Tuesday, August 05, 2008
To View Column on The Huffington Post CLICK HERE(Weekly Column)
It is campaign season, once again, which means conservatives, will try to paint Democrats as "liberals," as if it were a dirty word. I, for one, am proud to be a liberal and believe we should stand up against these conservative smears.
One of the great fallacies in modern lore is that liberalism stands for nothing and liberals have no core beliefs. The right wing, from the Pope to the President, has impugned the left by unfairly portraying it as a valueless movement mired in moral relativism.
This could not be further from the truth. Indeed, the left is the backbone of freedom, the defender of personal liberty, the guarantor of free speech and religious worship and the nurturer of democratic movements across the globe. Far from believing in nothing, wherever liberal democratic values prevail, civilizations flourish and free people thrive.
The cornerstone of liberalism is the idea that each person is endowed with the precious gift of liberty and can freely choose his or her own path - for better or worse. We believe this is crucial to greater enlightenment, personal growth and ultimate fulfillment. It also offers the best opportunity for people to realize their dreams and achieve their spiritual promise.
Liberalism encourages exploration and education. It reveres science and celebrates the inquisitive mind. Indeed, liberal values are often superior to those held on the right, because they are tenaciously subjected to rigorous examination. Beliefs that are questioned and still prevail are the ones that stand the test of time.
Like conservatism, liberalism has very strong core principles. But unlike conservatism, liberalism is not afraid to question "the way it is." The fulcrum of this philosophy is that all ideas will be constantly examined, scrutinized, studied and debated. If new information emerges to counter the culture's prevailing values or understanding, it will be rightfully taken into account. Far from moral relativism, liberalism searches for the ultimate value in which to build a moral foundation: Truth.
Right wing movements across the globe often seem uninterested in truth if it contradicts their obdurate belief systems. Reality averse, they are woefully unable to adjust to new understandings, burgeoning ideas and cultural awakenings. For example, despite overwhelming evidence that women are the equals of men, they still can't drive or vote in some Muslim countries. In America, gay people are still treated as second-class citizens, even though mountains of science and empirical evidence suggest that homosexuality is as biologically ingrained as eye color or handedness.
Liberals believe in the power of "reason," while conservatives are often just plain reactionary. This is why the GOP is the party of the "southern strategy" and anti-gay subterfuge. Republican power is directly related to fertilizing fear and fomenting fanaticism.
Indeed, the great appeal of modern conservatism, or other forms of authoritarianism, is that people don't have to think for themselves. They can mentally "check out" of this world and place their worries in the hands of a commanding politician or a higher deity.
Modern conservatives are often discomfited by the complexities of life and demand answers to the world's many unanswerable questions. They arrogantly and disingenuously claim to have absolute truth, while liberalism boldly proclaims that it does not have such ubiquitous powers of understanding. Liberalism is for those who are unafraid to fully embrace the magnificent journey of life and tackle the great mysteries of our time.
If one looks at modern conservatism in the United States, it is easy to see that it is a movement of intellectual and spiritual atrophy. In the political realm, conservatives essentially call for judges who are "strict constructionists," which is shorthand for saying "the Constitution is a dead document."
What a monumentally ridiculous notion to put forth, that American jurisprudence has not evolved in more than two centuries! Do strict constructionists believe that women and African Americans should have their rights restricted because the nation's founders treated women as second-class citizens and owned slaves?
Likewise, modern conservatives have also rendered the Bible (or Koran) "dead documents." In conservative houses of worship, traditionalists put forth the untenable belief that holy books are literal. They call these books "God's Plan," as if the Creator hasn't had a new thought in a couple of thousand years.
Modern conservatives will claim that liberals are sacrilegious for holding such beliefs. To the contrary, liberals are often extraordinarily religious or spiritual people. However, they diverge with conservatives in that they believe the strongest faith is one that is subject to healthy skepticism and painstaking examination. In encouraging people to explore all faiths -- free of guilt, shame, coercion or fear - liberalism also offers people the greatest number spiritual options.
Many of my columns deal with gay themes because equality for gay men and women is the civil rights issue of the new Millennium. However, gay rights mean nearly as much to heterosexuals as they do for homosexuals. The very peace and prosperity of nations can be easily predicted by looking at how they relate to their gay citizens.
If a country treats gay people with dignity and respect and offers them equality, it signals that the country bases its decisions on sound education, rationalism and science. This inevitably leads towards success in all spheres of life.
Countries that ostracize and penalize homosexuals tend to be superstitious, authoritarian and anti-intellectual. This almost uniformly leads to poverty, war, oppression and ultimately tyranny.
A cynic might argue that the United States is not as gay friendly as other countries, yet, it is the richest country in the world. True, but nearly all of America's cities and states that are centers of profit and creativity offer acceptance for homosexuals. States most hostile to gay people are relatively backwards, with lower levels of education and income. Places that offer acceptance signal that they are open-minded and looking towards the future. Locales that reject homosexuals indicate that they are stuck in the past -- at their own peril.
