Some people hate that title, but this is true (for the most part). To give you some background I think back to my late teens and early 20's, a time when you are exposed to more politics because of your age and because you are generally targeted.
I believed that the US was a racist place and that institutions were in place to prevent minorities from achieving. All the stuff I see in the news now, this was going on for a long time...even into the 70s and 80s. I thought that Republicans were racist and that Democrats were the good guys.
I believed that government had to step in at every corner and cater to my needs and if they didn't they should set up a program that should. I didn't believe that we should have to pay for college and that the government should pay for it. I believed that "microaggressions" were just implicit biases that white people had towards people of color (I always found the term POC odd...isn't white a color too?).
I voted for John Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008 because it was my duty...at least according to Democrats who felt that if you were a minority or if you had white guilt that you should do so.
In history class I never learned that the first KKK grand wizard spoke at the Democratic National Convention, or that Jim Crow laws were created by Democrats, or that Democrats wanted to continue slavery. I learned how bad they were, and I learned the names behind these people but never their political affiliation. My textbooks had none of these things and my teacher never mentioned them (and I got an A in history in high school).
I voted straight Democrat in my local elections since turning 18 up until 2008.
I remember how people told me that old people vote Republican and younger people vote Democrat...this was in 1996...and the statistics hold true. But that means that 24 years later this country should be 80% Democrat since all those people in their mid 50s or older who voted Republican in 1996 would've died by now...and they probably did. So why is this country almost 50/50?
Not only that, why did so many former Democrats vote Republican? I browsed some videos on YouTube (at least around 2010 when YT wasn't what it is today) and websites to see why and then I thought about my own experiences.
When I got a job at 18 and still attending school, I wasn't in a "woke" phase yet. Many of my coworkers were "conservative" and at 18 I had little idea what that meant. I had white bosses and white coworkers but none could I honestly say were racist. None of my minority coworkers ever felt the white coworkers were racist either and many enjoyed their company. Some tellers, who were promoted from cashier, were promoted by these white bosses over other white cashiers...in fact, there were 4 people who had access to a safe and 3 of them were POC. These white bosses of mine were conservative, and they let me know and everyone else know. But that didn't bother me because I didn't know what it meant to be conservative. This was 2000, so the time was a bit different when you can display your conservative nature and get away with it and not be cancelled.
Whenever a minority coworker asked for time off, the vast majority of time they got it. Scheduling was based on seniority (mostly) and any disputes were handled with respect. The white bosses had hired more minority workers over the next few years and some lost their job due to stealing, tardiness, or just poor work ethic...but no one claimed racism.
So this job was pretty uneventful. I started saving money up and started spending wisely but still spending on stuff like clothes, shoes, and video games...the fruits of my labor. Anything I wanted to eat, I would buy it. At college however, they said that minorities were less likely to be hired and more likely to be fired due to discrimination and that white people only wanted white people to work and were not likely to promote any minorities. These facts clashed with my job at a local supermarket, but I thought "maybe it's my store that's the anomaly."
But as I grew older, studied many days and nights getting my degree (even overnight in the university's library), I eventually got a job in my field but still kept my supermarket job. It was a lot of hard work but I eventually got my Master's, home, and multiple cars.
So it was when I started watching the news that or maybe watching a YT video that I realized that all my successes in life were the result of my hard work. Sure, I was lucky...lucky enough to be born in the United States, but I took advantage of the opportunities in front of me. Do I make a million dollars a year now? Nope, not even close...but I live a good life. This news program or YT video (can't remember which) had minorities speaking about how they were unsuccessful in life and that it was institutionalized racism that held them down. At this time, around 2009-2010, I agreed with those minorities, but still felt my hardwork got me through life.
The host pushed back a bit...he asked them, what did you actually do to get yourself out of your situation? One person responded that she couldn't get herself out and demanded that the government pay for her expenses and her five kids...and she was 23 years old...right around my age. I was so angered by her response and wanted to tell her "Why did you have 5 kids in the first place?" She was so dependent on the government that she had no skills or qualifications to do any job outside of entry level high school diploma positions.
It was then that I realized that I was working hard, paying lots of taxes, to help fund her laziness. Sure, she most likely had bad parents (or absentee parents), but at some point when you get older you are responsible for your own situation. I personally grew up in a lower income neighborhood and once lived in a 1-bedroom apartment with 8 other people as a kid. I didn't let that situation put me into a pity-phase...and my parents didn't either.
