If you happen to find yourself a political partisan, lying to yourself about “them” and pretending you understand “them” better than they do, I would encourage you to reevaluate your standing judgements. Especially if those lies are communal, group-thinky, and placed in your head by the Narrative Writers That Be.
If you suddenly find yourself caring about some particular story or event that, in a vacuum you probably could not care less about, because everyone in your tribe is “sounding off” about it and using the power of Church Gathering Syndrome to get you all in your feelings over it, maybe you’ve hopped the tracks of reality and slid into Bullshittery.
If you find yourself caring about a number of said things, and actually venture over and talk to people about it that are not in your tribe, and discover that they have no idea what you are talking about, but are very concerned about these other things about you, that YOU have no idea what they are talking about, you may be stuck in one of the two Fantasyvilles.
In Fantasyville 1 we are very very very worried about things 1-3, and in Fantasyville 2 we are very very very worried about things 4-6. But in Fantasyville 1 we are pretty sure things 4-6 aren’t really happening (they’re not), and in Fantasyville 2 we are pretty sure things 1-3 are not happening (they’re also not).
People who make fun of centrists, or people who do “both sideisms” can kiss my ass. I am conservative in ways. I am liberal in others. I am what I am, and anyone who might try telling me there’s something wrong with me can eat gluten and rocket their dicks off. Because I’m the normal one. If you can’t do your own philosophy a-la-carte, and require a whole Sky Jesus Story to follow completely, that’s fine- but don’t pretend anyone out there is dumber than you for the effort.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: people mostly pick their political affiliation based on the fundamental structure of their strengths, weaknesses, needs, and fears- project that unconscious shadow onto “the other”- and assume the role of government is to stand aside in the face of those strengths, carry us where we are weak, protect us from what we fear, and enable a viable path to meeting our needs.
Liberals fear authoritarianism from The Other because they themselves are authoritarian in a way they are comfortable with. Conservatives fear the reckless passionate (sinful!) freedom that liberals enjoy because they themselves are freedom obsessed in ways that THEY are comfortable with.
But people don’t realize how much they project. And they don’t realize how different other people are.
Mostly in this era because they are largely narcissists completely devoid of authentic empathy or sympathy, and utterly self focused. The best a narcissist can do at guessing how anyone thinks is to just put themselves into people’s shoes and imagine what they would do in that role. But that’s not even close to how empathy or sympathy works. And that’s not at all how people who are not us think.
The parts of us that are liberal are the parts of us that are naturally gifted to us, either by genetics or our environment. The parts that are conservative are the parts that we had to fight for and summon will power to acquire- either against ourselves, or our environments.
For example, I was naturally gifted with the ability to Think Clearly, so I am very liberal when it comes to thought. I’ll consider ANY possibility with equal measured curiosity, across any category of consideration, and if I ever run out I invent my own.
But I was raised in a religious authoritarian household where I was forbidden to learn many of the most basic things about life and the world, and forced to participate in painful time consuming mind numbing rituals for too many hours of my life- acquiring freedom and independence from that was a huge battle with myself and my environment, but after moving out when I turned 18 and taking complete care of myself ever after has made me extremely conservative when it comes to my physical, mental, and financial freedom.
I should add- when I describe something as conservative, I mean something that we want to hang onto, and conserve or preserve. Something ours, to defend. Whereas liberal things are shared, given freely, and lost without remorse.
When it comes to art, I am quite liberal. I prefer to let paintings paint themselves with my hands, and when I’m done I’ll give it to the first person that comes to mind without any sense of loss and move on.
When it comes to money, as a small business owner and blue collar worker, I am conservative. I will not be rounding up for charity, I will not be “answering a few questions” with a tip for my coffee cup and doughnut you handed me, you will be getting a full eye contact bomb of a flat “No” every single time. Feel free to quit asking. But we know you won’t, will you?
After acquiring some assets and establishing a decent permanent career that brings in good money, I’ve found I’ve become quite liberal in my spending habits, now that financial capital has moved more into the “strength” category than the “weakness” category I’ve mostly had it in my whole life. I am a lot more generous with others, and myself.
I think a lot of liberal aspects are rooted in strengths one might call “privileges” for better or for worse. Since I am privileged to have a surplus of money currently, I can afford to be liberal with it. It’s only when times get tough and I can’t any more that I begin to guard it instead and move into a more conservative posture.
It’s OK to be independent. It’s OK to accept people where they are and just try to understand them. They should be doing the same for you, shouldn’t they?
You don’t need to mute half of yourself to fit in.
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