Winter Break WK #3: “GOP blinded by love”
by Joel Stein
But I’ve come to believe conservatives are right. They do love America more. Sure, we liberals claim that our love is deeper because we seek to improve the United States by pointing out its flaws. But calling your wife fat isn’t love. True love is the blind belief that your child is the smartest, cutest, most charming person in the world, one you would gladly die for. I’m more in “like” with my country.
Fox News’ Sean Hannity loves this country so much, he did an entire episode of “Hannity’s America” titled “The Greatest Nation on Earth.” In that one hour he said, several times, “the U.S. is the greatest, best country God has ever given man on the face of the Earth.” One of the surest signs of love is it makes you talk stupid.
Conservatives feel personally blessed to have been born in the only country worth living in. I, on the other hand, just feel lucky to have grown up in a wealthy democracy. If it had been Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Israel or one of those Scandinavian countries with more relaxed attitudes toward sex, that would have been fine with me too.
When a Democrat loses the presidential race, real lefties talk a lot about moving to Canada. When Republicans lose, they don’t do that. Although, to be fair, they don’t have a lot of nearby conservative options. Not even Hannity is a committed enough conservative to yell, “If Obama wins, I’m moving to Singapore.”
This doesn’t mean I’m not fascinated by American history, impressed by our Constitution or don’t appreciate our optimism and entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, I love everything Hannity listed on his TV special other than Madonna. But there are plenty of things I don’t like about America: our foreign policy, our religious fundamentalism, our provincialism, our intellectual laziness, our acceptance of sweat suits in public.
When I ran the idea that liberals don’t love America as much as conservatives by talk-show host Glenn Beck, who will move from CNN Headline News to Fox News next month, he totally agreed with me, which is precisely why I called him. “It’s absolutely true, deep love. As a parent loves a child,” he said. “But I think liberals laugh that off, the way the rest of the country laughs off the love Texans have for their state. Texans don’t think, `Oklahoma, you (stink).’ Well, yes they do – but they don’t think other states (stink). They just have a love for the republic of Texas. … I don’t have disdain for other countries. Well, except for France.”
I asked Beck why Democrats rarely share his overwhelming sense of American exceptionalism and Francophobia. “I think it’s because in the late 1800s up until the 1930s, the progressive movement started to think the European ideals are pretty good, that it’s one big world,” he said. “Well, it’s not. If you look at all the countries like people, there are differences between people. And I happen to like this person the best.” When I look at the countries like people, I love Sweden the best.
I accused Beck of loving America just out of birthplace convenience, which is kind of like loving the girl who happens to sit in front of you in homeroom. “If I were born in Great Britain and read about Britain and America, I’d love the values and principles and the men who founded this country,” he said. “I love that we crossed these mountains and didn’t know what was on the other side. I love that the Pilgrims didn’t want to come here, but they came here because they felt prompted to by God. There’s always been a spirit of adventure and awe in this land. And I don’t think any other country has that.” Beck, it seemed, loves America the same way little boys love camping.
Despite Beck’s rationalization, I still think conservatives love America for the same tribalistic reasons people love whatever groups they belong to. These are the people who are sure Christianity is the only right religion, that America is the best country, that the Republicans have the only good candidates, that gays have cooties.
I wish I felt such certainty. Sure, it makes life less interesting and nuanced, and absolute conviction can lead to dangerous extremism, but I suspect it makes people happier. I’ll never experience the joy of Hannity-level patriotism. I’m the type who always wonders if some other idea or place or system is better and I’m missing out. And, as I figured out shortly after meeting my wife, that is no way to love.
Joel Stein is a columnist for The Los Angeles Times. His e-mail address is jstein@latimescolumnists.com.
