The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. - John Kenneth Galbraith

A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead. - Leo Rosten

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in any culture, because it seeks to turn other ideas - uncertainty, progress, change - into crimes. - Salman Rushdie

Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative. - John Stuart Mill

The Oxford Dictionary definition of liberalism :

Open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values:
‘they have more liberal views toward marriage and divorce than some people’

Favorable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms:
‘liberal citizenship laws’

(In a political context) favoring maximum individual liberty in political and social reform:
‘a liberal democratic state’

(Of education) concerned mainly with broadening a person’s general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.

Theology Regarding many traditional beliefs as dispensable, invalidated by modern thought, or liable to change.

How the rest of the world defines liberalism: FAILURE. Liberalism cannot survive in an unrigged contest in the arena of ideas. It isn't about ideas or "choice" but about imposition and control. Liberalism must be imposed on people, otherwise they won't do it on their own. What liberalism wants will never happen on its own. People will not live the way liberals want if left to their own devices. It's 100% unnatural. It's taken liberals 50 or 60 years to get to this point of conditioning people, of taking hold of the education system, the university systems, academia system, the media. It's taken a long time to condition people not to stand up for themselves, not to exercise freedom, not to speak outside the acceptable norms.

But all that is in the process of changing. And liberals HATE it.

Classical liberals are against some social programmes.

"Some"

Maybe all. I don't know. Look up liberal parties in Europe to get a feel.

Thanks

Take the test =)

http://www.playbuzz.com/felixstablum10/the-definitive-political-orientation-test

[image deleted]I took a similar test, and ended up here. Seems about right. I might have to try the one you mention.

Yeah, my point is that you don't see totalitarian or authoritarian liberal regimes. Tyranny almost invariably comes from the right; in the instances, like the Soviet Union, where it appears to come from the left, it usually is formulated from conservative motivations. Stalin may have flown the red flag but he was a chauvinist nationalist, interested in maintaining power for himself at the cost of the liberty of the many. I'm a liberal, not a lefty - well, using the European term I'd say I'm center-left - but too many conservatives cast aspersions when they hear the word 'liberal' rather than have an honest debate. Their ideas have little content therefore they react from the past. I think democratic socialism doesn't work because it doesn't respect liberty enough and frankly it doesn't appeal enough to the self-interest of the individual. I believe the self-interest of the (intelligent) individual eventually leads them to care about the interest of the whole since a freer citizenry leads to a freer individual. Standing alone with your gun means that eventually you get shot. And there's no liberty when you're dead.

I admire your ability to disarm Game Show Guy with a few words. When I get frustrated I tend to get wordy, as you may have noticed. :)

Oxford again on conservatism:

Commitment to traditional values and ideas with opposition to change or innovation

I think you've mistaken 'liberalism' for leftist activism, but that's a common mistake by conservative users of this site. Conservatives tend to evaluate their beliefs by what they hate. Fear of change is the primary motivation; fear of other people's freedom, fear of people thinking for themselves, fear of loss of power. Also, each new generation of conservatism tends to ape an old creation of liberal democratic thought as a reaction to the new and opening society: autonomy of the individual, personal freedom, open markets and free trade. Conservatism costumes itself in old ideas for which liberals have moved on to the next sphere, in order to make themselves appear modern. You claim to speak for freedom and the right for people to speak outside the acceptable norms, and yet when people desire to marry whom they want conservative governments pass laws restraining their ability to do so. And those goverments repress free media when the words written go against them (i.e., Russia, Turkey). Not to mention all the times conservatives on imgflip have threatened fantasy violence against me for daring to question their beliefs. Basically your whole argument above is an example of how liberal democratic principles have fought against the controlling impulses of conservatives who hold the levers of power, and you've just transposed it to make it look like conservatism has new ideas.

Anyway, it's fun to bat 'ideas' back and forth with you here. As I keep telling other conservatives on the site: 100 years from now the country, and the world, will be more like I envision it, and there's not f**k all you can do about it. Your philosophy is a dead letter and convincing yourself that somehow your values are the vanguard of a revolution is a mind game to make you feel you're significant. If you continue on this path you no longer will be. The future is one of liberty, not control and conformity.

THIS is your heritage, bub.

Kenj, your stance seems to be about liberalism as opposed to authoritarianism or totalitarianism.

Funny. I've been away this weekend giving a college commencement address where I talked about the differences in liberalism and conservatism. I used your misunderstanding of conservatism as an example of how modern day liberals attack conservative's values ... like freedom and liberty, while at the same time imposing their own rigid beliefs (often disguised as liberty) on others. Ironic that the Chair of the Department of Political Science said he loved my examples and definitions.

You originally wrote an intriguing piece but then resorted to the typical liberal, left wing rubbish of trying to align my ideas with those of dictators, religious zealots, and tyrants as well as using typical left wing expletives and tauntings (remember that vulgar language is evidence of an immature mind seeking to express itself).

Your argument lost all its weight.

And yet Mr. Parker below didn't have the courage to allow a response.