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[vicissitudes]

It's sad to see Conservatism politicized so much these days and all the Trump haters paint all Conservatives as "racists, bigots, uneducated, violent, hateful."

To me, conservative values stand for:

- Traditional families, with two-parent households. Now, this is simply one of many ways families can look. I'm not saying any one way is right or wrong. But conservatism advocates for having children, and having two parents share household responsibilities, and having dinner at the family table (and not in front of the TV/computer), and talking to our kids.
- Manners and decorum. A time when etiquette mattered more in society, and children learned how to properly set up the dinner table and greet adults. Swearing was considered indecorous, and popular songs had clean lyrics. People debated with each other with civility, not with insults or profanities.
- Fashion: conservatism often means longer skirts, less cleavage, and a philosophy of "less is more." It encourages showing restraint when it comes to: talking about yourself, displaying yourself, and drawing attention to yourself. It preaches kindness over narcissism.
- Face-to-face interactions: it harkins to a time when we knew our neighbors and made in person visits to our friends, not more impersonal methods of connecting such as over email, text, Facebook, or snapchat.
- Hard work: not that people today do not work hard, but Conservatism focuses on having a good work ethic, and making something of yourself. Contributing something worthwhile to society. Not the consumerist mindset so prevalent today that's mostly about "what am I getting" and "how much more can I buy."

Now, none of these are right or wrong. They are simply a set of values one can choose to live or not to live by. And conservatism means different things to different people. Thus this thread. I have given a few examples of what I consider to represent conservative values. How about you? Is it indistinguishable from the politics of the modern Republican party? Or do you have other personal views of conservatism? And how do you feel about them?

 

[EMT0]

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

 

[Straight Edge]

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

Amazing post

 

[Jonnax]

The world is not perfect and there's a million things that can be improved.

Using the label conservative means that you're happy with the way things are supposedly because the status quo benefits yourself.

When it comes to politics it never seems to be about preserving the good of society. Rather it strives to protect the rights of those well off economically and socially.

 

[Mathieran]

For me:

Pro guns, no regulation
No regulation for businesses
No environmental regulations
Very low taxes, poor people pay higher portions of their income on various taxes than rich people
Privatizing education and pretty much anything else that could possibly be privatized
Anti abortion, no exceptions
Anti LGBT and minority rights
Pro war
Religious freedom to the point where exercising religion is more important than others rights
Anti immigration

I could go on
Edit: also worshiping the constitution and founding fathers to a fault

 

[Team Jones]

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

Thank you. Great post.

 

[Aztechnology]

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

I mean what can I add? Great concise post that encapsulates my views on the underlying reasons for conservatism. It's certainly accurate of my conservative friends.

 

[Valhelm]

Conservatism means wanting things to stay the same. Generally, conservatives support the perpetuation of existing hierarchies.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Fuck you, I've got mine.

 

[Krejlooc]

IMO:

hates gays
pro military
pro guns
pro religion
anti-abortion
hates social programs

 

[Angelus Errare]

It's sad to see Conservatism politicized so much these days and all the Trump haters paint all Conservatives as "racists, bigots, uneducated, violent, hateful."

To me, conservative values stand for:

- Traditional families, with two-parent households. Now, this is simply one of many ways families can look. I'm not saying any one way is right or wrong. But conservatism advocates for having children, and having two parents share household responsibilities, and having dinner at the family table (and not in front of the TV/computer), and talking to our kids.
- Manners and decorum. A time when etiquette mattered more in society, and children learned how to properly set up the dinner table and greet adults. Swearing was considered indecorous, and popular songs had clean lyrics. People debated with each other with civility, not with insults or profanities.
- Fashion: conservatism often means longer skirts, less cleavage, and a philosophy of "less is more." It encourages showing restraint when it comes to: talking about yourself, displaying yourself, and drawing attention to yourself. It preaches kindness over narcissism.
- Face-to-face interactions: it harkins to a time when we knew our neighbors and made in person visits to our friends, not more impersonal methods of connecting such as over email, text, Facebook, or snapchat.
- Hard work: not that people today do not work hard, but Conservatism focuses on having a good work ethic, and making something of yourself. Contributing something worthwhile to society. Not the consumerist mindset so prevalent today that's mostly about "what am I getting" and "how much more can I buy."

Now, none of these are right or wrong. They are simply a set of values one can choose to live or not to live by. And conservatism means different things to different people. Thus this thread. I have given a few examples of what I consider to represent conservative values. How about you? Is it indistinguishable from the politics of the modern Republican party? Or do you have other personal views of conservatism? And how do you feel about them?

Save for maybe the last one all of those bullet points on your list have nothing to do with government in anyway as you're defining them.
Nothing republicans do is going to bring back face to face interactions, fashion choices, manners and decorum.


You need to list the conservative values that makes you vote republican.

