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Feb. 16th, 2004 07:13 amI'm tired of whining about gay marriage. Here, this rainbow in my LJ will fix everything.
When I have the time I'm going compile some thoughts and perhaps research why people gravitate toward the things they do. Maybe Bush will lose the election, but despite all data and logic he's got roughly half the population of this country that likes him. People are overwhelmingly against gays (not just marriage) and for the church. People will not turn off the lights or recycle their trash. People want to sue the schools for their kid's behavior but will not leave work at 5 to spend time with that same neglected child.
I'm thinking that conservatism might just be people affiliating with what they perceive as strength - even if that strength is exerting itself by stomping down the 'fan.' People route for the winning team, and overlook the rape, drunk driving, drug abuse, domestic abuse, and general assholishness of the athletes themselves. Maybe liking dubya is akin to screaming for the 'good guy' in a 'wrestling entertainment' match.
When I'm done figuring out why people don't mind wrecking the environment or discrimination, I'd like to figure out how to appeal to those types to voluntarily reach for something better. Why can't the population generally not wreck the planet and each other? Wouldn't that change be more productive than just hanging out and celebrating how 'not-stupid' we are by comparison?
Once I tackle all that then I'll go back to my own liberal biases to see if I'm overlooking good conservative arguments based on momentum. I've met perfectly decent conservatives (moderates) and don't want to throw out the wheat with the chaff.
When I have the time I'm going compile some thoughts and perhaps research why people gravitate toward the things they do. Maybe Bush will lose the election, but despite all data and logic he's got roughly half the population of this country that likes him. People are overwhelmingly against gays (not just marriage) and for the church. People will not turn off the lights or recycle their trash. People want to sue the schools for their kid's behavior but will not leave work at 5 to spend time with that same neglected child.
I'm thinking that conservatism might just be people affiliating with what they perceive as strength - even if that strength is exerting itself by stomping down the 'fan.' People route for the winning team, and overlook the rape, drunk driving, drug abuse, domestic abuse, and general assholishness of the athletes themselves. Maybe liking dubya is akin to screaming for the 'good guy' in a 'wrestling entertainment' match.
When I'm done figuring out why people don't mind wrecking the environment or discrimination, I'd like to figure out how to appeal to those types to voluntarily reach for something better. Why can't the population generally not wreck the planet and each other? Wouldn't that change be more productive than just hanging out and celebrating how 'not-stupid' we are by comparison?
Once I tackle all that then I'll go back to my own liberal biases to see if I'm overlooking good conservative arguments based on momentum. I've met perfectly decent conservatives (moderates) and don't want to throw out the wheat with the chaff.
