Are conservatives right to feel morally superior when we are slightly less repressive?

Question

Western civilization has supressed homosexuality for thousands of years. Now that it has been tolerated for only a few years, are we really so much better than other countries who are just as we were a few years ago?

Oooooh, DAMN our morally corrupt desire to help sick people!!!! If only we had the moral courage to let them suffer in poverty like those pious conservatives!

I'm not knocking our efforts to improve, Daniel L. Just our tendency for to attach others that want to follow their own path.

"Give a man his medicine, and he'll live for a day. Don't give give a man his medicine, and he won't."

Answer 1

In Iran the penalty for homosexuality is death.

Homosexuals in Iran are hanged, stoned to death and lashed (beaten) to death.

When you try to compare the policy of the government of Iran against homosexuals with the policy of western governments you destroy your credibility.

It apparently makes you feel better to insult people who would never cause a homosexual person to feel bad much less cause that person to suffer any harm. The only problem is that you have delivered your insults to the people who would normally support your position.

You can get away with your insults, however all that you are accomplishing is reducing the support that we will need to get Democrats elected in 2008.

The swing Democrats that we need to elect Democrats are offended by the kind of insults that you have delivered in your rant.

When the swing Democrats feel insulted, they often vote Republican instead of Democrat. That is how weak and incompetent Republicans such as George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon manage to get themselves elected.

Answer 2

Why can't these conservatives see that there is a difference between their "morals" that infringe on people's freedom and morals that are just the right thing to do regardless of your beliefs. Some of these answers scare me especially Ninja Rabbit's. The declaration of Independence guarentees citizens the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
The Government helping the poor is giving them the right to life whether they can afford to survive or not. The issue of homosexual rights means the government should look out for their right of liberty and pursuit of happiness. Sorry to not really answer your question it is just that the conservative mindset really upsets me.

Answer 3

The hypocrisy of the left never ceases to amaze me. The self proclaimed tolerant set is for the rights of everyone, right up to point where conservatives agree with them and then suddenly they reverse course. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it liberals who constantly regurgitate phrases about how heartless conservatives are? So why is it that when conservatives speak out against an obvious injustice in the world, some liberals consider that to be a bad thing? The answer is because you are not as compassionate as you believe yourselves to be in many cases. You create distinctions with caveats and then draw battle-lines around them with little regard for consistency in your stated beliefs. If you doubt this just pay attention to the attack strategies which result when some republican or conservative is thought to be gay. It is sad really because it demonstrates what is wrong in our country today and illustrates why we can't find common ground anymore. There cannot be common ground when one side is not really true to their own beliefs. The goal should always be to educate and enlighten, not to denigrate.

Answer 4

Sure, we are better. I may be conservative, but I do support gay rights. I just don't like it when gays have to force their lifestyles on everyone or take cheapshots at Christianity. It's ok for gays to make fun of deeply held religious beliefs and religious scenes, like the recent gay ad mocking the last supper, but if someone says f-gg-t or something else offensive to gays, the left has a fit. Where's the uproar from the left about the blatant disrespect on the part of gays against Christianity? It's a double standard I tell ya.

Answer 5

Sorry, but it has not been suppressed for thousands of years. It has been very active in certain cultures right before the collapse of their civilization. I will cite Greece, Rome and France under Louis XIV as prime examples.
You liberals want to stick up for the Islamic terrorists, but that type of treatment is what you could expect under sharia law if our country does not succeed in the middle east.

By the way, I work with juvenile sex offenders in a locked treatment center and a very high percentage of them are gay.

Answer 6

If you are referring to Iran, I think we're decades ahead of them on the issue of homosexuality. I mean, no one has been put to death in America by the courts for being homosexual in over 100 years, if ever to my knowledge. I will admit I've never researched the subject. However, social change moves slow. In all places. We have a right to say we're trying and feel good about it.

Here in America you can walk down the street with your opinions on a t-shirt and not worry about it, in most cases. So yeah, I think we got a good thing going. And we should feel proud that we try our best to do the right things. Even if it does take a while for the change to set in.

edit: Fair enough. Good debating tonight. I like.

Answer 7

I'm a conservative, but I don't feel superior to anybody in any area of life. Period. I don't feel morally superior to a liberal, intellectually superior to a liberal or superior in any other way, shape or form. I hold the opinion that liberals have the right to their opinion as long as that opinion does not advocate the hurting of others, nor does it advocate taking my opinion away from me. Not the answer you were looking for, was it?

Answer 8

...both you conservatives and libs need to really get over yourselves. Really. The country is suffering from the severe polarization. People like you are just feeding the flames.

Nobody knows how to work with each other or compromise. I think you all are learning bad habits from your divorced parents or something....

Answer 9

Ninja Rabbit knows what the heck she is talking about.... one correction Ninja - the current saying goes, "give a man a fish, feed him for a day... teach a man to fish, you lose your voting demographic". why the left wants to encourage codependence and repression is beyond me... y'all might as well tell these people flat out, "you're stupid, and you'll never get by on your own. here's some processed cheese"

Answer 10

Only you left wingers think we have a moral superiority complex. It is the left that forces it's secular humanist morals down our throats constantly, with your proposed universal health care, welfare and public housing for the poor! So don't tell us conservatives about moral supremacy!

All those programs do is keep them poor and dependant on big government. Why not help them achieve self reliability so they can live a more successful life? As the saying goes "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for the day. Teach a man how to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime."