Are Liberals Close-Minded?

Question

This was an answer to a previous question I was reading...

"Because you are a narrow-minded conservative who can't see anyone's view but your own. Any other questions?"



What is your definition of being close-minded? All things being relative (typical liberal philosophy) wouldn't this person's definition of close-mindedness be applied to all liberals as well as conservatives?

Truely "open-minded" would require accepting two opposing viewpoints simultaniously and equally.

Answer 1

Nice Question....Yes, Conservatives are closed-minded and scary...So are many liberals....here's why...

Many people get caught-up in a certain way of thought (like Christians who are taught brotherly love, but want to send everyone who isn't Christian to hell, etc)

Liberals get stuck on being liberal and do not even think of things that sound Conservative...even if it is the best thing for our country. Conservatives do the same thing...even though, to be fair, in my opinion, Conservatives do not even think about things that are good for this country if they are too Conservative...

anyway... giving labels like Conservative and liberal is dangerous because the very definition, in the end, simply means....Closed Minded

Answer 2

I personally think that liberals tend to be more open minded than conservatives, especially since the definition of conservatism is the desire to maintain the status quo.

However, I do see some "liberals" who chastise an alternate viewpoint to their own all too quickly and harshly.

Still, to be truly open-minded, it only means that one must equally CONSIDER two opposing viewpoints simultaneously, not necessarily ACCEPTING either of them.

The fact of the matter is, not many conservatives even "seem" to consider the alternatives before they have judged them inferior. However, since there is always an exception, you will note that I tried to keep my generalizations to a minimum.

Hopefully we can all recognize the benefit of being open-minded and critical of the information that is fed to us by either political party or media outlet.

Answer 3

By definition, the furthest right and left have limited their thinking options. However, it is the majority of people who call themselves liberal today that frighten me the most by the danger of their extremism and ready made hypocrisy. If a liberal pol criticizes a conservative, then they define that as free speech. If a conservative criticizes a liberal politician, they define that as McCarthyism; the other side is not allowed free speech. For the ones I keep meeting, if you disagree with them on any point at all, then you must be:

1. a conservative;
2. brainwashed by Bill O'Reilly (even though I've never seen his show);
3. a conspiracy theorist (even though they are the only ones who used the term "vast right wing conspiracy" about Monica and got proven wrong); and
4. an idiot (how interesting that the self-proclaimed most open minded imagine an IQ problem if anyone disagrees with them)

With this bludgeon in hand, they then proceed to demand we give the terrorists the rights of U.S. citizens, and simultaneously work to release them altogether. Because our president has been successful for five years in prevent another attack on our homeland, the liberals use that fact as "proof" that we are safe and need to dismantle everything that has prevented the attack.

I would say that no one in the mold of Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi or any of the RHINO's (Republican In Name Only) can call themselves open minded. They are actually very proud of the fact that they are closed minded.

They do manage to be pragmatic and take the opposite position when it suits them to do a hatchet job. Since libs love to pull out the name McCarthy these days I give the following example-- When it turned out that Joseph McCarthy's assistent was gay, Joseph Welch used the fact to destroy the man's life even as he accused McCarthy of having no decency. How's that for hypocrisy?

Answer 4

I am a conservative who hangs out in gay bars w/ some of my best friends.

I'm sorry, but I do not believe that conservatives are closed minded, I believe that conservatives believe that EVERYONE is equal. We do not think that because of your social upbringing that you're not as good as everyone else, so we have a problem paying for able bodied people to sit on their butts doing nothing, while our tax dollars support that behavior.

The liberal school districts will allow Muslim beliefs to be taught in a public school, and yet, just try to teach someone about the beliefs of a Christian, and the ACLU would be all over that like flies on sh*@. What happened to separation of church and state?

Here's what I think about Liberals, they're open minded only to other Liberals, they're not open minded to anything outside that realm, so are they closed minded? I would say yes, they're closed minded to every other viewpoint than their own. Thereby they are the epitome of closed minded.

Answer 5

I don't think to be open minded you have to accept two opposing viewpoints simultaneously and equally. That's not possible.

I think it just means that you can see both sides of the argument (even if you align with one side) and why someone might believe each side.

I think most people who identify strongly with any political party are not open minded--only because they've most likely already made up their mind on all major issues, probably without really considering the other side. They tend to think they are right about everything and therefore everyone else is totally wrong...

Independents are open minded.

Answer 6

i'm actual not in choose of each and every thing that Bush has done yet a minimum of the guy has provided ideas. He gives you an theory for social protection reform and he's an fool. He modern-day a plan for well-being care and he's an fool. nicely i do not see too many democrats featuring alternatives. i imagine the democrats have some valid ideas yet they are all so in contact with declaring the "correct or incorrect" problem that none of them will say something in any respect except bash the right. All you would possibly want to do is seem on the perfect election and see for your self how they received. Bashing the right and calling for differences in technique....nonetheless waiting to hearken to the technique. will we please get human beings in Congress which will do something for the individuals as well rip the different party and communicate about, "the individuals have obviously shown they want a replace in Washington". adequate talking already...get to Doing already.

Answer 7

Generally, liberals are fairly open minded. That said, there are certainly very hard-line opinions that libs and cons have that will lead to being closed minded about certain issues.

Being open minded means that even tho you have a position on a issue/topic, you're willing to listen to new facts or opinions and potentially change your mind-- In conservatvie parlance, that is labeled as a flip-flopper. hmmmm... you don't like those do you?

Answer 8

I think that people generally and quite naturally believe that when someone doesn't agree with our viewpoint, they must be closed minded.

In a sense, to ask the question you did sounds closed minded in the first place as it works both ways.

Answer 9

Truly close-minded people wait for others to stop talking so that they may start....

A liberal CAN be close-minded if they believe that they are so much in the right that they refuse to listen to anyone else's opinion...

Oddly enough, if one is to listen to another's opinion, many times the person who is listening is considered "weak" because they are "being swayed" by another point of view, which is catagorically inaccurate.

Politically, if candidates listen, then "switch sides", they are considered a "flip-flopper" and is therefore incapable of strength....which is ALSO catagorically incorrect...

We are seeing the consequences of the failure to listen in the actions of our president...he is so convinced he is right that he has stopped listening, which is currently causing the untimely deaths of thousands.

Answer 10

I disagree with your concept of "open-mindedness." IMHO, in order for one to be open minded, one must consider opposing viewpoints, but wouldn't be required to accept them.

You do have a point that extemists on the left and right wings are not open minded by definition. Those of us who are closer to the middle have the ability to consider both sides.