The author mentioned in his article: “When a Democrat loses the presidential race, real lefties talk a lot about moving to Canada. When Republicans lose, they don’t do that (Stein).” Well I will have to disagree as many people from both sides suggested that if their candidate did not win they would move to Canada during the 2008 election. I was glad to see that a journalist could say how he felt about this country but I also found it disheartening. I guess I should have stated out with I am a Christian and that even though I am moderate, I lean toward being a conservative. So with that said, people should be grateful that they have so many freedoms, that they can share their thoughts, and move almost freely throughout the world. We are a spoiled, unthankful, and greedy nation when we wish we could have experienced a different nation because we are not satisfied with the one we have.
Connection: This links right into party image. In this case the author believes that Democratic liberals have a “liking” to America and those Republican conservatives “love America and are all Christians.” It is interesting to see a person’s perception of what Republicans and Democrats stand for.
I really like this article; it’s very sarcastic and would make you think that the author is in full support of the republican ways when really he is just making fun of some of the extremism that can happen in America. He points out all of the stereotypes and offers some truth to each explanation. Liberals often do point out America’s flaws, and a lot of the time, the things the liberals have to say aren’t very flattering about the country. The liberals see the most practical views and are always looking for new ways to improve things that have already been innovated. This can sometimes be irritating and seems unpatriotic, but usually acts as a message to call for the best ideas-fit for the best country. On the other hand, he also points out the other side of the spectrum, the conservatives who can’t seem to get enough of our country and can sometimes turn to stone; they are incapable of compromise. They love America SO MUCH that they fail to see any of its flaws, they don’t consider better ways to live like other country’s, and they often act as arrogant barriers who perturb the rest of the world in their resistance. The author portrays the republicans to be living in their own little fantasy world, a world of “Hannity-level patriotism” that he cant seem to be a part of because of his practicality and need for difference of opinion on controversial issues, such as religion and gay rights. Overall, the author makes conservatives out to be extremists and in general doesn’t give them a very good label for reputation. But he does openly admit that conservatives are the more patriotic of the two parties, as they will always believe America to be the best country and to stand by it even when they’re wrong.
Connection: Ideologically conservative, but operationally liberal.
As the term regularly goes, people all share the same values and ‘think’ like a conservative in those respects. But, when it comes down to making big decisions and governmental changes, we all act in operation liberally in order to get things done. This author argues against this policy. Rather, the author indirectly states that conservatives are always going to be the same and wont ever change their ways in order to please others. They think they’re country is perfect the way it is, and they wouldn’t ever go so low as to act in the liberal ways.
My initial reaction to the first lines was that this article was going to be entirely biased in favor of a more liberal outlook. The author definitely threw in a surprise curve ball with the following statement which begins the second paragraph: “But I’ve come to believe conservatives are right. They do love America more” (Joel Stein).
I wasn’t sure at first what measure of love the author was referring to, but I guess it’s become a matter of faith in your country’s abilities. I’m sure many Americans would confess to being “the type who always wonders if some other idea or place or system is better” (Joel Stein). Love for your country also depends upon your own outlook on life. An optimistic activist probably has a greater appreciation for the good things in life (things we take for granted, like security, food, the overall power and influence of our great nation) than a pessimistic Debbie-Downer looking for an escape from the hardships which could be ten times worse in other countries. America is a superpower; there’s no doubt about it. So the real question is: are you proud or ashamed to live in such a place as the United States?
Connection: Party Identification. Remember when we filled out the sheet awarding points in certain areas depending on whether we felt more liberal or conservative on a particular issue? When we first entered the classroom this year, most of us had a general idea of key differences between Democrats and Republicans, but it was hard to truly differentiate until we learned about the history behind each party. As we’ve learned before, there will probably always be more “leaners” than there will be true Dems or Reps. Your thoughts on this article do not necessarily reflect your true party identification; rather, it’s just a matter of opinion.
Maybe conservatives do love the country more than liberals, but I don’t think it really works that way. The author of this article makes good points, but it just isn’t that easy to categorize the love of our country as either you do love it or you don’t love it. Although there are some people who hate this place and some who love it more than anything in the world, most people are somewhere in the middle. Take me for example… I like a lot of the freedoms that we have here, but sometimes I don’t really like the way the country is run or the rules that are applied here. Just because I don’t like a few of the little things doesn’t necessarily mean I hate this place, but I guess that is why the author said that he was “more in ‘like’ with the country”.
I found it kind of interesting that the author included that many conservatives claim that they are going to move to Canada if a liberal goes into office, seeing as I have heard that line more than once from one of my friends when he learned that Obama was winning before the election and that he had won after the election. The author made an interesting point while talking about this, seeing as “I’m moving to Singapore” doesn’t really seem quite right. Apparently Canada is an acceptable place to live for liberals and conservatives alike. It may just be that Canada is so close to home, or maybe it is because English is one of the main languages spoken there.
Connection: This article reminds me of the discussions we had in class near the very beginning of the year when we were figuring out the traits of liberals and conservatives. According to this article, conservatives love the country more than liberals do, along with being against gay rights and abortion.
First of all, I want to point out that not every conservative is a radical Republican and not every democrat is a raging liberal. Most America is split between issues not parties. Just because I don’t agree with abortion doesn’t mean I disagree with gay and lesbian marriages; so obviously not all republicans are going to have more love for America then all the democrats. When you love something or someone, they have their faults and you may not agree with them, but in the end your love will conquer all. A true faithful American sees the differences in our society and may not always be happy with the outcomes, but the love is deeper within. I consider myself a moderate liberal and when Bush was in office I never thought about leaving to Canada. I love that we are a democracy and different opinions are heard because it will make us stronger. You really don’t realize how good we have it here until you see the other side of the world. It’s always fun to spend the night at a friends house or go on a camping trip, but its always nice to finally come home. So I’m going to have to disagree with Joel Stein on this one.
Connection: When reading this article I had to think of the reasons why I loved America and the term “salad bowl” came to mind. It refers to all the different cultures, ideas, and people that our country is made of and all the differences we stand for. In our democracy people are allowed to voice their opinions and we can see how it betters our society.
In response to Renee, and possibly others that will post:
I think you may have taken this article too literally or misunderstood. The author isn’t saying that republicans love the country more than the other party’s, but rather that he is making fun of them. He is being completely sarcastic in “agreeing” with them and is being satirical in his manner in order to say that they DON’T really love the country more; it’s merely a matter of opinion and possibly delusion. They have no proper perspective in the same way that a parent doesn’t have the true perspective of their child; every parent is going to think their child is the most precious and beautiful, rather than seeing them in the same light as the rest of the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this article and found myself literally laughing out loud at certain lines. According to this article, conservatives have more of a “love” for America. But, as this article points out, is true love for something, blind? Can we really just keep blindly lying to ourselves into thinking that America is “the best” country without trying to fix our flaws? Now, obviously this article is clearly slanted towards the liberal state of mind, but still, can we continue calling this love? I would have to agree with the author in that I do love many things about America, especially that it is a place where we can be free. But I also dislike many things about our country. The author mentions ‘intellectual laziness’ and that is something that I strongly feel is one of the worst parts about our country. Not nearly enough people in our country take advantage of their education opportunities. And little do they know that children and adults all around the world would die for the opportunity to get a good education to make their lives better. Both conservatives and liberals bring a different flavor into our country, and without the one or the other our country would be very different. All of us have our own love for this country; however, some are just in like while others are madly in love.
Connection:
Americans pride for our country. Most Americans do have some pride for their country. Even if they don’t support the war, all of us are proud of our troops and support them. Some of us LOVE our country, while others like it. Some are deeply involved and live out their individual rights daily, while others are just glad to be living in the land of the free. But all Americans have pride for their cou
First of all, how do you love your country? Is it liking it the way it is, believing that your country is superior to every other country in this world? Or is it trying to make your country the greatest by allowing it to represent all of its citizens and their beliefs, and allow the citizens of your country to be who they are?
Republicans may, in fact, love America more that liberals. Every republican takes full advantage of the second amendment, has an American flag waving in the air to flamboyantly show their patriotism, and believe entirely in the freedom of religion… if the religion just happens to be Christianity. I have no idea how you could love your country any more.
Those crazy liberals try to change the country, make it into something that identifies with the people. They try to “improve” the country by allowing people in this country to have freedoms. Pure craziness. Gay rights, who cares, “gays have cooties”. “You want freedom of religion, you ain’t an a-rab are ya’?”.
Connection: 9/11. Republicans were seen loving their country more than liberals because they basically headlined the war on terror. Since the liberals are more “one world” thinking and the conservatives are more “one country” thinking, protection of the “one country” is shown as love for that particular country over all others.
Besides the fact that I thought that this article was hilarious, and that conservative are generally more patriotic I disagree with this author. I do not believe that such patriotism blinds conservatives to the truth about America. I love our country and think that it is the greatest one in the world and I do not see how any American can believe otherwise, but I do not believe that our countries is perfect. Maybe it is easier for liberals to say how everything sucks and blame others for problems than to work with what we have.
Some people believe that that saying our country is the greatest is elitist, like being better and knowing it is somehow bad. But what is wrong with being better? Why have we taken away any striving for perfection by accepting less then ones best? We are working too hard at making everyone accepted and equal that we forget that not everyone is the same nor should they be.
America is better, everyone has that potential but not have all been able to carry it through as America has. There is no reason to belittle our accomplishments so we do not seem arrogant or elitist, if you do not let anyone excel on one will but if you give everyone the chance at least some can.
Connection: This correlates to how either party ran their campaign for president. Obama ran on “change” or America sucks and we need to make it better but John McCain ran on “country first.” We can see, even within this last campaign, those exact differences in patriotism author is talking about.
I have to say I like this article. It entertained me when I spotted it in the Spokesman, and rereading it hasn’t spoiled its effects. I have to agree with the article’s author, most folks do share the sort of tribal affinity and liking for groups that they belong to when it comes to their favorite country. After all, most of the American praise comes from within. I have yet to see a BBC documentary extolling our virtues. If we grew up in Britain, we’d have more familiarity with their history and be more attuned to it. This is evidenced by the fact that most American’s can’t detail specifics of the French Revolution or other events that America did not have direct involvement or influence on, past the point where briefly retaining that was necessary for a world history class. I don’t think anyone is qualified for weighing two different countries of similar industrialization, even if they have been around the world and lived in various locales. Because, there will always be confirmation bias, the conditions of where they first started out coloring their expectations and perceptions. I know it’s hard to remain objective, but I suppose like the author said, it is ’simpler’. Much in the same way the Amish lifestyle is ’simpler’. Jingoism is just the next stage of patriotism, so we can love our country, and by all means it does help the country greatly in time where sacrifice is needed, but we do have to understand that other nations love their country just as much. But that is also hard, as it seems the more you love your country, the more it seems you hate that which seems unlike it, hence the Francophobia (Nevermind the key aid they gave us in our Revolutionary War).
Connection: Party Identification: Party identification is the self-proclaimed affiliation of an individual to a political party. The author identifies with the Democratic party, in this case. One of the flaws of the article are the sweeping generalizations about others who identify a particular party, though perhaps it’s simply a parody of the generalizations most make anyway. Conservatives all love their country, and liberals don’t love the country, or so the author informs us.
I would just like to say that the sarcasm and childish jokes were thoroughly entertaining. I do think the author brings up a valid point about how conservatives love America more than liberals do. But how can you judge this “love”? Conservatives say they can “love” America like a child who always thinks it is perfect regardless. I think liberals show more of tough love. I don’t think there was a surge of Democrats moving to Canada after the 2000 election that Gore lost so they show love by saying there is always room for improvement or change. Both work depending on the time. If things are going really well and have been without any major changes you generally keep it that way and stay happy; which could be seen as the conservative “love.” Then if things start getting bad you can’t just abandon America you have to make some changes.
