Why is it that liberals are only open minded if you are more liberal than them?

Question

I think it's funny that people who pride themselves on being open minded would have such a double standard. If you take a conservative position, why do liberals revert to name calling and stereotypes. Why do they insist that people who live in the south are all stupid? That anyone who believes in God is extremist. That anyone who supports the war in Iraq is brainwashed. Why doesn't their "tolerance" include tolerating views that they don't agree with? Is that tolerance at all? Why do they say they support the Constitution, but not the free exercise of religion, as stated in the first amendment?

Answer 1

We as liberals (for the most part because I can't speak for everyone) are open-minded. I think if you open your eyes and ears and tune into Fox news, you'll find alot more name calling and stereotyping by neo-cons then you could ever find by liberals.

Now I'm not sure, but I think you have tolerance backwards. The first amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...". Liberals don't disagree with religion, as a majority of Jews and Catholics are democrats, but they disagree with many conservative views that religion should play a role in government. There is nothing in the Constitution honoring one relgion over another, nothing indicating America as a Christian country. Liberals are tolerant of all religions, thus making sure that one isn't publically favored over another; privately, anything is fair game. Free exercise has never been attacked by liberals as a whole.

Referring to the south as "stupid" is metaphorical. Historically, the south has always been slower in technological and economical development than the north. Aside from that, they are also most easily impressioned by their leaders, a fallacy if you will. They more believe what they are told and do not question the people who hold similar policital and religious values as they. The south and "bible belt" are also consistently referred to by many, both liberal and conservative, as the land of red-necks. All of this is to say that obviously not all of the south is "stupid" just that a majority tend to be very ignorant. Religion plays a large role in this viewpoint, as many think that supporting something like an undeveloped fetus's rights over a woman's is obsurd. Or that teaching abstinence rather than safe sex and contraception is just plain dumb.

Focussing on the Iraq war and "brainwashing", let's first look at Germany in the 1930's. Heinrich Himmer (one of Hitler's henchmen) once said, "The best political weapon is the weapon of terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But, we don't ask for their love; only for their fear." Sound familiar? For one second, step down from your viewpoint and think about this quote with an open-mind. The tactic of using fear played a key role in Hitler's rise to power. Have you noticed that every corner we turn these days has been plastered with "terrorists", "al-Qaeda", "war on terror", fear, fear, fear, and more fear. And in doing this, the administration has been given a skeleton key, a free-pass to do anything they want. Warantless wiretapping? Don't think for a second that one, single branch of government needs this almighty power to "protect the people against terrorists." Then the prosecution of our "free press" for reporting this abuse of power to the people? Everything Bush does happens to be in the name of National Security, but why are we giving him such unlimited power? If you've read George Orwell's 1984, you would know that it's a very slippery slope towards Big Brother, an all-powerful, controlling, and impressionist government. The next step, believe it or not, could be something like: halting the mid-term elections in the name of National Security. We as people shouldn't give up our civil liberties for protection against something that (if you look really hard at it) isn't real. The threat of terrorism? If you look really close at what is going on, you'll notice that the threat of terrorism isn't as real as we are told (i.e. brainwashed). If it was, why would our Republican led government (all three branches) be cutting spending on Homeland Security 7% - from $34.1 bill to $31.8 bill? It all comes down to reality. Do you feel better knowing that an unjust war that's profiting private contractors (with no-bid contracts) billions, killing American lives (over 2500), utterly destroying the US Treasury, driving gas prices through the roof (that's not to say something fishy isn't going on between the oil companies and the administration as seen in the California oil crisis), and driving the entire world, who once predominantly stood behind us with trust and love, to pure hatred of our country. The insurgency isn't in its last throws, our presence is fueling it! Al-Qeada was never in Iraq until we wen't in! You also have to ask yourself, who are we really fighting? Iraq is currently submersed in a civil war, as stated by Iraq's former interim Prime Minister, and we are just a bunch of moving ducks in the middle of it. Now tell me why you support the war in Iraq?

Email me at [e-mail] if you have any questions or want to follow up on any of this. Thanks

Answer 2

LIE 1:
Liberals Believe that anyone who believes in God is an extremest.

This is completely untrue. It is very sad when conservatives have to lie and make things up in order to make a point. Your question shows that you have a lot to learn about the world and that you have not spent very much time talking with most liberals. Many famous liberals are religious such as Jesse Jackson

LIE 2: Liberals don't support the free exercise of religion as stated in the first amendment.

Again you show how you don't even have the most basic understanding of Liberal positions. All liberals support the free exercise of relgion. Nobody should ever be prevented from practicing their religion, nobody should be told what church to belong to, and the governement should not favor one religion over another. Liberals stand strongly for those concepts. In fact the LIBERAL ALCU has sued successfully many times to force companies, schools, and government who attempt to prevent private citizens from practicing their religion or don't provide accomodations.

LIE3: They insist that all people in the south are stuid.