 

[.JayZii]

Wanting to live in the 1950's. Scratch that, wanting to live in a movie from the 1950's.

 

[MrGerbils]

The naive idea that hard work and a free market is the best way to lead to prosperity for all instead of a select few.

 

[TheLaughingStock]

Don't know. It's hard to define for me.

 

[Dishwalla]

Tbh going by the points in the OP conservatism sounds boring.

 

[AuthenticM]

What it means to me can be shortened to "being a bigot and a hypocrite".

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

Fantastic post.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Tesseract]

Right now it means healthcare and education aren't human rights

 

[Jeff6851]

People paint liberalism and conservatism as opposites but they aren't. Conservatives are those who want to keep (or go back to) certain societal traditions, strict authoritative positions (such as police, work hierarchy, etc) and sometimes religious morals or at least whatever they consider moral. I view progressive as the opposite of conservative. Liberal just means you subscribe to the ideas of liberty and equality, including that of private property (this is why I'm not a liberal).

I don't see it as having anything to do with small government or spending slashing. After all, I've seen plenty of neo-Nazis and fascists claim they are a conservative movement because they agree with strict authority positions, old school gender roles, etc.

 

[Ryaaan14]

Strongest wheels get the grease

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Nothing good.

 

[Mathieran]

OP, I'd like to add that my family is about as liberal as they come and we pretty much fit your definition of conservative values exactly as you defined. I don't really feel like any of those values define conservatism at all. I know lots of liberal families that follow all of those guidelines.

We work hard, have dinner together, have two kids, are modest, know most of our neighbors, etc.

 

[travisbickle]

Beourgois sensibilities of having a family, making money through exchange value, and shitting on the proletariat.

 

[Deserted Maniac Island]

Conservatism is a political ideology of delaying, discouraging, or in some cases even reversing(Reactionaries) societal advancement in the image that they themselves value to a point of idealization. Almost always associated with intolerance precisely because those who harken to these values marry a) their take on 'proper' Christianity and b) their own morality to it. Universally the 'losers' of history, as their stances never mesh with societal trends. Almost always ignore what others would suffer under with their 'ideals' at best, or at worst are actively hoping the worst on others with whom they disagree. See: The romanticization of the 1950s by white Americans ignoring the reality faced by minority groups.

And finally, a shifting metric because what a conservative in the 1850s believed versus a conservative in the 1950s believed is night and day. Human history is a giant example of tradition being thrown away because it is quite literally idealization of the past.

Pretty sure we have a different understanding of 'Conservative values' OP. To me it's a code word for 'the good ol days'.

I would't use "societal advancement" but I would say conservatives stifle culture change (Mostly of the maladaptive elements of culture, like intolerance towards minorities of all kinds). As culture changes traditions are still kept, but the way people view these traditions changes, and the traditions themselves change.

 

[NekoFever]

also worshiping a selective interpretation of the constitution and a romanticised, fairytale caricature of the founding fathers to a fault

FTFY

 

[gutter_trash]

fuck you, got mine!

 

[Team Alucard]

Racism, bigotry, hatred, selfishness, malice, and enmity.

 

[echoshifting]

Strange op. Very little about social policy (beyond support for the nuclear family), nothing about fiscal ideas. Anti-social media. Manners? Fashion? These topics may scrape the surface of conservatism but it's a shallow take on the topic, and not all that is described here are exclusively conservative concepts.

 

[Tesseract]

fuck you, got mine!

That too

 

[Mathieran]

FTFY

Heh yeah pretty much. I guess that's what I was trying to imply

 

[Rhomega Beta]

-Focus on the '50s-style nuclear family. The family that sits down to dinner together, spanks their children to get them to behave, dresses tastefully, and goes to church every Sunday.
-A society with minimal government interference. Got a problem with society? Don't go to the government for help, that's not their job.
-Guns, for the protection of family, property, and freedom, from all enemies foreign and domestic.
-Unflinching support for troops and policemen.
-The Great Melting Pot: people come to our country to be Americans, not Mexicans/Italians/Iranians living in America.
-You only get what you want through hard work. Being poor is either through not working hard enough or irresponsible spending.
-Treating America almost like a religion. The flag, the Constitution, the troops, the Founding Fathers: treat them like they're holy.

 

[MarkusRJR]

Racism, sexism, pro-guns, anti-abortion, pro-military and homophobia. Basically people who want to slow down the cultural changes of the world because the current situation benefits them and solidifies their beliefs.

I'm sure there are conservatives who don't believe in everything I listed, but that's what I picture when I read conservative.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Anti-progressive

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Fear.

Many of us posting not being able or allowed to do so.

Stagnation.

 

[Einchy]

I picture this bullshit.

 

[Hale-XF11]

I equate "conservative values" with selfishness, fear and bigotry.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Primal disgust at anything that challenges your preconceptions. This is all there is to conservative values. Conservative values are more open to long term propaganda because they soak it up and reject challenges to programming based on facts.