In essence, gay rights are the canary in the coal mine for freedom and prosperity. Unfortunately, the bird is hacking, signaling a period of increased oppression and a dangerous erosion of freedom. It is up to us to rescue this nation from the perilous path it is now on. It is time we proudly stand up for what we believe in. If we don't defend our values, our opponents will define them.
Progressive does not mean passive. Our compassion does not mean that we lack passion. Our respect for other beliefs does not signify that we don't hold strong beliefs of our own that we are willing to fight for. Indeed, our power comes from our ability to adjust to reality. We are secure in our values, yet humble enough to adapt if our viewpoints are proven obsolete. Wherever liberal democracy takes root, a strong and proud record of economic, moral, social and political achievement follows.
33 Comments:
Wow, one of your best articles Wayne! You should have a syndicated newspaper column. I would just add one thing to, "The very peace and prosperity of nations can be easily predicted by looking at how they relate to their gay citizens." Gandhi said, and I'm paraphrasing here, you can judge the moral character of a people/nation from the way they treat their animals. AMEN!
And of course the rightwingers HATE animal protection groups. That scumbag Limbaugh used to make fun of animals' rights groups while playing a recording of a screaming (being abused) monkey in the background. The depth of their coldblooded depravity is endless.
posted by , at
8/05/2008 9:54 AM
Wayne, eloquently said! Progessiveness looks to the future, regressiveness applicable to the majority of republicans looks to the past. Enough said.
posted by , at
8/05/2008 10:47 AM
Wayne, what do you think of Libertarians? How about Log Cabiners? Are the gay republicans like Jews for Jesus?
posted by Emily K, at
8/05/2008 12:15 PM
It amuses me when someone like James Dobson accuses liberals of "moral relativism", when he claims to get his morals from the Bible.
The Bible is a mishmash of ideas and writing styles from several different cultures, points of view and value systems, anyone can find a verse in it to support any position. And god knows they try.
posted by Eshto, at
8/05/2008 1:56 PM
Here! Here! I'm an out proud liberal!!
Eshto, yes, the bible is filled with depravity - some people use it that way - others look at those stories and do something more pleasing for God. There are a lot of bible believing people who do not act like dobson.
posted by , at
8/05/2008 2:36 PM
Emily:
As you know, I'm not a big fan of Republicanism. I certainly could not vote that way - particularly as a gay man.
Log Cabin has done many things that I deeply disagree with. However, they have also done some hard work in the trenches too. As long as they are fighting and advancing the best interests of the community, not that of Republicans, I have no problem with them.
So, my feelings on this group are situational - depending on how they respond when their party misbehaves.
Finally, it would be great if the Republican Party decided that it was best to dump the religious right. If two parties competed for our votes, we would not have to rely on the feast or famine politics of our age.
posted by Wayne Besen, at
8/05/2008 3:24 PM
Yeah, I'd like to see greater representation than the two party system.
posted by , at
8/05/2008 5:04 PM
Liberals have always been on the right side of history. It was liberals who said that slavery should end and that women should vote. It was liberals who stood up for the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Conservatives fight history and they fight progress. In the end, there is nothing they can do to stop them completely, but their delays are a shame. It's much like Rep. Carol Porter-Shea remarked to Elaine Donnelly at the hearing on Don't Ask, Don't Tell: "In fifteen years, we are all going to look back at this and be embarassed. In fact, I'm embarassed right now."
In other words, conservatives are nothing but an embarassment.
Matthew, NC
posted by , at
8/05/2008 8:38 PM
Being liberal is very noble indeed. It is a character trait worthy of praise.
posted by , at
8/05/2008 9:24 PM
Although intellectual midgets like Wayne regularly apply some form of the adjectives "left" and "right," or "liberal" and "conservative," or "left-wing" and "right-wing," to nearly everyone from the Chinese politburo to Baptist ministers, as is often the case with no-nothing talking heads like Wayne, he does so in almost complete ignorance of what the words represent in terms of political ideology.
The most common error is for self-proclaimed "liberals" to postulate a Communist left-wing extreme opposed by an extreme Nazi right-wing (signified of course by applying the phrase "fascist" in an incorrect fashion).
Not only does this leave out a substantial body of political and philosophical thought, but the construction falls apart the moment the two socialist ideologies are compared. Any reasonable comparison between the two inevitably forces the confused advocates of such a definition to assert that the spectrum is actually a circle, in which case the terms left and right, much less left-wing and right-wing, are wholly nonsensical.
Nor is the original usage of much utility today, since it represented the fundamental division of the pre-revolutionary French national assembly. Since very few nations feature a monarchy these days, and even fewer political parties espouse positions with regards to the Bourbon kings, this definition is now defunct.
And the notion of basing the spectrum on progress, of course, begs the Marxian question. In other words, progress toward what? The worker's paradise? For Wayne, probably so.
To find a stronger foundation for a proper political spectrum, it is necessary to delve into intellectual history - which Wayne is clearly incapable of doing.
