Pedro de San Patricio
Gold Member
I've noticed over the years that a primary difference between liberals and conservatives is how they approach dissent. Liberals will typically assume one of two things: either you're faking your beliefs and don't really think what you say you do*, or you're not really all that bright and need them to educate you on the real facts (being their own personal opinion on the issue; the phrase "reality has a liberal bias" will probably come up a lot in this case). Conservatives will typically assume three things: you don't love the United States (since you'd be a conservative if you did), you're a hardcore liberal (even if you're a conservative, libertarian, Socialist, Communist, or any other position that's neither conservative nor liberal), or you're simply mistaken and will inevitably agree with them on every position when you're older.
Just a few observations.
*This is particularly common when the subject is abortion. It's not that pro-lifers are simply mistaken or have a different set of values to them. It's that pro-lifers don't actually believe in their supposed cause at all and they're just faking all of the emotions that crop up around the issue. At best, they'll be considered shit stirrers trying to start an argument over nothing despite really being pro-choice at heart. At worst, they'll be considered possibly violent sociopaths and rapists waiting for an opportunity to force every woman to be their personal baby factory. I've come to regard the latter as a particular perversion on the part of the pro-choicer in question though I could be wrong.
Just a few observations.
*This is particularly common when the subject is abortion. It's not that pro-lifers are simply mistaken or have a different set of values to them. It's that pro-lifers don't actually believe in their supposed cause at all and they're just faking all of the emotions that crop up around the issue. At best, they'll be considered shit stirrers trying to start an argument over nothing despite really being pro-choice at heart. At worst, they'll be considered possibly violent sociopaths and rapists waiting for an opportunity to force every woman to be their personal baby factory. I've come to regard the latter as a particular perversion on the part of the pro-choicer in question though I could be wrong.