 

[Red Liquorice]

I think it's like a scared dog snarling to show it's teeth at it's own shadow.

 

[f0rk]

For me:

Pro guns, no regulation
No regulation for businesses
No environmental regulations
Very low taxes, poor people pay higher portions of their income on various taxes than rich people
Privatizing education and pretty much anything else that could possibly be privatized
Anti abortion, no exceptions
Anti LGBT and minority rights
Pro war
Religious freedom to the point where exercising religion is more important than others rights
Anti immigration

I could go on
Edit: also worshiping the constitution and founding fathers to a fault

This is a very American list.

 

[davepoobond]

wanting things to stay the way it was before

 

[Bubba_Sparks]

Save for maybe the last one all of those bullet points on your list have nothing to do with government in anyway as you're defining them.

Hahaha! The first thing I thought was you mean to tell me this whole Republican primary debacle has been over getting families together at the dinner table?

 

[Peltz]

I feel like the modern conservative (if there is such a thing) is, at this point, a very extreme person based on what I see in the media.

In its purest form, conservative values are about are about preserving power for those that have had it the longest throughout history and an unwillingness to cede that power to others with different values.

To have conservative values, in the full sense, demands a control over one's own mental processes as complete as that of a contortionist over his body.

 

[Speevy]

Every society that has ever existed has had people who were averse to change, and who thought things were better in the past because they didn't experience the negative effects of it.

This is a human condition that will always exist regardless of which political party is exploiting it.

 

[sphagnum]

Mos maiorum

 

[GreatestHits]

It means clinging to the past. Things change, and I think 'Republicans' is a term I can give to a group of people akin to 'Christians' that cannot accept the fact of change

 

[Oblivion]

To me, conservative values stand for:

- Traditional families, with two-parent households. Now, this is simply one of many ways families can look. I'm not saying any one way is right or wrong. But conservatism advocates for having children, and having two parents share household responsibilities, and having dinner at the family table (and not in front of the TV/computer), and talking to our kids.

Unless those two parents happen to be gay.

- Manners and decorum. A time when etiquette mattered more in society, and children learned how to properly set up the dinner table and greet adults. Swearing was considered indecorous, and popular songs had clean lyrics. People debated with each other with civility, not with insults or profanities.

Are we talking about the same modern day conservative movement/ The ones who idolize the like of Trump, Ted Nugent, Michael Savage, etc. who spend nearly every waking moment throwing slurs at people they don't like? Rush Limbaugh, the leader of American conservatives called Sandra Flue a slut over SEVENTY times over the course of 3 days!

- Fashion: conservatism often means longer skirts, less cleavage, and a philosophy of "less is more." It encourages showing restraint when it comes to: talking about yourself, displaying yourself, and drawing attention to yourself. It preaches kindness over narcissism.

Conservatives a little weird in this regard. On the one hand, they want women to cover everything as in the good ole days of Plymouth. On the other hand...just look at every female Fox News.

- Hard work: not that people today do not work hard, but Conservatism focuses on having a good work ethic, and making something of yourself. Contributing something worthwhile to society. Not the consumerist mindset so prevalent today that's mostly about "what am I getting" and "how much more can I buy."

Yeah...no. They expect everyone else to work hard. But they themselves are the most vehement defenders of trust fund babies that are born into wealth. They attack people on welfare, but it's perfectly fine for THEM to be on welfare (see: Ben Carson).

There is this perception that liberals don't want people to work hard and instead remain on the dole forever. But if you look at presidents like FDR, Kennedy and Obama, they've all been trying their hardest to get people back to work, which is incidentally, through a manner that conservatives disagree with (government spending), and given the option, they'd rather have them not work all than go that route.


Now, if these are qualities that you've come to define conservatism as, that's fine I guess. But they don't really describe the people who use that label in the modern age.

Also, one last thing. If Trump is the nominee, would you vote for him?

 

[CountAntonius]

By the Good Book.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I picture this bullshit.

"Janey, how was your day at school?"

"A colored boy looked at me!"

"Martha, you washed the sheets didn't you?"

"Yes, dear."

"Good, good...who wants another weiner!"

 

[ItIsOkBro]

It means looking out for yourself to the detriment of your fellow man.

 

[ThusZarathustra]

To me conservatism is born out of isolated success feeling threatened.

Being raised with a supremely limited understanding of what makes a successful life, while also having some (perhaps a great deal) of success with that understanding will often solidify those positions concretely. That same feeling of "knowing what works" is also where the OP's interpretation of conservative values largely stems from, and is still the root of the better aspects of those larger values.

"Knowing what works" though, having that bone-deep conviction, can be poisonous when the simple rituals of courtesy and humanism touted by the core of most value systems are eschewed for lower rituals of fear, division, and willful misunderstanding.