I agree with the author saying yes he is happy he lives in America but would have been equally as happy living in a different country. It is great that there is so much patriotism for America but seriously let’s get real no where is perfect every country, city or neighborhood has their own set of problems.
Connection: This article shows how each party thinks. What exactly they stand for. While this article stereotypes both parties, stereotypes (within reason) have to come from somewhere, ie Democrats point out flaws, Republicans have the same relationship with America as a parent has with a child.
In response to Nicole Thompson:
“…the conservatives who can’t seem to get enough of our country and can sometimes turn to stone; they are incapable of compromise (Nicole T.).” I don’t believe the author said this or even really inferred this to be true. The author went as far to say that liberals show the nation its flaws, but as far as conservatives go, they just won’t be going to Canada. They’ll stay in the states loving their nation because they are Christians. At least from the author’s point of view.
But if you do believe that conservatives look past this countries flaws and have no wish to compromise, you are most likely judging before you get to know them. It could be that conservatives want to be a little more optimistic (this is just a pure hypothetical suggestion even though it could be true) and usually compromise comes slowly because both parties want what they stand for and have a hard time budging. This nation has a long way to go, and I would hate for it to go down hill because of party identification. Our founding fathers and others sacrificed their lives for this nation. I think this nation could handle putting aside party differences to continue what they began.
I have to say, this article gets your mind metabolism going. This is a new point-of-view that I haven’t really been exposed to yet. Yes it may be true that a lot of “Conservatives feel personally blessed to have been born in the only country worth living in.” But I am sure there are a lot of conservatives who don’t have that mind set. Just like not all “liberals don’t love America as much as conservatives.” Yes both parties and ideologies have their own tendencies, and conservatives may be more patriotic and in love wit this wonderful nation ,while many liberals may have slightly more vulgar things to say about it. It’s funny, I have grown up in a middle-class, mostly conservative area my whole life. Same school district, same kids, same things different days. And now I can walk around in the halls or in the commons and pretty much be able to pick out any liberal. Not because they have done anything wrong or look any different; Just some how by talking to them and having a conversation with them they stick out. This really isn’t anything bad, it’s just an interesting realization and observation. Yes it may be true that liberals are more in tune to what our country needs to change while conservatives tend to love the country no matter what it’s flaws; But everybody wants to see their own country succeed no matter what political background or upbringing they are coming from. Everyone wants to be a winner as long as it’s on their own terms.
Connection:
We have talked consistently about political ideologies and beliefs. A conservative and a liberal may be two very different people, but when push comes to shove everybody wants what’s best for their country. Conservatives may think it’s cheap oil, and less government regulation, while liberals may think it’s gay rights and the end of all wars. People are different and should be free to be, that is why this country is so great and successful, people are free to be themselves.
This was a very effective article. He basically created two stereotypes, which are not always true, but are good generalizations. I do love my country in one sense however that he seemed to overlook. This country provides great opportunities for all. I am glad my government does not tell me how much money I can make, or what job I have to do. I am glad the author is free to say things like this; in some countries freedom of speech is a myth. I am proud of our past, we made the world “safe for democracy” in World War I, we freed the victims of the holocaust, and we decided racial ignorance is something we would not allow. Our country has an incredible story, but all those things aside our government does have several flaws and has made many mistakes especially in the last 10 years. Its not that Liberals don’t love our country on a fundamental level its just that our leadership has interesting ideas from time to time. The war in Iraq is a perfect example. I forget why that war started, was it because there were weapons of mass destruction, or was it because Sadam Hussein was palling around with Osama Bin Laden, wait no we had to give these people what they truly wanted all along the gift of Democracy. For gods sake what is wrong with our country? We are like the stupid jock giving nerdy kids wedgies all through high school, but one day when we come back to the high school reunion the nerdy kids are going to be surgeons, and we will work in a convenience store.
Connection: Party ideology, Liberals see flaws in government, conservatives blindly agree with everything the government does.
