May 12th, 2011
Insanity, of course can be defined in many different ways: continuing to do the same thing expecting a different result, an inability to distinguish between right and wrong or posing a threat to themselves or others. There are also, of course, clinical definitions: Schizophrenia, extreme depression, narcissism (yes, I’m probably guilty of that one- we’re all a little bit nuts).
By the 1st definition, I think it’s obvious that conservatives (which is defined by MerriamWebster as a proponent of conservatism, which is tending to maintain things in their current state. It has been defined politically, since FDR, certainly since Reagan, by the Republican Party) are insane.
The economic debacle we are currently in shows that the economic policies we have had since 2001 are not working. Deregulation is not leading to a stable marketplace. Lowering taxes on the rich does not increase overall tax revenue. Yet conservatives, certainly the ones in government, want to continue down that road and they obstruct any efforts to find a new, better way. That is insane.
An ability to distinguish between right and wrong is pretty obviously a part of the conservative mindset as well. I’m certain that most conservative Americans were raised, like me, on a steady diet of cheesy WWII movies. The evil German saying “Ve haf vays to make you talk,” and the evil Japanese locking people in hot metal boxes in the blazing sun,have been drilled into their psyche. Yet they seem to think torturing prisoners is just A.O.K.
Pre-emptive wars on false pretexts, massive killing of civilians and imprisonment without trial have all been championed by conservatives.
That is not just a difference of political opinion, that is an inability to distinguish between right and wrong.
The danger to themselves and others is clear as well. If we drown in oil because we were too shortsighted to develop solar, wind and other alternative forms of energy, it will be because of conservatives who refused to accept manmade global warming as a fact. If we get into WWIII because of our global belligerence, it will be conservatives who are to blame. If the economy continues to fail, it will be because we are continuing the same policies that caused the problems in the first place.
As far as the clinical definitions, of course, tests could and should be done to determine whether liberals or conservatives are more prone to schizophrenia, depression, neurotic behavior, etc…Why not? We should know.
I’m not actually a psychologist, but from what I can see on the surface, conservatives are nuts.
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