But looking back to ancient Greece, one finds striking similarities between the collectivism of Plato's Republic and modern leftist (i.e., American "liberal") thought. And likewise, the close relationship between the Aristotelian regard for the individual, the American Bill of Rights and today's Libertarian Party is equally hard to escape.
If one took this fundamental dichotomy between the supremacy of the community and the primacy of the individual as a starting point, it would be relatively easy to determine where an individual or political party happens to fall on the political spectrum if communism is accepted as the anchoring point for the extreme left wing. If Wayne and others would base their discussions concerning the political spectrum on identifiable facts and philosophy instead of ignorance, deception and half-baked history, they may actually write something that's intellectually defendable.
posted by , at
8/06/2008 9:42 AM
In it's purest form, I see conservatives as being about "me" while liberals are about "we".
Conservatives hate the idea of sharing. They earned their wealth and believe they should be allowed to keep it. Hence they oppose taxes and any benefits to society that derive from taxes.
Libertarians pretty much share this view. As such both conservatives and libertarians would oppose social programs such as Social Security, public education, universal health insurance, programs to help the poor, etc. Basically they both believe the only legitimate role for government is to defend the nation.
Where conservatives and libertarians part ways is over personal behavior issues. As one of my favorite radio hosts likes to say, libertarians are conservatives that like to smoke dope and get laid.
Most any element of our society that does good for the citizens as a whole came from the liberal side of the political spectrum. Anyone who disputes that should try to create a list of good things that have come from conservatives.
posted by JWKessler, at
8/06/2008 5:05 PM
Excellent piece that should be spread far and wide. I'll probably link this on my blog because it needs to be shared.
The article is also very quotable. Thank you for laying it out in terms simple enough even for the Neo-Cons among us.
posted by truthspew, at
8/06/2008 6:59 PM
anon 9:42 : There's a lot of interesting stuff you say there I agree with, except for calling Wayne Besen an intellectual midget. Come on, man. He's a lot more of an independent thinker than you're giving him credit for. (P.S.- I'm a simple guy with simple views on this. Any extreme is bad. Extreme liberalism, conservativism, left-wing, right-wing, or even monarchism leads to mass murder).
posted by Joey7777, at
8/07/2008 8:32 AM
As a member of the Libertarian Party, I feel the entire "left-right" construct is nonsense. Check out http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html for a better model.
I agree with Besen's point about personal liberty. Where modern day liberals lose me, however, is when they satisfy their "compassion" by forcing other people to fund that compassion via taxes.
There is no moral value in forcing someone to do something via the government.Modern day liberals think there is.
posted by BlueCarp, at
8/07/2008 11:08 AM
Thanks, Bluecarp. I'll be checking that out.
posted by Joey7777, at
8/07/2008 12:21 PM
Wayne, this is brilliant. You should be writing for the New York Times.
Thanks!!!!!!!
posted by , at
8/07/2008 1:24 PM
BlueCarp said "There is no moral value in forcing someone to do something via the government.Modern day liberals think there is."
That makes my point precisely. Conservatives and libertarians believe government should not get involved in things like ensuring the safety of our food and drugs, limiting the number of hours we are required to work or a minimum amount we should be paid for our work, protecting American jobs from foreign competition - or any other regulation that protects the citizens from abuses. Charles Dickens 19th century England was an example of a conservative paradise.
Understand that a pure conservative/libertarian society will soon become a feudal society. In such a society there will be a very small wealthy ruling class - a small middle class consisting of those who possess specialized skills or who are entrepreneurial enough to start their own businesses, and a very large poor class. This is the normal state of a society unless government steps in and sets rules to protect the folks at the bottom from the excesses of those at the top.
Twenty five years ago conservative saint Ronald Reagan came along and began attacking big government, slashing regulations, downsizing departments and opposing unions. His ideas have been continued and expanded by Bush Senior, Clinton (who ran as a liberal but governed as a conservative) and now Bush Jr. Todays economic mess and shrinking middle class is the direct result of 25 years of conservative policies.
One of the most powerful tools these people have been using has been to break government, then point out to us how government doesn't work and how government functions should be privatized. A great example has been Social Security. They steal from the Social Security trust fund - a fund that we all pay into - then point out the fact that the fund will be broke soon, and use that bit of news to convince us that the system should be privatized.
posted by , at
8/07/2008 9:44 PM
JW, you have far less faith in the human condition than I do if you feel people must be forced by the government to do good works. Of course, it is much harder to actually convince people to donate money to your cause than it is to get a bill passed requiring people to give to your cause. Freedom has a downside. People can choose to be selfish. Statism has a far worse downside: shackles and chains, all for our "own good."
posted by BlueCarp, at
8/08/2008 4:10 PM
Thank you Wayne! That's a brilliantly written piece that reflects what I've believed since childhood.
I have always been proud to say that I AM A LIBERAL. That's something that is as central to my persona as being gay. I'm pretty sure I was born that way too!
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