This article brought up an interesting question. What does it mean to love? Is love blind, or does love offer so much “constructive criticism” that it destroys? Honestly, any form of love seems to exist on a middle ground. When you love a person, you must see them as a whole. You offer support and acceptance, whether they are going through good times or bad. At the same time, it is your responsibility to help them grow and become the best that they can be. The same is true when it comes to love for a country. A citizen who loves his country appreciates it and works to make it a better place. It almost seems as though moderates have the deepest love for their country. Moderates accept many aspects of our government but also seek to better our country through change. The author seems to suggest that only “conservatives feel personally blessed to have been born in the only country worth living in.” Just because you seek to change something, it does not mean you are not grateful. I am very grateful to be a part of Mt. Spokane, but at the same time, I would still like to see an open campus at lunchtime and a mixer on the occasional Friday. True love seems to fall somewhere in between blindness and revolt.
Connection: Moderate America
We discussed the fact that the majority of Americans are moderates. This seems to be a fairly healthy place for us to be. We have people who are willing to risk their lives for our country, while at the same time, we have citizens who are willing to rally and protest to make this country a better place. We can neither turn a blind eye to fault nor allow our country’s flaws to engross our vision.
Stein is right; conservatives do have an absolute sort of love for the country. But it seems that this love ultimately stems from the conservative philosophy as a whole: the belief that there is a right way to live. That there is a definite right and wrong. That events and people and objects and ideas can be dichotomized, placed in categories of good and bad. And for conservatives, America has obviously been placed in the “good” section, along with the heterosexual, God-fearing, self-righteous lifestyle.
Liberals, as a whole, seem more tolerant of alternatives. Perhaps more accepting of things they may not personally believe. Which is why, again, on the whole, liberals are more willing to accept the philosophies of other nations and lifestyles and groups. They are anti-war (why cause conflicts simply because we don’t agree?), pro gay-marriage (they love who they love, what business is it of mine?) and pro-abortion (again, not my decision to make).
Conservatives seem to believe things, and also believe it is alright to condemn that which floats outside the sphere of “THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE”. So other nations can go to hell, America is the greatest. You can’t do this and this and this and this, because obviously, it’s devils fodder. They believe, and therefore feel it is there duty to not only stand up for these God-given truths, but to impress them upon the unenlightened masses. America is the best nation ever, and you should think so too!
I think that Mr. Stein is probably right, hitting the nail on the proverbial head. Some (not all, because Stein groups them all together and, in arguments, absolutes are disastrous) Republicans probably really love America. Blindly. I love America. I’m not a Republican. However, my love stems from the rights and freedoms and duties and responsibilities and opportunities and ideals that I have in America that some other Americans share. If the tangents of America vanished into some prison-like, Constitution-ignoring negative of America, then I would cease to love our country. Without the people, without the ideals, without all of the things people bring to America or are born into this country, it’s just a hunk of land. Some of it is fertile. Some has good mining or lumber or oil. There are nice natural resources. But that is not my America. I do not love the ground on which I stand. I love what stands around me, with me, on the soil of America. It’s not about the dirt. It’s about what lives above the dirt. I think that may be what Mr. Stein was really referring to: Republicans loving everything and the dirt. I don’t speak for anyone else, but I know that I want my country to be more than dirt.
Connection: Political Culture. In this article, Americans are divided in half by their love for their country. Based on whether they are Democrat or Republican, Stein dictates whether they will love their country or just “like” it. I’ve said it before: absolutes are poor ways to argue. Stein says all Republicans love America and Democrats don’t. That’s a stupid way to characterize the values of our society.
