On Conservatism and the Common Man

Everyday conservatives are not represented in today’s politics. We progressives should remember that. 

Look to the leadership of the more conservative of our two major political parties, or more broadly to the array of political figures who embrace the label “conservative,” and you'll see a variety of perspective and philosophy. But none who represent the real conservatives we know. 

Our media give us plenty of so-called “conservative” politicians and pundits. There are the corporate giants and economic elites, concerned only with their vast wealth and how to increase it, who think of average folks as parasites or fools. There are the reactionaries, deeply prejudiced and terrified of change, who simply want to turn back the clock. We have theocrats, who seek to impose their specific fundamentalist beliefs by force of civil law. And we have bloodthirsty neocons, who drove us to a costly and pointless war and would do so again. The libertarians recognize and reject these follies but create their own, advocating for no taxes and no laws, a selfish and impractical anarchy. And of course, we see the poor tea-partiers, defiantly anti-intellectual, who know enough to be angry but not enough to realize they’re fighting for the very people causing their anger.  

So which of these leadership types represents your average self-identified conservative? Your neighbor. Your dad. Your sister-in-law. Your friend from church. I bet none of them do. Sure, you may have a loony uncle who forwards you racist emails, and from time to time your neighbor might echo verbatim some statement from a politician whom we can easily classify into one of the above molds. But most of the conservatives in your life don't fit an extreme caricature, and aren't well-served by any of these so-called “conservative” leaders. By lifelong habit or natural inclination, typical conservatives don’t feel drawn to the more progressive party, but no one in the conservative party stands for them either. 

They don't want to bomb anyone. They don't support prejudice or injustice. They respect science and professional expertise. They support everyone's right to worship as he or she wishes. They know we need laws, and they're glad somebody's checking the food they eat. Like everyone else, they were angry with the Wall Street giants who crashed our economy through greed and negligence then asked to be bailed out by the very public they had been trying to cheat. 

No, the conservatives in your life are not like the ones on TV. Your friends and family are not cartoonish, hateful monsters, and they’re nothing like the parade of politicians who claim to represent them. They are simply conservative. They know that in any walk of life, most new ideas are faulty, and it takes a careful process to sift out the good ones. So they are reticent to pursue any newfangled idea some liberal proposes. They believe it's much easier to tear something down than to build something up, so they're naturally averse to changing a system or an institution unless there's good reason to believe the New Thing will be better. Lots of people may have worked for a long time to build the Old Thing. And there is usually an aspect of the Old Thing they consider sacred. They might be willing to adapt, but not at the expense of everything hard-earned. Not at the risk of their basic way of life.

Average everyday conservatives have a healthy skepticism of cooperative projects—of which government is the ultimate example. The larger the group, the more room for incompetence and corruption, and the easier it is to lose track of accountability. When a person who works hard, wants to take care of his loved ones, and values his peace and security is made to feel like his income, his children’s future, or his safety is at risk, he bristles. That’s natural. He is understandably wary of change, and it is unfair and inaccurate to ascribe his reluctance to greed or prejudice. His motivation is much more human, and quite universal. 

So to progressives, to liberals and activists, to those who work passionately to eradicate injustice and grow frustrated with stubborn conservative opposition, to all those on the left who are bewildered at the modern crop of right-wing political figures, and who struggle to see eye to eye with their conservative friends and family, I say this: give 'em a break. Take a minute to listen to the conservatives in your life and consider not only their views, which you may have studied and with which you undoubtedly disagree, but their perspective. Look at the situation through their eyes, holding dear the things they want to preserve and protect. And understand how unrepresented they feel in our present public debate. 

That’s where we find common ground. That’s how we move forward together.