It be nice if we could all grow up like Prince Harry, but we can't. In fact, it's better that we don't. Prince Harry has no appreciable skills that I am aware of and if put into the real world would crumble like a soft cookie because he didn't need to develop skills since he had everything provided for him.
But going back to the 23 year old lady, I felt sorry for her. She mentioned how it was tough to get a job with 5 kids, but she never mentioned what she was doing to acquire skills someone else was willing to pay for. She didn't know what future she wanted for her kids and I was thinking "Oh great, there's 5 more of you in about 12-18 years"...5 more people who will live off food stamps and not contribute to society.
She grew resentful at society and blamed it on white racism, but didn't acknowledge that her 5 kids were without a father who had left her (he was only father to 3 of the kids I believe). It was painful to see because any father who is absent says that the woman didn't care who she slept with.
Now, how much of her situation is society and how much is it on her? I don't believe in the 0% and 100% scenarios, but I do know that if she had better parents she wouldn't be in that situation. But then who caused her parents' situation then? You could say it's systemic racism or institutional racism, and in fact...I agree that it is these two things. But not for reasons you might think.
They say that more minorities per capita are on food stamps...and some want to keep it that way. Some receive more benefits by NOT WORKING than by working...so where is the incentive to work? If you work too many hours you lose your benefits. What kind of sense does that make? I started to see who supported these unemployment benefits and who didn't...the Democrats (who are mostly liberal) wanted to keep benefits while Republicans wanted to reduce them.
I know from my childhood peers how much being dependent hurts them and their families, but why would Democrats want to keep them and yet give them so much benefits that they'll never make more than what they are given? It made no sense...and they said it would hurt minorities the most...and by hurt it would keep them dependent their whole lives. These people aren't bringing in any revenue for taxes and aren't contributing.
I realize that through responsibility gives purpose in life. To be dependent takes purpose away and takes meaning away from life. Yes, I know...we're all dependent on someone. I get it...I'm talking about utter and total dependence on basic necessities like buying water or paying the phone bill.
At the age of 25-26 I then started to realize that I was mostly convservative and it was through life's experiences that made me that way as well as observing others. I did still have (and still do) have some left leaning viewpoints such as gay marriage and having a safety net of income provided by the government (mostly in cases of need). Free speech, which is a liberal idea believe it or not, should be preserved but I am not an free speech absolutist where things like child pornography should be allowed...but I'm more more in favor of a small set of "non free speech" such as yelling fire or prosecuting for making physical threats in certain situations. However, I don't care if someone is a Nazi and wants to make racist posts...I don't believe the government should interfere (but if someone were to assault the Nazi based on just saying Nazi things the person doing the assaulting should be arrested).
I realize that what made this country great were mostly conservative ideas such as capitalism (though capitalism did come before conservatism was ever defined), personal responsibility, being grateful, and knowing that if bad things happen it is a test on your character...even if they happen unfairly. I am not saying liberalism is all bad, but it was conservative ideas that built this country.
It this country was so bad, why do non-white immigrants want to come to the USA and are willing to risk their lives to do so? Why not pick Spain, or Zimbabwe, or Uruguay? In the span of about 250 years this country is still very young but is the most influential country the world. In fact, the USA is the #1 preferred destination for non-white immigrants...so where is the racism coming from? If this country is so bad, why don't these people who say it is leave? No one will get exactly what they want and no one will get their preferred candidate elected...and that's ok.
Countries like China will jail you if you speak badly about the government...in Venezuela you have to line up just to get a single roll of toilet paper!
I've seen so many people not try, not live up to their potential because they're so used to having things provided for them or being comforted when someone hurts their feelings.
It's ok to have hurt feelings...but crawling up into a ball and needing a safe space will do more harm than good. How does the body's immune system get stronger? It needs to encounter these infections and not run from them. The body does not get stronger in quarantine...it gets stronger through adversity and overcoming adversity.
And while we're on the topic of adversity I think we need to define what adversity truly is. Working from home is not adversity...it's wonderful actually. I get to spend my lunch hours in my kitchen! Adversity is not "microaggressions" and then wanting to cut yourself. We need to raise our standards for adversity...such being hit by a car and put into a coma and working your way back from that. Adversity is not having someone disagreeing with you and you feeling like it's racist. Let's bring back the standards for adversity.