In response to Jordan Yaeger:
You said, “I think liberals show more of tough love…they show love by saying there is always room for improvement or change.” The author said, “We liberals claim that our love is deeper because we seek to improve the United States by pointing out its flaws. But calling your wife fat isn’t love.” I disagree with the author that “calling your wife fat isn’t love.” You would have to lover her to say it to her face and be willing to get slapped for it. But, love is not just ‘rose goggles.’ Sometimes love is pointing out flaws that someone such as your wife, or in this case the United States, may have. The trick is to not say it out right, but instead say it in a roundabout way so that it sounds nice and not that you hate that feature of the person or that you are being a total… Put a ’spin’ on it. Sometimes the best love is ‘tough love’ and it takes ‘tough love’ to change things. The author made a good point and so did you. The author “is happy he lives in America but would have been equally as happy living in a different country… no where is perfect, every country, city, or neighborhood has their own set of problems.” Look at the difference between the two. Liberals ‘tough love’ gets things done, or at least that is the appearance that Obama is making, and Conservatives ‘rose goggles’ get very little to nothing done. Conservatives can’t see the flaws with their “rose goggles’ on; therefore, they do not want to change anything and do not get much done. Liberals are here to try to fix the city, neighborhood, and even country problems while Conservative kind of just make sure that things stay the same and don’t change to drastically.
In Response to Clarin and Renee,
I think your outlook on this article was somewhat similar and I agree with both. This article is very stereotypical of putting conservatives and liberals and two different categories and making it clear that you either love this country or you just like it okay. Human emotions are complex and I’m sure there are people who hate this country (in that case they should move) or love it to death.
I read Nicole’s response to Renee and I must say Renee I don’t think you took the author too literally. Most people in this country probably love the freedoms we have and embrace a lot of what our culture is built around, but let’s face it we are far from perfect. I resented the author saying he wondered if he was missing out on something by living here. While I understand why he would wonder what it would be like to live in other countries, it is just silly to resent the nation that gives so much back to its citizens. I guess what I am trying to say is every country has flaws (as both Clarin and Renee pointed out). If you don’t like America’s reputation or you resent its legal system, fine, move to Europe, but you may end up paying $10 for a gallon of gasoline and your children will be able to drink at the age of 16.
In response to Savannah:
I agree that the author was trying to make the point, in a very round about way, that not every democrat is a “godless, unpatriotic, pierced nosed, Volvo driving, France loving, left wing, communist, latte sucking, tofu chomping, holistic wacko, neurotic, vegan, weenie pervert” (Dave Barry) and not every republican is a “ignorant, racist, fascist, knuckle dragging, NASCAR obsessed, cousin marrying, road kill eating, tobacco juice dribbling, gun fondling, religious, fanatic redneck” (Dave Barry) These are obnoxious stereotypes and very few people, although there are some who fit those profiles, actually are those individuals. Most are a little bit France loving and a little bit knuckle dragging but dammit that’s what makes America, America and we should embrace it because it’s not changing. Those who don’t like it can go to Canada, if they’re brave enough. The conservatives might want to beware though; the Canadians might have cooties like the gays Joel Stein speaks of. (“These are the people who are sure Christianity is the only right religion, that America is the best country, that the Republicans have the only good candidates, that gays have cooties.” (Joel Stein)) I found that comment rather odd and most likely offensive to some but not I. However it did fit in with the sarcastic, yet highly entertaining nature of the article.
In response to Ryan P:
Liberals just run around bad talking America and blame others? That seems like an extreme view of the opposition, of which I don’t agree with. I don’t believe that liberals aren’t trying to work with what we have. I’m more than certain that liberals are actually trying everything in their power to use every possible alleyway to make the change they desire with what they have available. If they were trying to work with things they didn’t have, some movements wouldn’t happened. We could go down the list of ideas/actions liberals have stood behind; let us just throw out a big one like women’s suffrage. Those who supported women’s right to vote did what they could with what they could, and they pushed hard. Where’s the imaginary resource in that? It’s not a matter of what we have, and what we don’t, it’s a matter of hard work for change to get what we want. Stein didn’t write his article to point fingers at who was right and who was wrong, he was pointing out the differences in love between two the ideologies; mostly pointing out the blind love that some conservatives hold. The love that makes those conservatives overlook some of the problems in the country.
