You might be a conservative if:

1. You believe in small government so you left the big city for a small town, or better yet, no town. If you inherited your conservatism then you never left the small town. Cities generate population growth and require big infrastructure, and therefore big government. It’s not getting any smaller. Though many suburbs of big cities are beginning to municipalize and thus gaining their independence. You work locally to limit building permits.

2. You don’t watch TV. Hollywood and it’s ilk are a liberal bastion and you don’t need that kind of programming. Instead you spend your time with other activities such as farming, building furniture, making beer/wine, fashioning your own clothing, forging knives, building boats, cooking, or making bread and other necessities.

3. You believe in self sufficiency so you eschew public utilities. You use solar, wind, propane, gas or other fuel for electricity. You have a well. You have a sceptic system. If you don’t yet have these, they are priorities.

4. You don’t trust social media. Instead you text people individually to keep up with friends and family.

5. You respect military service.

6. You believe that the 2nd amendment guarantees your right to protect yourself, your family and your property with a gun.

7. You are a capitalist. Not just a consumer, but a practicing capitalist. You either own, have owned your own business, or work for a small business. You have first hand knowledge as to why capitalism is the economic engine our founding fathers chose and how well it educates those who practice capitalism.

8. At the same time you are generous with your small town neighbors and family, giving to them often and sharing responsibilities.

a reply to: HunkaHunka

Most of the things you said described me but not the last part.

I wish I could have my own business.

I pay rent.

a reply to: HunkaHunka

1. Check

2. Check

3. Check - But we do have municipal power also, but only power.

4. Check

5. Check

6. Check

7. Check

and...

8. Check!

well then, that makes me a conservative

It's really discouraging to know people have these types of principals and lifestyles. It shows how society in the United States of America is disintegrating from the effects of complete lack of character of these types of people. I for one would not want to live in a country which embraced this at all. Even though many of us won't admit it, we know that independence, critical thinking and integrity are downfalls for mankind and this has been proven time and time again through history. I don't know why we tolerate these types of people or their ideas and I truly feel it's my duty to suppres this ideology any way I can. People should never live and let live and having a hive mentality is the only way for mankind to develop greater depth of character and understanding and achieve inner peace.

/sarc

a reply to: HunkaHunka

1. Through 8. Nailed it, except I have utility power at my home and solar at my cabin. It’s hard to maintain power generation as economically as a public utility.

a reply to: HunkaHunka

I smell a setup , but yep these notions apply to my wife, daughter and I...many more as well. Then there are some uncharacteristic ideals we subscribe to as well. I certainly wouldnt say the enumerated ideals are exact and exclusive, but a nice start.

Whereas we extoll the virtues of solar, many of todays conservatives poo poo solar out of hand. I smell classic liberal equation incoming.

I didn't realize I was a conservative ... I didn't realize I needed to be told what a political affiliation should act like....

intelligence is such that it forces us to realize when xyz needs to be changed or modified to fit the year 2018 not the 1700s...


how about being on the side of what's right instead of a particular party....

dont let political myopia tear the country apart....being hard headed isnt virtue

One may be a Liberal that feels they must start a thread stereotyping folks
It is the Liberal way...

So to sum up...

To be a conservative, you got to be in a rural area with barely functioning electricity, but you got some nice neighbors about a mile away that shares pie recipes with you while you're working a forge or churning butter....a non conservative lives with modern conveniences near people.

Ahh stereotypes.

So...is Donald Trump a conservative or a liberal then considering he is a new yorker billionaire who is a tv addict/moviestar that has wanted to remove guns from anyone seeming shifty before any due process, etc etc...

You might be a conservative if: You read through the general ideology and many of the ideals resonate with you on what would be a better path for the rule of law in the US, leaving the rest for state to state considerations.

You might be a liberal if: Same as above.

Thats all it takes. I may think the best bet for healthcare is single payer for mid to poor and free STEM scholarships for the working poor and poor who apply and qualify. I may also be in favor of tightened borders, renegotiating trade deals, and less funding for federal social programs...I guess that means I live in a suburb having a bit of this and that in my political views. black and white. politics is indistinguishable from religion at this point...or a football game

I guess I’m either both, or neither. According to that list.
Different country though, so everything is slightly different.......

