What exactly is a Conservative and what exactly is a Liberal? These terms aren't commonly used in my country's government and my web search wasn't very helpful. What distinguishes one from the other and on what do they disagree?
conservative=right wing, pertains to not wanting to change also republican liberal=left wing, embraces change also democrat what country do you live in?
The broadest definitions are probably the only ones that can gain traction in a forum like this. Conservative: A tendency to maintain the status quo in political, social and economic terms over long periods of time. A desire to use law and social custom fairly inflexibly. The use of religion as the ultimate source and arbiter of moral questions. An emphasis on the well-being of the group placed above that of the individual. Liberal: A tendency to favor rapid and continuous change as a source of progress. A consistent rejection of orthodoxy, tradition and authority in every form. An emphasis on the liberty of the individual. A reliance on government as a protector of individual liberty and security. Having put these definitions out there for target practice, let me also say that in my experience, people almost never fall neatly into one category or the other. They are either somewhere in a blurry center, or they hold strong postions incorporating some of the attributes of each side. This makes the strict drawing of lines rather meaningless in the real world. Let me also add that in my experience the most dangerous people are those who occupy the most extreme end of each category. We should be wary of ideologues of any stripe.
On what do they disagree? Very little, as far as I can see. In the United States conservative and liberal attributes are theoretically staked out by the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively, but in their actual actions I see little to truly distinguish them. Each side has sold their political power to the highest bidder, locked in a relentless struggle for control not for the benefit of the citizenry but for access to the money teats. They quibble over issues that have little relevance to the society as a whole but which serve to deflect the attention of the masses. Compared to the political diversity of most countries the United States is pretty much Wonder Bread. Every slice the same, bland, white and soulless.
dont worry about those distinctions. the real political landscape is now defined by the interests of the large multinational corporation vs the disenfranchised average person. liberal or conservative is little more than a nominal differentiation. te jen is quite right as usual.
Conservatives support banning abortion, limiting the rights of minorites, tend to be racist, limited social spending, increased defense spending and less diplomacy, cornucopian environmental policies (don't worry it will all be there forever, praise Jesus), religious literalists, nationalistic, against labor unions... Liberals support women's rights (including abortion), minority rights, increased social programs, limited defense spending and greater diplomacy, green environmental policies, religious tolerance, labor unions...
wow the liberals are really smart,even handed, and overflowing with integrity arent they? too bad the evil conservatives have a quasi-magical control over the hearts and minds of the people and have made them vote against the peace loving fair minded liberals. come on man, do you really think that thats the way it actually is?
Yup. Fear mongering cons scare the educationally challenged and whore themselves to corporate interests.
i think what you described, spidergoat was: the conservatives in america in the last 10 years or so, called "neocons".
Yet they do have a connection to the racist segregation policies of the south and they hated the New Deal. Of course, they used to be more isolationist and in favor of smaller government, balanced budgets, and individual rights such as privacy.
explain how liberals havent done basically the same exact thing when the opportunity for them to do so arises, or when it isnt politically expedient for them to oppose it?
Traditional American Definition: Liberals support political freedom, while allowing little or no economic freedom--tax, spend, and regulate Conservatives support economic freedom, while limiting political freedom--ie the right to kill your baby or do drugs Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
i heard a good quote once about this that was something like - conservatives are people willing to tolerate the current evils of society, and liberals want to trade the current evils in for new ones. pretty accurate to me.
Yeah but this is just the quibbling over issues garbage. Most people across the nation probably don't care much about all of these individual little items. That's what the states and local community government were originally meant for - to quickly reach a decisive consensus on a smaller scale over such items and apply laws differently from place to place as the locals see fit. Not draw out thousands of different little highly localized or personalized issues to mire the top of the government down into perpetual debate, drawing examples from overseas on how to decide laws. Both parties contain the traits of conservative and liberal to varying degrees. Many liberals tend to be racist and biased and use this politically. It is false to pidgeonhole the parties as conservative or liberal. A better way is to ignore what any of them say and look at the overall drive and direction of the nation as a whole under the administration of one party or another. They are clones. The labels are for the mentally challenged. The US did have assertive rather than passive-aggressive leadership during its first several decades but this has long since passed.
Conservatism is a school of philosophical and political action and reaction that seek to maintain the status quo, keep things the way they are and not change it. Liberalism is a school of philosophical and political action and counterreaction that seek to change things when necessary, and ensure liberty for all people, no matter thier creed, race, or whatever. The two have, over time, become muddled and distorted in party politics and in the greed of politicians.
Not true. In the US conservatives seek to conserve the liberty our nation was founded on. Liberals seek to exchange liberty for egalitarianism. Furthermore, conservatives do not seek only to maintain the "status quo", unless it is in keeping with their ideals. They are certainly willing to change things when necessary. Want evidence? How about abortion? Who wants to maintain the current status quo? What about welfare reform? What about missle defense? The status quo was the ABM treaty. Conservatives believe in limited government and a strong defense. They seek whatever changes are necesary to achieve these goals. Give me a break. I'll bet liberalism is in favor of mom and apple pie, too.
I don't like apple pie, really, and my mom grounds me when I get bad grades, so I don't that all that much either. Like I said, initially that's what those meant. They were simple messed around with and changed in the way you are talking about through party politics and greedy politicians. If conservatives want to conserve our liberties, why are they against gay marriage, abortion, that vegetable thing, cloning, etc?