In response to Renee Davidson:
I agree with Renee when she says that the author really isn’t right about how Americans love America. I think that most people are in the middle. Most people are moderate. The party dealignment era appears to be now. The author in this article stated that conservatives love and liberals like or go so far as to hate America. I think that’s the flaw in this article. Renee corrects it. Then, to briefly correct Renee, he says only liberals talk about going to Canada. Canada is a liberal’s paradise… at first glance. Singapore is a conservative’s paradise… at first glance. It is one of the most conservative countries on earth. In fact, if you vandalize in Singapore, you get caned! And they don’t sell gum in the country of Singapore, the entire country: because they don’t want people to stick it all over the place. Finally, in defense of Renee, when Nicole Thompson says that Renee (and by proxy me, for agreeing with Renee) has misread the article too literally, I disagree. In my opinion, satire is where you take a position that you are trying to make fun of, and you discredit it by playing up the ridiculous parts of it. It is like playing a character, in my opinion. I, personally, saw no satire. So, in defense of Renee, and myself, I disagree with Nicole on that point.
In response to Nicole Thompson:
I really liked this article too. The sarcasm and little puns the author threw in were great. I agree with you about the stereotypes that were created in this article but I think you missed the boat on the conservative stereotype. You think “the conservatives who can’t seem to get enough of our country and can sometimes turn to stone; they are incapable of compromise. They love America SO MUCH that they fail to see any of its flaws, they don’t consider better ways to live like other country’s, and they often act as arrogant barriers who perturb the rest of the world in their resistance.” I don’t agree with you. Yes, conservatives “love” their country and sometimes that blinds them to some of the country’s flaws but that doesn’t mean they are incapable of compromise. In fact, I think all the compromise that conservatives come up with is an attempt to keep their view of America. They are far from the inability to compromise but sometimes they do get caught up in their own “Hannity-level patriotism” and this causes them to be in their own little world. This I think is the stereotype the author was trying to get across and I agree with it.
In response to Rachel Kerr:
I completely agree with Rachel and her response to the article at hand. People’s specific outlooks and upbringing have huge effects on what they are going to be like and/or how they will react to a certain situation. Rachel didn’t mention upbringing but I believe it belongs in there. Anyway, I think you could say that Conservatives may tend to be too much of an optimistic group, where liberals may be too pessimistic of a group. As we have talked about, most people aren’t completely extreme like the people we often read about, but there are extremists out there. This is kind of like ‘the cup is half-full, or the cup is half-empty.’ It’s all about the way you perceive the events and traumas in your own life. If you try to take in everything as a whole; accepting the good with the bad of your country, you may be conservative. If you are the kind of person who will stop at nothing until the problem in your situation or country is fixed; you may be liberal. I’m not making judgments or anything, I’m just trying to make an example of how people may look at our country a hundred thousand different ways because of the way they perceive and react to certain situations.
This was a great article, the author of it should get an award. It was quite entertaining, especially comparing the country to that of a significant other. I do not quite understand the viewpoint of a conservative that loves this country blindly, as I have never loved something that completely. I love this country, I know that part of that is because I grew up here and there is always a bit of childhood nostalgia for where you grow up. But I do love this country for its beauty. Although there is corruption in it, it is not as rampant as it could be. There are good people here and some of them are committed to keeping this country the best country in the world, and I want to do that as well. But I do not have a cynical view of human tendencies, I believe that the human race is moving in the right direction. That we are becoming a better people. And to keep this country the best one in the world we must continue to improve upon it. That is why I support change, we are not at the pinnacle of human behavior, and the only way we can reach it is to continue to reach. We cannot do that if we digress back in history and become the country that we were, we must concentrate on the country that we become. I love this country, and I want it to grow, the only way for it to grow is for it to change.
Connection: Obama Vs McCain
We all know who is the liberal and who is the conservative here. Obama is the champion of change, McCain was billed as the same as Bush and therefore of staying the course. America has spoken and has chosen change. Who knows whether or not the people who elected Obama loved their country, but we must take it in faith that he will do his best for his country, which is all we can hope for.