Ethics & Morality in Conservatism

The Conservative Label

Personal Opinion by Gaystoryman

In a heated debate, Gays were accused of co-opting the word, and I suppose in some sense that is true. However, what about those who have Co-Opted the tab of being a Conservative? I mean talk about taking a meaning and twisting it out of shape.

Unlike Gay which also denotes ‘happy’, Conservative has come to mean Racist, Bigot, and worse. Least in my mind, and world.

Back in the day, Conservatives meant that you were cautious, in everything. You weren’t a person who suddenly grabbed the wife and took off to Paris , or who would walk downtown and buy a new car. You were someone who thought things out, who weighed options and had a keen eye for price discounts.

It also meant that you didn’t believe in Government regulating your life. You believed that money you worked for, was yours to spend, not the Government. Oh sure, you didn’t object to taxes to keep a strong military, and the few social programs that were needed, but by and large you hated big Government.

You believed in the dream, that anyone could become Bill Gates, as long as they thought, worked hard, and valued ethics and morality. Those were your bedrocks, your linchpins from which your life was built upon, and you know in many ways, I identify with that, even today. Though frankly, what passes for a Conservative today is far from how I see myself, or any True Conservative.

When did Conservatism become synonymous with Racism, and Bigotry?

While back in the day, most Conservatives were followers of Faith, of all kinds, they also had a respect for those who believed differently. They granted them the respect of having a different opinion, of the possibility of being right. That sure isn’t today’s brand of Conservative. Today they call you Traitor, Evil, Pervert, if you are different or oppose their concept of what should be.

While in the past, being a Conservative involved fiscal restraint, it also held to certain values, morals. It didn’t believe in discrimination, and accepted differences in people, even if they didn’t understand them. They had a moral code that was about being honest, about speaking what they perceived the truth to be.

Sure they had an odd look when talking about Homosexuality, but it wasn’t riddled with hate, or spurred them into rhetoric that damaged people’s self esteem. They certainly didn’t want to harm children, and to them family meant those who worked together, to raise and exist with honor among others.

How that has changed today.

Fiscal spending was for them to decide, not nameless Government agents. They didn’t believe in National Programs, but in States or Provinces having those rights, because to them, those organs of society knew their needs better than some national governing body. They believed in standards too, in trying to raise the bar, not lower it, not creep under it and excuse it. Conservatives back then wanted answers to failures, and wanted to know what was to be done about those failures.

They valued open debate, open dialogue with all, even if they were valued as an enemy. They didn’t discount the notion that discussion, debate, was valid, but they wouldn’t stand still for bullshit either. They knew where to draw the line, to protect their own vested interests, as anyone should. They didn’t shrink the line, or expand it either. It was there, for everyone to see, and crossing that line wasn’t open for debate.

Conservatives believed that a Military Force was for protection of a nation, not for Invasion of another. They didn’t believe in war for Oil, but held firm to principles of what they perceived was right or wrong. They didn’t understand other nations, other beliefs, but were willing to not engage them, to not force their will on them, because they knew it wasn’t right, that it wasn’t fair. Those were true Conservatives, that somehow have grown into Invaders today. Or have they?

Have the Conservatives been altered, or merely taken over by some who merely took the name, the mantle, and ignored the principles and ideals that once were Conservatism?

I believe they have, and I would say that while those who were Conservative back then, those who claim that mantle today were the one’s behind the White Hoods, wearing the White Sheets. They were the nameless faces of racism, of intolerance, who slowly and carefully crept into what was once the bastion of Freedom, of Democracy, of Conservatism.

In the past, there were many a heated debate, many arguments about religious beliefs, about differences and about race. But it was those same Conservatives who made changes in society that until now, have been inviolate, such as Race Equality, such as Equal Protection for All under the Law. Now, that has vanished, or been driven underground to the point were Conservatism is a bad word. It no longer stands for values or morality.

