Liberals and Conservatives: what's your biggest complain about......?

Question

Liberals, what's your biggest complaint about Conservatives? Conservatives, what's your biggest complaint about Liberals? And those of you "middle-of-the-roaders" - what's your biggest complaint about Liberals and Conservatives?

Answer 1

The usage of the terms 'liberal' and 'conservative' imply a duotonic dichotomy that simply doesn't exist.

Furthering the myth that people are seperated into the artificial, abstract divisions of left and right is something I object to. It is similar to only acknowledging the caucasian and african races, implying they are opposing forces, and ignoring the rest of the planet.

However, I know that this goes against the popular belief system which is dependent entirely on gross oversimplifications of complex political theorems.

For example, free market economic models of government are considered to be liberal, because the free market and private ownership of wealth is considered to be a liberal ideology. In fact, the origin of liberalism is in the empowerment of private citizens to own their own wealth and make their own destiny, rather than be dependent on powerful centralized government.

By that same token, 'progressive' socialist models of government, the complete opposite of what liberalism means, where people become dependent on the state to administer their private needs, is also considered to be a liberal ideology. Both models are called 'liberal'.

My biggest complaint about so-called liberals and conservatives is that they are labels, similar to racial epithets, and often have no similarity to the supposed political views they endorse.

A liberal may endorse heavy government regulation of your private life, and a conservative may take radical reformist stances on issues like taxation, corruption, and voting laws.

In other words, these labels can mean the opposite of what they mean. A liberal who supports less freedoms doesn't make much sense, but that's the mainstream. A conservative who advocates radical reform doesn't make much sense, as they are supposedly in support of the status quo, by definition.
However, if you asked 'conservatives' how they feel about taxation, voting reform, and anti-corruption laws, and you would more likely see strong advocacy for change.

Why do we use such oversimplistic, divisive, and inaccurate language? Is it a lack of education, or is this simply the result of a lazy and apathetic public?

Today the worst thing you could call your opponent is a 'liberal' or a 'conservative'. These are the harshest slurs imaginable. If you called an opponent a flip-flopper or a draft-dodger or a corrupt and unenlightened bureaucrat it would not have nearly the impact of simply being called 'liberal' or 'conservative'.

To make my point clearer, there are more than 2 ideologies.
There are social progressives who advocate paleoconservative/liberal economic policies.

There are social regressives who advocate progressive/neoconservative government and foreign policies.

There are those that support isolationist and protectionist economic policies, and don't favor any particular social ideology.

There are communists, anarchists, anarcho-syndicalists, theocrats, bureaucrats, oligarchs, and plutocrats.

There are many unrelated political theories that all-too-often get pushed together, simplified, glossed over, and labeled incorrectly. This is the substitute for real political discussion these days.

Oops! Didn't mean to rain on anyone's parade. I know what I will do, I will conform to groupthink and be a good little german, and pledge my undying support for either Red or Blue. Will that be less controversial? I wouldn't want to have to make anyone think today.

Maybe if I conform to political correctness and groupthink no one will give me the DREADED thumbs-down for my remarks, and then drag me away to be medicated and re-educated.

Answer 2

Individualism is nice, but when the vast wealth of a country is in the hands of so few individuals it's called conservatism. Karl Marx is not my hero, but his work and his philosohpy has been twisted by many for too long. If conservatism prevails for a long period, it's guaranteed that liberalism will soon follow. So my complaint is stop the fear mongering about socialism. Democratic socialism is already here. Government can do more for the greater number than any private enterprise ever could. Good, effective and responsible government is not the problem, it's the constant fear and aprenhension about it that causes people to fear it. And while we spend so much time worrying about that, the individuals with the wealth are the one's who come to dictate the terms of our wellbeing. Hardly democratic...

Answer 3

My biggest complaint about liberals is that they believe that minority rules. That we have an obligation to make sure that the minorities needs are met first. Why do we have Gay rights, Black awareness, can't say the pledge in schools. I don't walk down the street and tell people I am white, or straight, or a Catholic. Why must they feel obliged to tell me that they are Gay, Afro-American and an Atheist. Because they want special treatment that being in the minority represents. That special treatment is provided by liberals. With that said, I don't think for a minute that minorities rights should be repressed or trounced on, but they have the same vote I have, just one though, just like me. Remember, at one time Women didn't have the vote, but Men (the only voters) gave that right to them. The same holds true for Afro-Americans, White men gave them that right, and they did it before giving it to Women.

