It is an insult to the conservative that he or she cannot
fix themselves and an insult to the liberal that he or she cannot fix humanity.
This is why many conservatives reject Jesus in every sphere except religious
ceremony and why liberals reject an interventionalist God in all spheres.
The conservative – I pulled myself up by my bootstraps
model- believes he or she is responsible for his or her ultimate destiny and
achievements. I did it my way, so
why can’t everyone else? This can
be used to justify a reluctance to help others, as that is not my responsibility
but theirs. This ignores the fact that factors such as the family (or lack
thereof) we are born into, the place in which we are born, and (even though it
is not politically correct to say so these days) the varying levels of skill or
talent with which each of us are born, can greatly influence our “progress” in
the world.
Conversely, the liberal worldview presents itself as
altruistic and concerned with fairness and the well being of others. The liberal fondly cherishes the notion
that as a group we can redeem humanity from the various ills and squalors in
which it is embroiled. It aims to
create equality through redistributing resources. Those better off should contribute to those less
fortunate. It’s hard to argue
against this proposition. However,
in my experience, most people think there are others more fortunate than them
who should foot the bill. I’ve
never met anyone who likes to pay taxes – liberal or conservative. So, the idea is not for me to
sacrifice my resources to help those at the bottom, but to take the resources
of others to do so. Again, I am
not responsible for the plight of those less fortunate. It can make you feel good without
paying a personal cost.