Big Business has taken advantage, claiming to be Conservative, throwing Billions at men who were once decent, but who now strive to maintain their new Conservatism. They corrupt them, to achieve their bottom line, even if that means the demise of their own citizens. They create terror, because they rob society of a balance.

I think of myself as a Conservative. However, not in the sense that people like Stephen Harper or George Bush have co-opted the meaning. I believe in fiscal restraint, just ask the wife who is always wanting to buy this or that on the spur of the moment.

I believe in Family Values, but not like Vic Toews or Mitt Romney. I believe that it is my obligation to secure what my kids do or don’t do. To teach them values that count, like being honest, like be open to new ideas and new concepts. To not accept what is, simply because someone says it is. To question and to dream. To seek a goal, achieve it, then raise the level of the goal, to always strive to achieve more. To treat others with respect, with courtesy and to value compassion, even for those who are opposed to me or to our way of life.

As a Conservative, I believe in values and so what if my opponent doesn’t? It is up to him to live up to his expectations, but one thing I cannot stomach, is to be told that I have to change my values, in order to fight the enemy. That isn’t going to protect my way of life, but will hasten its demise.

I believe that a Parent must be involved, that they need to stand guard over their children, and that doesn’t mean having someone else monitor their behavior. That is the Parent’s job, and yes it can be time consuming, but it is time that has to be made. It is the Parent’s OBLIGATION to watch and seek out threats to their child. To sit and oversee what they do, how they do it, and to not let them do it, if it is a perceived threat.

As a parent, their responsibility lays far beyond simply earning a living, putting food on the table. It is up to them to provide food for the soul, to teach them compassion, to teach them tolerance and to teach them wisdom. Today’s Conservatives preach family values, but they won’t say what those values are.

They attack differences, which shows a child that compassion is not worthy of following. They allow children to run amuck or they attempt to force them to accept lower standards, because it simply isn’t convenient to fight for better education standards. Todays conservatives lead by example, taking schools to court for them daring to battle bullying. They launch hate campaigns and ballot measures to segregate a minority, calling it God’s Will, when they haven’t a clue what HIS will is.

They talk about GOD, being one of hate, of spite, and worse, of vengeance. They forget that GOD is the FATHER OF ALL, even those who they might hate. They instill fear in their kids, allowing them to do their work by fostering racism, by promoting segregation. They point out who to hate, claiming a higher authority, when the truth is they simply fear the differences they can’t understand.

They abdicate their obligations to Government, demanding new rules to restrict freedoms of expression. They lay claim to protecting children by adhering to policies that have proven to not work. They rise in anger if anyone dares suggest that rights for the majority are equally available to the minority, irrespective of who the minority is. They live in a Idealistic World, where they are the masters, and no one else could have a different view that was right. No one but they, are right, so they stack courts, stack elections to protect their way of life, while making life for those who are different, inconsequential at best, unbearable at worst.

That is today’s Conservative, the one who refuses to acknowledge that battling bullying isn’t about supporting a different lifestyle, but is about battling abuse, racism. Instead of rushing to support that, they launch court case to oppose it, they threaten Veto’s to prevent legislative efforts to correct it.

I am odd, I believe that a Military is to Protect My Country, and that if people are crossing my border, taking jobs or being taken advantage of, it is up to my Military to secure those borders. It is up to my Government Agencies to find those who take advantage and punish them, and stop them. Not to provide them with easier access. I want value for my buck, and I want to know that what I buy, is safe for me, safe to use or eat. I expect that from my Government, nor do I care if those in charge are aligned with my party of choice or not.

It isn’t important that they do the bidding of some political master, because once hired, their obligation is to the job. If that job is to end corruption, then it shouldn’t matter who is being dishonest, they should be fair game. The morals of our society are not for trading. I cannot accept the argument that the other guy does worse.

It isn’t about the other guy, but is about us.

Secure Browsing

Ethics & Morality in Conservatism

The Conservative Label

Personal Opinion by Gaystoryman

Indulge Your Fantasies with My Original Story Telling.