We elected Jimmy Carter, a very religious president, who is from the south, we nominated Al Gore, from Tennessee, and John Edwards. Liberal "BLUE STATES" donted more money to hurricaine victims IN THE SOUTH than conservative Red States.

LIE 4: When you take a conservative position, liberals revert to name calling and stereotypes

This answer proves that's a lie.

TRUTH: Many liberals think that if you support spending 2-3 Billion dollars a month in Iraq and the lives (and limbs) of American servicepeople and all you get are more terrorists and more attacks and more death and no progress, all of this after finding out there were No WMD's no Link to 9/11 and NO THREAT TO AMERICA, then yes, we think you are brainwashed or not paying attention.

It's hard to have patience for people who think it's OK to send soldiers to fight and die if there is absoutely no threat to the homeland by the country you went to war with.


Good luck getting an answer to your question that you like.

Answer 3

First of all, being liberal or conservative really depends on the issue someone is current dealing with.
Anyone with an open mind is better off than one with a closed mind. And it doesn't matter if you are either, it depends on your personal character! Religion has nothing to do with it.

Wikipedia defines Liberalism as:

Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value. Broadly speaking, liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of minorities are guaranteed. In modern society, liberals favour a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed.

Now how can anyone argue with that? You'd have to be communist to disagree!

Answer 4

I posted this answer to another question but it seems to be equally at home here.

Disagree and debate all you like. Debate is actually a very healthy thing in a democratic society. The problem in America today is that it is impossible to engage in healthy debate because it rapidly degenerates into name calling. The simple fact is that neither side is completely right or wrong, there are good and bad points on both sides of every issue. What I cannot understand is the level of hate exhibited. Have we really devolved to the point where we can't even talk to each other like rational human beings anymore? Unfortunately it appears to be so, and the divide grows larger everyday.

Answer 5

I'll address your question about the South, and I could write volumes on the subject because it really gets me going. My question is this: Are these people (Liberals) totally uneducated about genetics, DNA, and other scientific knowledge about human behavior? Can they tell me how genes become "stupid genes" simply because a person lives in the American South? Ironically, many of them are calling themselves stupid because their own genes are spread all over the United States, and if a gene is stupid in one place, then it must be stupid in another. I am a proud Southerner, who was born and raised in the South, and whose ancestors have been here for centuries. I am also a member of Mensa and a published author, even though I AM a Southerner.

Answer 6

It's funny that you should ask this question. A liberal person recently asked the same question, but it referred to conservative people as being hypocritical about their open-mindedness. My conclusion is as follows: Everyone has their own opinion, beliefs, and values. When people who are passionate about their attitudes, and truly have good intentions and reasons for their beliefs, they will hold fast to them. We see someone who has found peace with their viewpoint as unwilling to listen to the opposition, but the truth is, they have already made up their mind. This does not, however, mean that they are closed-minded. The passionate conservative may have already decided what side he is on, but if he is smart, he will still listen to what the opposition has to say. He still has the option to disagree but her should do that in a respectable way. The previous example applies to liberals as well. People are people. It is human nature to want to be right, and when you find that others agree with you (as anyone who ascribes to liberal or conservative thought does) you are likely to stand strong to defend yourself. I believe name-calling is something we all should have overcome on the elementary school playground. Anyone who resorts to name-calling makes themselves look foolish in the end.

Answer 7

Im a Liberal. You are free to practice any religion, OK? I tolerate your view, do you hear me saying otherwise? I am not a Christian, I am a Buddhist, but you will agree I have the right to practice my religion, you will agree with me on that won't you? On the first Amendment?
People who believe in God aren't extreme, they are spiritual. I hope this changes your mind, because if it doesn't then it is you who are closed minded.
Here is a Buddhist mantra for Enlightenment, I say this for yours:

Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!

Answer 8

I disagree. You hear in the media how liberals cannot agree on things, thus weakening them against the conservative position. The reason liberals do not agree is that they genuinely think for themselves, and when people think for themselves, they are bound to have differing opinions, wheras conservatives generally follow direction of the party. I realize this is a generalization, but it is what I have observed from alot of my conservative friends.

Answer 9

It is pretty ironic that some of them are less tolerant than the people they accuse of being intolerant.
There was a question posted here recently by a black guy who was thinking of running for political office as a Republican and one of respondents called him an "Uncle Tom"...not very tolerant.
If he was running as a Democrat, as expected of all black people, then I'm sure the respondent would have just loved him.

Answer 10

I think its funny that conservatives have a double-standard that they can smear anybody they want but if you dont agree you "hate America","hate God",etc.
Freedom of religion does NOT included ramming your well-worn bible down my throat with my tax dollars.Got it?
Dont you see the irony in your questions??
Also,you lied in ap ast answer.Blue state are not getting redder.
Where do you get that?The question now is how MANY red state are turning blue,and by how much.5,10 percentage points,at least?
I have many questions as to why the south is turning backwards,but it's really a lost cause.

Answer 11

Because conservatism is a hypocritical view point and we only want Cons to THINK for once. Just because I tolerate your view doen't mean I can't critique it.