You’re such an independent critical thinker you have to label not only yourself but others. Okay.

a reply to: HunkaHunka
This is a very American definition of conservatism.
On the other side of the Atlantic, resentment of government as such is normally a left-wing thing (though there is now "Brussels" as a bogey for right-wingers).
"Small town" would read "village".
"Second amendment" would be replaced by "We should have more bobbies on the streets, like in the days of 'Dixon of Dock Green'".
You will be secretary of the village cricket team, your wife will be a member of the local W.I. (Women's Institute), and you are both familiar with the words and tune of "Jerusalem".

P.S. In fact I've just thought of a shorter definition. An English conservative is someone who thinks that "P.C." stands for "Police Constable".

Why do people label themselves either conservative or liberal?

Can't I agree with parts of both sides? I vote for whichever party I believe will do best for my country, not which party will do best for me. That's the problem with people, voting for whichever party scared you enough.

That being said, I agreed with the majority of what you put but I voted Liberal last election.

originally posted by: superman2012
Why do people label themselves either conservative or liberal?

There is a basic difference in outlook, underneath the local variations.
Historically, a liberal wants to improve the world by changing things, a conservative wants to keep the world good by not changing things. That's why tradtitionally people have become more conservative as they got older.

a reply to: HunkaHunka

So basically the unibomber

Got it.

Excuse me while I go fell a tree to build me a boat

originally posted by: DISRAELI

originally posted by: superman2012
Why do people label themselves either conservative or liberal?

There is a basic difference in outlook, underneath the local variations.
Historically, a liberal wants to improve the world by changing things, a conservative wants to keep the world good by not changing things. That's why tradtitionally people have become more conservative as they got older.

Right. I guess my underlying question was; Why are people so stuck in their mould, so opinionated and stubborn that they cannot for even one second, try to look at anything from another viewpoint and just label themselves as either conservative or liberal and be done with it?

I'm sure everyone wants their children to do better, wants a better life for their kids, wants them to succeed. Wasn't society formed because of family groups? Why are people letting others tell them what to think in order to get into power? The only difference between the major parties are items that they shouldn't have any control over. Marriage, abortion, etc, anything that should be community, personal or social responsibilities.

Not one leader (in recent times) has done anything that his predecessor didn't do. They are all the same. I'm just confused why people don't see that.

a reply to: HunkaHunka

1. Less is more in my opinion. We dont need to be micromanaged. However, I moved from a town of 1197 to a city of 40,000. Missouri to Washington, (generally) red to blue...

2. Don't even own a TV.

3. Appreciate alternative energies, but won't rely on them. Not a priority.

4. Dont trust social media OR text people. I'll call you.

5. USMC Veteran

6. Believe the 2nd amendment was INTENDED to secure that right, but it doesn't actually secure anything these days.

7. I own my own company that I work in. I have 1 employee, myself....

8. I generally believe in ask and you receive. Don't ask and it's your fault.

What am I?

A2D

I am about as right wing as a person can get and I do not fit into alot of those points. I think that is more of an ideal than a reality. I would say the vast majority of conservative type people are suburban. I could be wrong, but I live in what is definitely a "red" stronghold county and it has a population nearing 500,000 people. That is hardly rural.


I think many conservative may come from families that share your points though. Both of my grandparents were rural people with farms and I always respected them and their way of life more than I do people I see in the city.

I'd say the specifics matter a lot less than the ideals driving your life-choices.

I was talking to a young womyn this week. She wears a 'wife-beater' t-shirt so we will all be careful not to miss her hugely Gothic tattoos, which must've cost a fortune. She'd think I was an idiot for spending that much for straight pipes on my truck....

I was not in Lone Star, but mentioned that I had worked as LEO there back in the day. She had a grand-mal social seizure---those people all are ignorant bigots. I pointed out to her that TX is 23% black and about 20% hispanic, and she had just called 10 million minority persons 'ignorant bigots.' Standing in her lily-white safe suburb on the edge of her trendy gentrified hipster neighborhood. She couldn't hear any of it.

Both political parties have betrayed their ideal. It used to be that publicans and democrits believed in ...freedom. Doing your own thing as long as it didn't hurt anybody. Your home is your castle, and if you want to pray different by not praying at all, or pray 7 times a day, its your own groove, baby. love the one you're with, smoke it if you got it and all that.

Like Buck Owens said on the streets of Bakersfield: "I'm not trying to be somebody; just want a chance to be myself."

but both parties now have a blueprint for how I'm supposed to live my life. Where and how I live, and who with. I want to join the Freedom party. Where you aren't bothered by the fact that I am turned on by my different stuff than you, that I listen to different music and WANT different things for my kids than you want for yours. That basically what we agree on is the importance of social institutions that support your freedom and chances to find your own joy.