] his actions by himself. Since no-one is responsible for any actions or decisions but his or her own, no-one should be forced to do anything unless there is a direct threat to all if it is not done. If you're in bad shape it must be your fault.</UL> Although I have identified myself as a conservative, I must realistically recognize there are people who use that same label to fool others into believing they are one of the "good guys". Likewise, there are some who use the liberal flag so others will think [i]they[/i] are one of the "good guys". I don't think I can use the label of conservative to describe what my ideals are when talking to self-described liberals. When I use that term it means, to them, that I approve of everything they do not, that I support some sort of movement to suppress their ideals. Likewise, a liberal who describes himself as such immediately identifies himself to the strong conservative as a person who wants to promote every civil liberty except the ones the conservative holds dear. The conservative fears the same sort of dictatorship the liberal does, but identifies the threat as coming from the liberal camp. What does this mean? I support the right to bear arms. I must be a conservative, since every liberal knows that no-one can be trusted with the power of deadly force. After all, power corrupts, doesn't it? And guns are power. Ban guns. On the other hand, I support freedom of speech. The movement to add an amendment to our Constitution banning flag-burning alarms me, as it threatens to set a precedent I do not like at all. It would mean that if anyone didn't like something you said, if they had enough support, they could make what you said illegal. You could not express it. I have a lot of views. Mainly, I believe we are each fully in control of only our actions and must be held responsible for what we do. We are, however, responsible [i]to[/i] others. We can do what we can to convince or persuade others to believe as we do, but they are, in the end, responsible for their own actions. Part of being responsible to one another is serving one another. I donate to charity, but don't expect others to. I contribute to the welfare of the community in ways that suit me. Others may contribute in ways that suit them. Or not. It's their choice. After all, community service of any sort isn't really "giving back", it's giving [i]to[/i] the community. It isn't owed, but it makes the world a better place, not just for yourself but also for others. If it were compulsory, who would choose what needs to be done? Possibly someone who doesn't care about what you do. So am I a liberal or am I something else? How about you? </soapbox> [/QB][/QUOTE]
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