Answer 4

My biggest complaint is that most people are so mislead as to call themselves either. They are both expressions of a false political spectrum imposed on everyone by TOTALITARIANS for their own benefit and obviously, by definition, control. The true spectrum in politics is totalitarian on one end and libertarian on the other, and libertarians are nearly snuffed out completely in our current situation of fascist/communist brainwashing. They control how everything is defined, and usually in a very twisted way. Individualism is often seen as selfishness, and if it is, individuals are not really respecting the individual rights of others as individualists should. That is just one example of how confused people have become about the meanings of words. Politics, I am told, is compromise, but if a view is wisest, compromising it is an evil process. Everybody is just trying to out-power or out-deceive others. It's parasitic and self-consuming, and it won't get better until they find and exercise a genuine care for their fellow man. Guess which end of the true spectrum I'm on.

Answer 5

I am a middle-of-the-roader. I am a registered Independent, though I make it no secret that I tend to lean left. That being said, my biggest complaint is that both sides want to label me. I do not see everything in black and white. There are some gray areas...

Answer 6

Liberals come on way to strong and have little defense against being ridiculed for their views. Conservatives take advantage of this weakness to gain popularity over them.
My complaint would be they are unwilling to see change is the only solution.

Answer 7

Both side are to strong in killing individual rights.For Example: Conservatives are so strongly against abortion, they don't believe in letting people make up their own minds. If they support abortion, and want to abort, that should be within their rights. If they disagree with abortion, don't do it; don't control other people to practice what you believe. Conservatives also are to closed minded on the homosexuallity issue. I Disagree with the practice personally, but I fully and totally respect anyone who feels differently or practices homosexuallity.
Continuing the example:Liberals on the other hand are strong against Gun rights and any element of religion touching governments or public institutions. You don't believe in gun ownership, don't own one. Don't want prayer in schools, you/your child doesn't have to pray with everyone.

So basically my complaint is the same for both sides, way to controlling of individual rights and beliefs, but common sense should be had too. Drugs are a hamper on society. Drug users OD, or tweak and become other type of criminals thus causing the nation as a whole to pay for services rendered at hospitals, or using Law Enforcement for handling these tweakers.

Liberals also are way to free on the let everyone in the border thing. Gringos can't own land in Mexico, and if we cross illegally into the country, we face jail and prison time. It is a double standard that liberals think is OK. Mexico kicks out Guatamalens, El salvadoreans back to their country all the time, after having served time. But the US is wrong for doing that. Its their right to be here supposedly, even though they broke the law to get here, but its not OK for gringos....Blah. Sorry I got off on a rant, but liberals are to soft on immigration.

Answer 8

Both sides use generalizations to make their arguments and seem incapable of articulating the details on issues.

Also, I find "conservatives" more "liberal" in the sense many who identify themselves as a "Republican Conservative" today believe in larger federal government and smaller state rights. They do not believe in a balanced budget like "Liberal Democrats" do.

Finally, the labels themselves have been blurred and America has shifted more right-of-center in the past three decades; as such, the likes of Goldwater and Eisenhower (Conservative Republicans) are seen as "liberal" and are admonished by the psuedo-conservatives in this country.

Answer 9

My main problem with the typical liberal and typical conservative is that they use the title as an end-all-be-all - whether using it to describe themselves or to describe someone else. I am a Conservative. But me telling you that in no way describes to you what my opinions and views are - but many will assume that they know everything about my politics because I claim to be conservative.

Another problem I have with both - they don't know what the terms mean, and use them very carelessly. You need to understand the roots of Conservatism / Liberalism. For instance Barry Goldwater - "Mr. Conservative" was so conservative that he himself said that future conservatives would call him a liberal. Fundamentally be was very conservative, but the meaning of the word has come to be something else.

Answer 10

Conservatives want what's right from their point of view, even when their view is in opposition to the language of the constitution. Liberals want what's right by the constitution. True conservatives believe it is wrong to use the force of law to address social injustice. As a results, bigots, fascists, and xenophobes align themselves as conservatives in order to perpetuate injustices that enrich themselves.
Conservatives want government out of the boardroom and out of the classroom, but insist that it be in your bedroom and in your doctor's office. Conservatives say they want to leave decisions to the states and shrink the size and power of the federal government. Except they want the federal government to dictate their views of abortion, marriage, education, gun control, illegal drugs and anything else they feel is decided incorrectly by the states.