There are billions of people who don't have access to food, water, shelter, or plumbing. These people have adversity. Even "people living on poverty" in the USA gets to have shelter, electricity, gas, water, cable TV, computer, and telephone provided to them. Heck, they get their choices in the foods they eat. Being conservative taught me to be grateful because in one fell swoop it could be taken away.
I remember years ago I was in the hospital and one of the things I missed was good food. The food in the hospital was not bad and I was not complaining, but I missed having the ability to cook a steak or even have ice cream. When I got home from the hospital I was so grateful and appreciative of what I had and what I had earned that I was actually happy for the hospital experience. This experience kind of put me more in a conservative mode.
So all this time I mentioned conservatism...but never once mentioned libertarianism once even though it's in the title.
For those who don't know please look it up, but essentially it is the idea of letting others be as much as possible...more so than conservatism. This idea applies to businesses as well as people. I think this way for the most part...except when it comes to technology and these big tech companies. It is not as simple as someone selling t-shirts that you don't like...in many ways these tech companies are the only ways you can do business. For instance, I remember I had a client whose sole goal was to gain as many followers so that he can push a product. He didn't have the resources for a TV ad and probably wouldn't have qualified for a commercial either. The ways in which we conduct conversations and exchanging of ideas is done through social media or the internet and letting just 3-4 companies control all of that can be quite dangerous.
So in a libertarian state of thought, I tend to have a distrust of those who yield extreme influence like Amazon or a political party because I believe that power corrupts people...even the most well meaning of people.
I've noticed within the past 10 years that conservatives/libertarians tend to favor more mom and pop stores and statistically were more charitable. This resonated with me because I was never really charitable (except for the 2004 Tsunami in which I donated $20 as college student) because I had this mindset growing up "gotta get mine"...mostly through watching professional athletes complain about the tens of millions they already have.
So I tend to shop locally or small...especially during Nov and Dec months and I donate my money to charities I believe in. And to people who say "I don't have enough to donate" I call BS. I am not asking anyone to donate, you do you. But don't tell me you don't have enough but you have a $1000 phone with $250 sneakers. Or better yet, save your money...believe it or not that's what capitalism taught me...not any socialist (because technically you would have no money).
Capitalism taught me that if I were to save my money, I can get something nicer but most importantly I would understand its worth because I worked so hard for it. It is a voluntary process of exchange of goods and services and that if I didn't like it I didn't have to buy it. Now, not saying capitalism is all daisies and sunshine because it isn't, but like I mentioned earlier it has done more to bring countries out of poverty and no other economic system even comes remotely close. If they did, the USSR would be a world power and the Berlin wall would still be up. And before anyone says that the Nordic countries are socialist countries...they are not...they do have socialist policies like paid maternity leave by the government but they are in some cases more capitalist than the United States!
So in closing, sorry for this rant...it's not the best written piece, but the idea is there. It was through hard work, being grateful, and overall just life experiences and living in reality that turned me from a "white people are bad" college student to a "No matter the flaws of this country, it's far better than any other and we will always try to improve" person. I used to look down at jobs like janitors, even though I was told to respect all people, because my schools told me that if I don't get a degree I'll end up like them. Even at a young age that sounded so demeaning but I didn't want to be a janitor as a career. However, I look back and I realize how vital those jobs are.
Living in reality taught me that the most menial of jobs were often the most essential. I never need to watch a movie or see how high someone can jump. But I do need someone to keep the lights on and have the plumbing work. These "little guys" that the Democrats wanted to protect never protected them (see Keystone XL) and being conservative meant that I should be grateful that people are willing to do these jobs that others take for granted. It's these little guys that makes my life far easier than any athlete or musician could. I was tired of millionaires getting on TV and telling me how to feel or what to donate to...these same people would only raise money but never give any of their money (though to be fair, time is also valuable). They would rather help raise $100,000 than give $200,000 and save everyone else the time and resources. Even before I considered myself a conservative I often hated celebrities...maybe because I was envious but probably due to their snobbishness which still exists in spades today.
To be honest...after writing all this maybe I was conservative all along (mostly) and just didn't realize it. Like I mentioned I still have some liberal views, but I feel liberalism is centered in utopian ideas whereas conservatism is centered on reality...not dystopian...just the world we live in.
So feel free to love or hate this rant, but the fact that I can post this and the fact that you can read this is what makes this country (US) so great and why I tend to be a conservative.
Most Helpful Opinions